Independence & Consequences, M J Marlow [read out loud books .txt] 📗

again.” “Why?” Isabel asked her coldly. “Because I am beginning to see the error of my ways, hermana,” Alejandra replied. She saw Isabel’s expression. “I do not blame you for hating me, Isabel,” she continued as she rose to her feet. “But I make this vow to you now. I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you for the damage I caused.” Isabel watched the girl leave and found herself hoping that Alejandra meant what she had just said. Despite their past history, she wanted to believe that her sister-in-law was capable of such a change in behavior and attitude. She pulled a shawl out of the closet and went downstairs where her parents and grandparents were waiting with the others. Isabel smiled as she was set down next to David. She looked across the table at Alejandra and her husband, and saw the man looking from her to Alejandra as if expecting a storm. “Thank you for coming, Alejandra,” Isabel said instead. “I needed you here.” Alejandra looked as if a truck had just run into her. “I know Rafael would have loved to be here to see us reconciled.” David gripped her hand as he felt her distress. “Thank you, too, David.” “You know I’d do anything for you, Clara,” David smiled at her, making her heart skip a beat. “When are you going to dance with me again?” “I suggest you wait until after dinner,” Sebastian spoke up from the other end of the table. “We are all growing quite hungry waiting for you to stop talking.” He saw Isabel blush and looked at the man seated next to her more closely. David had definitely fallen in love with his daughter. It remained to be seen if this was a benefit to Isabel or not. He said Grace and they all ate. Isabel actually smiled as the conversations ebbed and flowed around the table. What struck him as more significant, however, was the fact that Isabel was actually talking to her sister-in-law. The meal ended; he watched Isabel and Alejandra walk down to the beach. “No, Senor Guerrero,” Esteban called as Sebastian headed after them. “This is needed for the healing of both of them.” The sisters walked down to the beach in silence. Alejandra looked at Isabel and her heart nearly broke as she realized that the girl was suffering because of her. But not entirely, she reminded herself. She had not been the driver of the car that had hit Rafael and caused his injuries. She found herself wondering who that person had been. It didn’t really matter; they were killed in the crash. She took Isabel by the hands and looked at her sister-in-law. “I miss him too, Isabel,” she said softly. “He was a good and loving man. And I know,” she continued with real tears in her eyes, “that he adored you.” She saw the tears in Isabel’s eyes. “You were happy together. Remember that.” As they turned to walk on, neither of them noticed the men coming up out of the water. The men headed for the house, and then saw the two girls. They followed them slowly and silently. Alejandra was sharing stories from her childhood that included Rafael in them. Isabel found herself laughing with the girl she had been frightened of just months ago. Alejandra had changed, she thought to herself. She heard someone moving behind them and turned. There was no one there. “Did you hear that?” Alejandra asked, frowning. She turned to see where Isabel was looking. “You need to see what doesn’t belong, Isabel,” she whispered as she moved up to Isabel’s side. “And I would say the four men hiding in the shadows of those trees do not belong.” She took Isabel’s hand and they walked off as if they hadn’t a care in the world. “When I say ‘run,’ Isabel, do so. Head up the hill and keep going until you get to the hacienda.” “But, what about you?” “Don’t worry about me, Isabel,” Alejandra told her. “I can take care of myself. You need to get Esteban. Tell him where I am and what is happening. Can you do that?” Isabel nodded and she smiled. “All right then. Run!” Isabel watched for a second in shock as Alejandra ran right towards the hidden men. Isabel did as she’d been asked and ran up the hill towards the hacienda. She was nearly in sight of the house when someone grabbed her. She screamed and struck out at the person. They clamped their hand over her mouth and leaned close. “It’s me, Isabel,” David whispered into her ear. “You can’t go up to the hacienda. It was attacked while you and Alejandra…” He looked around, frowning. “Where is Alejandra?” “She stayed behind to keep the men on the beach from coming after me,” Isabel told him, “while I got help.” She sank down on a nearby boulder. “What are we going to do, David?” “Find out where they put the guns and storm the hacienda?” David suggested. He saw Isabel’s frown and grew serious. “We are going to find a nice safe place to hide, Isabel. Neither of us is equipped to handle a situation like this.” “We have to do something, David,” Isabel protested. “This is my family that’s being threatened!” “I’m sorry, Isabel,” David said as he struck her across the jaw and she collapsed. He picked her up in his arms and froze as he heard a man’s laughter. He turned to see a tall, golden-haired man standing behind him. “Look what we have here,” the man smiled coldly as he motioned two men forward. “The flame hair is trying to keep the princess away from us.” He took Isabel out of David’s hold. “We can’t let you be so