BAM
Juan shot Pico, the man who held the girl. The man was dead even before Gabriel fell onto the girl on the table. As the bloody head of her near-rapist hit her stomach, the girl fainted mid scream.
— “Wait!” — Lilly finally found herself shout.
Juan was aiming at Jose next, but paused.
— “Not him.” — she said — “He …” — she struggled to hid the right words — “He treated me right.”
— “Are you sure?” — asked Juan, still aiming.
Lilly looked into Jose eyes.
— “Yes.”
Juan decided not to second guess her, and immediately jumped to catch her, as she nearly fell to the floor. As the emotions lowered, the pain flooded her nerves, and she collapsed. He delicately sat her on the floor, and cradled her body in his arms. He unwrapped her hand, which was clenching to the sharp piece of glass until it bled. Her fingers were stiff and trembling.
— “How did you …” — Lilly asked in weak voice.
— “Carlos.” — Juan whispered, stroking her hair — “Carlos told me where you are.” — as she slowly passed out.
After
Lilly was sitting in a living room of a small family apartment. Carlos was sitting opposite to her. She still looked like shit, and he stilled looked worried.
— “I wanted to thank you.” — she said with a faint smile — “If it wasn’t for you, they would never found me in time.”
— “Don’t worry.” — he said, waving it off — “It was a weird coincidence me and Juan, knowing each other, and both meeting you.”
— “I think both of you got to know me quite intimately, one could say.”
— “Yes. You could say that.” — he said, turning red.
— “Juan said he knows you from the service in the Police.”
— “Yes. Police service is also why I look like this now” — he said, pointing to the wheelchair he was in.
— “Oh. I didn’t know.” — she said in a sad voice.
— “Don’t worry.” — he said — “I’m proud of my service.”
His wife came into the room and squeezed Lilly in a warm bear hug, planting kisses on her cheeks.
— “Hello, sweetheart. My name is Lucia” — said the woman.
— “Good morning, Ma’am. I’m Lilly.” — said Lilly, suddenly very self-aware — “Does everybody here speak English?”
— “Oh,” — smiled the woman — “No, no. These guys do,” — she said pointing at Carlos and Juan — ” because they were in police units cooperating with international partners. And I’m a daughter of an English teacher.”
— “Oh.” — said Lilly — “That explains it.” — she gave out a stiff sounding giggle.
— “You don’t have to be nervous around me” — said Lucia — “I know everything.”
— “You do?” — said Lilly, still not certain what Carlos had left out.
— “Yes. And I’m very grateful for what you did.” — she said, grabbing and caressing Lilly’s hair — “I think, you could say it saved our marriage.”
— “Lucia. Don’t embarrass me in front of Juan.” — scolded her Carlos in Spanish, making her only smile.
— “But once is enough.” — she continued — “Now he’s mine.”
— “Of course, Ma’am.” — said Lilly, dropping her head low — “I am happy for you to punish me for … my behaviour.”
Lucia only smiled at her.
— “Carlos said you’re a funny bird.”
— “Yes, Ma’am. Thank you, Ma’am.”
— “OK.” — said Juan — “We should go now.”
— “Oh, no you don’t!” — Lucia snapped at him — “This girl is going anywhere, without eating the dinner I prepared.”
— “But …” — Juan started to say.
— “No.” — she said sternly — “Look at her. She’s skinny, like a skeleton.”
Lilly felt warm and welcomed as she allowed the woman to take her to the dining room, where a table was literally bent under the weight of all the food. She smiled. Her life was weird, but she did not have to think about this now. The smell was too good.