“Where am I?” Ximena woke up; her head hurt. She was lying on an old mattress in a large room with old walls whose paint was peeling because of the humidity. She got up and looked around her. The windows had been covered with steel sheets, and the light came in through the plastic tile that was in place. The height of the walls of that cellar made him not even consider climbing them. He tried to open the door, and it didn't even have a knob to try to pull it.“Let me out!” She yelled at the cameras, “You don't know who you've messed with; my husband will kill you; he's a very dangerous man. I swear they will regret having kidnapped me. I give them a chance to free me. Not only that, but I will even give them a good sum in cash.”Only her echo and the movement of the cameras that were watching her answered her. A smoke came from the floor, and suddenly she felt very sleepy. When she woke up again, she found plates of food and more blankets. She tried to eat for her baby, but the crying
Ximena already knew every stain on the walls and every crack in the floor. She felt suffocated within those four walls; the despair threatened to tear her apart. If it were not for her baby, she would not resist that situation. She remembered the Yoga classes for pregnant women; she sat in the lotus position to meditate to try to calm down; she even imagined that she was talking to her baby, who was telling her,“Mommy, please be strong, the same way you have been all these years.”“Yes, my baby, we are going to get out of this; Daddy is coming to rescue us.”She imagined that with her breath, she was absorbing light that purified them. She felt that she was already out walking in Sicily with Angelo and her beautiful baby in a golden stroller. Where they were walking, roses of various colors were growing, and the wind carried their scents. At this moment, she heard some murmurs. She concentrated on them; surely they were coming from a room next door, where a man was talking to another
“Angelo, the doctors say it's time to wait; they already took out the two bullets, but it's a matter of time before she recovers; they had to put her in intensive care; we must be patient and pray; I'll go and make my round of donations so that everything goes well.”“José, it's up to you to postpone it; we'll leave now for the beautiful patio; we'll hunt down the whole family of the capo; the guys headed by Cancan are ready; we're going to erase them even from the memory of their neighbors.”“Sir, I expected nothing less from you; it will be an honor.”When they arrived in that neighborhood, Cancan received them with his characteristic grimace and an undeveloped smile and led them to a carpentry shop, where several men were making closets and beds.“Don Angelo, don't be guided by appearances; that's just a facade. The real merchandise is kept in the basement, and the family lives on the upper floors that look like factories.”“Do you have anything planned?” asked José Luis“Yes, sir,
“I want you to sign the divorce.”“For what reason, my beloved Ximena?”“Angelo, I don't want to be married to a gangster, to a mobster like the ones who killed my real parents. I don't want to always be in danger. Not knowing at what moment we will be killed or that you will leave me alone with how many children when you are captured by the authorities or killed by your enemies. I don't want that life; I prefer to live quietly with my son, no matter if we don't have money to spend on luxuries.”“Love, please forgive me.”“What, love? You said you weren't going to lie to me.”“It was a white lie; I didn't want you to leave me; I knew this could happen; I was cleaning up the business.”“That hurt me; it was a beating you gave to our love. I trusted that you loved me, but it was all a lie. I don't know why you hurt me by deceiving me like that; did you have something to do with my parents' deaths?”“It's okay; I'll tell you the truth. Yes, we had something to do with it. Your parents we
Ximena left the hospital, sent for her belongings, and her sister bought a house on the outskirts of the city, where the fresh air would be good for the baby. She must be transported by ambulance due to her precarious health.“Sir, it's not this way.” Emily was worried because she already knew the way to her new home very well.“Ma'am, we're taking a shortcut; there's a traffic jam,” answered the paramedic.“You're lying; we are heading south, and the house is in the north; sir, stop, or I'll call the police.” Emily pulled out her phone, so he could see that she was serious.“You know what, Miss? Stay still, or we'll have to strap you to the stretcher too.” The paramedic pointed a gun at her, and his mask came off.“You are Max, or Leonel; whatever your name is, you want to kill me to take revenge on Angelo. What you don't know is that we are nothing.” Ximena shouted, trying to get loose from the stretcher.“According to what Vivian told us, you are the only woman he has sincerely fal
“Love, please open your eyes. I promise, we will get married. The baby is safe. Please wake up. I don't want my son to grow up without a father.” Ximena was crying for her beloved, who had been in a coma for four days.“I hope that your word is true and that these are not promises to a dying man.” Angelo opened his eyes.“Of course we'll get married; I'll finish my studies soon; it won't be long before I graduate, you know that.”“Ready, my love; that's how we'll do it. Ximena, please come with me to my house; let's live together again.”“Yes, my baby of one, I agree.”They spent the following months at home under the care of his doctors until Angelo recovered completely. He had to go back to business to make up for the empty demand for Max's poster. It was an exhausting few days until he talked to his grandfather.“I no longer want to continue with the illegal business, grandfather; please understand me.”“It's that the illegal businesses are the ones that leave the most money; consi
