Chapter 18 #2
“Chiquita, you ready?” I offer Flora my hand as she stands from the seat in our family’s private jet.
“I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
“We’ll meet Papá and Alejandro outside.”
“I know. You’ve gone over it, and I understand the plan.”
“I know you do, but you look terrified.”
She grimaces before plastering a smile that only includes her mouth. Her eyes tell me how nervous she remains.
“Chiquita, I know you trust Papá and Alejandro about as much as you did me when we met, but—”
“No, Pablo, that’s not it at all. I trust them.
I just don’t know how they can possibly trust me.
If you believe they’re okay with me, then they must be.
You wouldn’t lie to me about that because you wouldn’t put me in that kind of position, but I’m still an Aguilar.
My family has caused nothing but trouble and pain for yours. ”
“Chiquita, if you trust me not to put you in a position where you’d be around people you don’t trust, then you need to know my family feels the same way about it. They trust I won’t endanger them by bringing someone untrustworthy around them. I swear it’ll be okay. I get how intimidating this is.”
Just like I had several conversations with my family about what to do next, I had the same with Flora.
She woke from her nap feeling much better about what she heard while we spoke to Tío Enrique.
I did exactly what I promised. I reassured her I’m still in this for keeps despite all the trouble that surrounds her.
She knows I don’t believe any of it is her fault.
I admire her courage. It took a brave woman to work for the Cartel.
It takes a brave woman to place her trust in me when she knows I’m the most dangerous man she’s ever met.
She’s brave to trust my family can and will protect her while we’re here in Bogotá.
And she’s brave to have agreed to start a new life in New York where she only really knows me.
The time we’ve spent together has been brief, but I feel like she knows me better than anyone. She knows me in ways no one else does. Not just because she’s the only woman I’ve come in without a condom, but I’ve let her see parts of me no one else does. Not even other members of my family.
I’ve shared things with her about growing up with Juan and what that was like.
My cousins know because of what they saw, which were things my parents’ generation never did.
But Flora is the only one I’ve spoken these things to aloud.
She’s offered insights I didn’t expect, especially since she’s an only child.
She’s helped me come to terms with a lot of shit from that part of my past. It’s certainly helped build my faith in her and us.
“Daddy?”
“Sorry, chica, lost in thought.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes. I didn’t mean to scare you. Just making sure I remember everything.”
She cocks an eyebrow at me. It tells me she knows I’m lying. She reaches for her bag, but I take both of her hands.
“Flora, I’m used to keeping so much to myself.
Mostly to protect others but also to protect myself.
Not just my physical safety. I don’t want to lie to you when I don’t have to.
I’ll never ever lie about how I feel about you.
But some habits will take a while for me to break.
I was thinking about how much you mean to me.
That I admire and respect the choices you’ve made, and how you’ve made the best of situations you never asked to be put in.
That isn’t something I should’ve kept to myself. I’m sorry I tried to.”
Now her smile reaches her eyes as she goes on her toes to give me a kiss. What begins as a peck goes much further when I wrap my arms around her and deepen it.
“Daddy, we have to get going. The door is open. Your father and cousin will wonder if something went wrong if we don’t hurry.”
I shoot her a guilty look as I shake my head. Her eyes widen.
“Oh, God, Pablo! They’ll think we’re having sex, and that’s why it’s taking us so long to get off the plane. We have to go.”
The shock, embarrassment, and urgency in her voice make me chuckle.
“We’re going to be around people for the next few hours. I intend to make the most of our last few minutes of privacy.”
“You make it sound like it’ll be days even though you admit it’ll only be hours.”
“Yeah, well, it’ll feel like years. I’m spoiled after days of being able to touch you whenever I want.”
“Well, you’ll just have to survive. If you do, maybe I’ll give you a reward.”
My hands slip down to her ass. My right one squeezes as my left one spanks. She knows this is purely for our enjoyment. I help her with her bag. I hold her hand as we go down the steps together. The attendant follows us with our luggage.
There are five SUVs waiting for us on the tarmac.
“Daddy!”
She hisses the word as her hand clutches mine. She didn’t notice them as we landed. There’s one for each side of us, and our SUV will be in the middle. It’s more than just Papá and Alejandro waiting for us, so I know she’s worried all the men will believe we were fucking.
“Did Enrique or Luis believe this much security is necessary?”
“No, but I do.”
“Is this an overabundance of caution, or do you think they aren’t taking the threat seriously enough?”
“It’s me being insanely controlling and a pain in the ass to everyone, but I don’t feel an ounce of remorse if it protects you.”
Alejandro and Papá step out of the SUV, and Alejandro goes around the trunk.
He nods as we take the last step, and they walk toward us.
Flora hangs back a moment, unsure what her role should be now.
I hug my father as she offers Alejandro a tentative greeting.
He’s as unsure what to do as she is. They settle on a handshake.
When I let go of Papá, I move to hug Alejandro.
We aren’t a family who shies away from affection even in public.
It’s no secret to anyone that we’re a super close family who’re dedicated to each other.
We see no weakness in showing that. It reminds people you never get just one Diaz; you get the entire family.
It also reassures families who work for us.
They know they can depend on us and that we’re reliable.
