"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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"Thank you for making me completely humiliate myself for no reason."
Adriana glanced up at Annie as she approached where she and Beth were seated. Annie plopped into the stool next to Beth, plucking a fry-- which was probably from Ruby's last customer-- from a plate. She took a dejected bite from the fry, turning to face Beth, before letting her mouth drop slightly from the revolting tastelessness of the fry.
"These are cold." Adriana scoffed, leaning her head on her hand that was propped on the table, a small smile making way onto her face. "They're not ours." She chuckled a bit, staring intently at Annie, waiting for her probably hilarious reaction.
"Ew!" She cried out, letting the fry drop from her hand and mouth and onto the plate she got it from. Ruby sent her a pointed look. Adriana let out a snort from the hilarity of the situation, nudging Beth with her shoulder lightly.
"What do we do now?" Annie murmured, her eyes landing upon each of the girls for the question that weighed heavily on their shoulders. "I have no idea," Ruby mumbled, her words also dripping with drilling uncertainty. Adriana let out a huff, glancing over her shoulder to avoid the expecting stare of Ruby, only to find something much worse than Ruby's questioning eyes.
Ruby's eyes darted to where Adriana was looking, finding herself also frozen in fear. Beth furrowed her brows at the two ladies, looking towards Ruby for an answer. This prompted Annie to also gaze at the rigid women in concern. "You guys okay?"
"Stay here," Ruby mumbled, her eyes still trained on the gangster who sat in the booth a few feet away. Adriana inhaled sharply, gripping onto Ruby's forearm lightly squeezing it as she made her way around the bar. Annie and Beth's eyes trained after Ruby, finally finding the source of their alarm.
Adriana could sense the dread radiating off of Ruby, and she found herself sympathizing Ruby but also glad that she wasn't in that position. As Ruby's feet got closer and closer to the boot, Adriana's clenched hands got tighter and tighter. She inhaled sharply as Ruby finally stood before the three men -- one she recognized all too well and the other two she didn't know at all.
Adriana gazed earnestly at the three men and her best friend, trying to make use of her teaching skills and read their lips. This came to no avail as she found herself only gazing absent-mindedly at his lips. The full minute that the men sat there with Ruby felt like a lifetime, but as the men finally stood up to leave, Adriana caught the gangster's eyes. His eyes spoke a million words at once, but Adriana couldn't understand any of them.
His tongue darted across his lips, before he turned to Ruby, his finger pointed at her. He spoke a few words to Ruby, Adriana's concern growing larger as Ruby glanced back at Adriana before nodding once. She could hear his boisterous chuckle in the room before he and his men walked away.
$$
"Hey, Ma."
Adriana tapped her fingers rhythmically against the wheel of her car, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth. She gazed out the window, watching the teens pour out of the school. This was her fourth time calling her mom, hoping to hear a word from her kids. "Adriana, listen-" Her mom began, before the sound of the door being thrown open echoed through the phone. "Grandmama!"
Tears sprung in her eyes at the sound her children's far-away voices as she let out a small whimper. "My babies! Just in time. Your mommy's on the phone." She heard the excited cheers of her children, a joyous but pained smile making way onto her lips. She could hear the slight rustling of the phone being passed to her children before their little voices made their way to her ears. "Hi, Mommy!"
A small breath of air made its way past her lips and into the phone as she wiped away a stray tear before speaking into the phone. "Hey sweethearts, how was school?"
