The night had taken an eternity to pass and Jessica had caught a fever because of the constant anxiety. She was shaking terribly. Her eyes burned and begged for rest but her brain refused. She had been lying in her bed with her eyes wide open. The paranoia of an unseen creep stalking her from the shadows to do god knows what was too much for the woman. It was a bright morning with a lot of activity in the neighborhood yet she was cooped up inside her dark room. After what had happened at work, her boss and colleagues would do well to expect her to take another day off. She had hoped that the sunrise would bring her some relief but she was wrong.
The eerie feeling of a lamb before slaughter was there to stay. She couldn't gather the courage to take a peek through the window. She dreaded the off chance of someone peeking back. There was a gentle knock on the front door. The abrupt noise r
Palomino was hot enough to cook a person alive. The heat of the sea was running through the city in full swing. The entire city felt like an oven. Casa Ortiz was tranquil like the rest of the city in the last hours of the daylight. The huge white mansion glowed in the golden sunlight. The servants had started to flick on the exterior lights of the mansion. The estate stretched to acres and every bit of it had something to be admired. The huge garden of the mansion had olive trees that bore ripe fruits. The gardener had scheduled the harvest for the next morning. There was a patch of neatly trimmed hedges that looked too perfect to be real. There were extremely expensive vintage cars standing around the estate with a separate designated driver on stand by. Every bit of the estate was well looked after and not one inch of it was devoid of intimidating armed security. Squads of men wearing commando gear, armed to the teeth, patrolled the mansion every five minutes or so. There was an air
The entire mansion was in a frenzy as Gabriel’s intentions were obvious to the servants and the guards. The mansion had been dormant for a year with nothing but sorrow and depression dominant in it. All of a sudden the atmosphere had drastically changed. All the servants were running around, trying their best to anticipate any task and get it done as soon as possible. None of the staff knew what was going on but they could tell that whatever it was it was big.Amidst all the chaos, a bright red roofless Lotus entered the mansion grounds and screeched to a halt in front of the building. The guards and the staff knew the owner well enough to let the car inside the mansion grounds. An extravagantly dressed twenty-four-year-old woman emerged from the car and carefreely walked towards the mansion. A huge pair of sunglasses covered most of her face. Her dress was an invitation for all the onlookers. Barely anything was covered. A few guards welcomed her a bit too enthusiastically. She enjoy
The private jet touched down in Nebraska in the darkness of the night. Gabriel was the first one to emerge from the jet and he was immediately on the phone. A swarm of guards rushed out of the jet after him. There wasn’t a lot of baggage to unload. A convoy of SUVs was waiting for the guests. In front of the vehicles were a dozen heavily armed men in military uniform that looked capable enough to take care of a small army. Gabriel was sure that the convoy was meant for them the moment he laid his eyes on it from above. It was a good sign for the outfit. Varga was given nothing but chump change and a handful of the deadweight men to survive in the Russian dominated world of crime in Nebraska. The young man seemed to have achieved a lot in his years in the stranger state. After a few phone calls, Gabriel hit Hugo up. Hugo Ortiz exited the jet. The moment he passed the door, he could feel the freezing cold breeze penetrate his skin. He instinctively jerked his arms. The armed men in unif
In the heat of the afternoon, Michelle headed back home, fuming with rage. Her car raced through the densely populated streets and everyone ran for cover. She wouldn't mind running a dozen people over. She could feel the veins on her forehead pulsating with every heartbeat. She finally reached her apartment and stopped her car. The valet approached her to relieve her of the keys. She held the keys forward and just as the valet extended his arm to take them, she dropped them on the ground. It was on purpose. The keys bounced once before rolling under the car. The young valet had his heart in his mouth. “Oops! Look what you’ve done! If there’s even a single scratch on it, it’ll come out of your salary!” she yelled. The man knew well enough that she had dropped the keys intentionally but he couldn't dare to retaliate. He stood there shaking like a scared little puppy. Michelle loved it. It was her favorite pastime.“Well? My keys won’t get off the ground themselves!” she yelled. The val
Unmindful of the terror she had faced the day before, Jessica arrived at work in a delightful mood. She tipped the hobo outside the bank with a bill instead of a usual coin. The hobo was overjoyed. She didn't care if he blew it on a bet or a whiff of heroin as long as he was happy. The staff of the bank hadn't expected to see her in such a state but they weren't complaining. They all hoped to put it all behind them and start anew. Carlos greeted her like he did everyday and she greeted him back. Brenda was the happiest on seeing her in such a good mood. The traffic in the bank was slow as usual. “So what’d you do in your time off?” Brenda casually asked, briefly glancing away from the screen of her phone. “Watched some movies and went shopping,” responded Jessica. All the coworkers wanted to check in on her but the awkwardness was too much. Wheatley paid her a brief visit. The man rarely came out of his office. The visit was mainly a streak of recorded sentences and overly formal r
All the officers in the police station were on edge. They were accustomed to small-time burglaries, petty thievery and drunken brawls. Not even the most experienced of them had seen something of that scale. An army of intimidating and obviously foreign looking men sat in front of them in handcuffs, waiting to be processed. More than half of the policemen in the station did not even know who the guests were. Juan Varga sat with his men without a hint of care on his face while Hugo and Gabriel sat in the interrogation room. Rodrigo had made a run for it. Hugo sat there like a mannequin. A sad one at that. He just stared at the walls in deep thought. A couple of officers sat across from him at a loss for words. They didn't even know where to start. They didn't have the slightest clue who they were dealing with. Gabriel had been waiting for the opportunity to make a phone call since the moment he had arrived there. As soon as the opportunity arrived, he made the most of it. Gabriel was di
