GRINGA (91 page)

             
‘Unfinished business.’ I point to the knife mark on my neck. ‘You didn’t complete the tattoo on my neck and I am here to talk to you about a refund.’

             
‘
Y
ou making a fool of me?’

             
‘No, I wanna talk to you.’

             
‘I heard it all!’ he says and shifts threateningly towards me. ‘I can kill you right now.’ 

             
‘Go ahead,’ I say, faking a yawn. ‘With your reputation, it’s not gonna be an easy task.’

             
He glares at me.

             
I get up and walk to the window. I can see the beach from here. ‘Wow! What a view. Secluded yet modern. Bet Bin Laden could do with something like this.’ I turn around and look at him. ‘You have a lease?’

             
He looks at the knife, scratches the back of his neck, then flings the knife on the table. I think if he wanted to kill me, he would have done it by now.

             
I smile at him.

             
He glares at me.

             
‘I miss you, baby,’ I whisper.

             
No answer.

             
I walk backwards towards the bedroom. ‘Do you miss me?’ 

             
He follows me.

             
I enter the bedroom and look around.

             
He stands at the bedroom door and watches me with hooded eyes.

             
‘Nice,’ I say as I bounce on the bed. ‘Very nice.’

             
‘No!’ he growls. ‘I don’t miss you. You must leave. I don’t want you anymore.’

             
‘Yeah? Okay then. But first I gotta tell you what I miss most - the way you fuck me.’ I part my thighs slightly as I let my words sink in.

             
I hear his sharp intake of breath.

             
‘You … me …rolling between the sheets ... you inside me ... me on top ...’

             
He takes a step forward.

             
I open and close my thighs very slowly. ‘I’ve never fucked a prisoner before, Diago. I’m curious. Wondering what’s it like.’

             
He takes another step forwards.

             
“Prison sex. Mmm?’

             
He reaches down, grabs me by my sweater and hoists me up and I think he’s going to throw me out. Instead, he kisses me hard. So hard, I taste blood in my mouth. Then he stops and shoves me back onto the bed. He wipes his mouth and mutters under his breath. 

             
I sit up slowly and look at him.

             
He turns away from me and slams his fist into his palm.  

             
‘Baby?’

             
He turns and glares at me.

             
I open my arms.

             
He dives into them.

             
Putty in my arms. We kiss and lose ourselves in each other, unable to exercise any restraint and before we know it, we’re fighting off each other’s clothes.

             
I almost rip off his shirt while he unhooks my bra. He moans as my breasts spill into his hands. I sigh with pleasure as he kneads them. A little more tugging and I have his pants off. Finally, we’re naked and he’s on top of me. 

             
Using his knee, he parts my thighs. I’m ready for him and swing my legs around his hips.

             
His thrusts are swift, almost violent and it’s over quickly, but I don’t mind – it’s the intensity I need.

             
I lie in his arms and stroke his face. ‘I love you.’ 

             
He says nothing but his arms tighten around me a
s he draws me deeper into him.
His breathing is relaxed
,
his face is frown-free.

             
My
burdens are shed. I betrayed the man I love, yet he forgives me. Diago knows everything there is to know about me now - all my secrets and he still wants me. Relief floods me, my soul.

             
I am complete.

             
As for reality and all the checks that go with it – I don’t need them. Yes, he’s a felon and I’m aiding and abetting and I’m fully aware of the penalty. I should run but I won’t. I can’t, I want to stay. I
need
to stay. Tomorrow?

             
Fuck tomorrow.

             
I’m living in the moment. 

When I awake it’s 4 PM. Diago is
asleep
besides me. ‘Time to wake up baby,’ I whisper as I plant kisses all over his face. ‘We’ve slept for 15 hours straight. Howzat?’

             
We lie in bed and goof around a little. After a while, he gets up and makes me coffee.

             
Shortly thereafter, Manual arrives with two police officers in tandem and I balk. They’re the same officers who staked out Tana
-
Mera with Depp the night Diablo tried to cut my throat.

             
When Diago touches my arm reassuringly, I relax. 

             
‘Senora,’ Manual says, eyeing me warily. ‘This is my wife’s brother. Names are not important, Senora. He is grateful for what you and Diablo did for my daughter, so he want to help.’

             
‘Oh, okay.’

             
Manual gestures to the second officer. ‘This man, his mother is very sick. She got the cancer and Diablo, he give him free cannabis all the time for his mother. Is the only thing that helps her pain. So he too is very grateful. These men help Diablo escape, Senora.’

             
The men bow slightly at me.

             
‘Thank you,’ I say.

             
They’ve brought tons of food and drink and I know Diablo will never go hungry.

             
A short while later I turn to Diago. ‘What would have happened that night if Depp tried to take you in, Diago? I mean these cops, they were with Depp and they would have had to make a decision?’

             
Diago squints at me and says, ‘Ask them.’

             
I look at the men. There is no need to ask them; they have already heard our conversation. One of them looks me in the eye and says, ‘We kill the Americano and let Diablo go free.’

             
Kill Depp?
Suddenly, it’s like I’m swallowing sand.
 

             
‘We are going to have to kill the Americanos anyway,’ the cop adds.

             
Disturbed by what I just heard, I
squirm
at mental picture of them shooting Depp in front of me. I don’t want Depp dead at all. My mind is a whirl of unpleasant thoughts so I get up and walk outside. Depp probably thought he was giving Diago a chance by not taking him in that night but really speaking, he dodged a bullet
himself
by that illegal gesture. 

             
Thank God Depp let Diago go that night. But just how do I warn him that he must back off from Diago or face death? Will he listen to me?

             
‘What?’

             
I whirl around and see Diago leaning against the door, peering at me.

             
I shake my head and bite my lips.

             
‘You worried about the gringo.’

             
I glance at him and look away.

             
‘Payton?’

             
I look at him and sigh. ‘Diago, I … things are such a mess right now. You’re here, escaped from prison, then Depp allows you to escape, not realising that if he didn’t, he would be the one dying that night, now I hear they want to kill him
.
I don’t know what to think.’

             
‘You don’t want him dead?’

             
‘I don’t want
anyone
dead anymore. It’s not right, Diago. And Depp, he’s got
five
kids, you know.’

             
A long silence follows before he speaks. ‘He and the other gringo – they in my way. They the only people to keep me in jail, Payton.’

             
‘He saved your life, Diago. He thought he was doing that.’

             
He nods several times. ‘I was surprised that he did.’

             
‘Me too! Gosh, I was so surprised. And grateful.’

             
‘Because of that, I will not kill him. But the other men … I can’t promise anything.’

             
The cops join us outside so we have to curtail our conversation.

             
I need to warn Depp. But will he listen to me? He can be so pig-headed at times. 
             

‘Manual, I need you to visit the ranch please and let them know that I’m okay.

             
‘I do that already, Senora,’ he says.

             
‘Oh. Thank you.’

             
‘
Si
, Senora.’

             
When they leave, Diago and I talk. ‘I got money buried in the mountain,’ he says. ‘Five million, American dollars.’

             
‘Five million? Wow
!
’

             
‘I want you to take
Troy
to
America
and let him live there when I’m gone.’

             
‘Aw c’mon, Diago,’ I scold. ‘Don’t talk like that. Nothing’s gonna happen.’

             
‘Payton, listen to me. You must take him away from here. He is not safe here with me in jail.’