Page 20 of Run with Me

I shutmy eyes tight as the urge to throw up increased. It was one thing to live through the anniversary of not only your rape and the conception of your son, but it was another to be reminded of that night by the very man who’d rapedyou.

I grabbed his hand and shoved it to the side before opening my eyes and pushing him back. The Rolex watch he gambled from Xavier gently scraped the side of my arm. One day Ben would pay, and when the time came, I’d make sure that it was for all of hissins.

“You’re going to have a personal greeting in Hell.” Since Ben was blocking the front entrance, I turned around and headed to the back. It was the only way I’d ever gotten out of this place. There was no way I’d risk another one of Ben’s gropes when I tried to push past him. The bar was as depressing and dirty as it had been three years ago, and so was the hallway. My gaze caught the same door I eavesdropped through before. A faint light escaped underneath the door, and just like that night, familiar voices whispered.

“How much?” Pablo, asked.

“This is about three-quarters of it. Fifty million. It’s ready to load for Garcia’s transfer tomorrow morning.”

I lowered my body to the keyhole and quickly peeked through. On the floor in the corner of the room, about a dozen black duffle bags were stacked one on top of another. The one at their feet was open, and I could see the bundles of cash. This was much more than the twenty-five million they’d had three yearsago.

Holding my breath, I tiptoed to the rear door and left. I hurried to the church entrance where John was waiting with Mikey. “What happened to you?” he asked.

“I had a run in withBen.”

“Are you all right?”

“Yeah, just… never mind.” I waved my hand. “It’s not important.”

While John believed that one day Karma would catch up to the Cortez’s, I believed in making my own Karma. I just had to figure out how to get rid of Ben permanently. I had to find a way to force them out oftown.

“I’m so sorry, Anna.”

“It’s all right. I’m used to this, and I’m not going to give up. Neither should you. We need to keep our faith strong and hope alive. We need to hope for tomorrow.”

If anyone could understand that, it wasJohn.

“We will. And I don’t think there’s a better way of doing so than going to the festival. What do yousay?”

Mikey was holding John’s hand. I reached out for his other one, smiled toward John, and gently nodded. It would do me good to be around good people.

Instead of standing on the podium where I’d fallen three years ago, we decided to spend the day at the market. It was barricaded on the northeast side where the bulls ran through town, and much safer. The years of adrenaline spikes in my body were over. I was a mother now and wouldn’t take the risk of anything happening to Mikey. Besides, most of the town’s moms and kids spent their time shopping while the men watched, and ran with, the bulls. Mikey let go of my hand and climbed up the three steps to the tiny slide near Mrs. Gonzalez’s table.

This side of town was peaceful. It was the way I remembered all of Pace being when I was little. It was one of the few remaining places in town where I feltsafe.

“I gathered these today.” Mrs. Gonzalez reached out with a handful of eggs and lowered them into the basket hooked over myarm.

“Thank you.” I placed the change into the front pocket of her apron. When I turned back around to face John, he was holding a sunflower in his hand, and Mikey had another one inhis.

“Well, what’s this?” I asked, smiling down at ourboy.

“Flower, Mamá.”

“And thank you too, darling.” I took the thick stems into my hand. If every day could be this happy, if every day could be filled with a thousand bright suns like this sunflower, I could goon.

Mikey busied himself near the pile of apples at the end of the table as John turned me around to facehim.

“Anna, I think it’s time we set adate.”

“Whatdate?”

“To get married. It’s been three years since our engagement.”

Three years ago, before Ben had put his filthy hands on me, we’d planned to be married within a year. But after that night, our lives had become much more complicated. My only priority was to keep Mikeysafe.

“I know. I… I’ve just been concentrating on Mikey so much. I want to make sure he’ssafe.”

“I love Mikey with my whole heart, and I will protect him like a father should. I love you more than my life. Marry me, Anna. Marry me, and let’s make our family official. I promise that I will love the both of you for the rest of my life, and I will keep yousafe.”

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