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“Thank you, Tina. That would be great. A club sandwich from anywhere would be fine.”
I hand her my card and she leaves. I’m not actually hungry—too keyed up—but too engrossed to refuse politely.
As soon as Tina returns with my food and card, my phone rings. The quiet assistant ducks out of my office, shutting my door and giving me privacy. I slump in my chair, seeing my father’s name on the screen. “Apá, where have you been?”
“I’m sorry, bebita. I stayed on the boat last night and only just returned. Yesterday was a difficult day.”
Oh crap. Yesterday was my parents’ anniversary. “Oh, Apá. I forgot. I’m so sorry. Are you alright?”
“Do not worry your heart over me, Mi Tesoro. What is troubling you that you need me so urgently?”
“I want to know what is going on, why you have men in fancy cars driving by all the time. I won’t pretend that you haven’t had protection on me my whole life, but these men are circling like gulls.”
“What do you mean? What men?”
“Apá, you can’t fool me. I know about you buying out my neighbor’s lease, but you can’t have these flashy cars patrolling my street all the time. They’ll draw attention instead of diffusing it.”
“Marisol, I don’t have anyone guarding your neighborhood. Yes, it’s true. I offered that old man ten thousand dollars to let me buy out his lease. Because of where you live, I couldn’t rotate a team to keep an eye on you. I needed the residence to station my men and set up additional security. Since the owner refused to lease the unit, I couldn’t have someone close. My men, they’re not watching you. They’re still working through setting up cameras and other protections.”
“You’re saying that the people watching me aren’t yours?”
“I’m telling you, I don’t have anyone patrolling your neighborhood, Marisol.”
Oh my god. Someone is watching me. And I provoked them. “Then who does?!”
My father doesn’t answer, ratcheting my fear to astronomical levels. “What aren’t you telling me, Apá? Who were those men?”
“I don’t know, Mija. I will tell you that during a meeting with El Gran, one of the Copas suggested we use your knowledge and skills to improve our product. Cristóbal, the head of the gambling side of the organization, knows why I sent you away. He stuck his neck out for me and spoke against the idea. He challenged Cruz, asking how he could turn over quality control to a woman, especially one who hadn’t been brought up inside the organization. El Gran halted the discussion, but it’s not over. Not when these men stand to make more money.”
“I may not know much about the inner workings of the family, but there’s no way Cruz would go against El Gran. These guys belong to someone else.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of. I don’t know who is watching you, but I have a theory. I’ve never told anyone outside the family that you were studying to become a doctor until your graduation dinner. I made a mistake in revealing the news to Pastrana and now worry he may desire the same thing as Cruz.”
“The men in the red car belong to him?”
“I suspect so. Marisol, I have no way to protect you from him in Virginia. If Pastrana has set his sights on you, I… you should leave. Get far away from Pastrana.”
The sound of my heart breaking is as loud as a gunshot.
My father is asking me to forfeit the life I’ve just begun building here. If I refuse, I risk becoming a slave to Puerto Rico’s competitors. If I stay and fight, I risk not only my life but Austin’s and Piper’s as well. Could I do that to him? Not after the way his ex-wife hurt him.
I only have two options. I could run. Start up somewhere else. Somewhere quiet. The problem with that idea is that pharmaceutical companies are all located in big cities. Big cities usually mean organized crime. My name would follow me, and I’d eventually have to run again. Living as a fugitive is not the kind of life I want.
My only other option is a return to San Juan, where my father’s power and influence will protect me. No matter what I decide, I lose Austin.
“Marisol?”
My father’s voice calls me out of my grief. “I’ll talk to you soon, Apá,” I say before hanging up.
I have to leave Virginia. I have to leave Austin. I have to go back to my gilded cage. I look around my office. I worked for twelve years to get here, and I don’t even get to have one month without my old life ripping my new one apart.
Giving in to the despair and rage, I slide my arm across the desk surface, swiping my lunch into the trash can. Tears splash onto the blotter as my world shatters around me.
When I feel strong enough, I stand and collect my purse. My feet drag down the hall to Dr. Edward’s office. I knock on the frame, and she smiles when she notices me waiting. “What can I do for you, Dr. Borrero?”
“I’m terribly sorry, but I have a family emergency in Puerto Rico. It’s my father. The news is bad enough that I don’t expect to return stateside.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. When things settle down for you, give me a call. We have an affiliate in San Juan. We could transfer your employment there.”
