[POV: Angelica a9c9793d-be84-4055b74a-834311112445]
“Oh my God! What happened, Angelica?” Tía’s panicked voice made her feel a twinge of guilt.
But just a twinge. It was two in the morning and she’d woken them up. That was her only regret.
The man lying unconscious on the kitchen floor was her doing. And she didn’t feel bad about it. He had it coming.
“He started it, tía. He came at me and threatened to lock me up. I told him you’d talk to El Patrón about me in the morning, but he wouldn’t listen. So I did what I had to do....”
Angelica trailed off. Everyone was staring at her, their faces a mix of shock and disbelief.
Another woman, who looked just like Tía Juanita, was grinning from ear to ear. Tío Ramón was trying hard not to laugh.
“What?”
Tía clicked her tongue.
“Don’t encourage her, hermana. Román, get some of our guys to move Rafael to his room. And draw a bath. He reeks of tequila.”
She wrinkled her nose in disgust.
In moments like these, Angelica had to replay tía’s words in her head to translate them into English. Tía had a habit of speaking too fast for her to keep up.
The handsome man on the floor was named Rafael. Nice.
If only he wasn’t such a jerk. But then again, he was drunk. Maybe he was nicer when he was sober?
“Did you tell El Patrón about me, tía?”
She was unsure of her standing in this household, especially after knocking out one of their guards.
“I couldn’t, hija,” Tía replied, guilt etched on her face.
“Why not?” Angelica was starting to worry.
“Because he went to bed early, drank himself into a stupor, and now you’ve knocked him out.” Tía Juanita looked down at the unconscious man with concern.
“Wait, that’s El Patrón?” She pointed at the man snoring on the floor.
Tía’s lookalike burst into laughter.
“This isn’t funny, señora. He’s going to kill me when he wakes up.”
“My name is Lucinda, hija. Call me tía, too. And no, he won’t kill you. We’ll make sure of that. Come here.”
Without waiting for Angelica to respond, Lucinda pulled her into a warm hug.
“I’m Angelica.”
She closed her eyes, savoring the comforting embrace. Lucinda felt just like tía Juanita.
“I’m still hungry. The boss interrupted my dinner.”
Tía Lucinda chuckled and led her to the kitchen counter.
As they waited for the men to help move El Patrón, Lucinda watched Angelica eat with gusto.
She was genuine. Carefree. Her brown eyes sparkled with approval.
Angelica was deep in thought as she finished her meal. Her gaze kept drifting back to the man on the floor.
A young, incredibly attractive boss. Interesting…
And she’d bet her blue-violet eyes that he was a mafia leader. She was almost certain. It was too easy to spot.
Why she knew this, Angelica had no idea. Her memory loss was frustrating. The strange part was, she knew how to fight.
And she’d knocked him out in seconds, just by pressing a pressure point on his neck.
Hopefully, she’d remember more soon. Given the current situation, she didn’t think she’d be welcome here much longer.
“Don’t dwell on tonight, Angelica. It was just a misunderstanding. Everything will be sorted out when El Patrón wakes up.”
Tía Lucinda patted her hand reassuringly, and her sister Juanita nodded in agreement.
Tío Ramón returned with some men, and they watched as they carried their boss to his room.
The women stayed in the kitchen. Angelica helped them clean up the mess from her little scuffle.
“He doesn’t like me,” she mumbled after a while. She didn’t know why it bothered her.
Tía Juanita snorted as she scrubbed the floor.
“He doesn’t like anyone. But that’ll change. I promise you. Don’t worry about it, mi hija.”
She hoped so. She kind of liked the grumpy, extremely handsome El Patrón. Maybe they could be friends, and she could teach him how to fight.
“Get some rest now, Angelica. Everything will be fine in the morning.”
She nodded absentmindedly, taking Tía Lucinda’s advice to heart.
Yawning, she said goodnight to the two women and headed to her room at the back of the mansion.
She was exhausted, and the night’s events had given her a headache. Flopping onto her soft bed, she sighed and let sleep take over.
[POV: Tía Juanita f4de5d2e-6a84-4e5b-a902-f657a6aa758a]
“She’s perfect for Rafael, hermana,” Lucinda declared, her soft brown eyes following Angelica as she left the room.
“Shhhh, someone might hear you,” Juanita warned, though she couldn’t help but agree.
They’d accomplished a lot tonight.
She was glad Rafael and Angelica had so much in common. They’d find out soon enough.
“Let’s check on Ramon and make sure El Patrón is comfortable. Can you carry those?”
Her sister, Lucinda, nodded. She was holding a tray of hot coffee and pastries, just in case Rafael woke up.
He must have been really hungry to venture into the kitchen in the middle of the night, despite being drunk.
But instead of food, he’d found something else.
Perfect.
Entering El Patrón’s private quarters, they found him tossing and turning in his massive four-poster bed, while Ramon tried to soothe him with a warm, wet cloth.
Rafael kept muttering his sisters’ names, then stopped and whispered, “Angel.”
Just one word from his lips, and it seemed to calm his nightmares. Tío and Tía exchanged a look, and Lucinda let out a sigh of relief.
“You’re right, Juanita. She’ll bring him back to life.”
Rafael finally stirred back to life a couple of hours later, after his coffee had been reheated more times than they could count.
His habit of drinking himself into oblivion was something she and her sister had always frowned upon.
They watched as he groaned, slowly sinking back onto his bed.
“Where is she?” His eyes darted around the room, searching.
They knew exactly who he was looking for. But first things first...
“Here, mijo. Have your coffee. It’s black with two sugars. Be careful.” Tio handed him the steaming cup.
Rafael mumbled a thank you and took a big gulp. Lucinda cringed. He always drank his coffee scalding hot. Like it was some sort of punishment.
This had to stop. He needed to stop punishing himself for things he couldn’t control.
After downing two cups of the hot brew and devouring five chocolate croissants, he finally turned his attention back to them.
“Where is she?” His voice echoed in the room.
But not to them. They were family.
Juanita rose gracefully and joined her husband by Rafael’s bed. She hated what she had to do, but it was necessary.
“She’s my niece, Rafael. Her name is Angelica. I meant to tell you about her yesterday, but you were preoccupied.”
Juanita hoped her lies were believable. Her husband squeezed her hand, a silent warning.
Rafael’s sharp black eyes studied her face. It took all her self-control not to squirm. She lifted her chin defiantly.
“I didn’t know you had relatives elsewhere,” he said slowly.
“I do. In San Francisco. Her mother, God rest her soul, was from my mother’s side of the family. Angelica is an orphan. She has no one else. We took her in on our last trip.”
Watching El Patron consider her words was nerve-wracking. He was their boss for a reason. He was smart and sharp. Just like his parents.
Rafael was the head of the Mexican Mafia. One of the most powerful in the world.
And he was a tough man to deal with, but not for them. Not for family. They were all he had.
“And you want her to stay here?” Rafael asked quietly.
“Yes, señor. For the time being.” This time it was Ramon who answered.
Again, silence. They waited, holding their breath.
“Three months. Then she has to go. She might know too much and right now, I don’t trust your niece, tia. And tio, I want a background check.”
“Of course, señor. We’ll help her find somewhere else to live. Thank you, Rafael.”
El Patron nodded skeptically. A few minutes later he asked them to leave him alone.
With a nod, Ramon closed the heavy doors behind them.
“Three months?” Lucinda hissed. “He’s suspicious and he’s a hard man to please.”
“We have our work cut out for us, hermana. Let’s make every day count.”
Ugh! Playing matchmaker was going to be a challenge.
