Chapter 8

Isabella

“I promise I’m fine,” I said to my sister. Holding the phone tightly to my ear, I walked around the bedroom Mia assigned me. “This house is unbelievable. I’m currently standing at the bedroom window and looking out at the Pacific Ocean.”

“Aren’t you scared?”

I inhaled. “I’m nervous.”

“What about el Patrόn?”

“I haven’t seen him. He’s been in his office all day. Mia told me to ignore it or him.” I scoffed. “She seems different than she was back in Kansas City.”

“Different how?”

“You know how we said Jasmine seemed different, like she was no longer a stray?”

“Mia’s never been a stray,” Noemi said. “She was the daughter of the capo…before Dario.”

“I don’t know how to explain it. And she showed me the program she wants me to work with at the apartments. As she was explaining it, she would go off on stories about the different women.”

“The whores?”

I pressed my lips together. “Mia sounds like she knows them and even respects them. I think I could have been wrong—no, I’m sure I was wrong that the women were trafficked. According to Mia, besides their job—”

“Having sex,” Noemi interjected.

“It’s their choice of profession. No one is making them work there. And now they have other options. Mia started an incentive for education. She said nearly ten of the women have completed their GED, and two are enrolled at an online community college.”

“Izzy,” Noemi said in a hushed tone. “You almost sound like you will like working with them.”

“Maybe I will. On the airplane, I was trying to figure out why the capo thought it was a good idea to send me out here. Forgive me for not having a high opinion of him, but if he sent me out here to fail, I want to prove him wrong.”

“Have you met that other girl yet, the one who married Catalina’s uncle?”

“Liliana. Not yet. She’s coming over tonight for dinner so I can meet her before work tomorrow morning.”

“What about Jorge?”

“What about him?” I repeated. “He’s not quite six months old, cute, little, and doesn’t do much. Viviana, Mia’s housekeeper, and Mia seem to have a schedule worked out. I think Mia wants to get back to the apartments, but el Patrόn won’t allow her, not with Jorge still so young.”

“It gives me chills. How terrifying it must be to be married to a drug lord.”

It sounded terrifying.

“Maybe.” Standing at the window, I stared out at the ocean glistening with millions of diamonds and peered down to the pool. “Tell Mom that I’m good. There are a few hours before Liliana gets here. I think I’m going to lie by the pool.” A smile curled my lips. “I’m glad I brought a bathing suit. I’ll talk to you in a few days.”

“Call me tomorrow after you go to the whores. I’m worried about you.”

“How about we call it the apartments?”

“Fine.”

“Okay. Give Tony a hug for me.” I disconnected the call.

As I changed clothes, I wondered if I was wrong to not want to live in Mia’s home. The guards with the guns were scary but also reassuring. And for the first time I could remember, I enjoyed being around Mia.

With a book, sunglasses, and towel in tow, I slipped from my bedroom. Almost to the landing on the stairs, I heard heavy footsteps coming my direction. Pressing myself against the wall, I watched as el Patrόn stalked up the staircase. Wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and a scowl, his boots echoed on each step. It wasn’t until he reached the landing that he realized I was there.

He stopped, his dark orbs scanning from my hair to my toes. The sharp edge of his jaw clenched, and his nostrils flared. He was much taller than I realized, and big. His wide chest was only inches away from me. In a word, he was terrifying.

“Ni una palabra.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

He lifted his chin and waved his hand up and down. “This is…” He inhaled. “I conduct business here.” His accent was like Silas’s—more obvious. “Cover yourself before you go to the pool.”

I nodded quickly as panic rang in my ears. “I didn’t think.”

“Start thinking. Cartel soldiers come and go from here. Mia wants you to be safe.” He did another scan over my skimpy bathing suit. “I don’t want them to get the wrong idea.” With that, he continued upward.

Once he reached the top and turned the opposite direction from my bedroom, I let out the breath I was holding. With my heart racing, I followed him up to the second floor. Once I was in the bedroom again, I closed the door and shut my eyes. As I held onto my own hand, I realized they were trembling and a tear streamed down my face. My stomach was suddenly in knots.

The pool could wait.

I considered calling Noemi back to tell her what happened.

Would that be admitting defeat?

After taking off my swimsuit and putting my sundress back on, I quietly opened the bedroom door, listening carefully for the sound of heavy footsteps. Slowly, I made my way back to the staircase. The sound of childish music came into range. When my feet hit the first floor, I saw Jorge in a round contraption in the middle of the living room, bouncing up and down. Mia was by him on the couch.

She looked up from her book and turned toward me as I came closer. “Did you decide against getting some sun? The pool is refreshing especially after traveling.”

Shrugging, I sat on a chair in the same grouping. “El Patrόn works from home?”

Mia closed her book on her lap. “Mostly. He goes out too.”

“Do a lot of his soldiers come and go from here?”

“Lieutenants mostly, like Em and Nick, who were here earlier. I guess technically they’re soldiers, but Jano trusts them, more so than some of the others.” Her eyes opened wide. “You’re safe here, Isabella. I’m sure you saw the guards when you came in. Silas has everything under twenty-four-hour surveillance and more soldiers stationed around the property, including on the ocean side.”

“I packed a swimsuit, but I didn’t think about a cover-up. Do you have one I could borrow?”

Mia’s smile grew. “Of course. I’ll bring it to your room if you want to change now.”

I tapped the book I’d brought downstairs with me. “Today, I’m okay just sitting outside. Is there more you want to tell me about what my day will be like tomorrow?”

The music in Jorge’s jumper was still playing, but the bouncing had stopped, and his little head lopped backward before it fell forward on the padded seat. Mia smiled. “Enjoy some sun. I need to put him down for his afternoon nap, and then we can talk.”

The baby barely stirred as she picked him up and laid him on her shoulder.

I was about to go out to the pool when el Patrόn came down the stairs. I watched in stunned silence as the scary persona I’d encountered on the steps disappeared. His cheeks rose and his lips curled as he cradled Jorge’s head. Running his palm over the soft hair, he whispered something I couldn’t hear, and then kissed Jorge’s head and Mia’s lips.

He didn’t turn my way or acknowledge my presence. I sat speechless as his boots echoed on the tile, his long legs leading him toward his office.

How could that be the same man as the one who frightened me?