Watch the video, it goes well with the chapter (one of my fave songs)
Santiago's P.OV
"Santiago quit bullshitting around" I heard Leo's voice say through the speaker of my cell phone. "Just come back home and wait patiently for any news from the Italians."
Like hell I will sit around while my girl was out there, in the hands of a very powerful drug cartel.
"I'm just going to go around asking to see if anyone has seen any suspicious man around." I said to my cousin hoping he would understand. "I want to actually do something to look for her, if I stay in the mansion I might go crazy."
"You're on your own Santiago! It's not safe for you to be out there with no backup." he tried to reason with me.
Gabby was out there too, in the hands of those men. I'll survive.
"I'll check in with you every hour. Don't worry about me"
"But--" I pressed the red button, ending my call and keeping my eyes on the road.
I decided to pay a visit to the bar Gabriela and Vanessa had been at last night, everyone walking around in the streets kept staring at my black truck. They knew the vehicle belonged to me so as I drove my truck down the narrow alley way that lead to the cantina a few of the pedestrians waved at me.
I parked my truck near the sidewalk and quickly made my way to the entrance of the bar. There weren't many customers in, Pedro, the owner of the bar was in a deep conversation with one of his employees. When his eyes glanced up to look at me his eyes widened and he looked relieved.
"Don Santiago" he stood up in a haste and made his way towards me. "I'm glad to see you here. I was about to send one of my men to give you a message."
"It's good to see you Pedro" I shook his hand. "What did you need me for?"
"A foreign man came in here earlier" he spoke hurriedly. "He wanted me to give you a message about the girl."
"What did he say? Where is she?"
"He told me to tell you to send someone to go pick her up from the abandoned warehouse at this address." he said handing me a piece of paper.
I glanced down at the paper and glared down at the address, I knew exactly where she was. "This place is a eight hour drive away from Culiacan. Why would they take her so far?"
"They probably know you own most of the places out here."
"Did they...did they tell you if she's okay?" I kept eye contact with him.
His body stiffened and he shook his head. "He didn't tell me anything else, Sir."
"Thank you for letting me know, Pedro" I said thankfully. "I really appreciate your help with this whole issue."
"No problem."
I practically ran out towards my truck. I'm going to get her back! And I swear, I swear if I find out they harmed her in any way, I will do everything in my power to hunt them down and have them killed. I'll kill them with my own hands.
*~*~*~*~*
Gabby's P.O.V.
I can't believe they left me here all on my own. I wonder if he actually let my family know where to find me?
On the other hand I'm glad to know that the Italians want nothing to do with Hector and his stupid plan to try and defeat our cartels. There's no way Hector can defeat us all on his own, if the Italians had believed him it would have caused a big war. A war where many lives would've been lost. It was such a relief that at the moment my father and brothers would be safe, and as much as I hate to admit it...knowing that Santiago was in no danger put my mind at ease.
I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to stand seeing him hurt.
Sitting in the dark room for hours was beginning to drive me a little crazy so I took a few naps here and there so that I wouldn't go insane just sitting there talking to myself. While I was beginning to doze off for what I would say the fifth time, I finally heard the engine of a vehicle getting close. I tried to keep as quiet as possible just in case it was a trap. I couldn't trust the Italians.
What if they sent someone to kill me?
I heard a heavy set of footsteps walking outside the room I was in, the person was walking all around the place. Probably trying to check if there were any threats around.
Then I heard his voice.
"Gabby! Are you in here?!" he pounded his fist against the door.
It's him! Santiago came to rescue me.
"SANTI I'M IN HERE!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.
I heard him try to open the door but after a few attempts he still couldn't get in.
The little bastard Gavin probably left it locked to make it even harder for them to help me. Asshole.
"Are you anywhere close to the door?" he asked.
"No, I'm not."
"Good" he said and I heard a loud bang. The dark room was suddenly full of light coming from the outside and I had to squint my eyes to look up at the shadow standing by the door. He rushed over to my side and bent down to my height.
"Are you okay?" he looked me over franticly. "Did they hurt you?"
"I'm fine" I breathed out.
He began to untie me and I winced slightly as the tightly fitted rope rubbed against my bruised skin. He apologized while he tried to untangle the ropes and finally I was able to stand up and stretch.
"You don't know how worried I was" he said, pulling me closer to his body. His hands went around my waist to pull me into his embrace. "It feels so good to have you in my arms, to have you with me." he whispered in my ear.
I held on to him tightly, breathing in his familiar scent. He pulled back to look at me.
"Are you sure they didn't hurt you?"
"They didn't to anything" I smiled. "They just wanted me to give you all a message, and I got a lot of information on what Hector was planning to do."
"Planning to do? Isn't he still trying to do something?
I chuckled. "He had a pretty good plan, but it sort of backfired on him."
He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "I don't understand."
"I'll tell you later." I said pulling away and walking out of the little room I had been stuck in for most of the day. He followed behind me and I was surprised to find out he came to find him on his own.
"You didn't bring anyone with you?" I turned to him as we walked out towards his truck. He walked over to my side and opened the passenger door for me.
