Just a Kiss (12 page)

“Isn't it the ringtone you have for Celina?”
Marivel's
nosy eyes looked inside Valeria's purse.

When Valeria pulled out the phone from deep in her purse, the ringtone got louder. “Yes, I wonder what the hell she's up to. She should already be here.”

“I like that song. What's the name of it?”

“Uh…It's from the Eagles,” she then looked at the phone. “Let's see, it’s a text.” She then glanced over to Marivel, realizing that she had ignored her, “I'm sorry, the name of the song is,
“
Life In the Fast Lane
”
. I picked that ring tone, because it is so Celina isn't it? She's always driving fast in her car.” She giggled, but then her facial expression changed when she finished reading the text.

“What is it?” Marivel stood up when she saw panic all over Valeria's face.

“I don't know. Let me call her ‘
cuz
I don’t like this text that she sent me.” Her fingers froze when she tried to move them quickly. She knew her number; hell, it was on speed dial, but she couldn't think straight, to dial Celina's number. The
H
ey Joe
,
phrase that they were always joking about, wasn't settling with her. Not now, especially with Homer out on the loose.

“She wouldn't joke about something like this,” she muttered, under her breath.

One of the other stylists walked on over. “Hey, Marivel, has Celina arrived? She texted me thirty minutes ago, to help her out with her next appointment,” said Jennifer, approaching the counter.

Marivel waved to Jennifer with her hand to wait a moment. She could sense that something wasn't right, with the way Valeria was acting.

Valeria was pacing back and forth, waiting for Celina to answer her cell phone. She then walked back to the counter and said, “Celina isn't answering her phone.”

Marivel and Jennifer remained silent, as they looked at Valeria.

Jennifer said, “I'm sorry, I just got here. What is going on? Or what just happened?”

Valeria then turned to her, “I'm sorry, Jennifer, did you say that Celina texted you?”

“Yes, about thirty minutes ago. She said if I could help her with her next appointment.”

“Did she want for you to take the appointment?” Her eyes rounded, and her eyebrows rose dramatically.

“Oh, no. Celina said when her appointment gets here, for me to help her and wash her hair. You know, when she's running late. I usually help her with hair washes, so she doesn't fall super
behind. So, I take it that Celina's not here.” She paused, hoping someone would explain what was going on.

Valeria then looked directly at Jennifer, “I'm sorry Jennifer, but I need your help.”

“Sure Val.”

“I need for you to tell the customer, that Celina had an emergency, and that she will not be able to cut her hair today. And ask her, if she'd like for someone else to, or if you can blow dry and style it for free, until Celina can reschedule her.”

“Okay, I got it.” She turned quick on her heels to do what she was asked to.

“And Marivel, I need for you to cancel my afternoon appointments for today.” She grabbed her purse from the counter.

“Val… do you think something happened to Celina?”

Valeria looked at Marivel for a moment, then took a deep breath and said, “I hope not, but I'd only be lying to myself. I need to call my brother.”

“Oh my God, Val, not again,” said Marivel, with worry over her face.

Chapter
17

In possession
 

Celina was slouched and unconscious in the back seat of the SUV when the men drove up to their final destination. The boss man, Rafael Sanchez Canales, aka
El Doberman
,
as known to the other lieutenants, was one of the major lieutenants with the Gulf Drug Cartel and also the owner of the Blue Rock Night Club. He was waiting for them, with his three Doberman dogs at his side.

“
Hola
patrón
,” said Flaco, jumping out of the back seat to greet their boss.

He stepped forward. “I take everything went okay?” Rafael walked over to the SUV. He was anxious to look at the mystery girl that had them all in a whirl.

“
Si,
”
replied Flaco, politely. He opened the door, and stood to one side so the boss could see the girl.

The boss man walked over to Celina's side,
so he could get a better look at her.

“No problems, at the bridge, with her, or anything else, that I should know about? You know I don't like surprises.” He raised his eyebrows.
             

“No sir. No problems,” he replied, with certainty.

Rafael grabbed Celina’s face and moved her head side to side, getting a good look at her. He immediately noticed that her neck muscles were overly relaxed.  “What did you give her?” he turned to look at Flaco with a hard stare for a moment.

“I gave her a barbiturate.”

He turned back to look at her. “Which one? Phenobarbital?” he asked, keeping his attention on Celina, on her white fitted lace top.

“
Si
,” he nodded.

“Did you give her a pill?” Irritation was in his tone.

“No, she refused, so we had to pull over, and
Chuy
held her down. I had to use a needle. And she fought us.” He explained using hand signs.

“You didn't overdo it? Did you?” he turned his gaze, to look at Flaco directly when he asked him.

“No
se
ñ
or
. She should be up in an hour or so.” He insisted.

Rafael maintained a serious look, nodded his head up and down, then grabbed a strand of her hair, placed it under his nose and inhaled. When he released the long lock, he gave her breast a hard squeeze. He would spend the night in her bed in a heartbeat, if she allowed him.

“She's very pretty,
patrón
. And she has a sexy walk, too.” Flaco raised his eyes with a big grin.

Realizing that he had demonstrated an attraction in front of his men, he cleared his throat. “Okay, get her out of here.” He took a peek in the Victoria's Secret bag that was at her feet. “What's this?” He looked at them with a quizzical expression.

