Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Liliana
The sound of gunshots reverberated through the dark lecture hall. “Go,” I whispered. “Hide behind the tables.”
The room’s design had four tiers of table rows, with a half-wall from the desks down.
Someone tugged on my arm. “Liliana,” she whispered. “Come with us.”
“I will. Por favor, apurense.”
Footsteps and shuffling filled the air.
Despite the commotion, within my ears, the thump of my pulse dominated.
Saving the residents was my number-one priority.
That didn’t mean I didn’t have other thoughts—like if I’d survive.
I wondered what could have been with Nick.
I questioned whether I ever told Mia how much she meant to me.
Sadness seeped between my worries as I recalled José and Renata.
Would Sofia believe that I missed her friendship, something else my brutal marriage had taken from me.
Taking a deep breath, I decided to unlock the door. My reason was that if it were locked, the intruders would assume we were hiding within. Pulling Horace’s badge from my skirt pocket, I laid it over the scanner.
Nothing.
Of course there was nothing. The power was out.
What did that mean for the lock?
I was about to try the doorknob when I heard voices, deep Latino voices, barking orders. It wasn’t difficult to decipher that they weren’t Roríguez men. They were discussing a sweep, a search, looking for the whores. “Donde estan las putas.”
Did I have time to hide?
The click of the knob told me I didn’t.
Instead, I plastered myself against the wall, where the door would cover me when it was opened. I held my breath as the door swung inward followed by a beam of light.
“Salgán.”
I said a silent prayer that no one would show themselves.
A tall man entered, only a few feet from where I stood.
He wasn’t looking in my direction. Instead, he was searching the room.
The scent of gunpowder and perspiration assaulted my senses.
The beam cut through the darkness, shining on empty chairs and long tables.
Back and forth, he moved the beam to the top of the lecture hall and then down again.
If only I had a gun.
That was never something I’d even considered before—ever.
When Gerardo would rape me or beat me for whatever reason he came up with, I never wanted to kill him myself. I wanted him dead, sí. However, committing murder wasn’t my plan. Today, to save the fifty-four women in this room, if I had a weapon, I would easily shoot.
The man walked forward and pounded his fist on the desk.
Though I stiffened at the bang, I stayed silent and hoped everyone else would too.
Silence.
As he turned, the beam of light skirted over the part of me not covered by the door. I held my breath, but the man didn’t seem to notice me.
Walking toward the door, he called, “No hay nadie aqui.” He pulled the door closed.
My lungs burned as I released my breath and then collapsed. My circulation stopped its normal flow, rushing to my feet. I slid down the wall, landing on my ass. The scrambling of feet reminded me of legions of mice scattering within dark subway tunnels in movies.
“Liliana.”
“Celeste.” I recognized her voice.
“I thought the door was locked.”
“I did too. I don’t know what happened.”
She offered me her hand. “Where’s your badge?”
Fumbling, I again removed Horace’s badge from my pocket and handed it to Celeste. When she passed it before the sensor, nothing happened. “The power is out.”
“Shit,” Celeste said as she came and sat at my side.
While I couldn’t see the women, I felt their presence.
Slowly, the heightened tension eased. One by one, they made their way back to the front of the room.
That was where we were all seated, on the floor, when the lights turned back on.
I got up and passed the badge over the sensor.
The sound of the locking mechanism engaging echoed through the room.
I handed it to Celeste. “Go,” I said, “make sure the other door is locked.”
“You saved us,” Luz said.
As the others agreed, I laid my finger over my lips. “We don’t know if it’s done.”
Luz crawled to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “You’ll have muffins every day.”
I leaned my head to her shoulder. “I have all of you every day. That’s all I wanted.”
Luz kissed my forehead. “No one has ever risked their life for me,” she whispered. “Ever.”
“Or me.”
“Or me.”
While the illumination lessened the unknown, my temples throbbed as I wondered what was happening outside the lecture hall.
As time passed, the occupants became increasingly restless, some sitting at desks and others pacing back and forth.
According to my watch, twenty minutes passed since the lights came on.
We all stilled and stared as the locking mechanism sounded the release of the lock.
Luz was the first. It happened so fast; I didn’t have time to protest as a half dozen or more of the residents lined up in front of me. The door swung open.
“Liliana,” a deep baritone voice called out.
“Lieutenant Ruiz,” I heard others say.
Pushing my way through the wall of women, my gaze landed on the handsome dark stare of my Lieutenant Ruiz. “Nick.”
The room of women faded as Nick came toward me and reached for my cheeks, pulling me against him. My body collided with his as his lips landed on mine. If we were in a movie, the room would be obscured by a thick fog while music played.
We weren’t in a movie.
We had the attention of all fifty-four residents, their whoops and hollers filling my ears as a rosy blush bloomed on my cheeks. I blinked as our kiss ended, and I stared into his dark brown orbs.
His voice was low and his tenor deep. His words were only intended for my ears. “If you were my wife, I’d turn your ass red for putting yourself in danger.”
I leaned away, searching for malice or the intent to cause me harm. My search came up empty, seeing only concern and admiration in his eyes. “Is Isabella safe?”
He nodded.
“Horace and Javier?”
“We lost two at the shipyard this morning, and Cabez?n lost nearly half a dozen here today.”
Taking a deep breath, I pressed my lips together, wishing that life didn’t have to be about survival.
Nick looked around the room and spoke louder. “Ladies, el Patrón wants Wanderland half staffed tonight. He won’t close for the night. He doesn’t want Cabez?n to believe he’s won. Twenty-five women. VIP only.”
I turned toward the residents. “Volunteer only. If you don’t want to go, stay home tonight.”
Hands shot up around the room.
“VIP, hell yes,” Julia said.
Looking at Nick, I widened my eyes. “I think we have enough volunteers.”
“Go,” he said to the residents. “The building is secure. Roríguez soldiers will be here with transports at four. Wanderland is opening on schedule. Your entertainment will be a little later than usual. Be ready to leave by four.”
The room filled with chatter as the residents filed from the lecture hall until Nick and I were left alone.
“Seriously, what the fuck?” he asked. “You could have stayed with Isabella.”
I nodded. “I could have, but if I had, the residents would have been alone.” Before he could respond, I added, “Someone came in here.”
“Someone?” A vein popped to life in his forehead. “In here?”
“I couldn’t see him very well in the dark.
He smelled of gunpowder and body odor. He had a long gun.
The power was out, and he searched the room with a flashlight.
Thankfully, he didn’t come inside too far.
He shone his light and banged on one of the tables.
All the residents were quiet and hiding behind the tables. ”
“And you?”
I tipped my head toward the wall where I was standing. “I was so close to him. For the first time in my life, I wished I had a gun.”
Nick reached for my hands and squeezed. “You’re not a killer.”
“I could have been. I would have been to save their lives.”
“Can I please take you to Andrés’s or Mia’s home to spend the night por favor? I need to stay at Wanderland tonight. I want to do what you did.” He clarified, “I want to make sure our employees are safe.”
Employees.
I smiled at his choice of label. “Okay.” I nodded. “Mia’s.”
“Tomorrow, we talk to el Patrón and Mia about our marriage.”