Ugly Ronney: mafia romance [English]

Chapter 9-1

The pub in the unique resort was crowded and full of Americans, like everywhere else on the island. In Los Cabos, everyone spoke English. Neither the waiters nor the employees spoke a word of Spanish. One more reason to be mad at Yeraz for dragging me there. We had landed barely an hour ago, and we were already on the dock by the beach. We didn't even have time to go to the hotel room. The car waiting for us at the foot of the private jet had taken us directly to this address.

The sun was at its peak and was beating down on my skin. I was sipping my cocktail, leaning against the fence of the terrace while Yeraz was chatting a little further away with Lucas, the lawyer of the Mitaras Almawt, who I had met the first day at Hamza's house. The henchmen, Miguel and Fares, were also part of the trip, and they never let me out of their sight, except when I went to the bathroom. Standing at the other end of the terrace, they were watching the surroundings, always coming back to me. I wondered how much they were paid to ensure my safety and that of their boss. Suddenly, I saw Yeraz, sunglasses on his nose, approaching me, accompanied by a tall man with an imposing build and severe features.

"This is my assistant, Miss Jimenez. Ronney, this is Mr. Al Jasser."

Yeraz didn't dwell on the introductions. He failed to reveal the man's occupation. He appeared to be in his fifties and looked like an Arab emir. Beside him, a frail man with an impassive face was holding briefcases. I wasn't introduced to him. I imagined that his role was to carry files all day long, in absolute silence. Behind the emir, two giants in flowered t-shirts, likely bodyguards, nodded. They didn't look like tourists or local fishermen. In fact, none of the four men looked like they belonged here.

Mr. Al Jasser's firm handshake continued. His dark eyes studied me until I withdrew my hand.

"Mr. Khan always goes without assistants on his business trips. You must be indispensable for him to take you along."

With a smile, I tried to look happy to be there. Yeraz stepped between us to cut off any conversation.

"Miss Jimenez, can you bring us something to drink and then leave us? Mr. Al Jasser and I need to talk for a while."

I took a deep breath and continued to smile professionally. I glared at Yeraz, but I didn't know if he was concerned about the implied threat behind his glasses.

Lucas joined me at the back of the pub, where I was getting depressed listening to the stories of the billionaires all around me.

"How much longer?" I asked him.

He laughed at my question.

"Business can take a while. I assure you, you're better off here than there listening to their conversations."

In the inset of the open windows on the terrace, I could see Yeraz in full discussion. Could he see me from where he was? I turned my head toward Lucas, but looked at him blankly.

"I think you look much better without your glasses."

A small, shy smile appeared on the corner of my lips. I blushed slightly.

"I think so, too."

"Not too hard to leave Sheryl Valley?"

"I think it's been harder for my mom than for me. She's spent this last week checking up on me like I'm never coming back. It's definitely the first time."

We laughed together. Lucas felt compassion for me. He was quite considerate and that made me feel good.

"How many months do you have left working for Yeraz?"

"Too many for my taste," I grumbled quietly before taking a sip of my Tequila Sunrise.

Lucas pulled out his phone, which had just beeped.

"Shit, the battery's dead!"

At that moment, a flyer at the end of the table caught my eye. I took it. It was about an excursion to the rock of El Arco, only accessible by boat.

"Looks fun," I said, showing the paper to Lucas.

"We leave the day after tomorrow. No time for island activities."

"So, what? We're going to stay like this for two days? Drinking in pubs and staring into each other's eyes while we wait for Yeraz and his emir to finish some money transfer or agree on the future terms of a contract?"

An amused expression appeared on the young man's face. He shrugged.

"If that's what the boss wants. There's no point in going against his wishes."

Desperate, I took my face in my hands. At the other end of the pub, Miguel and Fares were distracted by two women dancing languidly against each other under the whistling of overexcited men. Yeraz, on the other hand, was engrossed in his discussion and wasn't paying attention to Lucas or me.

"I'm leaving!"

"What?" the young man said, panicking.

"I'm going on that boat ride and parasailing."

I stood up abruptly and hurried away before I was spotted by Yeraz's bodyguards or Lucas called them out.

"Ronney, please, you can't leave. We have to stick to the plan."

"There's no way I'm serving drinks all day! Stay if you want. You can be the waiter."

Lucas followed me, begging me to come to my senses, but it was too late.

On the beach, I intercepted a stocky, plump man who introduced himself as a tour guide and asked him if he would be willing to take us on the boat ride. He gave his price in a loud voice. With my eyes, I asked Lucas to pay. It was with reluctance that he complied and decided to follow me on this great trip.