“I’m sorry, but it was a long time ago.” Her voice shakes with terror as she steps back. “I was very young and stupid, and I made a mistake.”
Mr. Torrente gives her a warm and comforting smile. “Oh, my dear, you misunderstand me. I’m not displeased with you. I know how terrified you must have been.”
Maria stares at him wordlessly. I can tell she’s confused. Her head turns to me, looking for explanation, but the story is Mr. Torrente’s to tell, so I say nothing and wait patiently.
Her gaze shifts to Mr. Torrente again. “So, why am I here?”
“I’m expecting a visitor,” Mr. Torrente offers.
“Who is it?”
“Mr. Montez.”
Maria is at my side in a nanosecond, her arm locked with mine. “Tug, please, take me home.”
Mt. Torrente crosses the room to join us. “Maria, I told you, you’re safe. We just need to clear the air with Mr. Montez, and then you are free to go. I swear to you.”
“If he lets me leave,” she replies indignantly.
“This is my home,” Mr. Torrente states firmly. “Do you think he will try anything without permission?”
She shakes her head faintly, a smiling pulling at her lips. “No.”
“Good. You have a lovely smile. You should do it more often.”
A man storms into the room, Marco trailing closely behind him.
“Mr. Torrente, what is going on? Why did you bring me here?”
“I believe you know Maria, and this is her boyfriend, Mr. Hunter. They have a lot to say about you.”
The man’s eyes meet mine, his lip snarling as he moves his gaze to Maria. His oversized Dickies hang down to his knees, his plaid boxers exposed. He sports a Golden State Warriors jersey. Tats cover all visible skin from head to toe with prison-influenced ink. The two-carat diamonds in his ears and his arrogant confidence are obnoxious. If I didn’t know him to be one of Torrente’s main guys, I would assume he’s nothing more than a typical ’hood rat wannabe.
“She wants to save her skin, so whatever she told you is a lie,” he says, turning to Mr. Torrente. His voice tries hard to remain steady, but he fails to hide his fear. He knows he’s in deep shit. His boss wouldn’t bring him to Mexico if it wasn’t serious.
“You’re correct. Mr. Hunter attempted to convince me you skimmed from me, which I knew was a lie, but then he provided me with some information that interested me a great deal.”
“It’s all lies.” Eduardo throws his hands out. “I would never steal from you, boss.”
Mr. Torrente picks up a glass and hurls it across the room. It hits the wall, shattering into a million pieces. Maria nestles close to me. I hold her trembling body in my arms and whisper reassurances as we watch the altercation between Torrente and Montez unfold.
“Oh, but you did steal from me.” Torrente’s voice is dark, filled with spite and a threat of retaliation.
Eduardo backs up, shaking his head adamantly. “No, I paid you every dime, sir. They’re lying.”
“What you stole was not money or drugs, and it can never be repaid.”
“This is crazy. I didn’t do shit,” Eduardo yells, his finger pointed at Maria. “This bitch is lying.”
Torrente rubs his chin as he closes the space between Eduardo and himself. “Do you have children, Mr. Montez?”
“No, sir.”
“Shame. I have three of them. One boy and two girls. They’re my world. The two youngest live here with me and my wife, and my oldest, well, sadly, I have not seen her in many years.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Eduardo’s voice shakes as Torrente fills his personal space.
“Do you know what makes me angry, Mr. Montez?”