♡Nia's POV♡
After arriving from the store, I sketched out the design for her dress and began working on it.
"Let's go out and party," Sofia said, dragging me out of bed.
"I have to finish this," I said.
"Don't be so boring, Carmen; it's just for one night. Please!" she pouted.
"Fine, I can't resist that look," I smiled.
"Let's get dressed and put on some makeup."
It was past eight when we arrived at the nightclub. The loud music was playing in the background as I went over to get a drink and saw Sofia dancing.
"Carmen, come over," she signaled to me. I went close to her, and we started dancing together.
"Over there, that's Chief Don Armando," she whispered into my ear. "He finances the contest; one of the biggest sponsors ... They say he sleeps with whoever becomes Miss SC," she said.
"And you're comfortable with it?" I asked with a grin.
"Well, it's just a rumor," she said.
"Ewww!" I gave a disgusted look.
"Let's go meet him," she dragged me with her.
"Hola," she greeted him with a kiss on both cheeks. "Who's this lovely girl?" he asked, holding Sofia's hand.
"This is my friend Carmen; she just came from LA," Sofia said.
"Mucho gusto," I said to him. "Igualmente," he replied with a kiss on my cheeks.
"This is Chief Don Armando; he's the Chief Police Officer also sponsoring the contest," Sofia said to me.
"Well, that's just my hobby; my real passion is true beauty," he said, his hands on my waist, grabbing my butt. I wasn't really comfortable with what he was trying to do.
"Um, can you give me a minute? I have to use the restroom," I said, leaving the scene and entering the restroom across the room. "That old man, what was he trying to do?" I murmured.
Suddenly, I heard creaking sounds, like someone was trying to break in. I was so scared; I locked myself in. I heard two men jump down from the window, banging on all the toilet doors. I started breathing heavily.
"Open the door now, or we'll make you open it," I heard an unfamiliar voice.
I obeyed, opened the door, and got out of the restroom. At first glance, I saw three armed men standing in front of me. I went down on my knees, shivering. Suddenly, one of them pointed a gun at my forehead.
"Please don't hurt me," I pleaded. He took my handbag and searched it.
"You're American," he said, and I nodded in affirmation.
"Do you want to stay alive?" he asked. "Yes, I plead," I replied. "Then you never saw us. Okay?"
"Come on," he said, dragging me up.
"One of them said, 'Armando is in the VIP section.
You have ten seconds to get out of here,' as he pushed me out of the restroom.
The loud music continued playing in the background.
"Sofia! Sofia!" I called out as I tried to find my way towards her.
She couldn't hear me over the loud music.
[Gunshots]
Suddenly, I started hearing gunshots, people screaming, and fleeing from the nightclub. I stood there shivering and went out to find Sofia. I saw her glance from afar, looking so scared. She called out to me, but she couldn't find me. I saw her leave the building along with everyone else. Blood spilled everywhere; I was also fortunate enough to leave the building.
Immediately, police sirens and vans surrounded the building. "Sofia! Sofia!" I screamed loudly, but I couldn't find her.
I was devastated; I had no idea what had just happened. I could only assume that the gangster had something to do with it. I was so scared and shaken up by what had just occurred. I had no idea what would happen next.
I ran home like a crazy person and locked the door the minute I entered the room. I was so scared that I couldn't bring myself to move; I was trembling, and my heart was pounding so hard that I felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. I was alone in the dark, and I had no idea what I was going to do.
*****
The next morning, I had to go back to the scene in search of Sofia. I summoned courage and kept wandering around the building. An hour later, as the sun began to set, I saw a police van driving towards me.
"Hola," I greeted him. "Hola, señora," he responded, getting down from the van.
"What is a really pretty girl like you doing in such a dangerous place?" he asked with a confused face. "I lost my friend yesterday," I explained everything to him. "Oh, I'm so sorry about that.
Get into the car; let me take you to the station to file a complaint," he smiled at me.
