Something in the Orange

Chapter Twenty-Three

"He wasn't written in the stars, No, but you are"

Not the Sun - Morgan St. Jean

The barest hint of sunlight filters through her blinds as she rolls over, her hands clutching her abdomen, cramps crashing through her as groans.

Vee pulls herself out of bed, cursing every single god she can think of for making her a woman as she stumbles to the kitchen, every inch of her body screaming in pain as she fumbles through the cabinets for her pain medication.

"Gotcha" she mumbles to herself finding them, popping the cap off she drops two into her hand and reaches for the fridge, desperate for a cold bottle of water. Yawning as she pulls open the door, a scream rising in her throat as her eyes land on the bloody head centered on the shelf.

She slams the door shut, taking a deep breath and shaking her head, steading herself, opening the door, her eyes landing on the head yet again, his eyes missing, blood clotted around his throat where his head had been removed from his body, blood dripping on her lower shelves. A ruby and diamond ring shoved in the man's mouth.

"Fuck" she mutters slamming the door shut, shoving her pills into her mouth she dry swallows as she moves towards her bedroom, picking her phone up, she sits on the edge of the bed, drawing her knees up to her chest she hits call on Nestor's number. Resting her head on her knees, trying to soothe the panic rising inside of her, she presses the phone to her ear.

"Now isn't a good time" he murmurs down the phone.

"My kitchen is flooded" her voice soft as it drifts down the line, not sounding like herself.

"Are you alone?"

"As far as I know"

"Check the bathroom pipe and I'll be right there" Nestor mutters then silence filters down the line.

Gripping her phone in one hand, she reaches under her pillow, her fingers wrapping around the small dagger she has been sleeping with. Her body in a trance she moves to the bathroom, her eyes sweeping the small room, nothing looks out of the ordinary as she shuts the door.

Turning and reaching up on her tiptoes she activates the deadbolt, as she tucks herself in the back corner of the room, the drills she ran as a child springing forward in her mind.

In
Out

In
Out

In
Out

She breathes, her heart pounds, panic subsides as she pulls every inch of her strength forward, Alejandro had just declared war and all hope of leaving Santo Padre and going back to her normal life had disappeared in a single moment.

Anger wells inside of her as she paces the bathroom, 9 steps from wall to wall, her mind racing with what to do.

'The first thing they need to do is divert the birds, they need to know how many men Alejandro has, how many guns, how many men are willing to die for him. They needed to stop his drugs at the border.'

She thinks to herself, her mind briefly flashes to Alejandro's wife and daughters, her dagger spins across her fingers, wondering how she can get them out safely.

Two short raps at the door followed by three longer ones pull her from her thoughts, stopping in front of the door she braces her feet.

"143" Nestor's gravelly voice echoes through the door.

Vee's heart stutters in her chest, another reminder of why she can't leave.

"143" she whispers as she reaches up, unlocking the deadboat and pulling open the door.