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Her challenging question hit me like a punch to the chest, knocking all the air from my lungs. “He threatened you?”
She nodded grimly. “He reminded me that my family is on shaky ground with the cartel after Daniel’s attempted coup.” Her lips twisted around her brother’s name, but her ire remained focused on Raúl. “He knows I didn’t have anything to do with it, but he still implied that I could be in serious trouble if he wanted to sway Stefano against me. Raúl is a brute, but he has a lot of power within the cartel. He could have me killed with a single word.”
I shook my head in immediate, vehement refusal. “He wouldn’t do that. No, listen.” I cut her off before she could interrupt me. “I know Raúl can be intimidating. But he wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. When he told me how Daniel had left you at home during the assault, with no warning to protect yourself, Raúl was furious. He was enraged that your brother had put you in danger like that. I’m truly sorry if he’s scared you with threats, but I promise he would never follow through with them. He just wants to delay Carmen finding out that I’m here with him. He says things would get tense with the cartel if she knows.”
“But that’s exactly my point. Why didn’t he take you to her right away? Why has he been keeping you here in secret?” She speared me with a significant stare. “What is it that he wants from you?”
My cheeks flamed, and I cut my gaze to the floor. “It’s not what you think. I want him, too. I did want to get back to Carmen when he first brought me here, but I was just scared. He’s proven to me that he won’t abuse me. But after a few days passed and I settled in with him, it was too late to go back and tell Carmen that he’d lied to her.”
Strength flooded my body in a sudden burst, and a sense of peace settled over my soul. “I’m with Raúl willingly. I care about him, and I care about Carmen. I don’t want them to fight because of me. If that means letting a little more time pass until things stabilize with the cartel, then I agree with Raúl’s decision to keep me a secret.”
I reached out and squeezed her hand. “I really do appreciate that you want to help me. You thought you were putting yourself at considerable risk to even offer it. But I promise you, Raúl won’t follow through on whatever threats he made. I’m sorry that he scared you, but you have nothing to fear from him. I swear.”
When she still appeared skeptical, I powered on, determined to defend Raúl and to put her mind at ease. “Ever since the moment he met me, Raúl has protected me. He’s done so much to keep me safe.”
I launched into my story, telling her how Raúl had protected me while I was the cartel’s hostage and how he’d saved me in Juárez before bringing me home with him. I told her about how I’d trusted him enough to open up to him about my past: how Gehovany had turned my world into a nightmare; how I’d fled from my home to spare my family; how Carmen’s associate had bought me from the coyote and dragged me into hell.
“After all that, Raúl has saved me. I’m choosing to stay with him.” I spoke the last with particular clarity, willing her to understand. Surely now, she’d have to accept that Raúl was good to me. She’d have to acknowledge that he was only lying to Carmen to avoid a conflict that could turn bloody.
Isabel remained silent for several long seconds before finally offering me a slow nod. “Thank you for sharing all that with me. I had no idea what you’d been through.” Her eyes were wide and earnest on mine. “I really am happy to hear that you feel safe here. I’m happy that you’re not suffering anymore.”
I grasped one of her hands in both of mine, trying to convey the depth of my gratitude. “Thank you. And thank you for agreeing to meet me, especially when you were scared of Raúl. It’s wonderful to have female company again.”
I blinked rapidly, clearing the sudden sting from the corners of my eyes. “But I’ve been talking for what feels like hours. I’d like to get to know you. So, you live here in Mexico City? What’s it like? I haven’t been able to spend any time exploring yet.”
I made sure to add the yet, a firm indication that I wasn’t Raúl’s prisoner. I would eventually be able to leave his house.
She spoke haltingly at first, clearly still a bit uncomfortable with the entire situation. But by the time she started telling me about her favorite secret clubs and late-night cantinas, she became much more animated. Her sparkly pink nail polish flashed as she gesticulated excitedly, sharing her love of the best clubs for salsa dancing.
