Chapter 15

Mia

What hours ago had been pleasant surroundings now felt violated. We went up the staircase and straight back to our bedroom. I gasped at the mess within. The drawers to the dressers were opened and the contents strewn over the floor. Stepping into my closet, I saw my clothes pulled from their hangers.

“Is anything missing?” my husband asked.

Tears slid from my eyes. “I don’t know. I just unpacked all these things.”

Aléjandro wrapped his arms around me. “I promise we’ll get to the bottom of this.”

Swallowing back my emotions, I nodded against his shoulder, relishing the strength in his hold. I spoke into his shirt, “I need to throw some things into a suitcase.” I lifted my head and met his gaze. “How long will we be gone?”

“You won’t need more than a few dresses and bathing suits. The staff will help with laundry.”

“Staff?”

“About fourteen usually. And Padre has guards. We will be protected.”

“I wasn’t sure about spending time with your parents. I don’t know them, but now” —I looked around— “I’m glad your father offered.”

Aléjandro’s lips quirked. “It was more of a summons, but I agree.”

“What about your things?” I asked.

“Most of my clothes are still back at the Ruiz pool house. I was going to get them after my meeting at Wanderland. Rei is headed over there to get things for both of us. He’ll meet us at the pickup point.”

It didn’t take long for me to fill a small suitcase. I hated leaving our room in such disarray, but Aléjandro kept reminding me to hurry and promised that Viviana would take care of everything once she and Silas arrived.

“If there’s anything that’s sentimental, bring it.”

I stood for a moment thinking of all the things I’d unpacked. When I’d originally packed everything in the townhouse, I’d purged many items from my first marriage that could be considered sentimental.

There was something. I recalled a ring my grandmother, Gia, had given me. I went to the closet, searching for my jewelry box. I pulled the drawers farther open and looked under the piles of clothes on the floor. I distinctly remembered placing my jewelry box in the back of the third drawer. “My jewelry box is missing.”

Aléjandro appeared at the doorway to the closet. “Fuck, Mia. I’ll buy you new jewelry.”

It was one more straw piled on the straws weighing me down.

Sniffling, I wrapped my arms around my midsection and unsuccessfully held back tears. “Honestly, there was only one thing I wanted. My grandmother’s ruby ring—my mother’s mother. She gave it to me when I was a child.”

Aléjandro’s jaw clenched, a sign of his returning rage. The violent emotion swirled in his brown orbs, darkening the color to match that of his growing pupil. “I’m sorry.”

The sense of loss knotted in my chest combined with everything that had happened in the last few hours. “Me too.” The chance of recovering the stolen ring was slim to none. “Why would they take my jewelry box?”

“My guess is to make it look like a robbery.”

“That’s what it was.”

Aléjandro shook his head. “No, it was an expedition. Someone wanted to confirm that we live here. Your jewelry box will provide the evidence.”

“To whom?”

“Whoever sent them. The frightening monsters in my world rarely do their own crimes.”

My thoughts went to my grandmother’s ring. I rarely wore it because the band size was too small. It fit on my pinky finger and that felt odd. I remembered the high prongs and the yellow-gold band and the large vibrant ruby. It was simple and elegant. I should have had it made larger, but I never did.

As we were leaving, Aléjandro and I went out to the backyard. The vast darkness beyond our lighting made the small hairs on my arms stand to attention. Again, Aléjandro removed his gun from his holster and went to the far side of the pool. He crouched down, investigating the sand and broken grass before peering over the cliff into the darkness.   

My heart pounded in my ears. I was certain every crash of waves below or rustling of grass was a threat hidden by the shadows. “How did they get up here?” I asked.

“Climbed, I suppose.”

Because I hadn’t explored earlier in the day, I had no idea how high up the cliff we were or if there was even a pathway down to the beach. As my thoughts raced on, I wrapped my arms around my midsection, fearful that someone could still be there, watching us from the pitch-black darkness, guns aimed at one or both of us. “May we leave?”

Aléjandro nodded.

“Will Silas be able to stop people from coming up the cliff?”

Without sheathing his weapon, Aléjandro put his hand in the small of my back. His touch and words were strong and confident. “When I bring you back here, our home and grounds will be completely safe. You have my word.”

I wanted to believe him.

Is cartel life more dangerous than the famiglia?

It wasn’t a question I wanted to ponder.

