Where are my men??

He didn’t need to write his name on it. Fucking Carlos.

Anger rose inside of me like a volcano about to erupt, hurt swirled like a tsunami. How dare Carlos?

I wasn’t asking him to fuck me. I was just trying to win for once.

He had put frogs in my bath, poured ketchup on my seat, and got my clothes red, Luis had been so scared that he first thought it was blood. He had put pepper in my shampoo and got my eyes and hair hot.

What was wrong with my trying to win for once?

I made my way downstairs. I was so angry my head could pop. He was just standing there, waiting for me with that look of triumph on his face.

I don’t know what I did to make the bastard hate me but this was the last straw for me. I am done playing games. I stopped right in front of Carlos.

He had that ‘what the hell can you do' look on his face I raised my left hand to slap him on the face, I knew he was expecting that so I wasn’t surprised then he caught my hand even before it reached his face. My left hand was just a distraction.

SMACK!!

I delivered my planned slap across his face with my right hand. He didn’t see it coming. Louis and Juan had rushed in to see what happened.

“What’s going on here” Carlos and I kept mute. When Louis saw he wouldn’t get an answer he gave me one last suspicious look and left. I stamp my foot back to my room.

The guys were gone but anger against Carlos was still bubbling inside of me. I decided to put my emotions into my task.

The kitchen was always stacked so I planned out my menu

Taco Chicken Tenders,

multi-grain quesadilla,

chicken Enchiladas,

then Mac and cheese

. Cooking wasn’t hard for me. I had been able to cook since I was little but since I joined my new family. I loved not having to do anything. It also made them appreciate it whenever I cooked.

Except Carlos anyway. Don’t think about Carlos.

It was almost evening when I finished cooking and the guys weren’t back yet. Terrible thoughts attacked me.

What if they had been caught? Or worse, Killed? What would become of me if I didn’t have them? In less than a year, I’ve been happier than I had been in all the first 22 years of my life.?

“What would become of me if my men didn’t come home?”

I prayed to God. I begged Jesus using his mother, Mary. Let my men come home safe.

I wouldn’t tease Carlos anymore, I’d cook whenever Louis wanted me to, and I’d never mess with Juan’s computers. Just bring them back safely.

They didn’t come. 6:00 p.m. They weren’t back.

7:00 p.m. A dark hole had begun to form in my mind. I’d rather kill myself than let my father find me. He would sell me. He would kill me.

When the clock chimed 8:00 pm. I couldn’t hold back the tears. Did God hate me this much? Do I not deserve happiness?

At 8:30 my head was banging from the crying and screaming. I was too weak to move. I curled myself into a ball and waited for death. The underworld has rules.

If the Dos Santos had been caught, everything that is attached to them would have been ruined as well, except if they could fight. Carlos had men but I knew nothing about them.

I can’t even call for help.

Then I heard the gates open. They were here, to raid the house and kill me. They would probably sell me along with girls, that would be better than sending me back to my father.

I heard tires screech. That wasn’t the sound of Juan's truck. Juan wouldn’t even let anyone make his best truck screech like that.

Fresh tears began to run down my eyes as I heard footsteps moving lightly. They sounded like at least 30 people. I hug myself tighter. This was the end. I heard them enter the sitting room.

I didn’t lift my head. Until I heard… “Rayna?”

I lifted my head, “Louis?”. Then I saw everyone.

There were over 30 girls, I thought we had planned 6.

That didn’t matter, my men were back and Louis’ arms were opened, calling me in. I ran into his arms and started crying all over again.

“Why were you gone for so long? Why didn’t you call me? What happened?”

Carlos stole one glance at me in Luis's arms when went straight to his room While Juan explained what happened. It seemed like they were something fishy going on, many parents hadn’t reported their children missing.

It would seem like the girls had been sold. Now they couldn’t return even the six girls home because it looked too much like a trap. Meaning, the girls might be with us for some time. I didn’t mind

. Having a full house might be fun.

But what I had cooked would not be nearly enough for the kids.

Juan and Louis had a rough day and I couldn’t ask them to help me with the girls. I let the guys go to their rooms to do whatever they do after beating the shit of some worse guys.

“Are you the good guys?” one of the girls asked me.

“There are no good guys sweetheart. What’s your name?” I asked her.

She seemed like a bright kid “Anna. I’m seventeen” That was good enough for me.

I didn’t know how to put them in order because even our dining table just wouldn’t fit them.

Eventually, the food managed to go around, so we made lots of substitutes and emptied the fridge.

I took the girls to my room. I loved it. My room was crawling with girls. I asked them their names till I couldn’t even remember the name of the first person. I didn’t forget Anna though.

After getting a suitable sleeping arrangement for them all, Those who had helped with cooking slept on the bed, and I asked them to sleep.

Then, a very tiny girl, I remember her to be the youngest, she was 14, spoke.

“The first guy, wearing a blue shirt,” I remembered only Carlos wore a blue shirt. “ He is hurt. I saw them hurt him. He saved me”

‘Carlos is a strong guy kid” I went to her and ruffled her hair. “He’ll be fine”

“Will you check on him?”

The last thing I wanted to do was to see Carlos after such a hectic day. But I nodded. I went to his room.

I almost changed my mind. Twice.

But I went anyway. What was the worst that could happen?