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“What? Nothing is going on between us,” Janet replied. Her mother narrowed her gaze at her.
“I’m not blind.”
“Honestly, we’re not dating and we are not in any kind of relationship.”
Her mother said nothing for a moment. She just looked at Janet and then smiled. “He’s a good man,” she said.
“What makes you say that? What were the two of you talking about at such an early time?”
“He brought Kim and me here for two reasons, according to him. He wanted us to be safe, and he needed me to be there for you. He thinks you’re having a hard time with knowing who killed Sanaa’s mother.”
“He said that?” Janet was having a hard time, indeed. She was sad and felt guilty, but she didn’t know that the sheikh knew or cared.
“He deeply cares for you. I believe he came to find us because of his love for you. I don’t think he’d have done that for someone else.”
Janet ran her hand through her hair and crossed her arms over her chest. “All I did was work at a shipping company, and then my life turned upside down,” she said. Her mother took Janet’s hand into hers.
“There’s no use crying over spilt milk. What’s done is done. Just be good to him and Sanaa. That’s how you can repay his kindness,” said her mother. Janet nodded.
“I have to go into town,” said Janet. “I need to go to town to pick up Sanaa’s inhaler.” Sanaa’s inhaler was almost empty and it was time to pick up another from a pharmacy.
“Alright, do you need me to come with you?”
“No, I’ll be back soon.” Janet touched her mother on the shoulder before she went into the house. She checked on the girls before she left. Sanaa and Kim were still watching TV together. Janet smiled at the sight of Sanaa and Kim hanging out together. She had a feeling that her sister would bring Sanaa out of her shell.
Janet walked off and headed out of the house. She quickly walked down the driveway and then headed out of the gates. She wanted to get to town and return quickly.
She walked down a long road which led to town. The road wasn’t so busy, it was a quiet residential area. Janet thought about Basil, about that kiss they had shared the night before. Janet traced her face with her fingertips and then traced her lips. Basil had caressed her face and stared into her eyes. Janet giggled to herself.
Suddenly, she saw a black Camaro stop in front of her. Janet remembered seeing it a week earlier. The window rolled down, and a man poked his head out. “Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you could direct me to the bus station,” he said to her so politely with a smile on his face.
“Oh, the bus station.” Janet tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and stopped walking. She lowered her head so that she could talk to the driver and direct him to the station.
Janet’s heart stopped when she saw a familiar man sitting in the passenger’s seat. His cold gaze gave her shivers. It was one face she had hoped never to see ever again.
“Long time no see,” he said to her. He lifted his shirt, flashing a gun that was tucked into his belt. “Don’t even think about running,” he said.
“Mateo,” she breathed. When Janet had seen that black Camaro the week before, it just hadn’t set right with her. The man she had seen had scared her. She had seen him staring at her and then he followed her back to the sheikh’s house.
“Pablo has been looking for you,” said Mateo. Janet’s stomach knotted up. She didn’t know what to do. She wanted to run away, but she knew that she wouldn’t get far. Mateo was in a car and had a gun.
“Why? I wasn’t worth anything.” Her voice trembled. She tried so hard to speak in a normal tone, but she was struggling.
“Get in.”
“No.”
“Janet, you wouldn’t dare argue with me,” he warned.
The driver got out of the car and grabbed Janet’s arm. “Get off me,” she cried out desperately. He pulled her and opened the backseat car door and shoved her into the car. He shut the door and got into the front seat. Janet sat up and saw Mateo pointing a gun at her.
“Sit still,” he said. The driver got into the car and drove off. Janet’s eyes welled up. Her worst nightmare was coming to reality. When she ran away from Corpus Christi, she knew that the choice she had made would get her killed if she was caught. She knew too much about the cartel’s business to be left to live freely.
The driver sped up the car and Janet couldn’t even figure out where they were going. Or maybe because she was frightened, she couldn’t think of what to do. She didn’t know how to save herself.
They arrived at some warehouse by the river. Mateo got out of the car and opened the backseat door for Janet. He pulled her out of the car and shoved her. “Move,” he said. Janet tried to run, but he grabbed her arm before she could get away. He slapped her across the face. “Behave!” he said. Janet touched her face where he’d hit her. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. He carried her into the big warehouse.
Mateo threw Janet onto the floor. Janet looked around the warehouse. There was nothing in there except four members of the cartel. They were all glaring at her and grinning.
