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I start to turn away, ready to leave the festival and continue my search for Natalia when I hear Rico come op from behind me.
"Did you see him?" he asks.
"Yeah, I saw him," I respond. "It's just random coincidence."
My mid is racing as Rico and I head back to our vehicles. Could Natalia have been here and we missed her? Is she even in this city? My men and I have searched and still come up empty.
We make our way back to the motel and regroup with our guys in the corner of the long parking lot. We compare notes and keep discussing places we'll try again tomorrow, knowing better than to voice their doubts.
We wrap up and I’m heading to my room when my phone rings, cutting through the silence inside my SUV.
It's one of my guys. "Boss," he says, urgency clear in his voice, "I saw her. Natalia. She left the bus station in a dark sedan, but she wasn't alone."
My grip the phone tightly, a rush of adrenaline coursing through me. "Did you get a plate number? A description of the vehicle?"
He lets out a frustrated sigh. "No, I was too far away. They drove off pretty fast. I couldn't catch up in time."
The news hits me like a physical blow. So close. I had been so close to finding her, and now she's slipped through my fingers.
Again. The frustration is overwhelming, a bitter pill to swallow.
"I'm heading that way now," I say, pressing down on the accelerator, the engine roaring. My mind races with possibilities, scenarios, what-ifs. The thought of Natalia leaving town with someone I don't know is unsettling. Who is he? Is she safe? The questions multiply, each one a sharp jab to my already tightened chest.
I meet up with his vehicle, and together, we try to speed in the direction my guy last saw them, but it's a futile effort. The vehicle is long gone, vanished into the night.
“Keep driving in that direction and report back if you see any sign of them,” I tell my guy in a text message.
“Okay boss,” he replies back. “How far to go?”
“Just keep going, even if it takes all night,” I reply. Maybe we’ll catch a fucking break.”
Pulling my vehicle over to the side of the road, and I leave the engine running and lower the driver-side window, needing some air on my face as I try to process how the fuck things could’ve gone so fucking wrong.
The guilt is a heavy, gnawing thing in my gut. I was too late. I had one job – to find Natalia, to protect her – and I fucking failed. The sense of incompetence is overwhelming, suffocating.
I can't shake the feeling that I let her down, that I let myself down. All my skills, all my resources, and yet, when it mattered most, they amounted to nothing. The thought that I was so close, that she was right here in Taos, and I still couldn't reach her in time is a bitter realization.
The darkness of the night mirrors the dark thoughts swirling in my mind. I should’ve been faster, more vigilant. I should’ve anticipated her movements, predicted her actions. But I didn't, and now she's gone, into the night with someone I don't know, someone who could be a threat to her.
I lean forward, resting my elbows on the steering wheel, my head in my hands. The feeling of being too late, of missing these crucial moments to intervene, replays in my mind, taunting me. It's a failure that stings, a mark against my name, my reputation. In this world, being too late isn't just a missed opportunity – it can be a matter of life and death.
It’s fucking torture.
I missed my chance to reconnect with Natalia, and now she's out of my reach again.
How the fuck did this happen?
I need to figure out where she is, who took her, where they went, and most importantly, if she's in danger again.
And I have no fucking clues to go on.
None.
As I pull into the motel parking lot, the harsh reality of the situation settles in. I'm back to square one, with more questions than answers.
The disappointment of being so close to finding her, only to lose her again, is almost too much to bear. I lean my head back against the seat, closing my eyes, trying to piece together my next move. The road ahead is uncertain, a daunting path filled with obstacles and unknowns.
But one thing is clear – the one upside.
