Chapter 9

Tasha did something Gonzalo would never expect. She came to the estate to visit her friend. As she walks towards the gigantic house of Gonzalo Valenzuela, his men's eyes are focused on her. Tasha's heartbeat is the sound of a hundred horses racing, but she didn't let it show.

"Tasha, it's so nice to see you, again." Gonzalo greeted her meaningfully. "I never expected you to have the cojones this big. Coming to my home, unannounced. Bold move."

"I'm here for my best friend." Tasha stayed calm even though she feels the walls of the house closing in on her. Gonzalo smirked.

"Tasha!" Patricia came running towards her, she smiled. "Oh my God! I missed you!" Tasha was pleased to see that she looks lucid and fresh. Patricia even looked well-rested

"Hey, how are you?" Tasha greeted her back. "A lot has happened and I didn't have the chance to tell you. But I'm here now, and oh, I brought Tommy with me. When he got better, I took him out of the hospital."

"Get the kid and take him to his room," Gonzalo commanded angrily. "And next time, anyone who would take the boy outside of this property without my permission will say hi to Chico and Chica, comprende?" Gonzalo's maids nodded and ran upstairs.

"You tell me, how are you?" Patricia nudged her a bit. "Gonzalo, can Tasha come with me everywhere I go? I promise I'll behave." Patricia requested like a child.

"No," Gonzalo answered firmly.

"Please?" Tasha watched as Patricia walked towards him and hugged his arms. He gave her the dagger look but she didn't budge. "Please?"

"Tss, fine." Gonzalo finally agreed.

"Thank you!" Patricia kissed him on the lips. And everyone around them, including Gonzalo's men, was shocked. While Gonzalo looked like his soul just ran away from his body. He's staring at Patricia but he's not saying anything. Tasha wondered about something.

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As Tasha spend more time with Patricia, she saw a lot of things about Gonzalo Valenzuela. His illegal businesses, his casinos, but what's worst is his kills. He kills anyone who annoys him. From looking at him the wrong way to making even the simplest mistakes. But what worries Tasha is that Patricia doesn't seem bothered about it anymore.

"Gonzalo, I need a hit." Tasha almost broke her neck when she looked at Patricia so quickly. Gonzalo saw her reaction and smirked.

"Here." Gonzalo happily grants her request. And not ten minutes later, Patricia turns from lively to catatonic. Tasha shook her head and stood up to help her friend back to her bed.

She spent the whole day helping Patricia come down from her high. She almost cried watching her shake and sweat violently. Seeing friend like tha made up her mind that she needs to get her out of Gonzalo's reach.

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Gonzalo watches Tasha take care of Patricia in her room. She's experiencing withdrawal and it's never been pretty. He wanted Patricia to stop using drugs but she was straightforward from the beginning that it's the only reason why she went with him. Drugs and money.

"Yeah," Gonzalo said as he answered the phone call.

[Boss, we found someone spying around the property, specifically on Ms. Patricia's room.]

"I'll be there." Gonzalo's jaw clenched as he picks up his gun and gets out of his room.

As he walks towards the stairs, he passed by Patricia's room and listened in. Tasha's talking to Patricia, trying to ease her pain even a little. He shook his head and continued walking.

"Who are you?" Gonzalo asked the man tied up on a chair inside his garage.

"Someone who knows you very well." The man smirked.

"Why are you spying on me?" He asked again. Trying to hold on to his patience a little longer.

"I'm not spying on you. I'm spying on her."

Bang!

"Clean this," Gonzalo ordered.

When he heard him said that he's spying on Patricia he couldn't help but feel incomparable anger. Something inside of him burned and exploded. He made a big mistake telling him that.

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Gonzalo went back to his room and continued watching Patricia as she sweats it out. She's not shaking that bad anymore. Tasha still sat beside her and wipes a damp towel on her forehead. In just a few hours more, Patricia will be back to normal.

"Boss?" Gonzalo's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door.

"Come in," he answered as he turned off his laptop's monitor.

"Boss, uh—I just can't help but wonder, do you think it's still safe to have Ms. Patricia around?" His hitman asked.

"What do you care?" He asked him back.

"I don't, Boss. But you do." He responded. His name is Max and he's been working for Gonzalo since the beginning. He's one of the few people who can talk to him as an equal. "Even if you don't want to admit it, you care for her."

"If you don't shut up your mouth immediately, I'm gonna shoot you." Gonzalo threatened him.

"No, you won't," Max smirked. "I'm the best and I know I'm right. Anyway, I just thought I should tell you what I'm thinking. But if you don't want to hear, hey, fine by me."

"What is it?" Gonzalo then asked. That made Max smile.

"You're enemy will use her," Max said. "You're keeping her, which means you want her close to you. You're putting her life in danger."

"I can protect her. Now leave me." That's all Gonzalo has to say.

He let out a loud sigh and walk towards the alcohol shelf in the corner of his room. Gonzalo knew that Max is right, Patricia could be in danger. But for some reason, he doesn't want her out of his sight. Gonzalo wants Patricia near him. At all cost.

"What is it with you? I want to get rid of you but I can't." He thought to himself.

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When Patricia came back to normal, it's like nothing happened. Like an ordinary day has gone by and it's a brand new day again. Tasha observed her actions and kept quiet. She doesn't want to trigger anything that might upset her. Besides, her mind is occupied with the question of how she could get Patricia away from Gonzalo.