"I sort of came over here in a rush."
I glared at him as I watched him walk to the driver's side, he gave me an amused look when he noticed me glaring at him.
"What if this had been a trap to lure you in?" I asked angrily.
He shrugged. "It wasn't a trap"
"But what if it had?"
"I would have still come" he grinned leaning over to kiss me but I moved away at the last minute, causing him to kiss me on the cheek.
"I still haven't forgotten about what happened at the ice cream shop with your friend Carmen" I said her name acidly.
"You girls jump to conclusions way too quickly" he laughed humorlessly.
"Are you saying those girls were lying?" I asked looking into his eyes to see if he was speaking to me with the truth.
"No"
Little bastards.
"I'm not going to lie, Gabby" he spoke in a soft tone. "I did sleep with Carmen, and the guys did see her friends while I messed around with her."
I bit my tongue to keep myself from
"But that was way before we met you girls. I would never hurt your feelings intentionally Gabriela. I haven't been seeing Carmen while I've been talking to you."
"Then why did they say--"
"Carmen and her girls have always been like that. They've always tried to be our official girlfriends but none of us are interested in them, we know they want to be with us to earn power above all the other people in town."
"So it was all a misunderstanding?"
"I promise" he leaned in, grabbing my face in his hands. I could feel his breath on my lips teasingly. "I promise that I haven't been with another girl since I met you Gabriela."
"I believe you"
"You know" he smirked as he started up the car, taking a hold of my hand and holding the wheel with the other. "For a girl that agreed to only be friends with benefits with me, you seem to be a bit jealous."
A bit? That's a bit of an understatement.
"And for a guy who agreed to be friends with benefits you seem to care a whole lot about me" I grinned back at him.
"I care more about you then I should, I'm beginning to question this whole friends with benefits agreement."
Whoa, is he trying to say that he wants more? Do I want more? Or maybe I'm just interpreting this totally wrong and he wants to end this before it becomes too serious.
"What are you trying to say?"
He pulled the truck over to the side of the road and after turning the engine off he leaned towards me, grabbing both of my hands tightly.
"I want us to be together" he said "I want to make it official. I want you to be my girlfriend."
I stared into his eyes, those blue eyes that at the moment were staring right trough me.
"I know that you won't stay in Mexico, I know that you want no part of this life but at the moment you're here and you're with me. I want you to be mine."
I gazed at him, my heart beating fast, and I know I want the same thing. But if I agree to have a serious relationship with him it'll end up hurting both of us when the time comes for me to leave.
"Gabby?"
"I want that too, so much" I kept my voice soft "But how will this all end when it's time for me to go?"
"We'll just have to deal with the consequences when the time comes." he shrugged.
This is bad, it's crazy for me to jump into it when I know what the outcome will be. Am I willing to risk my heart and feelings for this guy?
And as I stare at his face I know the answer.
I would do anything for him.
"You say you want it to be official but you haven't even asked me the question officially." I frowned teasingly, hoping he gets what I'm trying to say.
He laughed out loud, with a look of relief on his face which is overtaken by a happiness that I can see and feel.
"Gabriela Lucia Romano will you be my girlfriend?"
"How do you know my middle name?!" I yelled out loud, looking completely horrified.
"I have my ways, Lucia"
"Don't call me that"
"You haven't answered my question" he reminded me.
"Yes"
"Yes what?"
"Yes, I'll be your girlfriend."
"Let's seal it with a kiss" he said, pulling me gently towards him.
I melted into the kiss, tasting the minty fresh in his mouth.
Reminding me that I haven't exactly brushed my teeth because of the kidnapping situation I was in.
Ewww.
I pulled away which made him frown.
"What's wrong?"
"I feel dirty" I scrunched up my nose. "I haven't showered or brushed my teeth since yesterday."
"You don't smell bad." he rolled his eyes. "But I guess if it'll make you feel better we can find a hotel where we can stop so you can freshen up, and have something to eat before we go back home."
"I don't want you to waste any money. I'll just wait till we get home."
"We're eight hours away from home" he said as the engine of his truck came on and he got back on the road. "I'll get us a room and we can grab something to eat while you explain to me everything that happened from beginning to end."
Eight hours? The Italians really went out of their way to make sure I wouldn't be found easily.
"Fine, we can do that" I frowned at him.
"And in case you haven't figured it out, I'm one of the wealthiest man in Mexico. Money isn't a problem for me."
"Brag about it, why don't you?"
***************************
It was 9:00 pm by the time we pulled into a small restaurant that is a few blocks away from the small hotel where he rented a room for us. He leads me over to a small two-people table inside the spacious room that is empty of any people except for a few couples here and there.
"You didn't have to buy me new clothes, Santiago" I said as he pulled the chair out for me.
"It isn't a big deal Gabby, you already thanked me let's move on."
"You're so stubborn"
"I know" he flashed me a wicked grin. "But you still agreed to be my girlfriend so you'll have to deal with it."
I couldn't help smiling. The whole drive over to the hotel he spent it reminding me that I'm his girlfriend.
So cute.
"Are we going to let everyone know about our relationship when we get home?" I asked.