The sun was about to go down and the neighborhood was bustling with activity. The children were making the most of the last minutes of sunlight. A bunch of kids were playing street hockey. The game was getting heated and there were all sorts of noises. Adam was having a hard time trying to concentrate on his work. His new project was killing him. It had been a while and still he couldn't plan the second floor. He kept drawing and deleting. The laptop screen was taking a toll on his eyes. The harder he tried to focus, the children just matched it. He finally gave up and slapped the laptop shut. He heard the front door close. He sprang up to his feet filled with adrenaline. He looked around for anything to wield. He picked up the baseball bat. It had taken him a lot of trying to get all the worry out of his mind. But that one thud sound brought back all the fears tenfold. He slowly creeped towards the door of his room.“Honey, I’m home!” Jessica exclaimed as soon as she entered the hous
Jessica gathered the courage to speak but the doorbell snatched the opportunity away from her. The pizza had arrived. Adam sprang up to his feet to receive it. Stepping outside, Adam realized that the sun had taken its leave a while ago. The sky was pitch black. The time flew when they were being intimate with one another. Adam gave the pizza guy a generous tip and returned to Jessica with the boxes. She had finally picked a movie to watch. Adam grabbed a crate of beer from the fridge and they were set for the evening. The movie was a romantic comedy just like Jessica had wanted. It had just the right amount of comedy and dirty jokes. The main female character has an affair in her office and her husband suspects it but the evidence escapes him by the barest of margins in a very laughable manner. After a while of enjoying the meal and the movie, Jessica remembered the matter at her own office that she needed to share with her husband. She took her time and chose her words. “Y’know? T
One year later…It was a cold winter with frost setting in on the grass and there wasn't much activity around, be it human or wild. It was one of the cons of living in the state of Montana but Adam and Camila couldn't have asked for anything better to start anew. The huge ranches in Missoula gave the perfect escape to the estranged couple. It had taken some of Frank's connections to get the ranch at a low low price. The previous owner had died of a cold a decade ago and the rumors of his wandering ghost didn't do any favors to the value of the estate. Adam was preparing the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. They had invited only their closest friends. Adam had even offered to pay for the flights of a few while the others didn't need it. He stood at the window as the sun went down.“It’s burning!” Ell shouted and Adam almost jumped out of his socks. He ran to the kitchen to check on the turkey in the oven. The timer still said fifteen more minutes to go. Ell and Sofia giggled and high fi
Hugo was pushed away from Adam with the force and he lost his grip on him. He regained his balance and looked back at her. The golden magnum in her hands was unmistakable. He had been too consumed with Adam that he didn't realize when she had opened his drawer. Adam stared at Camila with wide eyes. He hadn't expected that from her in a million years. Hugo took one step in her direction and she pulled the trigger again. Adam shielded his ears. This time the bullet tore through him and he was down. Camila stood over Hugo as he took his dying breaths. There was no anger in his eyes, just immense sadness and tears. It broke Camila to see him like that. He barely managed to put his hand on her dress and gripped it. The sleeve of his shirt moved and she caught a glimpse of the watch she had gifted him. A tear escaped her eye. Then Hugo let go and his lifeless hand hit the floor. Adam and Camila stood there like mannequins. It took them a while to realize that it was over. Camila broke into
No matter what Hugo did it only ended up making matters worse. He stormed out of the bedroom and went downstairs. It was raining cats and dogs. The sound of the rain and thunderclaps echoed across the mansion. He walked to the living room and almost smiled when his mind expected to see Michelle on the couch tapping away on her phone. He sat down and buried his face in his palms. Something had to give. They say faith can move mountains but what they don't say is how long one must have it for. Hugo was at the verge of giving up. He had tried everything and provided everything a woman could ever ask for. Even rocks eventually give in to constant pressure but Camila was something else. She didn't even pretend to love him. The disdain in her eyes was so obvious that even the servants weren't oblivious to it. “Would you like something to eat?” Asked a servant with a professional ear to ear smile. She was an old woman who had been with the Ortiz family since Mateo Ortiz took charge. Nobody
Adam put his hand on the Tokarev in his belt but he knew that it wasn't going to save him if he was a sitting duck against an army. The shadow of the man strengthened on the ground. Adam pulled out the gun and aimed it where the head of the guard was expected to be. His hands were shaking. One gunshot could end it all before it even started. A lot could happen to Camila as well if he was found in the mansion. His forehead was covered in sweat. The thunder rumbled outside and it shook him from the inside out. The guard stepped out of the room and caught Adam standing right in front of him. He was an old man with a gray beard. He pointed his AK47 right at his face and walked closer to him, examining him. Adam didn't even breathe. “What was it?” Yelled the other guard from inside the room. Adam felt the old guard’s grip tighten around the weapon and he followed suit. One badly timed itch would have started a war. The two of them didn't break eye contact for even a second. “Just a cat!”
