“Por que…I am, yes,” I replied, but I held onto him as if it was for dear life. I never felt this relaxed…likeever. Not since I was a teen before my life went dark. This rare feeling was a bit scary after being on guard for the last five years.
He chuckled. “Now you're the one who needs some cafe.” He steered me out and grinned as he steadied my unsteady body. He then rubbed me down with the hotel towel. “I think we’d better get some breakfast too.”
“I set up a preordered breakfast yesterday. To be delivered this morning. I knew your two um, friends would want that too. That way, we do not have to go out for it.”
“Maldito Selena. Have I told you how clever you are yet today?”
I rolled my eyes. “No, Carlos. You have not done so yet today. But I think you have said that enough.” I walked out to the room as I tossed the droopy feeling away.
Carlos followed me. “You cannot blame me. You are always planning ahead. You are a badass fighter. You have interesting man traps and you smell so damned good.”
I kept shaking my head. “Man traps.” I snorted.
“Bien, I suppose we have to wear clothes now?” he said this with a forlorn sigh in his voice.
I laughed. “Yes, Carlos. Normally, people do wear clothes.”
He scoffed then rolled his head around like a little kid and flapped his arms down to his sides. “Ok. If we justhaveto.”
“Que? Are you five years old?” I kept chuckling.
“I might be,” he replied. “Mabe just a little older than five.”
Looking him up and down, I noted the towel wrapped around his hips. The sexy abs he had, his very male body and lovely tanned skin. He sure as hell didn’t look five.
“You see, I have decided to do a reset,” he informed me.
I paused and looked up at him. “Reset?”
“Yes, I want to start all over. Be new. Forget what I’ve done. Totally bury what I used to be. Who I used to be.”
I stared at him and asked, “Can a person really do that?”
He shrugged. “I hope to. I want to find a church with a confessional booth before this trip is done. Confess what sins I can remember. And damn, did I commit many while in the Castillo Cartel. I will plead for God to forgive me. Repent and ask for penitence so that I can earn absolution. I may have to visit the confessional a dozen times before I am through.”
I quietly stared at him. He was serious and I could tell he’d put a lot of thought into it.
A sound went off in the room.
Carlos paused and looked around. “Is that my phone?”
I nodded and glanced over at him. “Si, it is.” Then I reached under the chair, grabbed the phone from the floor and tapped the screen. “Hello?”
“Good morning, Carlos. I must say that your voice has changed a lot.” The Brit laughed over the line.
I shook my head. “Good morning to you, Sir Henry. Give us about ten minutes then come over. I have breakfast coming.”
“Wonderful. I will go and roust the very rude Rainmaker out of bed.”
“I think he is probably awake,” I replied as I grabbed my bra from my bag.
“No doubt, but I like rousting him.”
“I know.” I chuckled. “See you in ten.” I tapped the screen and looked up at Carlos to ask him, “Why do you have such a hard time with that phone?”
“I hate cell phones,” he replied. “I grew to hate them because of…” His voice faded a bit then he continued, “Santiago calling me with new horrible orders that broke every rule and moral law in the world. Chingar, I would literally feel nauseous when it rang. I used an echoing churchbell for his ringtone. The ones that peal in Mexico when someone dies. Sometimes after the call, I would in fact, puke my guts out.”
I slowly shook my head and told him softly, “You can be assured that Santiago will never call you again.”
