7

The blindfold fell off our eyes, I was the first to be allowed to look around, because the first thing I did was turn to my son, whom I was holding by the hand all that time.

And I noticed that the first thing Thomas did was look up at the surroundings. Even I was a little confused, we got off the obvious private jet and now we were facing a giant house, a mansion of dark and old tones, somewhat gothic in appearance, surrounded by a rose bush that ranged between white, gray and black tones.

What was that supposed to be?

It wasn’t an ugly place, it was just quite—cold, dull, and mysterious-looking. A place similar to the places that are usually owned by royalty, somewhat old, but well supported on strong foundations.

Then the main gate opened, there, more or less four or five meters away. Well, if I remembered correctly, after getting off the jet, at what seemed to have been the closest airport to the house, we had had to walk a distance of some fifty or sixty long steps. So it was evident that we were facing the property of someone with too much influence, there was no space in my mind to imagine someone other than Dorian Torres.

A man was coming out of that door, apparently escorted or simply accompanied by two more men who looked like bulldogs. But the one who was in the middle, I supposed that the boss of all that, in effect, was Dorian.

I will not deny it, he is imposing, strong, attractive, with a serious expression and a self-sufficient attitude, something that undoubtedly bordered on self-centeredness and impudence. He acted as if everything was normal, as if blackmailing people for him was the most frequent activity he did in his days. Dorian was a gangster, you couldn’t expect less from someone like him.

The black suit that was shitting, as if he were a businessman entering his office in the main place of work, made him look even more dangerous, like a sophisticated monster with great academic and psychological preparation to crush anyone who got in his way.

The first thing he did when he got to us was look down to see Thomas, and it was obvious, like two peas in a pod, father and son; he hadn’t compared them until they were both together, but yes, my son was like a childhood copy of Dorian Torres, he was very little like me. There was no longer any doubt in me that they were both blood related. However, in my mind there was still the doubt, the question of how it is that then I had turned out to be pregnant by a man who allegedly did not abuse me.

“My name is Dorian, Dorian Torres, child.” he crouched down so that she was level with Thomas, who was looking at her calmly. “Your name is Thomas, is that true?”

“Yeah.” My son answered calmly and innocently, while I began to feel afraid again, I don’t know what things were going through Dorian’s mind, I had no idea what he would think of doing with my son. “Have we won the game?”

“Game?”

“Yeah.” I went ahead to answer, also bending down, next to my son and smiling sweetly.

“Yes we have won the game. Looks like we’ve already reached the place. And since you’ve been a good boy the whole trip, then it’s time to get the surprise.”

“Surprise?” Dorian speaks again, rolling his eyes to see me, even though I felt his gaze on me, I just looked down, avoiding his eyes.

“Darling.” I spoke to my son, smiling sweetly to inspire confidence. “The surprise of this whole game is—that you finally met your real father.”

Thomas didn’t seem surprised, horrified or at least excited, he just continued with the serious little face of his, rolling his eyes to see Dorian.

Then Dorian stopped looking at me to see the face of his son.

“He’s my father?”

“Yeah.” I answered.

“And where was he all this time? Why didn’t I know him before?”

I had to go around improvising responses that weren’t too fanciful to sound ridiculous, but also not tell the truth in such a stark way that it would end up causing some trauma.

“That’s one of the things I’ll tell you about later, when you’re older. I promise.”

“You always promise, mommy. And you take a long time to answer my questions.”

I put a hand on his shoulder, he wasn’t upset, but he still had a bored expression, I really thought Thomas could get more excited.

“So, how about me being your father?”

Thomas stared at him calmly, then looked over Dorian’s shoulder.

“Will you let me eat raw meat?”

“Raw meat from half-alive animals should be part of your diet.” Dorian answered with a more sympathetic tone, the first time he noticed him being like that with someone.

“This is your house?”

“That will be our house from now on. You will live here, with your mother and me.”

At that moment Thomas turned to see me.

“Will we be very happy here?”

“We are a team, honey. You and I will always be together. Mommy will take care of making you a very happy child and teach you many things. But you must also be a good boy.”

“Alright”.

Dorian stood up and offered one of his hands to Thomas, anyway, Thomas turned to look at me, seeking approval from me, so I smiled simply and nodded. I also stood up and walked next to them both. Towards that mansion, accompanied by those men who were possibly the employees of the mobster who was supposed to be the father of my son.

