Chapter 3

A week later

“Beep, Beep, Beep.” The microwave shakes her out of sleep. She gets up from the kitchen table disoriented. Goodness, the modest kitchen is filled with smoke and the burned smell overwhelms her nostrils, and she coughs with a closed mouth.

She rushes to switch off the microwave. How could I have fallen asleep like that? Posing at the open window with her hands clutch on the sink. The haze caused by smoke disappears and she gulps. Relieved, it could’ve gone worse.

Abrupt movements from the living area develop. Rose takes big steps to close the window and runs up the stairs. With swift movements she enters the bedroom and locks it. The room is filled with silence and she exhales. Stop being paranoid. Everything is fine. Maybe It’s Demi? Ahg! Nevermind. She poses to close the silk curtain, and the glance of the sky brimming with stars makes her smile. Tonight they are sparkling more than usual.

Footsteps accelerate her heartbeat. She walks backward, towards a corner. A pine woody scent fills her delicate nose. Adrenaline causes vehement muscular contractions in her arms and legs. “AHHH” she screams when hard, rusty hands grip her neck, cover her mouth with a damp cloth and she becomes unconscious.. Someone takes her into a ranger and drives off.

Passing the Guadua bridge, the ranger continues to drive. Making a turn to the Bogota River. The vehicle comes to a halt at an old cottage downtown the Engativa district, within close proximity of the El Dorado international airport.

A couple of hours later she regains consciousness. Ouch! She massages her temple. Hoping her head will stop throbbing. Where am I? Everything is slow and blurry. Staring at the lucid sky through the Aluminum window of her small apartment is the last thing she remembers.

The rigid surface she is laying on adds to the weariness. Her eyes open reluctantly, she looks around perplexed, and the surrounding isn't familiar.

Heavy breaths elude her. No, no, no. My papa. I can’t be away from him. Her hands and legs spasm.

She struggles to get up from the wooden floor, stumbling back down, the darkness in the room is overwhelming. A small ray of light coming from the window situated in the corner enables her to see. She crawls to the corner chasing the light beam. Her heart skips a beat as fear creeps in. What am I doing here? God help me!

Creaks trigger her adrenaline. The door opens as a result. Oh No! She is petrified, someone enters the room, the tapping effect produced by stilettos closing in. Everything becomes vivid once the light goes on.

A tall, skinny woman with a toffee complexion rushes her steps towards her. It's impossible to hide, the room is extremely empty. Charging out a gun as she approaches, her brain goes numb. This is a nightmare. Unable to distinguish what's up or down. She blinks over and over. Wake up, you will see this is not real. Her brain fails to process the gun pointed at her.

Oh my, what is this?

"What do you want from me?” Seated hugging her knees. “Why am I here? Who are you?.” Rose rumbles nonstop.

"What the hell is happening? Tell me!”—

The woman grabs her by the neck, she becomes hysterical. "Let go of me.” Rose wiggles her body.

“What the hell is this?—“ She is rocking her body—”What do you people want? ”

Screams fill the room, as her nerves submit to pain when a filled syringe penetrates the soft skin on her neck. Oh GOD! the hate she has for needles. She would always dodge hospitals because of them. Regardless of the condition, sleeping it off is her solution. And this lady has the audacity to stab her with it. Rose begins shouting, and cursing until she falls back to sleep again.

Subsequently, the woman drags her into a truck and drives off to the outskirts of Bogota. Stopping at a flat area, along an airstrip, concentrated with small bushes and a distant forest. Upon arrival, there is a man with a private jet that she is assigned to, ready to leave for Cartagena. And she exchanges Rose with an envelope. Throughout the voyage, she is knocked out until they get to the luxurious Bocagrande peninsula outside the walled city of Cartagena.

Rose finally awakens. The light from outside is concentrated, and everything is vivid. This time she wakes up in a fancier place than the rat hole she was before. A proper room with white walls, a king-size bed she found herself resting on.

She hurdles off the bed nearly tripping. A door on the other end of the room comes into focus and she races to open it. There is a bathroom behind it, she rinses her face at the sink and ties her loose hair into a rough ponytail. Okay! Something fishy is going on. This isn't how kidnapping goes in movies. Stroking herself, inspecting for bruises.They didn't hurt me. Except for the bitch that stabbed a needle on my neck,hissing and rubbing the affected area.

Someone enters the room. Loud and annoying, as they drag their feet. She hides behind the door, questing for something to defend herself but there is nothing. Gives the impression it is a man judging from the deep voice as he talks over the phone.

