“I’ll be back in an hour to pick you up, peanut.”
I was too old for him to call me peanut. He knew that I was an adult now. I still smiled. Unlike the bratty teenager I used to be, I cherished my father’s affection.
Unfortunately, his paternal instincts had stolen me away from Emilio. I sighed. I’d had a knee jerk reaction, and I’d repented at leisure. I hadn’t given Emilio a chance to talk to me about his real identity. Yes, he definitely should’ve told me that he was one of the world’s most notorious drug lords, but he must have understood how I’d react.
I pushed open the door. Someone was sitting on a chair in the corner of the room.
“Hello.”
I froze like a deer seeing headlights as I stared at my therapist.
“Emilio?”
Getting into the Car
Naelle
“We don’t have a lot of time.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I promise, we’ll talk in the boat. But we have to go now.”
“Boat?”
“Let’s go out the back door.”
I had no clue what was going on, but I followed Emilio to a door that wasn’t the same that I’d come in.
I felt a little bad about ditching my dad. He really did want the best for me.
But I’d chosen Emilio. I knew that it wasn’t an easy choice, but I loved him.
He’d promised me that we’d find a way. I just needed to trust him.
Outside, there was a simple black Mercedes SUV.
“Is this what we’re taking?” Emilio always had the finest things.
“It’s reliable and unremarkable. Get in.”
I hesitated for a half second right outside of the car.
Could I really do this? I knew that I was turning my back on everything that I was, everything that I had been before.
Emilio turned to look at me. Something inside of me melted.
Yes.
I got into the car.
Soon, we were scrupulously observing the speed limit. We didn’t want to get any attention, while we went straight for the docks.
Car Loving
Emilio
I could see Naelle worrying, so I pulled her into my lap.