“I refuse to ask permission from my son just to take you shopping, Valentina. We need a girl’s day out. I want to get better acquainted. A little retail therapy is the perfect opportunity for us to get to know each other.”
Juanita stood in the doorway smiling, but wore a steely expression that dared Valentina to refuse her invitation to get their shop on. She was a stunningly beautiful woman, her mane of pale blonde hair something of a novelty in the Ramirez household.
“Great minds really do think alike then, because I refuse to ask permission from any man, for any damn thing,” Valentina replied with a grin.
“Ahh, spoken like true Colombian cartel chica. I like.”
Valentina hurried to her closet and put on athletic shoes to go with her jeans and simple white t-shirt. “I dress up every day for work, but if I’m going to be walking through a mall I plan on doing it in comfortable shoes.” She stepped back into the bedroom and struck a pose like a model on a fashion runway.
“Like you said, great minds think alike. You see how I’m dressed,” Juanita gestured down to her own athletic shoes.
Giggling like teenagers, they rushed out to the waiting SUV. Good fortune smiled down on them because they didn’t run into one of the overly possessive Ramirez men who were sure to stop them from going on their shopping spree.
Juanita put her sunglasses on as she drove down the long, tree-lined driveway that would take them off the property and out into freedom, for a couple of hours anyway. She enjoyed the privacy of living out in the country. The woods gave her a sense of serenity she had never found in the city. But no matter how much she liked living in the boondocks, there were times she got cabin fever and needed to get the hell away from the compound.
Part of her reasoning was a little on the selfish side: she liked Valentina and didn’t want her going stir crazy and going out on her own. Living the cartel life had a lot to recommend it if you learned to strike the right balance. All the cartel women learned over time how to ditch their bodyguards; it was practically a rite of passage. As flattering as it was to have a bodyguard it still got old being under constant supervision. Time spent truly alone was rare and, therefore, precious.
Though the women had mastered the art of eluding their bodyguards, the Ramirez men were never easy to trick. They seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to their women. They all shared one fear: life without the woman they loved. They were fearless when it came to staining their hands with the blood of their enemies, but matters of the heart left them weak in the knees – and overprotective as hell. Their enemies wouldn’t hesitate to use their family ties against them.
Juanita could sense Valentina had a question on the tip of her tongue. She looked over at her passenger and chuckled. “Just ask, already.”
“Is it true? You know, the rumors about you and Roxanne.”
“If you’re asking if we were taken against our will and forced into marriage, yes, it’s true.”
“Must run in the family,” Valentina muttered, her voice sullen.
“Well, I think my son likes to make it sound better by saying it’s a business arrangement—one you agreed to.” Juanita’s tone came out sharper than intended. In an attempt to soften the remark, she placed a hand on Valentina’s arm. “If it’s any consolation, I know my son and he would never take no for an answer. Consider yourself owned. You could have said ‘hell no, I don’t to be on your spinoff telenovela’ and he would have caged you in the dungeon until you saw things his way.”
“What?! Dungeon?! Some kind of solitary confinement? That’s barbaric.”
Juanita laughed some more. “Oh, no, it would be far from solitary. Victor would be a regular visitor. Conjugal visits, you know. But if he’s anything like his father, and he is, then yes, it would be plenty barbaric.” Her eyes became soft as she remembered learning that lesson many, many times. “That’s how the Ramirez men roll.”
“There’s one thing I don’t understand. Your son could have any woman he wanted and he wants me.”
“Intoxicating, isn’t it? It’s okay, you can say it.”
“Well, on some level, yes. I mean, any woman would find that kind of attention from a man like Victor flattering. But that just sounds so fucked up when I say it like that. I don’t know, just the fact that he respects my career and isn’t threatened by it is something I like about him too—it’s like he wants me to soar with the eagles. Most men can’t handle a woman having a career, but Victor wants to see me be successful. That kind of confidence is rare.”
“I can still remember the first time he saw you; he watched you every day after that, I could set my watch by it. And he didn’t care about the plot, either. It was all you. He was mesmerized. Then he traveled with his father to Guatemala on business and they were shown around the studio.”
