Marie, Laura - Miss: Senorita and the Soldado [The Miss Series 2] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) (11 page)

Mathew stood in his father’s study, along with Jack and Salvatore. They waited for the call. The one that said her plane had landed safely in New York. Elloisa was truly alive, and her identity was confirmed by the agency. She made it across the border and was under the protection of DEA agents. She was coming home.

Mathew’s cell phone rang, and everyone froze where they were.

“Yeah, John?”

“She’ll be there in thirty minutes. I’m on my way and about ten minutes from your parents’ house. It doesn’t look like they were followed, but we’re not taking any chances.”

“Thank you, John. Thank you so much. We’ll be waiting.” Mathew hung up the phone. Their mother re-entered the office. Her eyes were bloodshot. She had been crying again and hadn’t slept in three days. None of them had.

“Mamma, she’s on her way here. They made it,” Mathew told her, and she began crying again.

Their father wrapped his arms around his wife. Their mother was a beautiful woman, thin with short brown hair and light brown eyes. Her daughter Elloisa had been a mirror image of her mother. Jerry wondered what she would look like now.

What had she gone through and survived? There were so many questions for Elloisa. Jerry was also worried because he knew that the family members weren’t the only ones who wanted her to answer questions.

“Don’t cry, Teressa. We need to be strong for Elloisa. She’ll need us now. She’ll need all of us.” Her husband looked toward his sons.

They had all been shocked by the news, and none of them had been able to do anything constructive but sit and wait for Elloisa’s return. It was a roller coaster of emotions between the news of her escape, the possibility she had been massacred in the drug war, and then her success in crossing the border, only to be ambushed again. They were all exhausted.

Jack stood by the window, along with his brother Salvatore. He spoke softly into the small receiver on his sleeve, obviously checking with security around the perimeter of the house.

Since news of Elloisa’s return to the States, the DEA wanted to enlist extra security. Jerry agreed, especially after the multiple attempts on his daughter’s life. Jerry and his wife Teressa had been blessed with wonderful, attractive children. They had dark black hair, olive complexions, but Jack had jade green eyes like his father, and Salvatore had dark brown eyes like Teressa. They were both tall and in excellent shape. They had to be with jobs like theirs.

Mathew stood near the doorway pacing. All Mathew seemed to talk about was the last time he saw Elloisa. He had been shot by Ramos, Armando’s bodyguard. She was sure to think he had been killed. They needed Elloisa here with them so they could have a complete family and move on with their lives. Hadn’t they lost enough time together? Jerry was growing impatient by the minute and tried to calm his breathing. The anticipation was torture in itself.

* * * *

Elloisa looked out of the window as they drove through the residential neighborhood along with Gustavo and the other agents. The four men had been her constant bodyguards for the past twenty-four hours. Gustavo didn’t seem to trust her or like her one bit now that they were on US soil. It hurt, considering what they went through and how they survived together. She continuously caught him watching her, studying her, and she knew exactly what he was doing.

He actually wondered if she really was a prisoner or if she enjoyed being Armando’s possession. Gustavo wasn’t the only one who would think that. After all, she had remained with Armando for over a year’s time. Perhaps, Gustavo thought she was involved with the criminal activity as well. He hadn’t a clue. None of them did. She was scarred for life. She wanted nothing more than to kill Armando herself, but when it came down to doing it, she wasn’t capable. She shook and cried, unable to take out her revenge and her anger on him. Was there a part of her that still loved him? She hoped not because he didn’t love her. He never had.

Agent Williams informed her of what really happened that day fourteen months earlier.

Her father wasn’t on the take, he was working undercover.

Her brother tried to save her from Armando, but it was too late.

Everything she had assumed happened had been wrong. Armando fooled her, broke her down with intimidation and threats.

If she had known the truth then she would have tried to escape earlier.

The thoughts sent an enormous pain through her heart. She would have to live with that new knowledge for the rest of her life.

She closed her eyes and prayed that her family still loved her.

* * * *

The car pulled onto a long private road where only three very large houses resided. Her parents’ house was at the end of the road farthest from the other two homes.

It was gorgeous, semi-private, and about forty minutes north of the city.

Initially, she hadn’t seen anyone around, but when they came closer to the security gates, men bearing guns came into sight.

She hoped that there was solitude, privacy, and security at her parents’ home. Her palms were sweaty, her heart racing, and feelings of guilt and shame filled her body. Armando had taken too much from her.

She felt heartless, detached…lost.

All the emotions disappeared and were replaced by pure relief and love as the front door opened and her family filled the colonial front porch. The car stopped and everyone got out. Elloisa’s family ran toward her, and she ran toward them

* * * *

“Elloisa!” they called out in unison, and her parents embraced her then her brothers did as well. They kissed and hugged. Everyone was crying.

“My God, you’re beautiful. You’re so beautiful,” her mother exclaimed.

Elloisa was hysterical. Her body went weak in her brothers’ arms.

She reached up to place the palm of her hand against Mathew’s cheek. He looked so handsome. All three of her brothers were gorgeous.

“You’re alive. Oh, Mathew…”

Mathew pulled his sister into an embrace. Salvatore and Jack hugged them both.

Her mother Teressa wept as Elloisa’s father held her upright.

“My Elloisa, my angel,” her mother’s words collided with her sniffles and tears.

“Oh, Mamma.”

Elloisa was relieved and so emotional she nearly fainted. Her brothers held her close to them, and the feel of their arms around her brought her joy.

“Let’s head inside where you can sit down,” Mathew stated then assisted Elloisa into the house and everyone followed.