"Tash, stay here, okay? I'll just go downstairs and get some food." Patricia said as she gets out of the bathroom.

"Why don't we go downstairs together?" Tasha offered.

"I'm not bringing the food myself, silly. I'll just talk to the maid and make some requests for our breakfast." Patricia said, smiling. Then she went out leaving Tasha with her thoughts.

She looked around Patricia's room. If not with the drugs, Patricia's life can be considered enviable. She lives in an expensive estate, drives an expensive sports car, and spends so much money on clothes that some people couldn't even afford. Her room is beautiful and spacious and it was obviously converted just for her. She then felt her phone vibrates.

"Jericho, hey." She greeted him happily. "I'm fine, don't worry about me." Tasha smiled "No, but did you receive those feeds from yesterday?" She remembered to ask. "Yeah, are those enough?" Tasha asked. "Great! Okay, see you."

Tasha had no idea that someone's watching over Patricia's room. Not a moment later, four men came barging into the room and grabbed her.

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They took Tasha to the garage where the guy died earlier. They tied her up on the same chair. As they waited for Gonzalo, one of them positioned himself in front of her and smirked.

"Do you have any idea of how stupid you are?" He mockingly asked. Tasha chose not to speak and look away.

They frisk her and found the microcamera on her shirt. Now, one of them is checking the feeds she collected and where it was being transmitted. It won't take long before the realization that the feeds are being to her home.

"Tasha! Spying on me? Tsk!" Gonzalo finally arrived. "You do have big cojones." Gonzalo sounded amused. "What? You think I would not know what you're doing?"

"I got it, Boss. The video this little bad boy takes is being transmitted to a computer in her house and in Massachusetts." Gonzalo's men said.

"Massachusetts? Hmmm, that's we're you ran off to when you escape from me." Gonzalo finally understood. "Find out who's at her house and bring him to me," Gonzalo commanded. "Let's see who this puta she's hiding back home." They only waited half an hour before one of Gonzalo's men called and tell them that they found someone.

"Take him here," Gonzalo instructed his men and hang up the phone. "A man at your house. A Massachusetts cop. I've had some run-ins with them. Good thing that their chief is working for me." He winked. "You can't bring me down, Tasha. Nobody can. I am Gonzalo Valenzuela and you have no idea what I'm capable of."

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When Patricia came back to her room, Tasha's already gone. She thought she left but when she saw the broken vase, she realized something else happened. She ran back to the kitchen and saw Gonzalo's maids. They looked scared and we're whispering to each other.

"What's going on? Has anyone seen my friend?" She asked them.

"Patricia go to the garage, now!" Elena told her. And she ran to the garage as fast as he could.

She saw Gonzalo's men dragging an almost unconscious man inside the garage. He was bleeding and beaten badly. But that doesn't bother her anymore. She's already seen a lot of dead people to be squeamish because of blood.

"Tasha!" But her whole being was rocked when she saw her friend tied up to a chair. "What are you doing!" She confronted Gonzalo.

"Your dear friend is spying on me. She wants to take me down," Gonzalo told Patricia. This shocked her.

"Tasha is that true?" Patricia turned to her friend.

"I wanted to help you. You don't know yourself anymore." Tasha responded while crying. "I just wanted you to get back to normal. You don't deserve to be a plaything, Pat."

"Go back inside the house," Gonzalo ordered. But Patricia remained on her spot. She was thinking.

"Let her go," Patricia demanded.

"Who do you think you are to give me an order" Gonzalo grabbed her face but she swatted his hand.

"I said let her go!' Patricia insisted. "Hurt me, kill me, I don't care! Just let her go!"

"Patricia, no! Don't this, your son still needs you. Please, no!" Tasha begged her friend.

"He's better off without me." Patricia smiled sadly. "He's better off with you."

"Patricia, get out of my way," Gonzalo commanded between his teeth. He cannot believe that Patricia just put herself between him and her friend

"If you hurt my friend, I will never forgive you." Patricia blocked Tasha even more. "I will kill myself.

Gonzalo and Patricia had a staring contest. They are staring at each other, measuring each other's determination. Gonzalo pointed a gun at Patricia. Tasha screamed and begged and wiggled on the chair. She's starting to be hysterical and fear for her friend's life. But Patricia remained still. Staring at Gonzalo's eyes with unbridled hatred.

"I won't think twice about killing you, don't tempt me." Gonzalo threatened her.

"Then shoot." Patricia dared. Keeping her resolve.

Patricia remained standing in between Tasha and Gonzalo. His gun still pointed at her but there's still no fear in her eyes. She's just staring at him, daring him to shoot. While Gonzalo is seething inside for letting Patricia act that way in front of his men. He never let anyone question or disobeys him. No one. But now, there's a woman in front of him. Defying him, daring him.

"Last warning. Get out of my way!" Gonzalo screamed out of frustration.

"No! Shoot me, come on! Kill me!" Patricia remained on the spot to block his way to Tasha.

Gonzalo shot Jericho instead. Tasha was shocked about what happened as she started at Jericho's dead body. She's crying but there's a sound.

"Get out of my way or you're next," Gonzalo warned her again.

"Fire at will." Patricia remained on her spot.

Six more gun shots echoed through out the property.