CHAPTER TWO
LORENA'S POVIt couldn't possibly be him! But I couldn't deny what was right in front of me. It had been six years since I last saw him but his face was forever etched in my mind.He never told me his name, so I had no idea who he was, only that I needed to help him. I had to save his life or he would die.Six years ago, I had snuck out of the house when my mother had gone to the bakery and my father had been out gambling as usual. I was left alone in the house with no one to talk to and nothing to do.For years, the only contact I had with the outside world was what I watched through the window in the living room, peeking through closed curtains. I knew the neighbors and their kids but had never even spoken to them. I would watch Celine and her little brother Conner accompany their parents to their small farm just a few metres from their house. They looked happy and contented.I didn't even have a brother, or a sister, and no friends either. I was sixteen years old and my television was my best friend.I had gotten curious and had snuck out of the house, making sure no one saw me.I had seen many new things that day and had many first experiences but what stood out for me was my encounter with the young man who laid, bruised and breathless by the sea.He was hurt and bleeding all over and his body lay lifeless on the sand. It was already evening, around the time my mother would return from the bakery and I had to head home, so she wouldn't know I had left the house. I had even stolen a spare key. What if she had realized it?I turned to leave, but my conscience wouldn't stop gnawing at me. I couldn't leave him there to die.I walked towards him, the wet sand pulling me and slowing down my steps, but a minute later, I was standing right beside him."H--hey." I called with a shaky voice. What if he was dead?But then I caught a slight movement from him and his chest heaved slightly as he took in a shaky breath.He was aliveI crouched beside him and patted his cheek gently. "Can you open your eyes please? Are you okay?"He didn't respond and his eyes remained closed. I looked him over and found bruises all over his body. He was probably assaulted by a gang and they had left him for dead.I lifted his head and knelt beneath him, then I replaced his head on my laps. I needed him to be conscious so I could move him. I couldn't possibly carry him on my own and there was no one around to help."Open your eyes sir. Please wake up!" I yelled, slapping him harder this time.His eyes fluttered open and stared unseeing at the night sky. The stars twinkled in them, then he turned to look at me.Those vibrant brown eyes. It was definitely the same. I would know. They had haunted my dreams every night since we parted ways.Those pair of eyes stared Into mine now and for those seconds, everything else seemed to melt away, fade Into the darkness and all that was left was the both of us.Did he recognize me? Had he forgotten the time we spent together? Why was he so cold now? Why was he in my house threatening to kill my parents?"Who are you?" He asked, breaking Into my thoughts. His voice was the same, only stronger now , he had been too weak that night and I could still remember how faint his plea was."No--no hospitals please." He had said, when I offered to take him to a medical facility.He pulled me closer now, so our bodies touched, then he twirled me around and had my back turned to him. He grabbed me by the hair and pulled my head back, then he leaned towards my ear. I could feel his breath on my neck "I said, who the fuck are you?" He repeated.I winced in pain and struggled to free my hands that were still trapped in his. "Let me go!" I screamed as loud as I could."Lorena!" My mom shouted, holding on to the edge of her apron which she always had on when she worked. Her hands squeezed them tightly so her knuckles were white. "Please." She whispered choking on her tears "let my daughter go."My father struggled to his feet, holding on to his ribs that ached from the beating. "Please, my daughter has nothing to do with this, she's not even supposed to be out here." He said through gritted teeth, looking at me."Lorena, is it?" He asked, finally letting go of my wrist but still holding on to my hair. "Were you going to hit me with that?" He asked, pointing to the rollling pin I had dropped."I'm sorry-- she's sorry, she's just really naive and has no idea what's going on--" my mother intercepted before I could speak."Am I supposed to stay put while this evil man kills my father?""Evil?" He asked with a chuckle. "I'm not evil at all. You see, your papa here owes me a lot of money, and his payment was due three months ago. I've been very lenient with him but it seems he's starting to take my patience for granted.""You won't get your money back if he's dead." I replied.Did he really not recognize me? Maybe it was better that he didn't. I wouldn't want to be involved with someone