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18 Meeting the Right Hand
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Shadow of Yesterday 19 Camila (Flashback)
Two years ago in Colombia…The clouds shrouded the cornfield and the old farmer stood at the edge of the field with a hoe and a sack on his back. He hadn't touched the bottle for two whole days, awaiting the fateful day. There was no doubt that it was about to rain. The arrow had already left the bow. It was just a matter of time. The clouds rumbled and yielded a faint flash. The first drops fell and one of them landed on the farmer’s head. The old man smiled. It was time. The impact of the light droplets on the leaves echoed. The farmer was ready to dig new drains through the field and check if the old ones were in functioning condition. “Papa!” he heard behind him. He turned around and found his youngest daughter running toward him with an ear to ear grin. At first, he was irritated and angry at her as it was dangerous running around in the field at that hour and it would waste a duration of the invaluable rain in taking her back to the house. But just one glance at her blissful sm
Shadow of Yesterday 20 Hugo (Flashback)
The sun rained fire and Casa Ortiz glowed like it had gemstones encrusted in its outer walls. Mateo Ortiz didn't care about the money when he commissioned the building. It just had to be perfect. The servants ran around serving juices to the guards deputed on the gates and in the open grounds of the mansion. It was Hugo’s order. There had been a few instances of servants passing out because of the heat. The servants on the inside were also given time off to spend in the air conditioned rooms. Hugo’s right hand man, Gabriel, was sitting under an umbrella in the yard taking care of the Ortiz family’s businesses. A pedestal fan whirred a foot away from him yet it failed to make any difference. He had over a dozen ledgers with unintelligible numbers and codes. There was a lot that only Gabriel could understand in case someone grew a pair to get their hands on the ledger and betray Hugo Ortiz. He looked over every single entry on every single page and occasionally left a mark on them befor
Shadow of Yesterday 21 Priceless (Flashback)
Camila reluctantly accepted the glass of water and slowly gulped it down. Her mind raced to nowhere. When she left her house, she expected to be treated with a gun to her forehead but the warm welcome had left her utterly speechless. She realized that the cartel boss was squatting in front of her, warmly looking into her eyes. He had her hand softly clasped in his hands. It was getting too much for her to handle. She wasn't accustomed to such respect. All of it was infuriating for Michelle. Camila was feeling like a fish out of water. Her adrenaline had worn off and now she was sitting inside a mansion owned by a man who was famous and infamous for a lot of things. The reality of her situation had started to kick in. The couch she was sitting on seemed to be worth more than her father's annual income.“What troubles you madam?” Hugo softly spoke in his mesmerizing voice. Camila wa
Shadow of Yesterday 22 Ortiz Family Justice (Flashback)
Moments ago, Mario’s men were confident enough to take on entire armies yet there they were, shivering with fear of a man younger than most of them. “If the farmer is not here within ten minutes, I will skin you all alive!” the cartel boss shouted and the men understood the assignment. They ran to the cars and disappeared. There was smoke and dust everywhere. Such was the urgency. The men returned with the old man in what seemed like a blink of an eye. They escorted him into the mansion like royalty. The man who had beaten him up was the first thing the old man saw as soon as he was inside. Seeing him in such a state made his doubts fade away. It diminished his anxiety. Camila ran to him as soon as she caught a glimpse of him. They both embraced each other passionately. The father and daughter shed a river of tears. The farmer was confused. The thugs had tried to improve how he looked but they couldn't pull off any miracles. The old man had an unmistakable blackeye. He was wearing a
Shadow of Yesterday 23 The Guest (Flashback)
No paved road led to Camila’s house. The car moved swiftly yet smoothly through the rocky and uneven road. Silence had been dominant in the car through most of the journey. Camila stared out of the window, lost in her thoughts. A part of her was sold to the cartel boss. She had expected to find an indifferent man ignorant to the feelings of the poor but in reality she ended up meeting one of the most empathetic persons she had ever seen. All those stories and rumors about him taking innocent lives and being cruel in general had no truth in them. He had gone out of his way to address Camila’s grievance. She felt a spark for him in her heart. But the man was ruthless. Although he cared for the poor, he still took lives mercilessly. The man was feared and Camila was also burdened by the crippling fear of what the man filled with so much empathy could become in an instant. Camila hadn't seen Hugo fire the hand cannon but she could imagine him doing so well enough to run a shiver through h
Shadow of Yesterday 24 Heaven and Back (Flashback)
Camila was not accustomed to having a godlike figure in her house. She had all the right to be nervous. Hugo was seating himself when she almost gave herself a facepalm. She had forgotten all the etiquettes of hospitality. “Tea or Coffee,” she asked as she disappeared into the kitchen.“Just a glass of water.”Moments later, Hugo was getting fascinated with the handicrafts and painting on the walls. Everything in the house was linked to Colombian culture and it all looked hand made. He picked up a doll from the floor. He had never seen anything like it. His entire childhood had been flooded with imported toys and European devices. He realized that he was getting stalked by two little devils from the doorway. As soon as he looked at them, they disappeared. “Come on out. Don't be shy,” he said in a soothing voice. Two little heads emerged from behind the wall and reluctantly made their way towards Hugo. “What are your names?”“I’m Sofia and she’s Eleanora.”“And her?” he asked, point
Shadow of Yesterday 25 A Soul (Flashback)
In the middle of the night, the expensive yet simple sedan raced through the shrubs and bushes to get to the city. Hugo drove solely on the control of muscle memory. His head was in the clouds. The few moments with Camila had become the highlight of his life. Her scent, her voice, her smile and the taste of her lips had taken over his brain. The car moved smoothly and swiftly through the dark unpaved path. Hugo had a faint smile on his face as he replayed the kiss in his mind over and over again. The factor of the little sisters also intrigued him. He was at an arm’s length of having a full fledged family. All that he always had in the name of family was an overly formal group of people who always said what they didn't mean and preached what they didn't practice. There was always some hidden motive behind everything related to his family. He would finally have a family that actually meant something. To have Camila as his wife, even a man like Hugo blushed. She was all that he always w
Shadow of Yesterday 26 The Broken King
Present day…Varga had rented a five star hotel room for Hugo on Gabriel’s order. The room stayed untouched as the cartel boss had decided to cut his stay short. Hugo decided to spend the last few hours of his stay in Nebraska, in his jet. The jet had everything he could need in his time alone and at that moment, he desired absolutely nothing. He just sat at the window and stared outside blankly, lost in his thoughts. The city had not been hospitable to him. Even the weather wanted him gone. The locals called it warm but for a person from a country like Colombia, Hugo was freezing to death. He cherished the fact that he had arrived there a month too late. Otherwise his stay would have been even shorter, probably with a lasting illness. He didn't even want to think about the people of the city. He was going to have a hard time forgetting the way they had treated him. Not a sane soul in the entire world who knew who and what Hugo Ortiz was, would imagine putting him behind bars. Hugo co
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