Sold To The Boss: A Narcos Romance

Chapter 30

Isabella pulled the duffle bag out from under her bed and checked its contents one last time. Her heart raced in her chest as the guilt swelled up within her. She'd written a note for her mother and aunt and she glanced over to her desk where it was neatly folded. It was 5:00 AM and she had another twenty minutes before she had to leave or she'd risk missing her bus. She had twenty minutes to change her mind, to stop herself from going headfirst back into the land that had ripped her from her life, her family, everything she had ever known.

Her hands trembled as she checked her passport and counted the money in her wallet. She hadn't given herself the chance to think much beyond getting back into Mexico. How would she find Rafael? Would he even still be there? Would he even want to see her again? She knew that if she waited in the States until she had these questions answered she'd never leave. And something inside her body, her soul, was still with Rafael. If she tried to find him and never did, she would move on. Broken and incomplete, she'd move forward. But she couldn't do that until she tried. Rafael had left her. She hadn't left him. She'd make him leave her again, abandon her, before she gave up on what she knew they shared.

She touched her fingers to the note on her desk and threw the duffle bag over her shoulder. She quietly unlatched the window in her bedroom and slid it up with just enough space for her to crawl out and land on the soft, wet grass of the early morning. She let out a full exhale as she slid the window back down, praying that her mother and her aunt would understand her letter and not exist in a state of fear. She wasn't being taken against her will this time. It was her choice, and every damn inch of it, that was driving her toward something. Toward someone. Toward Rafael.

Isabella walked down the street, the sky above her still dark minus a light ray of sunshine peeking out slowly, blurring into the edge of the skyline. She pulled out her phone and requested an Uber a few blocks from her home. She'd picked up on more than a few things from her time with Rafael, and her eyes scanned parked cars for anyone that may be watching her. Over her past two weeks at home, she hadn't seen anything or anyone to cause her suspicion, but she'd never be completely at peace again.

As her Uber pulled up, she cross-checked the license plate twice before slipping in and pulling her duffle bag in beside her.

"Going to the bus station?" The Uber driver met her eyes in the rear-view mirror and she nodded in response, her heart still thundering in her chest. She could get there and turn around. It would just be one single Uber ride back, and she could lift up her bedroom window and crawl back under her covers. She could tear up the letter she'd left her family and unpack her duffle bag. It would be like it never happened. Like her kidnapping, her time with Rafael, her love for him, never happened. She stared out the car window and said 'no' to herself within every corner of her mind. She no longer wanted it to seem like it hadn't happened. She was running toward it now. Wanting to make it known, needing to feel Rafael's strong, scarred body over hers. The way his lips felt against her mouth, his hands over her skin, the sounds he'd make when he lost himself inside of her. She'd rather live for a few months with him in her life than live years with those feelings existing only as memories.

Isabella pulled her duffle bag from the backseat as her Uber driver pulled away from the curb. She made her way over to the right bus lane and pulled the ticket she'd printed from her computer. She was here a few minutes early, but there was no turning back now. She'd made her decision.

Ryan parked the SUV a few blocks away from the address Rafael had given him. He'd managed to release the three men at the border, as Rafael had instructed. He hadn't seen anyone tracking them and felt lighter without them on his tail. Ever since the shootout with Isabella, his shred of trust in others in this world had officially gone to zero. And as much as he was dedicated to Rafael's mission of getting Isabella to their destination spot, he was even more dedicated to his own personal mission for revenge. He wanted no help and no witnesses. He'd do this alone.

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Ryan walked up Isabella's street in the early morning, moving quickly and quietly around to the back of the house. He peered into the windows, the house and surrounding area quiet. That's when he noticed the slightly ajar window. His senses had been finely attuned to noticing details just like this one. Ryan crept over toward the window, peering into what looked like a young woman's room. Lavender bedding, white furniture, feminine touches. He noticed that the bed was empty and he cursed under his breath before slowly sliding up the window, listening for any noises inside the house but hearing none.

As he leapt down into the room, his sixth sense started rearing its ugly head. Unless Isabella had a sister around the same age as her, this was definitely her room. And it was 5:30 AM and she wasn't in it. Ryan looked around, everything seemingly in place. They hadn't had eyes on Isabella in two weeks. She could've left a week ago or ten minutes ago, either way he felt confident that she wasn't here.

"Fucking Christ." Ryan had spent most of the time on this mission so far thinking about how he'd ditch Rafael's other men at the border. He figured that would be his greatest hurdle. Well that and convincing Isabella to come with him with only Rafael's word as a promise. But he hadn't anticipated this: that Isabella wouldn't be here in her room and likely not in her house at all.

Ryan scanned the room, his eyes finding a folded letter addressed to "Mom and Tia" on a small writing desk. He let out a breath and opened the letter, the feminine handwriting clearly Isabella's.

Dear Mom and Tia,

I love you both very much and I want you to know how much coming home has meant to me. These days with you, safe in my bed, knowing how much you both love me and how much you both missed me, have been everything. My first few hours away after being kidnapped, I couldn't stop thinking of your faces, your voices. The desire to be with you again kept me strong during the hardest challenge of my life. It kept me alive and brought me back to you safely. Knowing how much you all mean to me, I hope will help you understand that this time leaving is my choice. I met a man, a man that I love and who loves me. He saved me during my darkest hour, kept me safe, and showed me a world I could have never imagined. I must go and find him and I hope that someday soon you all can meet him and see how happy he makes me. But for now, just know and trust that I am safe and I am doing what I feel in my heart I must do. And that I love you both so very much, today and forever.

Love,

Isabella

"Fucking shit," Ryan cursed and laid the letter back down on the desk, wondering whether he should destroy it or not. Mission-wise, he should destroy it. If Isabella's mom and aunt tried to go to the police, this note was a starting point for a detective, regardless of how vague it may be. But he couldn't bring himself to destroy it. He couldn't leave Isabella's poor mother and aunt with the fear and dread in their hearts that Isabella had been taken again. Grunting in frustration at where in the hell Isabella could have gone in pursuit of Rafael, Ryan kept scanning the room for clues. He spotted a laptop on her nightstand and moved toward it. He pulled a USB insert from his pocket that could bypass any Mac password. He went to her Safari history and found a link to a recently purchased bus ticket from Phoenix to Mexico City. He scanned the document, cursing again when he saw what time the bus was leaving. He looked down at his watch. The bus would leave in five minutes. He'd just missed her.

"Goddamnit, Isabella." Ryan closed the laptop and crept back out the window, pulling it down completely shut behind him. He ran toward his car, glancing around for any tails but finding the street just as quiet as he'd left it. He threw the car into drive and sped like a bat out of hell, knowing in his gut that he'd probably miss her at the station. He'd have to buy the next ticket and track her back through to Mexico even though their meeting point with Rafael was far away from Mexico. This mission just got a hell of a lot more complicated.