Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Liliana
José passed a badge beneath a scanner. The large solid gate painted white with gold filigree moved slowly to one side.
When I was married to Gerardo, we lived in a well-guarded mansion in Northern California.
I hated everything about it. Currently, the-second-in-command, el Patrón’s brother, Reinaldo, and Reinaldo’s wife, Jasmine, lived there with el Patrón’s mother, Joséfina.
I could only imagine the atmosphere was much improved since my imprisonment.
Entering el Patrón’s compound was equally as intimidating, yet it lacked the Gothic feeling of dread in my old home.
We drove onto a wide driveway made of bricks leading to an ultra-modern house.
A pair of armed cartel guards, one on either side of the inside gate, watched, not making any attempt to conceal the long guns they had strapped over their shoulders.
Once Mia’s husband, Aléjandro Roríguez, became the head of the Roríguez cartel, the security level went up.
José stopped the black sedan on the bricks and stepped out of the car as the two guards began to approach.
I couldn’t make out their words from within the car.
José must have been convincing, because the two guards nodded and retook their original spots.
My driver opened my door and offered me his hand.
José opened the second gate. Most people would be intimidated entering el Patrn’s home.
Apparently, I wasn’t most people. The weight on my shoulders felt lighter as I passed through the entrance and admired the landscaping.
Large pavers and rocks covered the ground between the gate and house.
Smaller sandstone rocks decorated the exterior of the lower level.
A festive wreath hung on the front door.
As we approached the house, Silas, Mia’s bodyguard opened the front door.
“Hola, Senora Ruiz,” he said with a smile.
“Hola, Silas. Dónde está Mia?”
He graciously stepped back, allowing me entry.
“Liliana,” Mia called from deeper within the house.
Quickly, I passed by el Patrón’s closed office door.
The living room was exquisite, decorated in shades of white with a tall slender tree decorated with colorful lights.
Large glass panels were opened to the patio.
Beyond the patio and pool, the Pacific Ocean glistened under the morning sunlight, sparkling as if someone scattered millions of diamonds onto the cerulean waves.
Mia was sitting at the kitchen counter with a mug in her grip. Her long hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and her complexion was unusually pale.
“Dónde está Jorge?” I asked.
“Viviana took him upstairs for his morning nap.” She shook her head. “He’s fighting two naps.” Her eyes twinkled. “He has a stubborn streak, like his father.”
“And if el Patrón heard you say that?”
Mia laughed. “Jano would say Jorge takes after me.”
“How are you feeling?”
She lifted the mug. “Viviana’s tea helps. I’m sorry I haven’t been into the apartments. Jano wants me to keep food down before I head back to the office.” She arched her eyebrows. “Is there a problem you didn’t want to talk about on the phone?”
I set my purse on the breakfast counter and took a tall stool near Mia. “Nothing with the apartments. We miss you. Izzy said to tell you hi.”
Mia nodded. “Hola back to her. She’s surprised me.” Her stare met mine. “You have too. I’m so grateful to have both of you taking care of our residents.”
My stomach twisted. “I came to ask you something.”
She lowered the mug to the counter. “I’m concerned by your tone. What do you want to ask?”
“I’d like to take classes at SDCC.”
Mia’s soft laughter filled the air. “Goodness, you had me worried. You don’t need my permission to take classes. You’re an adult.”
“El Patrón’s permission?”
“Jano isn’t his father. I’ll be happy to inform him of your decision because it is your decision. What do you want to study?”
“I think I’d like to be a teacher.”
Mia grinned. “You’ll make a fine teacher. We could use you at the apartments if you don’t decide that teaching movie stars’ children in a posh private school is a better option.”
“I can’t think that far ahead. I wanted to start with two or three online classes.”
“Do you need tuition? We can help.”
I shook my head. “I have money from Gerardo.” I nodded once. “Thanks to you.”
“You deserved it for putting up with him.”
“We both know Jano’s father had other thoughts.”
Mia’s eyes widened. “Do we know that?” She grinned. “I think it’s fitting to use Gerardo’s money for an education. That’s what he’d want.”
