AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Rafael
The tires bumpover the rough desert road—sand and gravel kicking up and pinging off the paintwork of the car rhythmically. The air conditioner blows icy cold air over my exposed skin, contrasting with the heat of the sun pouring through the window.
Anna sits beside me on the back seat, her hands folded in her lap. She’s right there, and yet a thousand miles away. It’s been two days since she cut herself. Two days since I nearly lost her. And two days since she returned to me. And yet sometimes I notice her slip away for a few moments. I should have a little more patience, but that invisible bubble she seems to force around herself at times bothers me.
Whatever happened in Russia has fundamentally changed her. She’s different…and yet the same. She still holds that innocence—that inherent goodness that draws me to her as if she were the sun itself, but something has shifted. Her spirit is just a little more broken than it was before, and that may be the hardest thing to bear. After nine years of slavery, she managed to stand strong. I watched her become a little less jaded, a littlemore trusting, bit-by-bit. Day-by-day. And yet, in the two months she was taken from me, and the month following, she’s lost that infinite shine. My mind is filled with vile images, possibilities of all the things they could have done to try and break my little warrior.
I glance at her, her gaze fixed out the open window as we pass endless miles of desert. The sunlight dances over her pale skin, and she closes her eyes, absorbing it. Taking her hand, I thread my fingers through hers compulsively. It’s not a want so much as a need to touch her, to know that she’s here and safe—with me. She rolls her head to the side, resting her cheek against the back of the seat as she looks at me. And there it is, a sadness that clings to her in a way it never did before.
I lift her hand and brush my lips against her knuckles.“Talk to me, avecita.”
“About what?”
About what? Do I want her to tell me everything that happened? Do I really want those details?“That look in your eye. I’ve seen you down and scared, little warrior, but never so defeated.” I inhale a sharp breath. "If you need to…tell me…about what happened, you can.”
She tucks her hair behind her ear and takes a staggered breath.“Nothing that hasn’t happened before. Once a whore—“
“Don’t.”
“Rafe, you may not see me as a whore, but everyone else does.”
“No one else matters.”
Her lips twitch.“No. They don’t.” She’s silent for a moment.“It’s not them.”
I tilt my head. “Then what?”
She sighs. “I can comprehend the acts of cruel men. It’s all I’ve known. But Una was always this…hero to me. When we were children, she protected me, sheltered me, from everything. Our parents’ death, the orphanage, starvation…” A small smile touches her lips.“For years, through the worst abuse, I survived because I dreamed of a day when she would rescue me from it all. It was a child’s fairytale of course. I didn’t even know if she was alive or dead. Years passed and hope faded, and I stopped dreaming of my long lost sister and accepted what my life was. But then Nero bought me, and I came to you.” Her fingers tighten around mine.“And I found out she was alive and had gone to all these lengths to find me. It felt like the fairytale had come to life, and I had hope, Rafe.” She drops her chin to her chest.“When I saw her in that cell, I thought she had come to save me like some white knight.” She shakes her head, ahumorless laugh slipping through her lips.“I guess nine years of slavery couldn’t do to me what she did in a single minute…” Her eyes meet mine.“Break my heart.”
I cup her cheek, sliding my fingertips through her hair.“Avecita, she can break your heart. And I’ll be right here to put it back together.”
She falls forward and presses her forehead to my chest.“If I give it to you, will you keep it safe for me?” she whispers.
“Always.”
She lifts her face again until her lips are only a whisper away from mine.“You’re the only person in this world I trust. You’re all I have now."
“I’m sure your sister has her reasons. Don’t write her off.”
Her eyes harden, her expression becoming closed off. “I already have.”
I release a long breath. “I don’t say this to defend her. I say this because I see how much it hurts you.”
“My sister is gone, Rafael.” She shakes her head. “Maybe she sold her soul to the devil to survive.”
“Can you blame her?”
“No. I did the same.” She pulls away from me, pressing herself against the door. That impenetrable bubble falls around her again, leaving me on the outside, an observer looking in. I don’t think I can fix this. I was so scared that the Russians would break her, steal her from me, but it seems the real threat was a lot closer to home. Her own sister.
“Give it time, avecita.” I don’t know what else to say to her. Nothing will make it any better.
* * *
The sun beatsdown on my back as I step up to the front of the bar. Two of Ricardo’s armed men open the double doors in front of us, and I squeeze Anna’s hand as I move inside. Carlos is on her other side, and I’m grateful for his presence. Having her with me like this, only highlights how weak I am for her, but what else am I supposed to do? The thought of leaving her, of having her away from me… I’d kill Ricardo and all his men just to be done with it and get back to her. As it is, I’ve put this meeting off for a month because I couldn’t leave her.
Ricardo is leaned over a pool table—cue in hand as he takes a shot. The bar is filled with heavy smoke that hangs in the air in thick swirls. The scent of beer and cigarettes is all I can smell. Ricardo pockets a ball and stands up, his gaze swinging to me.
“Ah, Rafael.” His shoulders are rigid, his posture tense.