* * * *

Walking through the foyer, inhaling the familiar scent of cinnamon and apples brought more tears to Elloisa’s eyes. The large painting of a picturesque scene of gondolas in Italy above the entry table, the wrought iron coat rack, the marble umbrella holder all remained in the same places as before she left.

Elloisa covered her mouth as she eyed the spiral, wooden staircase that led to the bedrooms upstairs. Was her bedroom still the same? The thoughts made her feel afraid. Did her family think that she was dead, too? Had they even tried to search for her or get to her in Mexico? So many thoughts went through her mind.

It wasn’t until they all sat in the living room that Elloisa remembered Gustavo and the other agents. It had been an emotional reunion and an exhausting trip.

Elloisa sat on the couch beside her mother. The moment she laid her head back to rest, she felt the dizziness and exhaustion. So she opted to sit up straight, her hands clasped on her lap. She was tense, definitely tense, and she was certain it stemmed from the apprehension of the questions her family would have, never mind the presence of the agents. But she also felt the welcoming feeling of being home. It was somewhat difficult. She had thought they were all dead. They had finally accepted that fact and also realized what kind of a man Armando was. Yet, here she was in her parents’ home, surrounded by her family.

All eyes were upon her. Mathew sat across from her, Salvatore and Jack stood near the fireplace, and her parents, sat beside her on the couch.

“Are you hungry, thirsty?” Teressa asked, placing her warm hand gently over Elloisa’s.

Elloisa smiled then stared down at her mother’s hand upon hers. It was such a small action Elloisa had taken for granted years ago. The skin-to-skin contact of holding hands, an embrace, a hug or kiss on the cheek from family, she had missed out on so much. Now that she was with them so close, she craved their touch, their love and affection.

“I’m good, Mamma,” she whispered as a tear escaped her eye. She felt it slowly roll down her cheek then land upon her lap. She was certain they all watched and that they all saw her emotion.

She looked at each of them, absorbing how they had changed yet what had remained the same.

“I can’t believe you’re all alive,” she stated, her voice cracking.

“I…I thought that you all were dead…Mathew…” She swallowed hard, the tears flowed, and as she looked through clouded vision, she saw they all were crying.

“It’s…” She couldn’t get out the words or what she felt inside. She wanted to tell them it was like being around ghosts or in a dream, a fantasy she could only have in sleep, not in real life. But they were real and they were sitting with her now.

“Elloisa, I…I can’t believe you are here. This is a shock for us as well. We thought he had…we thought you were dead. How did you survive?” Teressa asked.

Elloisa felt the anxiety, the fear, of having to tell her family what had happened.

She pulled her hands away from her mother and bowed her head. She wiped a hand across her eyes to remove the tears best she could. Mathew handed her a tissue.

She smiled then used it to wipe her eyes.

“I…I did what I needed to. Everything seems like such a blur now. It’s so shocking to be here and to see all of you.”

“Our prayers have been answered. Our daughter is alive and back home where she belongs,” Teressa whispered.

Elloisa stared at her mother. She looked the same aside from the bloodshot eyes and the tired expression. She knew they had heard about her escape and how they evaded an ambush.

“How did you make it across the mountains and the desert?” Jerry asked her.

“It was brutal, but I was determined to get home.”

They asked a few more questions and filled her in on John’s part and the latest intel on Armando’s men. Elloisa felt herself leaning back against the couch. Despite not seeing her family in over a year, she felt at home and comfortable. The idea that she could finally rest for a decent amount of time caused her to yawn.

Agent Thomas cleared his throat and began to speak.

“We have some things to go over with you, Elloisa. They are important to our investigation,” he exclaimed with attitude.

Elloisa exhaled.

“I have been with my family for less than ten minutes, Agent Williams. I haven’t slept in days and my head is pounding. I would prefer to discuss this at a later time.”

She dismissed him with finesse, and her brothers seemed shocked but also tickled by it. From the moment they arrived, Williams had given them all the stare down and appeared to be analyzing their every response and move.

“Maybe Elloisa is tired. Perhaps some rest before dinner?” Jerry interrupted the awkward moment and Elloisa was grateful.

She nodded in agreement then placed the back of her hand against the side of her forehead. “I am a bit tired, sir. I feel kind of dizzy, so a rest sounds good.”

Her father looked at her strangely then quickly smiled to cover up whatever he felt.

She stood up from the couch.

Mathew rose from the couch ready to accompany her to her room along with everyone else. She paused before they could follow.

“I will find my way. No need to follow so close.”

Mathew smiled.

“Of course, Elloisa. Your room is all ready. Extra blankets are in the closet if you need them.”

“Thank you, Mathew.” She stared at him a moment, recalling how he was shot and that she saw him fall to the ground with a thump. She saw all the blood and just knew he was dead. Armando told her he was dead.

Mathew held her gaze as if he understood what she was thinking and remembering.

The word “sorry” sat on the tip of her tongue. She was so sorry for falling in love with Armando. Sorry for not having enough faith in her family. She was sorry for more things than she had time at the moment to remember and go through one by one. Instead she pulled him into an embrace, and her brother held her close.

“I’m so happy that you are alive,” she whispered then kissed his cheek and released him.

* * * *

“We’re all involved with this from here on out. Understand, Agent Williams? Mathew asked as he stood next to his friend John.

“I told you, Mathew, we have our agents working on the case.”

“Well, we’re working on the case, as well. We want Sintorez and his whole operation brought down,” Mathew added then crossed his arms in front of his chest. He stared at Agent Williams, not sure that he really liked the guy.

“We understand your position, and there’s a lot at stake here. We still have agents in the field,” Williams told them, and John spoke next.