Gringa - In the Clutches of a Ruthless Drug Lord (8 page)

       
             
Jack nods several times at Carvil
then
slowly advances towards me and I’m now convinced that Diablo
has instructed
the villagers to kill me. Maybe he was negotiating:
‘I’ll spare your village if you burn that foul
-
mouth bitch on a stake for dis
respecting
me in front of my
hombres
.’

     
             
Jack stands in front of us and scratches the back of his neck.
‘Um … eh …’
He
looks at his feet then shuffles them. 

    
             
‘Oh, for Christ’s sakes!’ Elaine snaps. ‘What is it
, Jack
?’

             
‘He wants your daughter
!
’ Jack blurts. ‘Then he’ll spare the village.’

             
With a hanging jaw, Elaine turns to look at her only begotten, whose face is
the colour of alabaster right
now.

             
‘I’m not going!’
Paris
cries, clutching her chest with both hands.

             
‘My b
aby!’
Elaine shrieks
,
a trace of hysteria in her voice. ‘Of course you’re not going! He’s crazy to think he can have you.’ She shakes her head
at Jack.
‘The price we pay for beauty. I expected something like …’

             
Jack draws back sharply. ‘Not her. H
e wants Payton.’

             
‘What!’
Paris
shrieks, her arms dropping to her side. ‘Her? He doesn’t want
… h
e wants
her
?’ 

             
‘
This one
?’ Elaine
’s
face contorts into a sardonic smile.
‘You sure?’

             
‘Positive,’ Jack says. ‘We offered him
anything
he wants, but all he wants is Payton.’

             
‘M … me?’ My mouth is dry, my hands clammy. ‘What about the stake … burning …
?
’

             
‘Steak?’ Jack glares at me. ‘You
still
talking about food?’
             

             
I wave t
he confusion away.
‘What
’s
he
gonna
do with me?’

    
             
Jack lifts and drops his shoulders. ‘But Payton, he’ll spare the entire village if you like, go with him and … and … live with him …get it?
Everyone
gets to
live.’

             
‘Me, live with him? He’s off his rocker.’ My stomach starts to flutter.

             
Jack frowns at me. ‘Eh … sssshhhh!’

             
‘
I mean, I thought … like … fuck!’ I don’t have to look behind to know
Diablo
’
s
s
taring
at me. I’m so
terrified
of him that I don’t even want to look at him anymore
and n
ow he wants me to
live
with him. God! I feel like a deer being eyed by a
pack of starving
lion
s
.

             
More of Diablo’s men arrived in Jeeps
and the villagers huddle together.

             
‘
Where
’
s the fire?’ the men demand, visibly disappointed at the lack of a towering inferno.

             
They surround Diablo and appear to be badger him
.
             

    
             
Diablo ignores them and
stares at
me.

             
I
quickly
look away. 

             
Jack runs up to Diablo’s man and has a word with him. Maybe he’s pacifying the man - telling the man that I’m thinking about
Diablo’s indecent and fucked up proposal.

             
I look at the villagers
,
I see their expectant, pleading eyes and I feel
overwhelmed with pressure.
 

             
Jack hurries back to me, his eyes bright and hopeful.
‘
Payton? What do …?’

             
‘You’ve got to be kidding! You taking this
shit
seriously
?
Jack?’ 

             
‘Please Payton,’ he whispers, ‘I beg you, please.’

   
             
‘You … how can expect me to say
“Y
es
”
Jack? He shot me
three
times. He’s a killer. He
eats
people like me
.
You saw his psycho mother?
I wanna get the fuck out of here, back to LA and just get back to my normal, dull life. Please.
’

  
             
Jack shifts about
and drops his voice
. ‘Payton, he likes you, he wants you
. G
o with him and see all those people there, looking at you with pleading eyes? They get to live if you say “Yes”.’

             
‘
Christ
Jack!’ I cov
er my ears with my hands ‘Don’t!
’

             
‘Hey, you
slapped
him. It changed things
.
’

   
             
‘
I slapped him, yeah. He had a fucking gun to my face. Now
I’m to blame, huh Jack?’ I know the answer to my question already, but I want him to say “No”.

             
He does not. I look at my father for, well, support I guess. H
is face is flushed, his forehead has beads of sweat and he looks like he’s going to have a heart attack.
I quickly
turn
away.

 
             
Austin
walks up to me. ‘Payton, you don’t have to do this,’ he says, his voice gentle and full of concern.

             
My darling Austin, attempting to rescue me while risking the
wrath of the villagers
by uttering those magical words
.

    
             
‘Thanks
Austin
,’ I croak,
resisting
the urge to rest my weary head on his loving shoulders.

      
             
‘Off course she has to!’
Paris
snaps. ‘She caused it, now we’re all gonna toast. She didn’t have to slap the devil, but nooo, Payton’s gotta be the tough chick.’

   
             
Austin
quickly shrinks back.

             
‘Fuck you, Paris!’ I hiss.

             
Paris
turns to my father
.
‘See? For years I’ve been saying she’s bipolar, needs anger management. Now look what she’s done.’

   
             
‘What do I tell him, Payton?’ Jack presses.

             
‘
Jack,
I don’t get it - he can very well take me now, so why’s he
asking
for me to go with him? Huh?’

             
‘C
os
he wants you to go with him
willingly
I
’s
pose.’

             
‘Willingly
,
my ass
.
’ 

    
             
‘Payton Please!’ Jack cries
. ‘Don’t say that. He’ll kill us.’

   
             
Carvil steps forward and starts begging me in Spanish.

    
             
‘I don’t understand what you’re saying,’ I say and cover my ears with my hands. ‘But whatever you’re saying - the answer is
“N
o
”
, okay? I’ve had my share of hell already. I had to live with Juan and …’ 

    
             
Diablo
drags
a chair
, lowers his bulk into it and
lights up another
cigarette
.

             
The burden to save the village rests heavily on my stick
-
insect shoulders. I could really do with another mi
lagro
now.        

 
             
I turn to my father. ‘Dad, say something. Talk to them. Tell them … tell them I can’t help them. Tell them I shouldn’t have to. Tell them it’s too much for me.’