Page 29 of Hunted By the Cartel

His gaze dropped to his arm, and he grimaced. "It's just a scratch. Let's get out of here before his friends come looking for him. We don't have time to waste."

I nodded, knowing he was right. We had to keep moving. I didn't want to go anywhere. I just wanted to be left alone by the cartel, but we both knew that wasn't going to happen.

I helped Diego bind his wound with a strip of fabric torn from my shirt, and then we set off again, moving away from the scene of the fight. That was a moment we would always remember. If luck was on our side, later, in the future, we would talk about how close we got to dying.

I glanced back over my shoulder, half-expecting to see more cartel members bearing down on us, but the forest was quiet. It was eerily quiet. It made me think that something else was going to happen, but we couldn't be so unlucky, right? At least, I was hoping we weren't going to be.

We walked in silence for a while, the weight of what had just happened hanging over us. His hand was soft, giving me comfort. Without it, I would be feeling a lot more anxious.

I knew Diego was in pain, but he didn't complain, gritting his teeth and pushing forward. His determination and strength never ceased to amaze me. No matter what he was feeling, he didn't want me to worry. It didn't work. I was still worried, but that was the way he was.

After a while, we reached a small stream, the water sparkling in the late afternoon sunlight. Finally, a good place to stay, at least for now.

Diego sank down onto the bank, his shoulders sagging with relief. I shared his relief. After that close call with the cartel members, we were both thinking we were lucky to be alive.

"We should rest here for a bit," he said, his voice tight with pain. I worried about that. "I need to tend to this wound before it gets infected. I can't let that happen and we can't go to a hospital. Doing that would be a mistake."

I nodded, my eyes taking in the serene setting. It felt like a small oasis amid the chaos of our lives. For now, we could relax, though, obviously, not for much longer.

"I'll see if I can find some plants to help with the healing. There's gotta be something around here," I said, already spotting some familiar medicinal herbs growing along the bank. I didn't know much about them, only that they could help.

Diego leaned back against a tree, his eyes closing. He exhaled loudly, relaxing, even if only for now. Given the kind of person he was and the environment where he probably grew in, he couldn't relax much.

"That would be great, love. I trust your knowledge of herbs."

I chuckled slightly, but he didn't notice it. If I told him I actually didn't know much about herbs, would it make him stop me and deny my help? I didn't think so, but there was still no point in saying that.

I set to work, gathering the plants I needed and crushing them with a smooth stone to release their healing properties. I mixed the paste with water from the stream, creating a simple poultice that I applied to Diego's wound. He hissed as the paste made contact with his injured skin, but he didn't pull away.

He was tough. He had suffered much worse than this. I didn't ask him about it, but he had probably had worse wounds than what my eyes were seeing.

"It'll help with the pain and speed up the healing," I explained, my hands gentle as I bandaged his arm again.

"Thanks, love," he murmured, his eyes fluttering open to meet mine. "You always know what to do. And, of course, I trust you. I know you're going to do the best for me."

I smiled, my heart swelling with love for this man. "I just want to take care of you and our little one. You both mean so much to me."

Diego's eyes softened, and he reached out to cup my cheek. His hand was soft, giving me comfort. No matter what, he could always make me feel better. That was one of his best attributes.

"And you do, every single day. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'm grateful. If I could go back, I would save you every single time."

I leaned into his touch, my eyes closing as I savored the warmth of his hand against my skin. I wanted to be doing more than just this, but we couldn't. We had to prioritize what was most important. First, our safety. Then, we could figure out what to do about our situation with the cartel.

"We take care of each other," I whispered. "That's what we do. Without doing that, we would be lost. Probably dead, to be honest."

We sat in comfortable silence for a while, the sound of the gently flowing stream lulling me into a sense of peace. But it was short-lived. After all, we were out in the open. Anybody could see us from miles away. We couldn't stay here for much longer.

"So, have you thought any more about names for the baby?" Diego asked, a mischievous glint in his eye.

I rolled my eyes, a small smile playing at the corners of my mouth. He was thinking about that right now? I couldn't believe it.

"Really? Now? We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl yet. Not enough time has passed yet."

He shrugged, a lazy smile on his lips. "So? We can still discuss names. I have a few ideas I want to run by you. I'm sure you want to do that. I can see it in your eyes."

I couldn't help but laugh, even as I shook my head. "Fine, fine. What names did you have in mind? Don't leave out a single one."

His eyes sparkled with excitement as he launched into a list of names, some traditional, some unique. I listened, my heart full to bursting as we imagined the future of our little family. I had so many dreams. Could I make them all real? I didn't know. The next days were going to be crucial.

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