The Alvarez Girls by Johanny Ortega

Author:Johanny Ortega [Ortega, J. E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9798986982618
Publisher: Have a Cup of Johanny

Nine

Yaneriz wakes up with a blazing headache. Her neck and hip are sore, as if she’s slept in the worst position and didn’t move. It’s pitch dark, cramped, with a slight gasoline smell and the audible sound of a car engine. “What the fuck?”

She tries to sit up but bangs her head on something hard. “Coño!”

“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” she hears Roberts’ cocky ass voice.

Hearing his voice makes everything that happened in the past 24 hours come back to her. The fucker knocked her out cold when he got in her rental after distracting her. Yaneriz rubs her temples all the while telling herself to calm down. But no matter how many times she tries to self-soothe waves of anger roll all over her.

“So, it was you,” she yells.

“I can’t hear anything,” Roberts calls out as if they are two friends on a road trip.

“Bull shit!”

“Should have stayed in Hell Paso taking pretty pictures,” Roberts says in a maniacal sing-song voice that ups his creep factor times ten and lets her know he heard her.

Yaneriz pulls on her wrists, but the duck tape there has no give. She shimmies her body around to face the trunk door. The car bounces, and her hip lands on something hard and metal. She screams as soon as pain shoots out from her hip, down her leg and onto her entire body.

After minutes of excruciating pain, it morphs into waves of throbbing pain, which makes Yaneriz’s breath come out in spurts.

Respira mi niña, her grandmother whispers.

In spite of her pain, Yaneriz lips twist in wry amusement. That’s something La Doña would say as if breathing fixes everything. As if it fixes being left without a mom and a dad, having to grow up faster than she should, and being rejected by the uncles she thought loved her.

In that moment, a wisp of light hovers in front of Yaneriz’s eyes. It’s not too bright that it hurts her eyes. It’s gentle. Suddenly a sense of calm engulfs her and lets her regain her breath.

Yo se, pero me tienes que creer, todo va a estar bien mi cicloncito, her grandmother whispers.

Until then, Yaneriz had been annoyed—no, angry at her grandmother for choosing to be a quiet bystander. But maybe she’s trying to help, in whatever way she can. Who knows what ghosts can or cannot do, Yaneriz thinks, and allows her heart to soften towards La Doña. Once Yaneriz’s heart and thoughts slow down, she’s able to think clearly. A question pops into her mind: Where’s Roberts taking her?

She pulls her legs as far back as she can and then kicks the trunk with all her might.

Roberts curses. The car swings back and forth before it stops. Outside steps crunch dried foliage. The tailgate squeaks open, letting the pale moonlight assault her eyes.

Roberts looks at her feet. His gaze is dangerous. “I should have packed extra tape. I should have killed you back there.”

The regret in his tone of not killing her, makes Yaneriz’s blood run cold.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.