I turn the stove element off and pour hot water over my teabag. I set the teacup aside, leaving it untouched for now. With a sigh of disgust I move to the back door, unlocking it and stepping out into the dark night. Acrid smoke immediately assails my nostrils, telling me that Pedro is stalking the yard. Though I hate the idea that he might have been watching me through the sliding glass door, I'm grateful that I don't have to seek him out in the confines of the small shack he inhabits."Pedro?" I say hesitantly. I may be able to smell him, but I can't see him. I pull my long, thick mane of hair off my neck and look around, searching the darkness.I jump as he steps into the slight glow cast from the kitchen light."Se?ora Decena," he drawls.My hackles rise immediately. Since our arrival in Cuba, every word out of this man's mouth has taken on a disrespectful tone. I want to verbally slap him in a way that only Luna Decena is capable of, but he's a half foot taller than me and pro
I don't often smoke, but the occasion seems to call for it and Pedro is kind enough to leave a pack and a lighter out for me. Since I quit using heroin my cravings for other substances has increased; the need to take myself out of certain situations paramount. This isn't one of those situations. I want to be here, in the moment, enjoying every moan of pain, every drop of blood spilled. This man will learn what happens when my family is taken from me. Unfortunately, he won't live long enough to tell others not to fuck with me and mine.I inhale deeply, savouring the sensation as it fills my lungs, burning in the way only an ex-smoker can appreciate. I'm sitting in a chair, in the corner of his room. I haven't bothered to be quiet, but he still hasn't woken, the man who has betrayed me. This annoys me. If a man must go to his death he should wake up and do it on his feet, face me like a man. I stub the cigarette out in the ashtray and stand. I flip the light on and approach the bed, giv
I can't sleep.I roll over onto my side and punch one of the extra pillows pulling it against my stomach. I think about going out to the kitchen for a shot or two of the Cuban rum I picked up in Havana today, but I fear that Pedro will see the light and think it is an invitation to come inside for a visit. I turn over again and sigh, staring at the faint light in the hall. I've been leaving the washroom light on with the door partially closed as a makeshift nightlight for the children. So far neither of them have needed to get up in the night. My little darlings have always been amazing sleepers, like their father. Unlike their mama.I roll over again, turning my back to the hallway, and hug the pillow tight against me. I close my eyes. Andres immediately fills my mind, his dark, tattooed body stalking to the forefront. I bury my face into the bedding and release a muffled sob. There's no help for it. I can't stop thinking of him. I never could. He's been the only man for me since th
I sigh and smile into my pillow as I picture the confrontation between him and mama. She'd made only one protest and then he'd swept her away by both dogged determination and charm, assuring her that his intentions were honourable; that he wanted to marry me the moment we could find a church. A warm rush of feeling had swept over me as I'd listened to him speak to my only living relative. Logical arguments had popped up in my brain, but each time I tried to fight with myself, my gaze was drawn back to him. I couldn't believe my luck. Couldn't believe a man like this wanted a girl like me. I came from nothing, living like a pauper, on my wits and will alone. It amazed me that a man as good looking and connected as Andres could possibly want me for more than a good night's fuck. And I'd done exactly what I'd sworn never to do, given up the goods at the blink of an eye. I thought I would come back home to my small town with my small, lonely life and stay here until I died. I never thoug
Two days. It takes two extra days, a truly impressive amount of resources and some deadly persuasion to find my wife and children. Forty-eight more hours should have given me plenty of extra time to calm down, to approach the imminent apprehension of my wife with less emotion. Instead, I'm angrier, more blazingly furious than I had been when I first set out to find her.I have lost my best friend. Alberto's betrayal is sharp, like the invisible blade that cuts deep from under the ribcage. It hadn't taken me long to realize that there was only one way for my helpless, unskilled wife to figure out I was in the vicinity, to run into the night with our children, only her purse and the clothes on her back.We'd shed tears together, Alberto and I, when I finally got the truth out of him. And though he didn't deserve it, I let him have a dignified death. One bullet to the temple for his betrayal. He'd seen it coming, hadn't even put up a fight. Gave me his reasons for letting the bitch go
His scent fills my mind, teasing my senses, and sending me into a spiral of confusion. Andres usually represents safety, love, strength and so much more. I know he's here to murder me, to torture and hurt me, but my body wants to sink into him, to cling to his hard body and beg him to hold me. Andres is like coming home. There's just something about him that I recognize on a deep, subconscious level.Once the other boat pulls away he lets go of me as though he can't stand to touch me. I sink to the deck, my shaky legs unable to hold my weight up. I crawl to the other side and watch as the boat holding my children grows distant, tears pouring down my cheeks. I don't bother to check them. There's no point. This is probably the last time I'll see Cristo and Sola; my heart is breaking.I hear a splash and look over. The body of the captain is gone. I assume Andres has just thrown him into the ocean. I shudder, imagining it could have just as easily been me, except Andres will want to kee
She has finally fallen asleep. A combination of terror and sheer physical exhaustion overwhelming her. I stand over her, staring down, frustrated. Despite her bedraggled appearance, she is just as beautiful as the day we met. Perhaps, more so for being the mother of my children. I try to call on the hatred that is required for the coming days, but it's tempered and twisted with the obsessive love that has been my constant companion from the moment I set eyes on this woman.Luna was a glorious sight to behold, that first time I set eyes on her. I feel like I've spent a lifetime replaying it in my head, the impact was so intense. She must've been in the bar for at least a few minutes before I noticed her, but I hadn't seen her walk in. When the disturbance began I didn't even bother to look. Hell, a bar like that, in that territory on a Friday night… fights weren't unusual. Then the guy next to me dropped his jaw and spat out his beer. This guy was a hardened criminal from my own squad.
We land just as morning begins to light the sky, splashing colours of orange and red across the clouds while we descend. I lean as much as I dare in my seat, trying to see where we are. I woke up several minutes ago, completely disoriented, without a clue as to how long we've been flying. I know I can't ask Andres where our destination is. One glance at him tells me he has sunk into a deep, angry silence. I'm not willing to draw his attention back to me. Not yet.There's too much cloud cover for me to see where we are. The plane lands with a bounce and swiftly taxis to a stop. Before I have a chance to move, Andres unbuckles my seatbelt and pulls me out of my chair. I lurch to my feet and follow him to the door, smothering a yawn.A flight attendant stands beside the airplane door, awaiting the pilot's go ahead to open it. She glances at me, disdain bright in her pretty blue eyes as she sweeps a glance over me from head to toe, stopping on my bare feet. I narrow my eyes, giving her m