“Leo, we got her. I know two days have already passed, but something came up. Cálmate, we brought the girl to the stud.” The man expresses.

Two days? You have got to be kidding me! This can't be real? She covers her mouth. “My papa..”

Hiding behind a door isn't going to get me out of here or answer my questions. Stupidity rushes through her, and she marches back into the room.

“Who the hell are you people and what do you want?” She demands tapping her feet.

“Oh Rosalia, pretending like you are a victim isn't going to work.” The man responds wearing a grin extended all the way to his average ears.

“I have no clue of what you are talking about.” Furrowing her eyebrows.

“You can deny all you want. Leonardo is going to take care of you.”He covers the distance between them just enough to leave what appears to be two meters.

She gawks at him with eyes wide open, processing what he said. “I haven’t done anything to hurt anyone. ” Her voice is low.

Laughs elude him. And his sinister expression doesn't scare her. Maybe because he doesn't look like someone that would be capable of doing harm. But what does she know, it's not as if murderers have tags on them? His soft features and symmetry don't exclude him from the list.

“You know what? For the love of God, what do you people want from me..” She wails

He smirks.

Enjoying this a little more, he moves even closer to her, so close the hair on her body is screaming, and his Sandalwood cologne is clouding up her space.

“Where is your friend Demetria? And how far are you involved with the stolen designs?”

Rose opens her mouth with an astounding expression. “Wait what? Designs? How am I supposed to know?”

The man looks at her in disbelief. “So, you will deny having a connection with Marcus Adams of Star-trend? “ He folds his shirt’s collar. “Or the fact that your friend was snooping around here and magically the collection disappears? "

"I still don’t understand why I am here instead of Demi? I have no clue of stolen designs. Please, let me go, it’s urgent. " And she moves past him to head for the—

His hands clutched her wrist, pulling her back to where she was.

"Not so fast, mamita, try telling that to Leo. Let’s see how long you are going to play dumb." His small, deep eyes threaten her with his stare.

She takes a step back.

“Sweetheart, how will you talk yourself out of this? Your friend is in deep trouble and so are you.”

“I swear I didn't steal anything; I never had the pleasure of meeting Leonardo or whomever.” Rose cries out.

Pacing back and forth. She remembers Demi’s mysterious calls but not vividly.

She shrugs and cups her face in distress.

"I know it's hard to believe me but I am sure you can find a way to confirm my words, right?"

“Explain that to the boss, I don’t care, that’s not part of my job.” The guy replies.

Rose moves past him to sit at the edge of the bed. He turns around to face her and says, “Someone will bring you clothes and breakfast now.” and he leaves the room.

“What you people are doing to me is gruesome. And you have the audacity to..” She wipes her snort away. “I don’t want your stupid breakfast—”

“Uh-huh. Sooner or later you will come to terms with reality, little girl.”

“This is totally unjust.” Her voice reaches its peak.

“Oh really? What you and your friend did is way more ugly, so shut the fuck up already.” And he stomps out the door.

She collapses on the floor with her back against the bed.

A few moments later, a woman appearing to be in her late 40s drops off a plastic bag and a tray of food.

“Chica, eat something, you are starting to look pale.” The woman says.

Rose glares at her and buries her face with her arms.

“It's best if you cooperate.” Her voice is filled with kindness.

“No tengas miedo, everything will be okay, as long as you listen. Si.” She shuts the door on her way out.

Rose’s Spanish is not that good. Growing up in a multicultural house may have a lot to do with it.

Even with a Colombian father only the basics gets her by. Her mother is mixed-race, with African roots.

She guises at the tray, with growling sounds forming vibrations in her stomach. The tray is packed with toasted bread, bacon, slices of pineapples, accompanied with orange juice.

Her mouth becomes dry at the view. And it's as if she didn't eat for days.

She tosses the tray.

The door opens and her face turns sour at the invading sandalwood scent.

Alonso enters with a mocking expression. He looks at the mess and snatches her chin.

“Mira, it's either we do things the easy way or not.” Tweaking her chin.

She squeezes her eyes shut.

“Now, are you going to take a shower or should I make you?” Releasing her.

She swallows hard, rubbing her chin. Picks up herself forcefully.

She opens the plastic bag placed on the bed containing a few clothes. Ignorant people. Not everyone on this globe is skinny! She opts for the nightgown.

Later

The daylight fades and night envelopes. Standing at the balcony, thinking about how no one is missing or looking for her, her only friend left her to be accountable for her predicaments.

With her father on his deathbed and she is miles away.

Should anything happen to him she will never be able to forgive herself.