selfish, Mr. Evans.” He turned on his heel and carried Isabel up to the hacienda; leaving his men to bring David with them. Isabel was laid down on the couch in the main lounge. David was shoved down into a chair at the dining room table with the other men. When Isabel came to, she saw her mother, her grandmother, and Alejandra seated nearby. A tall, golden-haired man was seated on the other side of the room. In his lap, there was an assault weapon. He bowed his head to her as she sat up. “Princess,” he said smugly. “We were wondering when you would join us. I trust your over-zealous friend didn’t hurt you.” He got to his feet and smiled as he came towards her. “I must admit, she was not lying when she said you were exquisite.” “Stay away from her, you bastard!” Alejandra hissed and came to sit beside Isabel. “I’ll damage you if you touch my sister.” “Little hell-cat!” Hawke Lassiter laughed. “I hear you took out two of my men before they brought you down.” He stepped back. “I have no intention of harming your ‘sister,’ woman. She is far too valuable to us as she is; as are you.” He yanked Alejandra to her feet and cupped her chin in his hand while he wrenched her arm up behind her back. “How much do you think your father will pay to get his remaining child back alive?” He looked at her closely. “You are not hard on the eyes either.” “Take your hands off of me,” Alejandra said coldly as she stamped on his instep. He hissed in pain and shoved her down on the couch. “Do that again and I’ll castrate you!” “Is that how you talk to your husband?” Hawke laughed. “Your wedding night must have been quite interesting.” He watched her stiffen. “You are Moreno’s bride, aren’t you?” He dragged her into the next room. “Since he is going to be dead soon,” Hawke laughed as he shoved Alejandra to her husband, “I am going to allow you to say goodbye to him.” He looked at his men. “Lock them in a room and leave them alone.” “You’re vile!” “And it doesn’t bother me in the least,” Hawke bowed his head to her. He looked at the other men. “There is going to be a new family raised soon. When the Guerrero men die, the only one standing will be the stepdaughter, Isabel. The man we marry her to will become heir to the Guerrero, while her sister-in-law, Alejandra, will give her chosen husband the Alvarez.” He looked at David. “It is a pity you must become collateral damage, David Evans. I’ve seen you dance; your death will be a loss to the Arts.” He nodded to his men. “They will be shot in the morning. Lock them in their rooms with their women for now.” Isabel watched as everyone was taken away and then she was left alone with their attacker. He poured himself a drink and came to sit down next to her on the couch. Isabel got up to leave and he yanked her back down, shaking his head. Isabel was angry. Once again, people were deciding what her life should be. He moved closer and she let him have it. He sat back and looked at her in shock. He had been led to believe that this girl was docile, easily manipulated. The force of the slap she’d just given him was not that of a docile child. You can’t do this,” Isabel told him coldly. “These people do not deserve what you’re planning to do to them.” “If it mattered to me,” Hawke told her bluntly, “I wouldn’t be very good at my job.” He held his hand out to her. “It’s time for you to go to your room. Your child needs you to be taking care of yourself.” “I thought nothing mattered to you,” Isabel snapped and refused his hand. “The others don’t,” Hawke said as he yanked her to her feet. “You, however, are very important to me.” He smiled down at her and saw she understood. “You are going to be my wife, Isabel.” “No!” Isabel scratched him across the face and he let her go a moment and cried out in pain. She was out the door before he could stop her. Isabel heard him calling to his men, but she kept running. She hit the beach and headed to the west. She came to the caves and went inside, hoping that she could find some hiding place. She could hear the men coming after her, but she couldn’t stop. She was hoping that by drawing the men away from the house, her family would find some way to get away. The caves kept going and going and she was exhausted. She could hear them coming after her and she forced herself to keep on. She turned into a side tunnel and began to wonder if they ran through the entire hillside. That thought suddenly made her afraid she had made the wrong decision by coming in here. “Princess?” Hawke’s voice called out, echoing in the caves. “Stop running, girl! You’ll get lost.” There was anger in his voice when she didn’t answer him. “Think about the baby, Isabel. How is your running through here, exhausted, anxious, and afraid, affecting the child?” Isabel bit back a sob and turned to keep running. She froze as she saw a small child beckoning to her. She followed him and was led into an immense cavern. Inside it, caves had been fashioned along walkways etched into the rock. She backed up, shaking her head. She couldn’t endanger these people. But where there had been an opening, she found only a solid surface. She turned around and ran her hands over the wall. “You are quite safe here, child,” a woman’s voice spoke up behind her. “We will not let them hurt you.” “I can’t ask you to protect me,” Isabel protested as she turned to look at the silver-haired woman with the deep black eyes, “I just