Bruno
I have never realised how difficult it was to do things when one has a cast on. Tying a tie is suddenly the biggest challenge in my life.
I should've valued a fully functioning body more, I think as I finish doing the frustrating task.
A hesitant knock comes from my private hospital door. I guess that it's Chase without him saying anything.
"Come in," I tell him as I move to grab my watch. I then begin the difficult process of putting it on my uninjured right hand.
"Is everything ready?" I ask Chase without looking up at him.
"Jets' fuelled and ready to go," he replies briefly.
"Good, " I say, as I finally manage to fix the watch on my wrist , I then say,"Let's go then. "
"Sir," Chase begins," with all due respect, It's not wise for you to do to go on this trip . The
doctor has not discharged you yet. He's also specifically advised you to get some rest."
" I'm fine." I tell him calmly.
"Sir, I can grab a team and we can go extract Ms Rivera in New York while you recover here in Mylari," he insists.
Well that's bad idea for a variety of reasons.
"I'm handling this myself," I tell him in a firm voice.
"But..." he starts but I cut him off impatiently.
"Enough Chase!My mind is already made up. Don't waste my time with pointless conversations. And exactly why should I trust you and your team again when you've already failed me the first time?" I ask him,my foul mood rinsing to the surface.
I really loathed the fact that my plans were shot to shit. The most important ones I'd ever come up with.
Before this very moment, I can honestly say that I'd been handling the news of Lina making a run for it very well. I didn't rage on anyone because I knew that it was partly my fault. I had made the mistake of underestimating Lina: I had suspected that she was up to something but I still left her alone anyway. Mostly.
Anyway, I had learnt my lesson: never underestimate a woman.
Also, never put your happiness in the hands of a bunch of incompetent individuals.
I wasn't about to make those mistakes again.
"You're already on thin ice ,Chase. Don't make things worse for yourself, " I tell him.
He drops his gaze, looking suitably chastised. As he should, he's let me down badly this time. It'll be a long time before I trust him again with important matters. In other words, Lina.
" We should leave now, Sir," he declares in a toneless voice.
"Yes, but first please tell your so-called-security team that I no longer require their services," I tell him. " I'll be in charge of assigning her new security now."
Chase freezes from where he's standing before nodding his assent stiffly.
"Let's go then.My precious already has a three hour headstart," I remind him as I make my way out the door . Not without some discomfort though.
My accident couldn't have happened at a worse time. It is the worst.
****
LINA
I arrive in New York at four p.m local time.
The flight was six hours long but I didn't get a wink of sleep. I'm still getting over the terrifying thing that I had managed to do. I decide to leave those feelings behind as I disembark the plane. The only thing that mattered was that I was still free. Sort off.
I navigate through the LaGuardia airport terminal by moving through border control and baggage displays before arriving at the busy arrivals halls.
Honestly, I'm so tired that I have to stop and wonder what my next step should be. I'm saved from straining my brain as a familiar voice cuts through my thoughts.
"If it isn't my favorite cousin, little Lina Rivera, " says a patronising voice.
I look in front of me to gaze at Cameron Rivera in all his handsome glory.
"Cammy !" I exclaim as I lock him in an unbreakable hug.
"Whoa, don't choke me cousin. You know, this is why I don't do hugs."
My only response is to squeeze him. Hard. I didn't miss the part where he patrionized me.
"Okay. I'm sorry. You can let go now,"he says with a smile in his voice.
I laugh with him as I detach myself to get my first good look at him. He's not the most beautiful man I've ever seen but he's handsome in his own right. He has short brown hair which is styled perfectly, wide brown eyes and that elegant Rivera nose.
"Wow, you look a lot like my father," I tell him without thinking.
He chuckles again.
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"he asks, feigning confusion.
My only response is to gasp and hit him with my handbag.
"Ow! I'm kidding, okay.I know that I have a handsome uncle," he clarifies while rubbing his arm."I don't remember you being so violent,Lina."
""And I don't remember you being such an asshole so I guess we both have changed."
"Not that much. You're still such a delight, "he tells me with a grin.
I laugh shyly and blush bashfully at my first great first impression. After a few seconds of silence he says,"We should get going. "
"I've got a car ourside,"he tells me as he moves to grab my luggage. I let him as I'm a bit tired.
"Okay," I say, following his lead.
Once we're in the airport parking lot, a blast of cold wind hits me like an unwelcome thing. It starts to snow.
Dammit.
Did I have to arrive to such horrendously cold weather? I wonder as I shove my hands deep into the pocket of my jersey.
Cameron eventually stops to in front of a blue Ferrari that impresses me a lot.
"Nice ride," I tell him.