like him. He wasn't the man I had met six years ago. He had changed completely. Even his smile had coldness in them, enough to send shivers through me."You're right sweetheart." He said, tightening his grip on my hair. I let out a whimper which seemed to excite him. "You're a smart woman aren't you?""Look, I'll give you your money, just give me a little more time. Please, don't hurt my daughter.." my father pleaded, with fear in his eyes."Hmm." He let go of my hair and I sprinted towards my mother, but I wasn't fast enough. He reached out and grabbed me by the elbow, pulling me Into his arms and holding me in place. He had long slender legs so his strides were long too."Not so fast princess.""Don't call me that!" I screamed, kicking and fighting him off with all my might, not that it made any difference. His hold was firm, his hand slipped round my waist and the other across my shoulder, keeping me still."Shhhh. Hold still fiesty. I'm not gonna hurt you.""Lorena! Please sirs, let my child go, she's all I've got!" My mother pleaded on her knees."So you do have something of value afterall. And I thought you had nothing." He said."Wh--what do you mean?""You said you'd do anything to keep your life" he said, pointing towards my father. "And you said I could hold on to anything in this house until you pay what you owe. Well, today is your lucky day and I'm in a good mood. None of you will be dying today. Instead, I'll hold on to this precious thing until you return my money."No one said anything for a few seconds. They were too stunned for words."No! " My mother yelled when she finally found her voice. "No, no-- You can't take my daughter. Please give her back to me."She was on her feet now, running towards me. "Mr Sanchez, please let her go!"She was completely oblivious to the gun pointed at her. All she wanted was to come get me."Mum! Stop, stop moving right now, he'll kill you!" I screamed on top of my voice.CHAPTER THREEANDREW'S POV.The house was really small and shabby, it looked more like a shack than a house where people could live, at least compared to the mansion I grew up in.I got a whiff of bread, warm and fresh out of the oven. Or was it pancake? Whatever it was, it smelled really good. But I wasn't there for the pastries, I was there for business.Serious business.I had to prove to my father that I was a worthy son, that he could trust me with the business, especially since he was incapacitated from the accident. I may not be a Don like he was, at least not yet, but I could handle the business as efficiently as he could.This was just a test, to see if I could take over from him when he retired, and the task was simple."Let's go." I said to the guys when we got out of the Chevrolet suburban SUV.I heard a slight scrambling sound from within.Good. They were home, and scared.I nodded towards my boys and one of them stepped forward and kicked the door open. The old hinges br
CHAPTER FOURSARAH'S POVTWENTY-TWO YEARS AGOLoneliness. Silence. Chaos. Pain.All of these described my life as vividly as you can imagine. My life was a mess and the fact that I was helpless and could do nothing to fix it exacerbated my worries. My husband was sweet. He tried to distract me from my painful reality and succeeded once in a while to make me smile. But as soon as he was gone for the day's work, I was left with the emptiness and silence that had become my companion.Marcus and I had been married for seven years and had been trying to have a baby but couldn't. I had had several miscarriages already and was exhausted from trying. We both were. But we wanted children desperately.Things got worse.I had gotten pregnant again and hoped that it would stay this time, but it didn't. I lost the baby at sixteen weeks and this time, the doctor told me I couldn't have a child. Ever.The news broke me and I fell into depression. It was hard to get out of bed, to even bake,which w
Chapter fiveLORENA'S POVI could hardly breathe. Fear had paralyzed my entire being. Was I really not going to see my parents ever again? Would I really have to live with this evil stranger who wanted nothing but to make my life miserable? How could he forcefully separate a woman from her family? How could he be so heartless?The men sitting beside me weren't making things any better. They looked scary with their black, well tailored suit and bulky build. They had dark shades on which aided their stern look and I felt so small in the midst of them.I had been screaming and kicking since the drive to an unknown destination started but they paid me no mind. I was exhausted now, too weak to continue my tantrums. It wasn't working anyway. Instead, I sat still, studying their faces and occasionally, the scenery outside the car window. The glass was tinted so I knew no one could see through from the outside. I could look freely.It was beautiful outside. I thought so the first time I left