Days passed agonizingly slow for Camila. The security around her had tightened exponentially. Her each step was carefully watched. She had a strict routine that even laid out her lunch, dinner and bedtime. Hugo still hadn't been physically intimate with her but that didn't mean she had any say over anything else. She wasn't allowed to leave the mansion alone under any circumstances. The servants and guards had orders to stop her at all costs and failure would result in execution. The recent bloodshed left little doubt in the gravity of the orders and everyone shadowed her twenty four hours. She wasn't allowed to own a cellphone. The walls were suffocating the life out of her. It was a starry night with a crystal clear sky. Camila stood at the balcony watching the only friends she had left. The stars never hurt her. They were free and Camila envied them. She cursed the day she had fallen in love with Hugo. She had been blind to the blood running through the white walls of Casa Ortiz.
An extravagant yacht floated a couple of kilometers away from Tortuga Bay in Ecuador. A party was being hosted on the vessel. There were dozens of women of all shapes and sizes wearing swimsuits and bikinis, dancing to the beat. The tables had lines of coke on them and every once in a while, one of the guests showed up and one of the lines vanished. Dominic Carter was the center of attention as he sat on the beach chair wearing a tropical print shirt and a pair of shorts that barely hid what it was supposed to cover. Two girls sat on the armrests leaning their bodies on him and he wasn’t complaining. Everyone was trying to be on his good side since he was the proud host of the party and the yacht. Most of the girls enjoying the party had made their way to his list through his bedroom. The rest were future prospects. Dominic preferred them in their mid teens. Half a dozen guards were scattered across the vessel and two of them stood behind Dominic like mannequins. The lines on the tabl
A month later…The flight from the United States descended with the sun. Ernesto Cortissoz Barranquilla International Airport was already bustling with activity. There weren't many passengers traveling from the United States to Colombia. The majority of them were tourists and the rest were back to see their families. Among the crowd of arriving passengers was Adam Peterson trying his best to blend in. He wore a pair of oversized sunglasses and a baseball cap. He walked over the line at the immigration. He produced his passport that read, “Alex Bradley” and the officer didn't take long to return it after stamping it. He went through the formalities and stepped out of the airport. His mind was working over time. He couldn't spend one minute without looking over his shoulder. There was some truth to Frank’s words. This was a stupid idea. Hugo Ortiz didn't have much support back in Nebraska yet he still managed to wreak enough havoc to have the federal government involved. But this was hi
Michelle was out with her friends drinking at Club Toledo. The place was packed with young boys and girls trying to get noticed and have a good time. The flickering lights and deafening bass music filled the club. It all reeked of sweat and cheap deodorants. Michelle was looking for a new target as usual. All her friends had found someone to spend the night with. Michelle had higher standards and no such man was up for grabs in the club. She decided to stick to the drinks. She checked the watch and it was ten already. Juan didn't show up. She’ll have to tame that stallion some other day. Even thinking about him made her mouth water. She caught one of her friends dragging a muscular guy to the restroom and she couldn't help but laugh. She ordered another round. Her phone pinged and drove her attention away from the psychedelic lights and deafening music. The screen said, “Message from Pedro”. She cringed as she was in no mood to deal with his tantrums and failures. She tapped on the ph
Hugo stood in the light of the burning cabin as he smoked a cigarette. He had never expected that from Pedro. Hugo’s father had assumed the financial responsibility for Michelle and Pedro. The siblings had been less than grateful but Hugo had never expected Pedro to do something so heinous against his saviors. Hugo knew that Michelle would give him hell for doing what he did to her brother but he didn't regret it. Pedro was to become an example for those who dared to look at the Ortiz family the wrong way. Hugo extinguished the cigarette under his shoe. He still had to break the news to Michelle. He shook his head and entered the SUV. Juan was typing away on his laptop. As soon as Hugo was inside, Juan ordered the driver to step on it. Hugo was silent for a while until he finally had enough of the secrecy. “What’s up with you and computers?” Hugo asked. Juan was a bit reluctant.“Senor Ortiz… I have a confession to make. I didn't drop investigations into Madam Michelle when you told