A few minutes later, the officer answered a phone call that made me suspicious of him. He even decided to drive through a really quiet place and kept staring at me strangely. "La tengo, ella está aquí conmigo," he said on the call. Even though I wasn't really good with my Spanish, I could understand that he was referring to me.
Suddenly, he pulled up in front of a dilapidated building.
"Stay in here, don't come out," he commanded and got out of the car. Two hefty men came out and started talking, and I could see them pointing at me.
Terrified, I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt and jumped out of the car. I ran as fast as I could; I was so scared I was shaking.
"Hey, stop there!" the officer screamed from afar. I could hear them screaming and running after me.
Suddenly, a big black van pulled up right in front of me, and a lady came down and stretched out her arm towards me.
"If you need answers, get in," she said to me. I was contemplating whether to get in or not.
"Okay," I said to her. She held my hand and ran towards the van. I followed her, and I could see the disappointment in the officer's face.
"Thank you," I said to her, and she gave me a smirk. "How do you know I needed help?" I asked with a confused face. "You will know soon," she said and patted my back.
I was starting to feel nervous; I didn't know what was going to happen next. Sofia was right; my mom was right. There were really dangerous people in San Casas.
A few minutes later, we pulled up right in front of a familiar building. "This is where I live," I told her, and she nodded. "He's waiting inside," she signaled for me to go inside.
I was surprised to see two familiar men in front of the building. I recognized their faces as I entered the house. To my surprise, the mystery guy was sitting comfortably with a gun in his hand.
"Carmen!" Diego screamed and ran towards me to hug me. I could see the fear in his eyes; he was traumatized.
""Where is she?" I asked.
"Oh, bebé, cálmate," he stood up and came close to me.
"What do you want from me?" I asked. "Please don't hurt me," I said.
"Guess I've heard that word before. I'm here to take him with me," he pointed to Diego.
"Please don't take him, please," I pleaded.
"So, Sofia borrowed five hundred thousand dollars from me, and we made a deal that if she couldn't pay back, I'll take anything I want, and since she's missing, I'm taking him with me," he pointed to Diego.
"Please don't take him with you; he's really young," I pleaded. "I'll do anything, whatsoever," I said.
We both made a deal, and I don't go back on my words," he said.
"Please, not him; you can take me instead. Spare him, please," I pleaded.
"Okay, come with me," he went upstairs, and I followed him, even though I didn't understand what was going to happen next.
He entered the room and locked the door behind him. He came forward and slammed me against the wall. His body pressed against mine tightly, and he whispered into my ear, "My name is Juan, what's yours?"
"I'm not telling," I said with a stern voice.
"Nia Carmen Jackson," he said with a smirk while pulling his shirt and bringing out a gun. He had a look in his eyes that made my heart beat faster and my skin tingle.
"What do you want from me?" I asked, my voice trembling. He stared at me for a moment while he lay on the bed. "I've been running all day, take my boots off, please," he asked with a smirk.
I removed his boots. "I'll do whatever you want, please just don't hurt him," I pleaded with him. "There is something I need you to do; you do that for me, and I'll make sure the kid's safe," he said, staring at the ceiling.
"Okay," I said hesitating. "Do we have a deal?" he asked. "Yeah," I replied.
"Take off your clothes," he said with a stern look. "What?" I replied. "Take your clothes off," he said. I obeyed and removed my dress. He kept staring at me with a seductive look. I felt disgusted. "Is this how San Casas men are?" I said to myself.
"Remove that too," he pointed to my underwear. My hands were shaking.
"Please, I can't do it," I pleaded. "We made a deal," he gave a stern look. He looked at me for a few moments and then started breathing heavily, leaning towards me and staring into my eyes.
He touched my face and raised my chin up, and I felt a chill run down my spine. "Take that off," he said with a smirk. I felt so scared; I had no idea what this guy was capable of.
I had no other choice; I just had to obey him so he wouldn't hurt little Diego. I wish I had never come to San Casas.