“Oh, she was shopping at the mall when we took her. I guess that's what she bought.” He ran his hand through his hair.

He smiled, then inhaled and nodded with approval. He turned to look at
Chuy
, who was standing next to Flaco. He took a step toward him, placed his index finger on his chubby cheek and pushed his face to one side.

Chuy
turned his head to one side. A deep scratch stretched across his cheek.

Rafael then looked at his face, and then lowered his eyes to his neck, following down to the open shirt that he wore. His eyes came back to his face, and stared at him.

“She's a wildcat with long
pink
nails. She went crazy, when she saw Flaco pull out the needle, and she scratched the shit out of me,”
Chuy
said, buttoning up his shirt.

“Yes, I can see that,” the boss man replied, then walked away. “Come on, boys,” he said as he whistled to the dogs to follow him.

“Yes, but I got kicked in the balls, with those high heels she's wearing,” Flaco stated, looking at
Chuy
.

“Boss! Where do you want us to take her to?”
Chuy
yelled.

“Put her in the room next to my office. I guess we're going to have to be extra careful around her.”

Chapter
18

The big mystery

Valeria
ran red lights, went through a one-way, and sped all the way, arriving
within minutes, and parked next to Celina's car. Celina always parked in the same parking space at the mall, so it wasn't hard to find the car. The moment she got there, she knew that something had happened, because she could see Celina's purse on the passenger's floorboard of the car, and her car keys too.

Oh my God, Oh my God
.
She
pressed her hands together up against her forehead.

Xavier arrived, with lights flashing inside the grill of his navy-blue undercover truck. “What is it? What happened, Val?” he asked, jumping out of the truck with a worried look.

Valeria shook her head side to side, looked at her brother right in the eye, and said, “It doesn't look good.” Her eyes began to water.

“What the hell do you mean? Tell me quick, Valeria, every second counts,” he told her grabbing her arms and shaking her. “I just saw you guys at lunch.”

“Like I told you on the phone,” she paused, placing both of her hands in front of her. “She sent me a text to pick her car up at the mall, and signed the text, Hey Joe. That's the code we have for her gun. You know, to get the gun, in case of an emergency. I guess, she was trying to tell me that she was in trouble, because her purse and car keys are on the floorboard of her car,” she replied, breaking out in tears.

Xavier quickly went to the car to peek inside. He avoided touching the car. “Did you touch any part of the car?”

Valeria shook her head no. “I know where the spare keys are at her condo….”

“That's okay. We can open it with a slim
jim
. I just don't want to touch the car, until I can get some fingerprints. Let me make a call, so we can get somebody over here and then after that, I will ask for mall security's assistance. Maybe something recorded off the
surveillance cameras
.”

“Homer's got her. That son-of-a-bitch.” Her legs gave way, and she sat herself down on the hot, dirty pavement and began to cry. “He’s probably going to kill her this time, Xavier. Oh dear God in heaven.”

Chapter
19

Mystery girl meets mystery guy

Celina woke up, lying on a queen size bed
in a dark room and was confused as ever. Completely disoriented, she didn't move any part of her body, only her eyes. Scanning left to right, she took in her surroundings. The raw urge to scream crawled up in her throat when she didn't recognize anything in the room. Her wide eyes visually swept the room, eyeing beige walls, a huge pine dresser and a chaise, with her Victoria’s Secret bag. She looked around the unfamiliar room, and when she sat up, she remembered what had happened.

She grabbed her head and rubbed the sides of her forehead. “God, my head hurts.” Her head was throbbing with a major headache. She then glanced at a digital clock on the nightstand that read nine-thirty. She scooted over to the edge of the bed, and looked at her arm where they injected her with drugs.

There was that mental fog again, when she thought it was a dream, but no, it was reality. Recollecting bits and pieces, she remembered the man who had thrown her in a black SUV, and then a big, ugly, fat guy who held her down. She looked at her arm again, remembering the needle they had poked her with.

Why am I here? God
,
have I been such a bad person
,
to deserve these things that keep happening to me? I'm sorry
,
but I don't understand you.
She began to cry softly.

The bedroom door opened slowly, and a lamplight came on at the corner of the room. Celina's eyes opened wide, and her heart began to beat faster.

“What do you want with me?” she screamed, trying hard to focus on the person in the room.
Oh God, is it Homer
?
Please
,
don't let him hurt me
,
again.

“Please, there's no need to shout,” said the man’s voice from the corner of the room, with a soothing voice.

“Don't come any closer,” she said, moving back to the center of the bed. “Who are you?” she demanded.

“Please, I know you're scared, but I'm here to help, not to hurt you,” he came closer.

“I said to stay away,” she looked at the man who stood in the middle of the room. “
You?
 
You
are the one who is doing this to me?” she raised her voice in anger.

There stood the handsome, broad-shouldered man that had her heart skipping beats a few days ago at the club, where she had the kiss of her life.
Her handsome stranger.

“No, please let me explain.” He walked over to her.

Celina grabbed a pillow from the bed and threw it at him, then grabbed another and threw that at him, too. “You creep!” she screamed out to him. “And I thought you were an angel from heaven. Some asshole you turned out to be.”

“I didn't kidnap you. Just a minute!” he screamed back at her, dodging pillows. He quickly moved in when she ran out of pillows, grabbed her by her arms and pinned her down on the bed, in less than two seconds.