"Of course, I have to ask for your father's permission to date you."
I laughed. "You don't have to do that"
"Your father is a good friend of mine, it's the right thing to do." he informed me. "I don't want to ruin my relationship with him, he must know that my intentions with you are good."
"Hola mi nombre es Blanca, que decean tomar esta noche?" the waitress looked down at us with a note pad in hand.
Santi raised an eyebrow at me.
"A mi me traes una coca-cola, por favor." I smiled politely. ( I want a coke, please)
"Y usted?" she turned to him.
"Lo mismo que mi novia" (Same thing as my girlfriend)
Awww.
She smiled at both of us. "Enseguida les traigo sus bebidas." she walked away. (I'll be right back with your drinks)
"He was very worried about you, we all were" Santiago said about my father after we were alone. "I gave them a call while you were taking a shower to let them know that you were okay."
My eyes widened, remembering one person in particular. How could I forget about her?! "Did Vanessa get home safely?"
"Yes" he nodded. "She was the one who gave us the clue that it was the Italians who kidnapped you, the whole time we thought it had been Hector."
"Hector? He's too dumb to think of something like that." I grumbled.
"When I found you, you mentioned you found out some important information. What was it?" he looked at me curiously.
"All those rumors you heard about the Italians being involved weren't true. The Italians couldn't care less about us."
"How do you know?"
I pursed my lips. He isn't goanna be happy when he finds out about what Hector had planned.
"The guy who kidnapped me was Gavin Ruozi, Luca Moretti's right hand man."
"WHAT?" he growled.
Everyone in the restaurant turned to glance at him warily and he gave them all a deathly glare, basically telling them to mind their own business. Before turning his flaming eyes back to me.
"Luca Moretti sent him? Why?"
"Hector lied to them, he told the Italians that your Cartel was trying to take over some of their territory in the United States. Luca sent Gavin to verify that what Hector was saying was true, which I'm guessing Hector had no idea about."
"Hijo de su puta madre" Santi said through gritted teeth. "I'll make him pay for all that he's caused." (Son of a bitch)
"He was trying to trick them into joining their side so that he could have a chance against us."
"Us?" he raised both eyebrows, looking surprised.
I blushed at my small mistake "I meant you guys. Your Cartel and my dad's cartel"
"Mhmmm"
"So we have nothing to worry about" I said happily.
"You seem to fit very well in this mafia life" he commented.
"That doesn't mean I should be part of it." I replied as he arched an eyebrow at me, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
The waitress returned with our drinks and placed them in front of us.
"You're dating a mafia boss, Gabriela" he said in English so that she wouldn't understand what he said. "You're part of this life at the moment."
And we were both shocked when she spoke to us in English with a heavy accent.
"I knew I recognized you from somewhere!" she gasped, her hands shaking slightly. "You're Santiago Bustamante!"
Oh no...
"Are you going to call the police?" Santiago said calmly.
"N-No Sir, I would never d-do t-that" she stuttered. "People around here worship you, you've helped the people more than our government has ever done."
"Thank you" Santi smiled at her.
"My brothers aren't going to believe when I tell them I met you. Can I take a picture of you two?"
What?!
"Just as long as you don't give it to the authorities." he joked.
She pulled out a cell-phone from her pocket.
Santiago pulled his chair closer to min and threw an arm around my shoulder.
This is so bizarre..
After saving the picture and gushing about how she was going to show her brothers a picture of 'Santiago Bustamante and his girlfriend', she finally took our orders and walked away with a smile on her face to get our food.
"Is this what I'm going to have to deal with every time we go out?" I asked my boyfriend.
"Not all the time" he shook his head. "There's some people who don't like me. I'm a criminal remember? There's a lot of risks that come with being with me Gabby, are you sure you can take it?"
"My dad is a Mafia boss...or was, now it's my brother. I'm sure I can deal with it."
"You'll have a lot more protection on you. I don't want a repeat of what happened with the Italians. I'll have to hire more body guards."
"Wasting more money on me. No thanks" I muttered.
"I want to protect you" he smiled, taking up my hand to his lips and placing a small kiss on it. "And now that you're my girlfriend I want you to know that you can trust me with anything, if you ever want or need anything I can make it happen."
"You're crazy" I laughed.
"Whenever you ask me for anything my answer will always be the same."
"What will it be?"
He grinned, with a trace of humor in his eyes. "Baby, you can have whatever you like."
_______________________________
Yay, another chapter!
I want to let you all know something. Just because I'm writing a story about the drug war going on in Mexico doesn't mean that I'm a supporter of all the crime going on. This story is just a fictional work of mine that I decided to write using some real stuff going on, none of the characters are real. The Cartel mentioned do exist but I have no idea what goes on with them, all of this is just part of a dream I had.
Yes, this story came to me in a dream. Cliché answer. But it's true :P
I hope you enjoyed reading!
Question of the day: What do y'all know about the drug war going on in Mexico and what is your opinion on it?
I want to know! Leave a comment below.
One fun fact I know is that Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is the real boss of the Sinaloa Cartel. He was my inspiration for Don Ernesto Bustamante.