A new reggae song plays, and the Jeep hits a bumpier terrain.
Hunter spins me in his arms and repositions my thighs over his lap. Once again, he creates a perfect utopia with the power of his lips.
For hours we ride in the back, the stars shining in the night sky, the blanket covering our bodies, and listening to the music while lip-locked.
When the Jeep stops, Hunter and I both are startled. "Where are we?" he asks.
There's an outline of several plain-looking buildings, but everything is dark.
Julieta quietly replies, "Somewhere forgotten."
10
Hunter
It's dark, and the buildings look lifeless. There's not one light shining anywhere inside.
Where the heck did Julieta bring us?
I already pulled some wipes out of my bag and cleaned Vanessa and myself up. I shove the wipes in my pocket and give her one last kiss.
She's mine. I'm hers. I'm not letting her tell me to stay away anymore. The only way I'm ever staying away again is if she tells me she doesn't want me. And not that she just doesn't want me to change.
"This looks a bit..."
"Asylumish?" I mutter.
Vanessa bites back a laugh.
"Julieta, what is this place?" Ryker asks.
"Safety for the night," she mumbles and gets out of the Jeep, as if in a trance.
Vanessa slides off my lap. "Julieta."
But Julieta moves forward in the darkness.
Ryker gets out and runs around the vehicle. "Wait."
He reaches for her arm, and she spins and takes a step back.
He holds his hands in the air. "Just me."
"Sorry," she whispers.
It's the first time I've ever seen her do that. It's like a slap in the face that Ryker was right. She's been through a lot, possibly more than Vanessa. I have no idea what they did to her, and I scold myself for not being a little more tolerant.
"Stay close to me, Flower." I put my arm around Vanessa's waist, and we follow Julieta and Ryker.
Julieta hesitantly bangs the heavy brass knocker against the door.
"Are there people here?" Ryker asks.
"Yes."
I almost ask her if they are alive or ghosts but watch my tongue.
A minute passes, and she knocks again in the same pattern.
Metal scrapes from the other side of the door, and there is a loud creak as it slowly opens.
I tug Vanessa tighter to me.
Where are we?
Julieta takes such a deep breath, I can feel her anxiety. It makes me more nervous about where we are.
A man, possibly a few years older than Ryker and me, stands in the doorway. His beard is down to the middle of his chest, and his hair wildly hangs all around his face. I assume that he is over seven feet tall, and he's built like a brick house. He's shirtless, and one lonesome tattoo in large letters splays across his chest. It reads Liliana. The V in his waist is so defined and bulging with muscle that the V I worked years to get I suddenly think needs more work.
His torso would make our entire team of chiseled guys question if they are fat.
"Liliana?" His voice is gruff, as if he hasn't spoken in years.
Julieta is his Liliana?
I glance at Ryker, but he's focused on Julieta.
She nods and clears her voice. Tears fall down her cheeks, and it's another realization that I've not seen her cry once. All the other women have shed their tears, but Julieta...or maybe Liliana...hasn't.
How much has she been holding in?
I seriously need to cut her some slack.
But who is she?
"Miguel," she chokes out.
The giant steps forward and picks her up, and she begins to sob.
Ryker's back muscles flex, and Vanessa digs her fingers into my thigh.
They speak Spanish quickly back and forth, in between her sobs, and his hand is so big, it wraps almost around her entire head.
Vanessa begins to shed tears and wipes her face.
She knows Spanish and can understand what they are saying.
I need to expand my languages.
I only speak English. Give me English any day, and I'll have an intelligent conversation with you. I can even morph into Australian lingo when I'm there or English banter when in the U.K. But speak anything else, and I'm a clueless moron waiting in the wings.
Miguel slowly sets Julieta down. He cups her face and Ryker shifts on his feet.
More Spanish is spoken, and Julieta spins and continues to talk and says our names while pointing to us.
Miguel assesses us, and I suddenly wonder why I didn't bring my gun with me. He says something to Julieta, and she points to Ryker.
Miguel holds out his hand to him, and the moment Ryker takes it, he yanks him into his chest and pats him on the back while saying, "Gracias."
Okay. I think that means thank you.
"De nada," Ryker replies.
When did Ryker learn Spanish?
Miguel says something else to him, but Ryker stutters and looks at Julieta. "I don't know anything else."
"It's okay." She talks to Miguel in Spanish again, and he says something back. "He said to tell you he doesn't mean to be rude, but he doesn't know English."
"No problem."
When Miguel pulls back, he turns to us, takes Vanessa's hand, and kisses it, then bends closer to kiss her cheek, but I pull her back.
"He's not going to harm her," Julieta says. "He's only going to kiss her cheek and be a good host."
"Sorry."
Julieta says something to Miguel, and he looks at me, then raises his eyebrows and tsks.
My gut flips a bit, not knowing what that means and wondering again why I didn't bring my gun.
Vanessa releases me and steps forward and hugs him. He kisses her cheek and squeezes her while looking at me in a challenging way.
Get your hands off my woman.
I think I might seriously die if I got in a fight with this guy.
Julieta says something in Spanish, and he winks at me and releases Vanessa.
Ryker snorts.
"What's that for?" I growl.
"You should see your face right now."
"Watch it," I seethe.
Miguel grunts, shakes his head at me, and motions for us to follow him inside.
Everything is dark, and he flips on lights as we walk through the house.
It's a rustic mix of bright colors and looks comfortable with oversized couches and chairs.
Of course, this guy is a giant.
We still don't know who he is.
We get to the kitchen, and he puts his arm around Julieta and calls her Liliana again. Their backs are to us. Ryker's jaw clenches, and he crosses his arms.
I murmur in Vanessa's ear, "Who is he?"
She shrugs.
"Why is he calling her Liliana?"
"Not sure."
"What are they saying?"
"He asked her if we've eaten."
He releases her, opens the fridge, and starts pulling food out. Julieta pulls pans out of the cabinet then points to the island bar stools. "Take a seat. We will make you dinner."
Vanessa sits with no hesitation, so I follow.
Ryker doesn't move.
Julieta walks over to him. "Come sit. I'll make you dinner."
"Are you going to fill us in on where we are, and..." He peers over at Miguel, who's chopping up some sort of vegetable with a large, sharp knife.