CHAPTER FOUR
“Hello, sweet child,” said Matthew. “I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”
“Wh-what are you?” she asked, crossing herself.
“I am nothing to fear,” he said calmly. “Think of me as a guardian angel for all those who live here.”
“B-but I didn’t live here. H-how could you possibly, how could you possibly have known what was happening to me?”
“Bianca, Belle Fleur is a magical place,” said Bella. “There are many strange secrets and things here that no one can explain. Matthew, and his wife Irene, are the wonderful people who built this safe space for all of us. They have, um, moved on but are still visible to us.”
“Y-you’re a ghost,” she whispered.
“It’s not a secret,” smirked Matthew. “Myself and many other look over this place. You can always be assured that we will protect you, help you, and warn the others if needed.”
“I can touch you?” she whispered. Matthew smiled, reaching out to stroke her cheek. He kissed her forehead, still cupping her sweet face.
“I carried you back here. I think that means you can touch me and I can touch you. You’ll meet Irene soon, she’s out with the animals.” He turned and left just as quickly as he’d arrived.
Her face was a ghastly gray as she looked at the others.
“Hey. Hey, don’t faint on me,” said Coop. “Are you okay?”
“Ghosts. You have ghosts and they talk. And walk. And touch people.” They all gave a soft chuckle and nodded.
“Miraculous isn’t it,” smirked Abe.
“I feel as though I’m in a nightmare turned dream and I can’t decide which one is real.”
“They both are,” said Coop. “But your nightmare is over. You can live in this dream for the rest of your life if you want to.”
“Do I, do I have to leave here? I mean, do I have to go out in public?” she asked quietly.
“Not until you’re ready,” said Bella. “You stay right here, heal and get well. When you’re ready, we’ll make sure that you have all the protection you need.”
“Bianca, not to bring up a bad subject, but did you ever see any of the politicians, the government officials who came to see Rodriguez?” asked Diego.
“Yes,” she nodded taking another bite of food.
It felt as though the more she ate, the better she felt.
It was as if the food carried a magical healing power all its own.
“Some I didn’t know. I mean, I didn’t know their names.
Others, I knew. There are too many to count.
Mayors, military leaders, even our country’s vice-president.
I always pretended as if I heard nothing, putting their drink or food down and quickly walking away. ”
“Did they touch you?” frowned Coop.
“Never. They never once laid a hand on me. They would come into my parents, my store. I think maybe Rodriguez knew. The way he looked at me that night, he knew right away that I was lying about being lost in the jungle. I might have believed he never noticed me but I guess he noticed everything.”
Coop thought to himself that no man would ever not remember seeing this woman. It was emblazoned in his brain like his own birthdate.
“I kept begging him to let me go. I kept telling him I had just gotten lost in the rain and the darkness. He didn’t believe me. He wouldn’t believe me.” She was trembling and Bella and Lyra were immediately at her side, comforting her.
“That’s enough,” said Bella. “No more tonight. We eat, we talk about our home, your home now, and then we’ll make sure you’re safe in your cottage.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Salcedo,” she said with a weak smile. Coop cursed himself, not realizing that she’d grown paler while talking about what happened.
“No, no,” she said wagging her finger at the woman. “Bella. Bella and Lyra. That’s all. Understand?” She nodded smiling at her.
“I know a bit about your story, yours and Mr., um, Diego’s, but what about you two. How did you meet?” she asked.
“Our story is similar to many here. We met while Abe was a SEAL and I was hiding from my uncle, a certifiable madman and head of a cartel family. I went into witness protection and then was allegedly killed. I had to hide that from Abe.”
“That’s horrible,” she frowned, staring at Abe’s face.
“I thought I lost her.”
“And I thought I’d lost him,” smiled Lyra.
“I was lucky that he gave me a second chance and then somehow, don’t ask me how, I ended up here for protection from my uncle.
He never let me go.” They gave one another a sweet kiss and Coop just smirked at them.
It was wonderful to see how much they loved one another after all these years.
“You’re all so amazing,” she said shaking her head.
“My parents were just average people struggling to feed their family. My mother was loving and warm, always making sure every meal was an experience in flavor. This food reminds me of that. My brothers were still in school. They were mischievous and trying to make extra money, which was why they took the job at that construction site where you found the animals. We were nothing special.”
“You were damn sure special,” said Coop frowning at her. “Without your help, we would have never been able to end the terror that Rodriguez was responsible for. You did that. We were just the weapons.”
“Maybe,” she said taking smaller bites.
“What about your father?” asked Abe staring at the young woman. “What was he like?”
“He was a good man. He worked hard and provided for us as a family but I don’t really know his history.
He wasn’t affectionate, like all of you.
It always felt like he was afraid to hug us or kiss us.
When we would leave for school or work, he would simply wave.
It’s not that he was a bad father. Just distant. ”
She pushed the plate aside and suddenly looked very tired.
“I think I want to lie down now. Can someone take me back to the cottage?”
“I’ll take you,” said Coop. Bella and Lyra helped her to stand, and then settled her back in the wheelchair, they spoke in hushed tones, comforting the young woman.
“Coop? Gentle,” said his father. He stared at the two older men and nodded.
“Yes, sir. Gentle.”