Ximena seemed to burst; her face colored, the veins in her neck became pronounced, her cheeks puffed out, and she threw the bouquet at the fat man. Like a lioness, she let out a growl.“Get out, uncle; I don't want to see you, and I don't believe his lies; you're on fire because of me taking you out of the company.”The fat old man put his right hand on his heart, and with the other, he extended his hand in a stop sign to continue with his explanation.“Please, I know you hate me, and you are right. I am a despicable being, but not as despicable as this family of mobsters. It's one thing for you to leave me practically on the street. I put up with it because I deserve it, but I can't keep putting up with you being with the people who murdered my only brother and my dear sister-in-law.”“Get out, or I'll kick you out!” Angelo loosened his tie and went down the stairs to the altar. At the same time that he took off his jacket to try not to let the heat of his body make him explode, he p
“Was it just a nightmare?” Ximena asked when she woke up and found a thousand mute faces. “Where am I?”“Daughter, we are in the church; please try to calm down. I know it is very difficult to understand all these revelations.” Her mother answered her, blowing air with a piece of paper, while the others helped her sit up.“Ximena, please listen to me; I swear I didn't know about your parents.” Angelo was trembling in despair; he kneeled down to cry but was pushed away by Emily.One of his bodyguards approached him and murmured, “Boss, the police are here; apparently someone called her; let's get out of this place; if you stay here, they will catch you in jail or maybe even make you disappear.”Angelo pushed him, snorting, “You don't send me. I can't leave without my wife forgiving me.”Ximena threw one of her heels at him, although her words hurt him worse: “Get out; I don't want to see you anymore. Forget about me and my children. We want nothing to do with murderers.”The bodyguard
“Angelo, I will kill your children first, then your sister-in-law, then you, although I will take my time with everyone.” The old man took a rusty poker and went to the prisoners' cage. “Sir, we are informed that Alexandros took another route; it is possible that he went wrong. Or he kind of stole the money.” A henchman arrives to inform him.“That can't be possible, and if it is, we will look for his mother, and we will apply five hundred bullets to make that rat come out of his hiding place.” Giuseppe spat on the ground and almost dropped his box of teeth.“Besides, there is something very strange; the lookouts on the road report many cars in the sector. More than usual, it is possible that it is a rescue; it would be better, sir, if you were eliminated quickly, and we leave.” The assistant lowered his head as he spoke to him.“Nonsense, that doesn't mean anything. Besides, I have been waiting for this moment for years; I am going to savor it; I will be delighted; it will be a spec
“I thank you very much for this last favor.”“Do not worry and remember it very well; I can't have friendships with a snitch. Although your grandfather also helped, the old man sold the castle and the little that was left.”“Yes, José Luis, I know; he told me that he feels very guilty about everything that happened with Ximena; he knows that he will have to pay for that when he dies.”“Angelo, enough with the sermons; we must concentrate on the operation; they shouldn't have called the police; it complicates everything.”“I didn't do it, it was up to her and Detective Das; I would have preferred something from us.”“It might be better; Max's father, whose real name is Giuseppe Latin, has more money than all of us together, therefore more men and means.”“I am confident that we will succeed, as we always do.”“Of course, Angelo, we make it, or we die, either way, for the hole we drive.”“It may happen, but at least I'll take Giuseppe with me; I'll send him to meet Max.”“At least the c
Fire trucks arrive on the scene, making their way through the curious and opportunists. The police cordon off the scene and search for witnesses to the tragedy.“Detective, a wounded soldier. He says that some very suspicious subjects were going to leave a car on the front sidewalk, and that a comrade went to stop them, and the driver shot him, so they returned fire, and that caused that terrible explosion.” A policeman informed his superior.“I knew they were going to attack Ximena. And as usual, my boss didn't listen to me.”“Detective, they took a lot of precautions, and that's why they doubled the guard.” The officer left to help the firefighters remove debris.Ximena emerged from the chaos, filthy and disoriented, accompanied by escorts.“Mrs. Ximena, are you hurt?”“Detective Das, what happened? Do you know anything about Angelo?” Ximena greeted her, hugging her detective.“It seems they were planning to blow this building sky-high to silence her. As for Angelo, I assumed he was