It was my turn to laugh. “We know that’s not true.” I paused. “I’ve been worried about something else. It’s been almost two years since Gerardo…” I took a breath. “Am I expected to eventually wed?”
Mia nodded. “I’ll admit there’s been talk, but Jano listens to me. He makes his own decisions, but at the same time, he sees the world differently than those before him.”
“I don’t think I ever want to marry.”
“I understand that. I felt the same way. As you know, for a similar reason.” Over the years, Mia disclosed the not pleasant details of her first marriage.
“My advice,” she went on, “is not to rule it out. There are good men in the cartel or the Luciano family. Not every man is like our first husbands.”
We both turned at the sound of deep voices.
The door to Aléjandro Roríguez, el Patrón’s, office opened as Emiliano Ruiz and his cousin Nick Ruiz came out.
Their faces were lined with resolve, no doubt based on the subject of their closed-door meeting.
With wide shoulders and muscular tall frames, they passed through the doorframe one at a time, followed by the leader himself, el Patrón.
Jano’s gaze went past his lieutenants to Mia. “Cómo estás?” he asked as he made his way to his wife.
“Estoy bien.”
The three men entered the kitchen. If I didn’t know them, they would be scary.
All tall and fierce, determination in their dark eyes.
Jano came to a stop behind Mia’s stool. His large hands encircled her waist as he leaned down, whispering in her ear.
I couldn’t hear his words, but whatever he said returned a rosy glow to her cheeks.
When he looked up, he saw me. “Liliana, is everything all right at the apartments?”
“Sí. I came to speak to Mia.”
“Bueno, she needs company.”
I turned to Em and Nick. “Hola.”
They both smiled, greeting me in return.
While I didn’t know Nick as well as I knew Em, I knew deep down that they were both good men.
Isabella’s happiness was proof of Em’s devotion.
Em felt more like a brother to me than my nephew by marriage.
After Gerardo was killed, Sofia and I moved into Andrés and Valentina Ruiz’s home for a few months.
During that time, Em and his sister Camila became the siblings I’d never had.
Nick and his sister, Mireya, were friends and cousins.
Nick and Em had physically matured since that time, filling out and acquiring the expressions that come with battles fought.
And matured mentally too, growing and succeeding within the cartel, both of them now top lieutenants for Aléjandro’s regime.
Nick laid his hand on my shoulder. “Cómo estás?”
“Muy Bien.”
His brown eyes glistened as they locked with mine. “Sí, it’s good to see you looking happy.”
“Tell them your news,” Mia said.
I sucked in a breath and slightly bowed my head as all three men stared my direction. “If el Patrón approves…”
“Liliana,” Mia said firmly.
Inhaling, I met el Patrón’s gaze. “I’d like to take some online classes. I’ve been accepted at SDCC.”
Jano moved his focus from me to Mia and back to me. “What will you study?”
Unimaginable relief flooded my circulation. He wasn’t forbidding it. “I think I’d like to teach.” I met Mia’s gaze. “Either at a posh private school or maybe at the apartments.”
Her lips curled upward.
Nick laughed. “Posh private school would pay better.”
“Sí,” I replied, “Money isn’t what I want. I want to help people learn, to want to learn.”
Viviana came down the stairs with a finger to her lips. “If any one of you wakes Jorge, you will be responsible for getting him back to sleep.”
Everyone scoffed softly.
This was the side of el Patrón that few witnessed, accepting of my dreams and scolded by his housekeeper. Mia told me once that Silas and Viviana were with el Patrón’s parents for years before moving to San Diego. I’d guess that meant that they knew Aléjandro long before he became el Patrón.
“I should get back to the apartments,” I said. “I left Izzy alone.” I picked up my purse and pulled out my phone. I had a text message from José. After reading I looked up. “José is running an errand for Renata.” I sighed. “I guess I need to wait.”
“I’m headed to that side of town,” Nick said. “I’ll give you a ride.”
“I can’t ask you—”
“You didn’t,” he interrupted with a grin. “Unless you’re afraid to be alone with me.”
A smile came to my lips. “You’re not scary, Nick Ruiz.”