GRINGA (89 page)

             
‘Get some sleep Payton
.
’    

             
I stare at him. Sleep? Fat chance of that. I’m wide awake now and in need desperate need of a cigarette.

             
‘If you want a cigarette, have one now while we’re all here so we can keep an eye on you.’

             
Fuck! Is this guy for real? How the hell does he know what I’m thinking?

             
He jerks his head towards the balcony and walks towards it. I follow him. He takes out a pack of cigarettes and offers me one. I silently accept. He fishes out a lighter from his pocket and lights my cigarette, then his.

             
I scorch my lungs in silence while he keeps watch, jerking around every time he hears a sound. I’m not afraid of Diago getting to me. Let him kill me. I deserve it. I just want to say ‘sorry’ to him. I will tell him I’m sorry until he accepts my apology. As for the FBI – don’t care about them and I give a fuck about repercussions. I finish my cigarette and walk inside. Depp follows and locks the balcony door behind him.

             
He goes into my bedroom, checks all the windows and ushers me in. ‘We have a key so lock your door,’ he says.

             
I do. 

             
Unable to sleep, I lie in the dark alternating between tossing and turning and listening out for sounds. I see a shadow at my window and I scream out. But it’s just a branch of a tree. Fuck! I need to calm down.

             
‘Payton!’ Depp shouts. ‘Are you okay? Open the door!’

             
Feeling utterly sheepish, I run to the door and open it before he kicks it down. Depp, Grey and another police officer burst into my bedroom with guns drawn almost flattening me in the process.

             
‘Was just a shadow! It was just a shadow! Sorry. I’m just so jumpy. Sorry.’

             
They nod and exchange looks of relief. Simultaneously, they holster their weapons.

             
Grey and the officer walk away but Depp stands outside my bedroom door and looks at me.

             
‘Relax. I’m here. I won’t let him get to you.’

             
I stare at him and bite my nails. ‘Depp, if you see him here, please don’t shoot him,’ I whisper.

             
He stares at me for a moment, his forehead lining up. Without a word, he tries to close the door.

             
I jerk the door back open. ‘Please, Depp?’

             
‘Payton, you expect me to … if he tries to harm you …’

             
‘Depp, even if he does; please don’t. Please. Promise me.’

             
‘You’re asking too much of me, Payton. I can’t do that. I will shoot him if I see him.’

             
‘Depp, please!’

             
‘No,’ he finally says, his jaw jutting.

             
‘But …’

             
With a scowl, he shuts the door on me.

             
All I can do is stare helplessly at the back of the door.

             
‘Lock it!’ he shouts.

             
With sagging shoulders, I lock the door and crawl into bed.

             
Depp stand
s
guard at Tana Mera for thirty six hours. The other policemen rotate shifts but he stays, barely getting any sleep. I hear Grey and him arguing. Shortly thereafter, Grey leaves but
D
epp remains. I walk into the lounge and look at him. He’s bleary eyed and his shirt is creased.
‘You should go home and get some sleep,’ I say.

             
‘I’ll be alright,’ he says as he rubs his eyes. ‘Just need more coffee.’

             
‘You’re determined to get him, right?’ My question is more an accusation than anything else.

             
He appears to deliberate for a moment before he answer. ‘I’m determined to
protect
you Payton and yes, if I see him here, then I
will
shoot him.’ His adamant tone worries me.

             
I shake my head slowly before I turn and walk away. 

CHAPTER NINETEEN

It’s forty eight hours since Diago’s escape. 

             
I lock the door and check the windows. As I draw back the sheets on our king-size bed, I remember our times we share here. We fought here and loved here and ate here and promised ourselves to each other here.

             
I miss him so much. Why hasn’t he tried to get to me to kill me? Maybe he’s not interested in revenge? Maybe he’s the type to wait years before exacting it. I turn out the light and think about the mess I’ve caused in
Mexico
. Because of me, Diago is in a worse of situation.
I doze off with Diago on my mind.

             
I’m awaked by a hand on my mouth. I open my eyes and stare into Diago’s face. Am I dreaming? I glance at the wall clock behind him. 3
AM.

             
The room is suddenly chilly and I realise the window is open.

             
I lie absolutely still. How the hell did he bypass the police and Depp outside?

             
He’s holding a knife
in front of me
which glints in the moonlight. So he has come to kill me after all. He’s probably realised that Tana Mera is crawling with police but he risking his life to kill me. He must loathe me. Disappointment
oozes through me.

             
I’m not afraid of dying; I’m sad – sad that I could be killed by the one I love most in the world. 

             
Slowly, he raises the knife.

             
‘Go ahead,’ I mouth from under his hand.

             
He hesitates.

             
Encouraged by the hesitation, I dare to slowly remove his hand from my mouth. ‘But I want you to know that I love you Diago and I’m sorry for hurting you. The best part of me has always been you. I taught you to be good, but you, you thought me that I’m worthy of love. I thank you for that Diago.’

             
He stares at me.

             
‘But please, can I … Diago, can I please hold you one last time. Please?’

             
He doesn’t answer. Taking his silence as a ‘yes’ I wrap my arms around him and breathe in his scent that I’ve grown to love and cherish. He doesn’t fight me so I tighten my arms around him and kiss his chest. ‘My husband,’ I whisper, ‘I love you so much. I’m so sorry. Forgive me. I’m sorry.’

             
Suddenly, as if he has awoken, he shoves me back hard and brings the knife down to my throat. I lie dead still as the knife presses against my
jugular
hurting me. I’m too terrified to breathe and I hear my heartbeat. 

             
With a grunt, he raises the knife and plunges it at my face. I close my eyes and scream but not a sound is uttered.

             
When I open my eyes, he is leaving through the opened window.

             
I hastily touch my face.
N
o cuts or blood on my face.

             
I rush to the window. ‘Dia …!’ His name dies on my lips when I see Depp standing outside my window facing Diago, his 9mm
pointed at Diago’s face.

             
Both my hands fly to my mouth.

             
Diago and Depp stare at each other silently.

             
‘Reach!’ Depp says as he cocks his gun.

             
Diago does nothing.

             
‘Oh God!’ I mutter as I jump out of the window. ‘Oh God!’

             
‘Payton …’ Depp’s voice is controlled and low. ‘Payton, are you okay? Has he hurt you?’ Depp’s eyes
remain
fixed on Diago.

             
‘No, he’s unarmed. He didn’t hurt me Depp.’

             
‘You sure, Payton?’ 

             
‘Yes! Absolutely. Honest.’

             
I hear a sound behind Diago. It’s
Troy
.

             
Depp whips out another 9mm and covers
Troy
wit
h it. ‘Don’t do anything stupid,
Troy
,’
he warns.
             
‘You’re outnumbered.’

             
Troy
glances at me, then Depp and
his eyes tells me he’s
calculating. 

             
We hear voices.
P
olicemen approaching.
Fuck!

             
This is it. Diago is going to die tonight. I know he will fight them and they will shoot him.
Probably shoot
Troy
too.

             
S
uddenly
I
feel light-headed. 

             
Diago and Depp lock eyes.

             
Then, to my astonishment, Depp slowly lowers his weapon and looks at the ground.

             
After a moment’s hesitation, Diago, l
ike a phantom
,
disappears into the night.

             
Troy
and I look at each other with disbelief and for the first time since I’ve know him, I see
Troy
’s jaw drop.