Page 4 of To Have and To Hold

Red punch dribbled down my wrist as I pushed open the library door and rushed inside. Closing the door behind me, I shut my eyes as my heart thumped against my breastbone. Upon lifting my eyelids, I saw four sets of eyes staring at me.

“Izzy, what happened?” Noemi asked as she stood from the lounge chair she was sharing with Aria.

“How could you leave me out there alone?”

“You were hardly alone. There’s two worlds of people out there,” Marisa said, standing from the chair she was sharing with Cenzi.

Aria chimed in. “We thought you were with us. What happened?”

Now all four of the other girls were standing and coming closer.

“Emiliano…Catalina’s brother.” I set the cup of punch on a nearby table and looked for something to clean my fingers and wrist.

Cenzi hurried from the room, only to return in seconds with a towel from a nearby bathroom. “Did he do something to you?” she asked as she handed me the plush white cloth.

Holding the bright white hand towel, I wasn’t sure of anything. Looking up, I said, “I don’t want to stain their towels.”

Noemi took the towel and wiped my hand and wrist. “I’m sure the capo can afford new towels.” Her chocolate brown eyes met mine. “Emiliano…what happened?”

“I was carrying my punch back to you, and I almost ran into him.” I shook my head. “I don’t know. I might have run into him.”

Everyone’s eyes were wide.

“I didn’t get punch on him.” Rolling my lower lip, I nibbled on it and shrugged. “He talked to me. I tried to get away, and he kept talking to me.”

“Did Dad see the two of you together?” Noemi asked.

I shook my head. “I don’t think so. I hope he’s still in the capo’s office. Mom might have seen. I was so frightened; I couldn’t wait to get away from him.”

Aria’s smile widened. “I’d like to talk to him. Hell, I’d like to do more than that with him.” Her little sister nudged her with her elbow. When no one said anything, Aria went on, “Come on. You can’t deny that Catalina’s brother is hot. If the cartel men were as bad as our fathers say, why does Mia look so happy? She’s with the scariest one of the group.”

“I got a peek at Jasmine,” Marisa said. “She looks different, more confident.” She shrugged. “Like she isn’t a stray any longer.”

“She’s married to the second-in-command to the drug lord,” Noemi said. She let out a long breath. “But you’re right. Jasmine doesn’t seem scared either.”

My nose wrinkled. “But we’ve been told since Dario’s engagement how dangerous the cartel members are and how horribly they treat women. The cartel runs a whorehouse. Dad said Catalina and Camila were fortunate to get out of that life.”

Cenzi scoffed. “Uncle Carmine is upset about the alliance. Our dad is too. But it’s not like Catalina and Camila were going to be put to work in prostitution.”

“It isn’t a whorehouse,” Marisa said. “It’s a club with women who…you know, have sex. Newsflash, that’s what Emerald Club is.”

The small hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention. “No, it isn’t. Mom said Emerald Club is just a dance club.”

“Well,” Marisa said, “I’m not sure why she’s lying to you, but it’s more than a dance club. I’ve overheard Dad telling Mom about some of the problems brought on by the bratva and cartel.”

“Whatever. You’re saying the cartel is causing our famiglia problems.”

Noemi took her place back on the lounge chair. “We’ve been to Catalina’s childhood home—for Mia’s wedding. It’s not as if the Ruizes are living in an abandoned warehouse like they show on television. Catalina left a home on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean for Kansas City. And if Mom’s lied to us about Emerald Club, maybe there’s something to what Aria is saying. Maybe they’re not all murderers and rapists.”

“But,” I continued, “the whores intheirclub have been sex trafficked. That’s what they do. They get women and girls who are trying to cross the border.”

Marisa shook her head. “You’ve been watching too many videos. Sex trafficking is a problem everywhere, even here. When I leave, I’m staying away from truck stops.”

Could I be seeing things through the lens of my parents’ bigotry?

I sat next to my sister. “There was something about the way Emiliano looked at me. I can’t describe it. My stomach was instantly in knots, and my circulation was going so fast, I thought I might faint right in the capo’s living room.” I laid my head back. “Papà would have gone ballistic.”

My cousins shared a grin, sat down together on the other lounge chair, and turned to me. Marisa was the one to speak. “Maybe you weren’t scared.” Her eyebrows danced. “Maybe you were attracted to him.”

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