Felipe, the taller soldier, drove Aléjandro and me to the pickup point Rei had mentioned. I expected to be driven to an airport or public heliport. Instead, we arrived at another gated home. Felipe must not have known the code. He spoke into a speaker. The only part I recognized was our last name.

The gate opened.

“This is Nicolas Ruiz’s house,” Aléjandro offered.

“The man you spoke to at Wanderland earlier today.”

Pressing his lips together, Aléjandro nodded. “He has a helipad. Even if he’s not thrilled with me, he wouldn’t deny mi padre’s request.”

Rei’s car was parked on their driveway under overhead lights. As our car came closer, the front door to the house opened, and Rei came out with a woman.

“I know her,” I said softly. “From the wedding.”

“She is Em’s cousin, Mireya.”

“Are she and Rei dating?”

“No.” Aléjandro laughed. “She lives here.”

I appreciated the reminder of the woman’s name as Mireya and Rei came to our vehicle.

“Mia, hello again.” Mireya was petite and pretty with long dark hair and round brown eyes. I guessed her age to be somewhere in her early twenties. She spoke as we got out of the vehicle. “You’re headed out to the yacht. Is this a honeymoon?”

“Sí,” Aléjandro answered. “Every woman’s dream is to honeymoon with her in-laws.”

Her smile grew. “Oh, the yacht is so big, I’m sure you can find time for yourselves.” She looked at me. “You’re going to love it.” Leading us into the house, Mireya continued talking as Felipe followed with our luggage. “Papá called. The helicopter should be here in a few minutes. He said to be sure to invite you in.”

“That’s very kind,” I replied, taking in the grandeur of the house.

Their home was large and stately. Mireya led us back to glass doors that went out to a pool. The surrounding area was lit up like a resort. It appeared Nicolas’s home was bigger than Andrés’s, but I’d take the latter for the ocean view.

Mireya made small talk as Aléjandro and Rei kept their eagle-eyed stares on the shadows beyond our bubble. It wasn’t long before the thrumming of a helicopter could be felt as well as heard. Peering into the dark sky, I wrapped my arms around my midsection and squinted as a blinding spotlight shone down, finally settling on the helipad beyond the pool. As the helicopter landed, the skirt of my dress, the grass, and the flowers swayed in the whirling wind from the propellers.

“Tell your papá thank you,” Rei said, making his voice louder.

Mireya waved.

As the rotors continued to spin, Felipe opened a door on the side of the helicopter. With my hand in Aléjandro’s, he led us forward. There weren’t steps but a high footboard. Soon, the three of us and the pilot were aboard with our luggage. I was seated next to my husband, and Rei was sitting in the copilot’s seat. Our seatbelts were nothing special, resembling those in a car. Aléjandro handed me a pair of headphones motioning to me to cover my ears.

This wasn’t my first helicopter ride. Nevertheless, I held my breath as we were lifted off the ground. The pilot’s voice came through the earphones. Once he stopped talking, I looked to my husband for a translation.

“He said we should arrive in less than twenty minutes to the Bella.”

“Bella?”

“The name of the yacht. She was named after mi mama’s madre.”

I had more questions to ask, but I didn’t know this pilot. Aléjandro said he worked for Jorge. That would make him cartel. And while he would respect Aléjandro and Rei, he could have issues with me as some of the famiglia had issues with Catalina.

I decided my questions could wait until Aléjandro and I were alone.

Alone.

My thought was an epiphany. I wanted to be alone with my husband. That realization was amusing considering that as recently as this afternoon, I was dreading our time alone. Looking down at my hand in his, I was conscious of how things had changed in a relatively short period of time.

No longer did I have my family or friends. My choice was to face my new life alone or at the side of my husband. In the eye of this current storm, Aléjandro was my anchor, keeping me grounded as we flew above the city lights.

Once beyond the coast, we were enveloped by darkness. An eerie green glow from the dashboard illuminated the interior. Outside, a million stars peppered the sky while below us, the Pacific Ocean faded into nothingness.

And then in the distance I saw our destination. I sucked in a breath as the Bella came into view. In a sea of blackness, the yacht’s LED lighting glowed like a blue beacon. As we flew closer, I got a better idea of what Aléjandro called a yacht. This was more than that—a superyacht. I counted at least four levels, the second to the top containing a swimming pool and hot tub, both glowing with underwater lights. The Mexico flag was flying from the rear deck.