And yes, the mansion seemed to get bigger as we got closer, like the residence of vampires, but I assumed that it wasn’t vampires, but wolves, werewolves, creatures similar to my son. It was supposed that the most sensible thing to do was to be afraid of it, so I had to be cautious.

I was always close to Thomas, even on the other side I took his free hand, so our son walked holding the hands of his two parents; Perhaps it was a good photograph, an endearing and probably enviable image, but something made me continue to believe that we were much better off in the privacy of our small home in Colombia and without Dorian’s luxurious intervention.

Dorian Torres.

I avoided looking at my son’s mother too much, but with just one quick glance at her upon arrival, I could tell that she looked more attractive and sensual in the daylight than she did under the strobe lights of some disco, that her clear face Under the greyish sky we had, it looked much better than under the shadows of the night inside a den.

And of course, this time she had chosen more discreet clothing, simple, but discreet and a bit elegant, in dark tones. At least she had a good sense of fashion, she had the mental capacity to wear something better than her lingerie to work.

Rossi was capable of awakening in me the slight sensation of an imminent sexual instinct, and I don’t know why the smell of his skin seemed comforting to me, it was not a smell that seemed to be that of some perfume, it was a smell similar to the smell of our son. And I supposed that it was all because she always carried little Thomas with her, his skin kept in contact almost all the time and the smell of his clothes stuck to her. It was a pleasant, familiar smell.

“Where we are?” she asked in the middle of the silence that we were carrying when we entered through the open gate.

“Scotland.”

“Scotland?”

“Yes, a country in Europe—“

“I know where Scotland is. It’s just that—it’s a bit strange that—it’s a place far away from Colombia that you’ve decided to bring us to.”

“It’s the only place where you can be safe and where Thomas can show his true nature while he is trained by masters who will teach him to be like me.”

“I don’t want my son to be like you.” She protested, with a cautious tone that showed the fear she had of me.

I couldn’t help but chuckle, I already knew what things she had imagined.

“I don’t mean my job, I mean my nature.”

I noticed that Rossi looked around, she seemed a bit cautious and worried.

“It is already time for dinner, sir. The table is set.” The butler told me when he saw that we were approaching the entrance of the mansion, he looked at the boy and Rossi, bowing respectfully. “Welcome.”

Rossi barely nodded in response, still unconvinced on the matter at the venue, while Thomas was more courteous and waved back.

“Thank sir.”

The butler knew how to speak Spanish, English and Scotch. He is a very helpful, kind and intelligent man of color who loved being who he was, someone loyal and one of the employees he never wanted to lose.

“Would you like me to guide the lady and the little boy to the changing rooms so they can get dressed in something more comfortable? I guess they must be very exhausted from having the same clothes during the long journey.”

“I have hunger.” My son opined calmly.

“I think it’s better to clean up a bit before eating a meal.” Rossi opined with determination and moderate voice.

I kept my eyes on her face and then rolled back to the butler, nodding.

“Do what Mrs. Giraldo needs.”

“Yes sir.” The butler nodded, proceeding to ask Rossi to follow him.

So I watched them go down a corridor, she and our son, while I proceeded to walk calmly towards the dining room, I preferred to wait for them there while they took the time they needed to get a little more comfortable.

Rossi Giraldo.

Everything inside was very spacious, big, gothic, gloomy and with a neutral smell, an aroma that was neither very old nor very modern, something that was not unpleasant but that did not quite seem comfortable to me. I stayed with my son the whole time.

The place, that mansion, imposing and mysterious, I suppose that it kept many secrets and mysteries, I supposed that it was a place with a very important history, well, the walls seemed to call me, they seemed to want to tell me something. But of course, I figured it was just part of the paranoia I was having about being an outsider in a country far away from my homeland.

But yes, a mansion located in the middle of nowhere, where they brought us with our eyes covered all the time, I supposed that it would not be a place that Dorian wanted to tell me everything about. I still felt kidnapped.

“Make yourself comfortable, ma’am.” Said the man with gray hair, holding the door of a room open so we could enter. “The boy’s room is in the other corridor next to this one.”

“My son will stay with me, thank you.” I determined, while remaining polite.

He nodded and after that he closed the door, leaving my son and me alone. I wondered what would happen after dinner, in this place it was almost getting dark, my itinerary was a bit out of control now.