“I remember that,” Valentina said. “I felt pathetic that I’d only met him briefly but would think of him from time to time. I knew his first name but didn’t realize exactly who he was. I sure never thought I’d see him again.”
“Sometimes we don’t recognize life’s defining moments until later. Victor recognized it, though. I knew he’d never stop until he made you his. It’s the Ramirez way. You know, there was no one else after that. Not even one. A mother knows these things. I knew it would only be a matter of time before he brought you back here to Louisville.” She turned to Valentina, her eyebrow arched knowingly as a smile teased her lips. “He won’t stop until he puts a ring on it.”
“You don’t say.” Valentina couldn’t help but roll her eyes—the man was relentless.
“Have you talked about having children yet?”
“Talked about it? If that’s what you want to call it. It was a decidedly one-sided conversation. He’s turned my life upside down already, Juanita. It’s a lot to take in, a lot to think about. My career’s important to me. I don’t know what I want to do, and I sure don’t know when the time would be right for a pregnancy. They’d have to write it into the script or have me perpetually hiding behind an enormous purse on camera! He needs to understand, I have no intention of being stuck at home behind the proverbial white picket fence. I plan on working right through the pregnancy, taking some time off and getting right back to work.”
Juanita laughed again, “So barefoot and pregnant doesn’t work for you, huh? Oh, Valentina, you just wait until you look in your child’s eyes the first time, you’ll be looking for any excuse to stay home. Then when you’re finally able to even think about work you’ll be taking that baby and a nanny with you to the set.”
“Hell, no, barefoot and pregnant doesn’t work for me. How did you handle it when the twins were born?”
“Well, it was easier for me. It’s not like you can cage fight when you’re pregnant. And I had already let that part of my life go anyway. I was 100% devoted to my husband and the cartel. Children only deepened the connection, made it something sacred. And the pregnancy hormones? You haven’t lived until you’ve been pregnant and horny 24/7 with a Ramirez man at your beck and call.”
“Ha! I bet your husband loved that.”
“Oh, Ricardo was in heaven, believe me. He couldn’t get enough of me. I think he would have spent the entire nine months playing with my tits if I’d let him.” Juanita’s lips curved in a wicked smile. “By the time I gave birth, that man was so used up, he practically needed ice packs for his cock and balls. Poor baby,” Juanita purred, laughing wickedly. She didn’t sound the least bit sorry. “However, you, Valentina, definitely have one thing going for you that will work in your favor.”
“And what’s that?” she asked with a skeptical laugh.
“You challenge him. And that, my dear, is the secret to keeping any man, especially a Ramirez man. It takes a certain kind of woman to marry into the cartel and hold her own. I have no doubt you’ve got what it takes. You’re strong, determined, and fearless, and that will get you a long way in this life. But I wonder, are you loyal? Will you be able to keep your mouth shut when the chips are down and everything is falling apart around you?”
“Absolutely. I’m no fool. I’m still finding my way but there’s no way I would ever turn on the Ramirez family or tolerate anyone who did.”
Juanita stopped at a red light and gave Valentina a long, considering look, eventually nodding her approval. “Good. Then you’ll do fine. You’ll fit right in. Keep your mouth shut and your eyes open. Now, repeat after me: ‘I want to speak to my lawyer’.”
Victor chuckled as he looked down at the smart watch he’d bought for just such occasions as this. If Valentina hadn’t been with his mother he would have been more concerned, but his mother carried a Glock in her purse—one she wouldn’t hesitate to use if circumstances called for it.
His mother Juanita Ramirez had been a cage fighter in her younger days. She had been running a scam with her best friend Roxanne, who was married to his uncle Antonio Wayne. Ricardo had been mesmerized by the sight of the fierce, blonde Amazon in the cage that night. But he knew a fixed fight when he saw one. He had confronted Juanita afterwards – and decided to keep her, and gave Roxanne to his uncle. Luckily, they both eventually decided it was a good idea and the rest was history. Since then, his mother and Roxanne had continued to train. You didn’t mess with either of them.
