AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTERONE
Idon’t experience blissful darkness during my drug-induced sleep. My final moments with Jaguar haunt me like a nightmare. His touch. Our kiss. My confession…
With every passing second, it sinks in that these words weren’t a figment of my cruel imagination—I said them out loud. Finally, after days of pretending to be Tiena, I revealed my true identity to him...
I can’t believe I made such a stupid and careless mistake. The intent behind lies isn’t important to men like Julian Domingas. They crush dishonesty wherever it festers—they have no choice, if they want to maintain their power, that is. In any case, I’ll pay dearly for this deception. Half expecting to find myself in his pet jaguar’s cage as a punishment, I warily open my eyes.
The room I blink into clarity vaguely resembles the dank chamber I was locked in at Gatita’s mercy, and my stomach twists in grim anticipation. Various shades of steel gray paint the walls, evoking iron bars, but in a far more luxurious setting. Instead of a bloody floor, I lie on a bed, surrounded by stark, modern furniture.
A bedroom?—yes, but definitely not Jaguar’s. There’s a different smell, a different feel to the air from his usual haunt. Not only that... The view beyond the large windows is rugged, with dark shapes on the horizon I can only assume to be mountains, not exactly the typical Texas skyline.
Where am I?Trying to sit upright, I wince.Shit.My head is pounding, my muscles aching. Forget this new mind game. It’s tempting to curl up beneath the blankets—lush, expensive sheets—and sleep until Jaguar comes.
He’s bound to do so anyway, eager to reveal what he has in store. Why waste time worrying?
As if taunting me, male laughter seeps through the windowpane, bringing a new level of fear. Jaguar’s—I’d know that rasping voice anywhere—but he isn’t alone. His characteristic chuckle is immediately followed by a softer, higher-pitched laugh.
It’s a child’s.
No… Soreness forgotten, I struggle from beneath the bedsheets and hit the floor on my hands and knees. A groan rips from me as I attempt to stand. I have to throw myself at the window, blinking to bring the world into focus. It is obvious from the view that we are not in Jaguar’s Texas villa with Italian-style architecture. Featuring sleek lines and concrete-colored walls, this home is a modern masterpiece. Although I’ve never been here before, the layout seems familiar. How?
That mystery can wait. My heart races as I see a tall man standing at the center of a square terrace below. Even without the cocky posture he displays for his posse, that hulking form is unmistakable. Jaguar. Instead of preening bimbos, his attention is devoted to his sole companion struggling to dribble a basketball beside him.Oh, God.That figure’s tiny, familiar proportions make me cry out.
“Franco!”
I whirl from the window and hit the floor hard. Gritting my teeth, I crawl toward a partially-open door across from the bed. The exit? It seems so. Sweat drips down my neck as I push past it and peer into a spacious hallway. Gray walls, bathed in sunlight, create a mocking contrast to my new reality. This is no sanctuary but a prison.
And I’m in no state to fight. My knees buckle as I cling to the nearest wall and haul myself upright. I’m so unsteady as I stagger from the room, that I collide with someone standing nearby. Their grip on my forearm keeps me from collapsing again, and I crane my neck to take in my captor fully. A man, with gruff features and cold, dark eyes. Belatedly, his name comes to me—Horatio,Jaguar’s righthand man.
Will he drag me back to bed on his master’s orders? No. With a terse nod, he steps aside, gesturing with a wave of his hand. “This way,” he mutters before marching ahead. I follow him through a winding corridor decorated with abstract paintings that resemble shadows and bloodstains thrown over beige canvases. Trying to keep up, I pant as the rest of the house passes by in a blur until we reach the sliding glass doors on the lower level, where the outdoor space is visible.
“Let me out!” A rush of adrenaline surges through me, and I lunge, eager to bolt through the glass if I have to, but Horatio opens both doors without comment.
As I rush onto the stone terrace barefoot, I barely notice the man who steps forward to greet me. “It’s about time you joined us, Lupe—”
“Franco!” I push past Jaguar without a second thought. The danger I’m in doesn’t even matter. I only have eyes for this beautiful little boy with a cherub grin behind him. God, it’s really him. As I cry his name again, he drops his ball and runs to me.
“Auntie!”
“Oh, Francisco!” I wrap him in my arms and squeeze so tight he squeals in protest.
As I frantically kiss his cheek, he cries out, “Too tight, Auntie—”
“It seems your mother is awake, Francisco.”Damn.
That blunt tone acts like a bucket of ice water thrown over my head. My arms go limp, allowing Franco to wiggle free. I can’t even face the man looming over me. Instead, I just watch his shadow, a formless black entity stretching across the pavement to swallow me whole.
“It’s good to see you on your feet, Tiena,” he continues. “How relieved you must feel to be reunited with your…son. What a difficult time you’ve had worrying about him.”
Even though I feel his eyes on me, I ignore him, focusing only on Franco. It’s impossible to stop touching his face and smoothing the glossy black hair from his round cheeks. The moment I’m sure he’s not a figment of my exhaustion, I ask my most pressing question. “Are you okay, honey?”
Nodding, he opens his mouth to speak, but a deeper voice overrides him. “What a marvelous coincidence that you would awakennow.”
Silence falls, allowing me a few dangerous seconds to replay his words.Mother, not Aunt. Although my final memories of my time in his bed are fuzzy, one remains clear—dazed, drugged, and exhausted out of my skull, I told him who I was—I am certain of it.
Had he heard me? I don’t know if now is a good time to come clean, with Franco finally in my sights. I can see the confusion in my sweet boy’s eyes, and I force a smile, desperate to placate him.
“You’re safe now, baby,” I murmur, kissing his cheek again. “I’ve missed you so, so much.”