"Thanks," he tells me as he places my luggage in the trunk.
"Let's go,"he tells me.
Soon we arrive at his home. How was the ride home,one might might ask?
I don't know. I may have fallen asleep almost as soon as my head hit the comfortable leather seat of that glorious ferrari.
Cameron is the one who wakes me up.
"Wake up, Lina. We're here.This is where I reside, my humble abode."
I almost laugh.
There is nothing humble about this place. We stop at the front of a very tall skyrise. It's amazing. I'm almost too stunned to speak. Almost.
"You actually live here?" I ask in awe.
"Yeah. You like?"
My only response is to nod absently. He leaves the car and I follow suit.
I gaze in awe at the building as Cameron takes out my luggage.
"Let's go inside," he says, jerking his head towards the building.
I follow him inside and Cammy greets the doorman by name and informs him who I am. After that we head towards the elevator."My condo is upstairs," he explains.
We step out of the elevator and we stop infront of the first door. He unlocks the door and walkes in, me close behind him.
I look about the place admiringly. It had a very stylish decor and offered spectacular views of New York city. It was almost too much to take in.
I mean I knew my cousin was extremely wealthy but I did not expect him to be living so large. It was a little overwhelming and daunting.
"Home sweet home," he declares, taking a break and putting the luggage down.
"It's great," I tell him honestly.
"It's alright," he says humbly .
"Do you need anything?" He asks quickly.
"No," I tell him." I'm tired and jet lagged so I really just wanna freshen up and get some rest," I answer him, hands in my jean pocket.
"Okay, I'll show you to your room. "
With that he leads me past the living room until we stop in the hallway. He opens the door of the room.
"This is it. I hope you like it."
I take a look around the place and wonder why have to say it.
"I love it," tell him.
And I do, the room is fairly large and expensively decorated. And there's a wonderful fragrance on the room.
"I got you your favorite flowers," he says gesturing to a vase of lilacs placed on a table."To make you feel welcome," he tells continues with a sheepish smile.
That's when I see it. He's just nervous as I am, I think smiling inwardly. Someone is not as confident as he seems.
I try to put him at ease.
"Thank you for that,that's very thoughtful of you.And they do make me feel welcome. And I just want to say...thanks for everything, Cammy. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."
"It's my peasure, Lina." He tell me me with a happy smile.
There's a few seconds of silence where we just smile at each other. After that he says, " Well then , I'll leave you to get settled then. We'll talk tomorrow, yeah?"
'"Yeah," I tell him with a smile even though I'm not looking forward to it. I may have escaped today but he's eventually he's going to ask questions that I'd rather not answer.
"Good night," I tell him.
"You too cousin," he says with a smile. With that, he turns walks towards the door. He reaches for the doorknob, pauses and suddenly turns to me.
'It really is great to have you here, Lina, " he tells me.
My response is to nod delightedly.Cameron then exits the room with an excited smile.
I breath a sigh of relief. Cameron is great and all but a moment alone to collect my own thoughts is sorely needed.
I sit on the bed.
Cameron had really come through for me, I think. I'd forever be grateful to him for that.
I then get up, quickly take a shower and climb on the luxurious bed. What's my next move? I ask myself.One step at a time, I think sleepily.
Plenty enough time to think about it tomorrow.For now I should just he glad that my plans had worked out perfectly.
Bruno is no longer a problem for me.
****
BRUNO
We land in New York at six thirty local time.
I'd wanted to go after Lina the moment we arrived but we ran into bit of trouble finding out her exact location.
She had chosen a good hiding place but I wasn't worried. I'd find her pretty soon and she was going to face some form of punishment for this whole act of disobedience.
I had specifically told her not to do this and she'd not listened. Now she had to answer for it.
Anyway,until my guys could find a lead on Lina's location, I was forced to postpone my plan until the next day. In the meantime, I was bunkering down in an luxurious hotel in the city.
It goes without saying that I'm pissed beyond measure- things were not going my way-but the injured parts of me are thankful. The straining task of finding my precious was starting to take it's toll on me and my body. I wasn't invincible, like I sometimes liked to think. Like all other mortals, I needed to fucking rest. I sigh deeply,sleep was such a waste of time.
After taking my god- awful meds, I'm about to undergo the whole useless process,when a ding penetrates the silence of my hotel bedroom.
I move from my king- sized bed to grab my phone on a chair. It's a message from Chase.He tells me that he has updates on Lina's whereabouts. He even sent me a file.
Fucking finally, I think as I click on it,trying to ignore my vexing cast.
The first thing I see is a photo of Lina,smiling and hugging some man at the airport.
I see a fog of red almost immediately.