I drop the rock as fear takes over. His hands are in his pockets as he approaches me. There are three huge guys covered in tattoos who were probably Vikings in another life are watching behind him.
“So, I finally found you,” he says.
“What…how…?” I can barely get the words out.
He smiles. “I want to see my grandsons.”
Anger bubbles in my stomach. “How dare you. After you tried to kill your own son!”
He shrugs. “I wouldn’t have to if he’d killed you.” It dawns on me that I’m here all alone. Marisol is helping another pregnant woman in the village, Vinny’s grandfather and his security check on us every other day once they thought we were hard to be found. I have no one to protect me.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Do what you came here to do,” I say boldly.
He smirks then shakes his head. “I’m not that brutal. You can’t kill off the mom when the kids have only just been born.”
He moves closer. “They need at least the first six months.”
A shiver rushes down my spine. This man won’t let me live much longer. I could run but where would it get me?
“Why don’t you get some tea started so I can see my grandsons?” he suggests. I feel numb as he follows me inside. The boys are both sleeping in a small cradle.
“Look at that,” Toni exclaims as he cups their tiny faces in his hands. He laughs and tears spring to his eyes. “They look just like their abuelo.”
He looks back at me. “They look healthy. You must have a lot of help.”
There’s no way I’m bringing Marisol into this. “It’s just me.”
“Vinny wouldn’t leave you here alone,” he presses.
“Like I said, it’s just me,” I reply. He glances over to the tea pot and I reluctantly get the tea started. Once it boils, I serve it to him with steady hands. I’m shocked it doesn’t spill.
“You’re going to make me drink alone?” he asks.
I glare at him. “It’s not poisonous,” I pour myself another and sip it.
He takes a long sip then leans back in the chair. “Aren’t you curious about Vinny?”
“You mean if I think he’s dead?”
There’s a small stretch of quiet. “He’s not. We haven’t found him.”
My heart eases up a bit. He has a chance to make it out. But only a small one.
“Are you here to get some kind of revenge?” I press. “To make him suffer for not being who you need him to be?”
He considers the question as he takes another sip of tea. “My own father betrayed me. He left the lifestyle behind then blamed me for being who he created.”
I shrug. “Doesn’t mean you have to be a monster.”
“A monster?” he repeats.
“Yes, a monster. You already have power. Why are you so hell-bent on making people be who you want them to be?”
For a split second, I wonder if he’ll hit me. Anger and pure hatred show up in his eyes. But then he softens.
“When I met your dad, I thought the same thing. He had this vengeance in him. I couldn’t understand it. He felt the world owed him something and that everyone should just fall in line.”
He pauses, pointing a finger at me. “Which sucks for you, right? You had to suffer because of his selfishness and I’m shocked no one else has killed that bastard.”