"I crave you as if I've already had you before, that scares and excites me all at once"
« In which Adriana Narvaez, a mother
of two, finds herself falling deep
into the world of crime after an
innocent robbery turns into a money-laundering bus...
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"You had a guest last night?"
Adriana tensed at the unexpected sound of her mother's voice, pressing a hand to her chest to steady her beating heart. With a small huff, she placed down her cup of wine, her mother's words now catching up to her. Pausing the TV, she watched as her mother rounded the sofa to sit beside her, her mind racing as she tried to concoct a believable lie.
"I saw you two come in, so don't even think of lying to me, Adri."
Adriana's shoulders sagged in defeat, rolling her eyes in anticipation of the lecture her mom would no doubt spin up. Something about how she always chose the wrong guys, and how she never knew how to make the right decisions. As if she didn't already know.
"Then why'd you ask, Mom."
"How could you let that man into our house? After what he did?"
"And what exactly did he do?"
Her mother's eyes filled with disappointment as she sighed and slowly shook her head, showing her disapproval without saying a word.
"Did he stay the night?"
Adriana's chest tightened as she drew in a deep breath, deliberately averting her gaze from her mother. Her eyes remained fixed on the TV screen, the show paused in mid-scene.
"No, he didn't. So, you don't have to worry."
$$$$$
"D-N-R. What does it mean?"
The woman remained silent, most likely questioning where Annie was headed with this. Adriana was wondering the same thing, her finger tapping gently against the poorly made ceramic cup gifted to her by Beth's daughter. She tried her best to pay attention to Annie's lesson for their so-called 'Book club', her head resting against the wall, but she couldn't help it as her thoughts wandered to Rio once again.
"Oh my god, Heather, I'm not gonna say it again. Get the hell off your phone!"
Adriana's gaze snapped towards the woman seated in the front row, jolted out of her reverie by Annie's sudden outburst. Heather's eyes flitted nervously around the room, visibly flustered from being called out, before settling on Adriana. Adriana shot her a meaningful look, silently urging her to refocus her attention back on Annie.
"D.' Do your surveys. The more you buy and return, the more money you're gonna make.
N. Never buy and return from the same store. That one should pretty much be a 'duh' at this point.
Which leaves us with 'R.' Any guesses?"
The woman in the blue sweater timidly raised her hand, seemingly knowing the answer. Adriana doubted it, but Annie seemed more excited that at least someone was interacting.