Having Valentina spend time with his mother wasn’t such a bad thing. She needed to establish connections within his family, and it would do her good to burn off some nervous energy. She hadn’t been anywhere but the studio since he’d had her brought to the States and that couldn’t be easy for a woman as independent as Valentina. Better for his mother to take the opportunity to get to know her and maybe even mentor her a little, than for Valentina to be out alone.
Of course, when they got home he’d enjoy making Valentina pay for running off without telling him where she was going. He yearned to see her eyes sparkle with fear and more than a little defiance when he had her up against a wall and unable to escape.
He couldn’t resist calling her and grinned when she answered on the second ring.
“Yes,” she said cautiously.
“Hello, Valentina. How are you?” he asked in an overly solicitous tone.
Long silence. “Fine. And you?”
“Well, I’m not so good. Care to know why?”
More silence. “Sure. What’s going on?”
“Well, I came back to the bedroom and you weren’t there. So I asked around, even checked with the security guards and you know what? You’re not fucking here. Isn’t that something?”
“Your mother is showing me around. We might do some shopping. I thought you’d be pleased.”
“Oh, I am. I’m pleased because I want you and my mother to get along. Now, I’m most definitely not pleased that you snuck out even though I know you’re in good hands with my mother. And I’ll be right here waiting for you when you get home.” He could have almost sworn he heard her gulp thickly at the implications of his words of warning.
“How did you know?”
“Have you already forgotten you have a tracker in that beautiful shoulder of yours?”
She ignored him, “How did you know I’m with your mother?”
“The years have done nothing to curb my father’s obsession with my mother. He was watching her from the window when she left with you. Oh, and just to be clear, you’re in so much fucking trouble when you get home.”
“Really. Well, bring it, Victor. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Mm-hmm, I just bet you are.”
Juanita laughed as Valentina put her phone back in her purse. “Just what I thought, you two are made for each other. All that bickering back and forth reminds me of Ricardo and me back in the day.”
“Has it changed? You know, has it settled down between the two of you?”
“Oh, eventually you become accustomed to the chaos, but it has never eased up as far as that men’s obsession. If anything, it became more intense. Now, on another note, that car back there – no, stop it, don’t turn around -- has been following us for the last few miles. That’s something you will need to learn, to always be aware of your surroundings.”
“Who do you think it is?”
“I’m not sure but the windows are tinted darker than the law allows, so I’m putting my money on it being FBI.”
“Don’t worry about me not looking over my shoulder. I acquired a stalker a while back and we think he may have followed me here.”
“Why is this the first I’m hearing about this?” Juanita sounded offended that she hadn’t been told what was going on. The women were as involved in cartel business as the men were.
“Ask your son, he said he was handling it.”
“Let’s get one thing straight: when one of us is in danger, we all are. You and I are friends now, okay? So please keep me in the loop from now on.”
“Are you going to try to lose this guy?”
“Nope. Let him follow us so I can get a plate number. Our security team will be able to find out who it is after that. I hope it is the FBI, it’s safer that way.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean stalkers are fine as long as whoever they’re stalking doesn’t piss them off. They believe they’re in a relationship with the object of their obsession. If they’re rejected it almost always ends up in them murdering the object of their obsession. God forbid he ever gets too close, but if your stalker ever gets his hands on you, play along with the fantasy. That will go a long way to keep him calm until you find an opportunity to incapacitate him or the boys put him in the ground.”
“What if it’s not a man? What if it’s some crazed woman?”
“Then we are in danger.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, when it comes to matters of the heart—whether it’s love, war, or revenge, women are much more vicious. If this is some bitch who has decided she wants your life, nothing short of a bullet between her eyes will stop her.” Juanita’s eyes turned hard, conveying ruthless determination that promised retribution. “If that’s the case I’ll kill her myself. I want grandchildren too and you’re the only woman my son has ever shown an interest in settling down with. Nobody is going to take that away from me. Plus, I want my son to be happy.”
Nothing more needed to be said. In matters of love, war, or revenge, Juanita Ramirez would be far more lethal than her opponent. Valentina felt safer than she had in a long time.