“I need a way out; I have to go see him.” I have repeated these words many times, every day during these weeks, and I receive the same answers, although today a doctor answers me something different.“Mrs. Ximena, you know that it is something very complex because the gentleman is in another hospital since he was more injured. On the other hand, you still require special care, and although I have news for you, you are going to get out of here.” The doctor with the face of a kindly old man purses his lips to give a dramatic pause or to wait for my answer, but I just make a puzzled grimace, so he goes on, “Yes, as you can hear, we are going to get out.”“Explain me better; I notice something strange in the way you say it.” While I speak, the old man moves his mouth between fake smiles and sucker punches.“Mrs. Ximena, the judge who is handling your case demands that you be interrogated; that's what we are going to do, and it could be that your husband is also required; suddenly you will
“Where am I? Who am I?” I have asked these questions several times. Until suddenly my consciousness becomes clear, and the memories hit me all of a sudden. I look around me; it takes me a while to realize that I am in a hospital, in a first-aid room, and the smell of anesthesia raises my blood pressure. The doctors surround me with syringes, perhaps with painkillers, although they inject them in the serum, and I think I manage to ask for Angelo and my children before falling asleep.I have no hands, no feet, no face, or anything. It seems to me that I am a painting on a wall contemplating the horizon, but suddenly I am also someone who observes the painting. I detail that it is a canvas of my life and that it was painted with tears and smiles. I see it and I see me, both screens at the same time, until a blue energy shakes us and my eyes see a great light. Furthermore, as I turn my head and observe people dressed in white and blue, I hear, “We are going to intubate her.”It is a proce
“Calm down, my children; it won't be long now until we get to Bogotá.” Ximena consoled her children and herself.The long trip was coming to an end. She arrived at the central terminal; she went downstairs normally; the freezing city air calmed her; she breathed in the aroma of progress; and she prepared to leave to board the cabs. Everything seemed perfect until she saw a man who, upon seeing her, called someone on the phone.“I'm going to get caught.” These words escaped her, and she turned around, raised her children, and walked quickly. But, rather than running to avoid suspicion, she turned her head to see that the man was following her, accompanied by two others dressed in black. She calculated that her best strategy was to return to the fleet under the pretext that she had forgotten her luggage, so she could go back to the unloading area. But instead of looking for a non-existent suitcase, she marched quickly towards the exit of the buses, crossed the avenue, walked a few meter
“How is it that such a pretty young lady with such a pair of little angels walks around this region so full of dangers?”“I was visiting my grandfather; he lives in the mountains.”“It's good to go back to the country, to know the roots; besides, as an old man, you don't know when you will see your loved one for the last time; tell me, I haven't seen my daughter for a long time.”“And that, is it, that you are angry?”“No, miss, it's just that some criminals killed her. And she had two granddaughters who were taken by an uncle who refused to allow me to see them. It was very difficult; that's why I went to the country with my wife until she died. Now all I have left are memories of my life—of what I did, what I didn't do, and what could have been. Although the truth is that I'm not from around here, I'm retracing my steps. I know that the bone is breathing down my neck; although I'm still afraid of the uncertainty of the afterlife, I also long for it because this body no longer respon
“We are going to finish off even the sow's nest.” Angelo closed his black jacket, lowered his balaclava cap to cover his face, and jumped from the helicopter held by a rope. When he touched the ground, he landed with both legs, running straight ahead with the gun. He imagined he was diving from a very high pool; he didn't even turn to see if his men were following him. He neutralized a couple of guards and, little by little, his adrenaline went down as his sadness increased.“Sir, we went all over the place, and there is no trace of a woman and two children.” The mercenary Can-Can informed him, turning his head and looking for any threat.“It can't be possible; this is the place.” Angelo kicked a table to calm his mixed feelings.“My lord is not wrong; look here; we found this dog in a hiding place.” Jose Luis came in and pushed Diego to the floor.“Damn rat! What did you do with my wife and children?” Angelo lifted Diego by the neck while he was shaking. It was hard to understand wha
“Okay, Angelo, I'll tell you.” Emily cleared her throat, her voice almost unable to come out because those strong hands were choking her. “I made a mistake in proposing that question to you.”“Please forgive me; I didn't want to go to these extremes; it's just that I'm very worried.” Angelo whispered, letting go of her neck, “I know she's in danger; besides, I'm having the same symptoms as when she was pregnant with my twins; I hope it's just my psychosis.”“Angelo, I understand you. Hold on; I'll calm down, or I'll end up in an ambulance.” Emily exhaled, speaking fast, took a deep breath, mentally repeating the mantras that helped her calm down, and continued, “Please don't tell her that I was the gossip rat.”“You can tell her that I made you; although you will have to come with me, we must plan a way to rescue her.” Angelo picked up the hamburger again to eat it.“I remember when Ximena found me after we were separated because we were adopted by different families. She took me to e