Pulling into the exotic animal refuge pushed all thoughts of Luis from Valentina’s mind. As Juanita parked the car, Valentina hurriedly unbuckled her seatbelt and grabbed the headrest in front of her where Roxanne was seated.

“This. Is. Amazing.” Even with only the light of a full moon to see by, Valentina was enthralled by the sight of llamas sleeping out in the open. They were fenced in but had been given so much room they were could probably be considered free-ranging.

As if reading Valentina’s mind, Roxanne said quietly, “King likes to give the animals a realistic habitat, as close as possible to them being in the wild, while still keeping them safe.”

Valentina squinted as she studied Roxanne. “How do you know so much?”

Juanita laughed, looking in the rearview mirror at her sister-in-law in the backseat. “It was her idea. Ricardo had this place built for her.”

Valentina thought out loud as she considered this newfound information. “So, Ricardo kidnapped you, fell in love with you, and built you an exotic petting zoo?”

“Yeah. The Ramirez men really know how to woo a girl, right, Roxanne?” Juanita said with a laugh. “It’s a wildlife refuge, but yeah, I do like to pet my babies when I can. When are you going to get it, chica, that’s how these men roll? Don’t get it twisted though: it’s family and cartel, they are one and the same.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll see. You’ll see exactly what I mean.” Juanita’s eyes were fixed on Valentina and her uncompromising stare made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Valentina looked away first and Juanita bit back a grin.

Valentina kept her thoughts to herself as they passed various habitats of animals such as monkeys, birds, and the llamas she’d seen earlier. But she knew the Ramirez family wouldn’t go to all this trouble for a simple petting zoo; she couldn’t help but wonder where the deadlier species were. She would find out soon enough.

They drove slowly through a wooded area before Juanita pulled up in front of what appeared to be a warehouse. This time when Juanita spoke, she turned around and faced Valentina.

“Shit’s getting ready to get real. Whatever you see here tonight will go with you to your grave in more ways than one: you’ll never forget it because you never forget your first time. If you don’t keep your mouth shut about what happens tonight, you’re as good as dead. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

Valentina nodded, at a loss for words. The air in the SUV was so thick with tension that Valentina didn’t notice Victor approaching until he opened her door and pulled her out. He leaned down long enough to tell his mother, “I need a minute.”

Juanita nodded, then she and Roxanne exited the vehicle in silence and entered the warehouse through a side door.

This time when her lover stood her against the SUV, there was no backing her into a corner in a threatening manner and no breathing in the scent of her hair while he told her all the dirty things he was going to do to her. In fact, the pained look in Victor’s eyes was somewhat jarring to her.

“Baby? I don’t think you’re going to want to be here for this. If you stay…it will change everything.”

She crossed her arms in front of her, trying to summon what bravado she could. “Be specific, Victor. Even I know the clock is ticking.”

“Okay…you want the good or the bad first?”

“The bad.”

“You’ll never forget this. You may never get over it. You’ll have sleepless nights. You’ll feel guilt over not trying to talk us out of it and then you’ll console yourself by saying it wouldn’t have worked anyway. After all, we’re Colombian cartel. What could you have possibly done to change our minds? You may even be tempted to tell someone about it, just to rid yourself of the guilt you’ll feel, and if you ever do…even I won’t be able to save you from my father and uncle.”

“Your mother, too,” she said, cocking her head to the side as she looked up at him.

“Now the good--”

“Well…I’m relieved to see there’s a silver lining to this new dose of reality I’m being gifted with.”

“—if you can see this side of my family and can deal with it mentally and emotionally, you’ll know you’re truly ready for this life – and so will they.” For the first time since she’d met him he showed her his playful side when he waggled his eyebrows and said, “Plus, if you stay and see what happens tonight, you’ll have no choice but to marry me.”

“Why?”

“It’ll ensure you can’t testify against me.”

“That’s only for crimes committed while we’re married—we’re not married yet,” she said as she waggled her finger in front of his face.

“So, if I like it I better put a ring on it, huh?”

“Oh, we both know you like it, and we both know you plan on putting a ring on it because you won’t take no for an answer.”

“Damn straight, I won’t. I’m glad you realize that. Acceptance is the first step, you know.”

“Hey! Are you two coming or not? No pun intended,” King barked out from the opened door.

“So… What’s it going to be, tatted lady? Are you staying or do you need a ride home?”

“I guess it’s ‘go time’,” Valentina said as she took the hand he held out to her. Right now, he was her only true friend and ally. If anybody was going to get her through the night, it would be him.

“Then after you,” Victor said as he gestured toward the warehouse. She entered the warehouse with Victor by her side – her head held high and her back ramrod straight, ready for anything.