Chapter sixJACOB'S POVThe soft bed was now a thorn in my flesh, like the prickly thorns on roses. I had been stuck here for months after the accident and since then, time seemed to crawl by. It was hard, laying here in pain and not being able to supervise my casinos and company. Being bedridden was the worst thing that could've ever happened to me, but there was nothing I could do about it. The doctor said I had torn the ligaments in my legs and I wouldn't be able to walk for a while, quite a while they said. I had to undergo therapy if I was to regain the use of my legs.I was getting better now though, or maybe I just got used to the pain. Pain was nothing new to me. I built my empire with my blood and sweat. I didn't inherit my wealth from my parents neither did they contribute anything into making me the man that I am. They were poor church rats and couldn't offer me anything, nothing close to the life I wanted. So, I had to work extra hard to acquire everything I had. I was a
Chapter sevenSarah's POVSo this was what hell felt like. This was what it meant for your entire world to crumble while you could do nothing but watch. Why did it happen so suddenly though? Why?Marcus laid on the bed, the covers drawn to his chin. He was bruised all over from the beatings he got but I had cleaned up his wound. His bloody clothes laid in a pile on the floor. He was hurt and that was the only reason I hadn't brought down the roof on him. It was the only reason I hadn't kicked him out and sent him to get my daughter back."Sarah..I know what you're thinking." He said, struggling to breathe. The blow to his rib was severe but we had no money to get proper treatment for him. He would survive it with some pain killers and rest. He tried to hold my hands and console me but my icy glare must have made him change his mind because his hands recoiled from mine now."I was going to pay back. I had a plan for the money but things didn't just work out the way I wanted it to.""
Chapter eight.LORENA'S POVI woke up with a slight throbbing on my head. It felt as though I had been smacked on the head with a baseball bat. Not that I really knew how that would feel like but, you get the idea.I tried to open my eyes but the sunlight seeping through the window was too intense and on top of that, I was facing the window directly. It had to be noon. I turned, facing the other way and tried again. My eyes were open but i became confused instantly. I could not, for the life of me, remember where I was. This room was a sharp contrast to the one I grew up in. The bed for one was soft and comfortable and it smelled really clean and fresh. The wall was painted white with some gray hues on places like the window and doors. There were plenty furnitures in the room. A couch, and a glass centre table, a dressing table made of mahogany that matched the wardrobe. Everything in the room screamed class and wealth.But whose house was this?The door opened and a very good look
Chapter NineANDREW'S POVI hurried out of the room because I was beginning to lose my composure. I'd tried hard to control myself and not get close to her, I couldn't let her know the effect she was having on me.I went downstairs to the dining table without waiting for her to follow. I couldn't bear to be next to her. The feel of her skin on mine moments ago still tormented me. Why did she have to try to hit me? I wouldn't have had to touch her like I did back at her house and I wouldn't be struggling to keep my desires at bay. In my mind, I'd already imagined the different ways I could have her.I looked down at my pants and noticed the bulge between my legs. "Shit!" I cursed under my breath."I'm only keeping her here so her parents can take my payment seriously. It's just collateral. If they had something else that was valuable, I would have taken that instead." I said to myself. But did I even believe that?I had already made the decision to stay away from love. There were lots
Chapter TenMARCUS' POVI felt shame and guilt ate at my heart, constricting my air flow. I was to blame. Me! It was all my fault.I knew about the Sanchez. They were filthy rich and powerful people with chains of company all over Mexico. They had a winery and casinos that raked in lots of money. I knew that because I frequently visited the casino and saw the calibre of people that went there. I guess I had gotten greedy.Why on earth did I think I could be that lucky? Lucky enough to win at the tables and hang out with the rich and powerful people. If luck was smiling at me then I would have been able to succeed in all the businesses I had tried to start, but they failed every time. I couldn't make anything of myself and ended up being the poor gambler who only drank and played games with stolen money from my wife. It was a wonder that she hadn't left me. It would have been better for her if she had but I knew she stayed to protect her daughter. We were the only ones who knew that h