Assassin's Tears (ENG)

*+｡ CHAPTER 35｡+*

Mauricio drove the car towards Narin's hideout. Earlier, of course, he made sure that the police weren't trying to follow him again, and that there were no wiretaps or transmitters. The trader remained as shrewd and elusive as ever.

The brunet was thinking about the last conversation with Billy all the way. His thoughts were focused completely on something else, so the road he was traveling passed very quickly and now he was standing in front of the old house, outside the cities. It was a place hidden in the nearby forest, to which only trusted people knew the way. From a distance, Serrano saw Narin hanging out the laundry, but she hadn't noticed him yet. The trader smiled involuntarily at the sight of her and then moved his gaze to the letter that was lying on the next seat.

Mauricio sighed and took the package in his hand, wondering if he should really give it to Narin.

The man wasn't blind, he saw perfectly well and was aware that young Morales had an crush on Narin. He also knew that Vazquez was aware of these feelings too, which was why she was reluctant to spend time with Billy, because the knowledge gave her headaches. Brunet wondered if the next confession wouldn't overwhelm her even more, so he struggled with making a decision for a long time. He only came to his senses when he saw Narin approaching him.

Mauricio immediately smiled pleasantly at her, got out of the car and at the same time put the letter in the back pocket of his trousers.

"You're okay?" She asked seeing his expression.

"Hm? Oh yeah." He replied cheerfully. "I just thought a bit." He sighed then walked over to her. "I thought your Berni was going to kill me today just by looking at me..." He began, and Vazquez laughed softly at his words.

"Ah yeah?" She asked amused.

"Ay! Well, I'm just telling you!" He waved his hand.

"I don't think you two will ever get along." She shook her head, not hiding her amusement.

♦•♦•♦

Several hours passed. While the mulatto was preparing dinner, Mauricio was sitting by the fireplace, adding more wood to it, still trying to make up his mind. He pondered what to do, and his deep thought didn't escape Narin's attention.

The woman approached him slowly and looked at him curiously. Brunet didn't even notice that she was approaching him, and it surprised her even more.

The mulatto girl sat next to him, on the floor, by the fireplace and looked at the man gently.

"Mauricio?" She whispered, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Hm?" He looked at her confused.

"Something happened?" She asked, putting her hands on her knees.

"Hm? Ah, no..." He shook his head and immediately brought a smile to his face. "I just..." He added wood to the fireplace. "I'm just thinking."

"About what?" She asked still in a soft voice. "Something's bothering you, I can see it."

Serrano sighed. He didn't want to lie to her, so after a long moment of thought, he reached into his pocket for a letter and hesitantly handed it to Narin.

"To you." He said, stealing a glance at her, then back to the fire.

"A letter?" She was surprised and looked at the gift. "From who? From you?" She raised her eyebrows and her words made the brunet smile faintly.

"No, chinita." He replied feeling depressed. "From Billy." He said while she was about to open the letter. But when she heard his words, she stopped herself from opening the present.

"From Bill?" She was surprised. "What for?" She shook her head.

"He said he wanted to meet and talk with you, but Señor Torres wouldn't let him... So he wrote you a letter." He sighed heavily, still keeping his eyes on the dancing flames in the fireplace.

Narin frowned, surprised at this situation. The woman carefully looked at the wrapped letter and then glanced surreptitiously at the trader sitting next to her. Brunet didn't look at her, focused on the view in front of him.

Vazquez thought for a short while, then sighed softly and threw the letter right in front of Serrano's nose, which immediately brought him to reality. The small package landed right in the fireplace flames.

"Haven't you read it?" Brunet looked at his companion with surprise. "Why?"

Narin shrugged.

"I'd rather not know." She replied while sighing. "Besides..." She looked Mauricio in the eyes and hesitated for a moment.

"Besides... what?" Man repeated, curiously waiting for the rest of the sentence, which unfortunately he didn't receive.

"Our food will get cold." She said, completely changing the subject and getting to her feet. "Come." She pulled brunet's hand and pulled him with her.

"You really don't like these conversations, do you?" He said with a hint of amusement, but he followed her, still holding her hand.

"What conversations?" She frowned and smiled at him. "Which wine do we have with dinner?" She pointed to the prepared bottles, then took the first one that fell into her hand and looked at her companion. "How about this one?"

Serrano just shook his head in disbelief.

"What?" She asked surprised.

"Nothing, just..." He sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "You know you're not going to miss this conversation in the end, do you?" He raised his eyebrows and smiled faintly at her. "You do realize that, don't you?"

Narin sighed, set the bottle down on the table, and was silent for a moment, collecting her thoughts. Then she looked at the brunet.

"I know." She answered honestly, those words went down her throat a bit harder than she thought. "But I still have time, don't I?"

"Ah, chinita..." He approached her with a smile. He stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. "I'll wait for you until the end of my days..." He whispered in her ear. "But..." He brushed back a strand of her hair.

"But?" She asked, placing her hands on top of his and leaning more against his chest.

"I want to know you even better... from the other side." He said, as close to her as Narin could easily feel the warmth of his breath on her neck and face. "Can I?" He leaned in to look her in the eyes more closely.

The mulatto girl slowly looked into his eyes as well. She was silent for a moment, but then nodded slowly.

"You can..." She whispered, carefully looking into his eyes. "And you'll know more..." She nodded. "I promise."

The brunet smiled faintly.

"Can you promise me that?" He asked to be sure.

"I can." She replied right away. "For you... I can." She added, lowering her voice a bit, and her words greatly pleased the trader, who nodded in understanding, then tightened his grip around her waist a bit and hugged her from behind. This time, Narin didn't protest and let him hug her.