There are no internal squabbles that could distract us from our responsibilities.
I glance at Flora as Papá steps forward.
“Hola, Senor Diaz.”
“Hola, Senorita Aguilar. It’s Luis.”
“Florencia.”
There’s another moment’s hesitation as my father considers what to do.
I know he doesn’t want to overstep, but he wants Flora to understand he’s not there out of obligation to me.
He opens his arms, and she takes a wary step forward as he hugs her.
I watch her eyes close, and her body relax.
My father tightens his hold, and she wraps her arms around him.
I’m certain she’s getting the hug she’s always wished she’d had a father for.
It’s a reassurance I can’t give her even though she calls me Daddy.
I’m not a paternal figure to her. I hope she lets Papá be one.
They step apart, and an understanding passes between them as Papá gives her a warm smile.
She’s tentative but returns it. I didn’t realize how anxious this made me until I see their silent agreement, and I relax.
Alejandro watched me as much as he watched my father and girlfriend. He smirks at me and leans forward to whisper. It makes me want to elbow him in the throat.
“Should I make an appointment at the same jeweler the other families use?”
“Shhh, cabrón.”
He means the Kutsenkos, the O’Rourkes, and Mancinellis. The men have entrusted the same jeweler to create engagement and wedding rings for every couple. I already know I will go to the man, but I’m not ready to discuss that with anyone. Papá saves Alejandro from my elbow in his gut when he speaks.
“Florencia, we can head to your apartment now unless you want to see your mamá instead.”
“No, let’s do that first, please. I still want to get all of that out of the way. I don’t want to have that lurking in the back of my mind while I’m with Mamá. I don’t want to worry about whether I’m taking too long with her.”
“Flora, you can have as much time with your mother as you want. There’s no rush.”
I know she wants to believe me, but she’s more than just apprehensive about being back here. She’s terrified. It’s a sign of trust that she came at all since she suggested we just go to New York instead.
We all climb into the SUVs and set off from the airport.
We chat in the car about how cold it was in Switzerland, and how Latin Americans just aren’t cut out for that sort of thing.
We share how Flora spent a lot of time reading while I played my usual card games.
And how we swam, and I still worked out. We name some movies we watched.
Alejandro’s in the third row behind me and next to Papá. He’s discreet, but he flicks my ear enough to sting when we mention swimming. He knows precisely what Flora and I got up to that we would never dare mention.
I ignore him just like I have since we were kids, and I tried to hide something I did wrong from my parents.
Even though I’m a few years older than him, we’ve always been super close.
Tres J’s have each other. I never liked my brother, and he always preferred to hang out with our neighbor, Laura Doyle, who’s now Laura Kutsenko.
Alejandro’s an only child, so we gravitated to each other.
We’re a lot alike and have wound up with similar jobs as enforcers.
It means we’ve worked together and received the same training. Tres J’s knows the same things we do. However, since I’m the head enforcer and Alejandro often works alone here in Colombia, our family forced us to practice some things more than Tres J’s has.
It’s not long before we reach Flora’s apartment. Her hand grips my thigh just above my knee.
“Pablo, we’re not exactly inconspicuous. Are they surrounding the building?”
She obviously knows what to look for and realizes we have guards along this street besides the five veritable tanks we arrive in.
“Of course.”
She stares at me and nods before waiting for me to get out first. She slides over to my spot once the driver and front passenger stand beside me.
We let her out. The four of us move forward, enough for Alejandro and Papá to get out too.
The five of us surround her as we head inside the building.
She cranes her neck to see into the mailroom and the steps to the basement.
She spots guards there. There’s one positioned in front of the elevator. We ride up to her floor, and we find another guard outside the elevator. There are three guards next to her door.
“Pablo, tell me these are the only men here. That there are no others.”
I give her an unrepentant stare.
“Oh, God. Pablo, are they in the stairwell and on each floor by the elevator?”
“Of course.”
Papá, Tío Enrique, and my cousins all said this was excessive. I know Flora believes it is too. I told the men that it makes a point.
Stay the fuck away from my woman.
I might not have sworn when I was talking to Papá and Tío Enrique, but I did when I spoke to my four cousins together and separately.
Her shoulders droop, and she sighs with resignation. “Let me guess, they’ve already been inside and swept the place.”
“No. I told you I’d be over-the-top controlling, but I haven’t violated your privacy. Please let Alejandro and Paco go in ahead of us.”
I nod toward one man guarding the door. She pulls her keys from her pocket and hands them to me.
I unlock it, but not until Papá gently takes her arm and backs her away from the door.
He stands behind her as the other two guards step in front of them.
If anything happens, I’ll be the first target, and the other men can protect her.
When nothing happens, Alejandro and Paco go inside. I move to stand beside Flora, slipping my arm around her waist. I don’t have to draw her against me. She leans instead. It’s a few minutes before we get the all-clear to go inside. She’d already spotted the packing supplies outside the door.
We move through the living room and dining room together as she tells the men what she wants to bring with her.
She believes we’ll put it all in storage either here or in New York.
I haven’t told her I’d like to go through everything and combine our households.
I don’t want to overwhelm her entirely with all these major changes.