Loving Vicente

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VICENTE’S POV:

Waking up the next morning, I felt drained. I had spent the night tossing and turning, thinking about what I just started. I knew there was going to be some sort of repercussions, I just didn't know when. After showering and getting dressed, the silence in my room is broken by the sound of my door slamming open. "What the fu-" I start to say before I'm met with a furious-looking father.

"Vicente. What the f**k did you do? Do you realize who you killed?" He breathes out angrily. Clenching my fists, I try to keep my anger under control. "I did what I had to." My voice echoed loud in my ears, I wasn't backing down. Not with her.

This only seemed to anger my father more as I watch his face twist. "All for some puta!" (Bitch.) His yells cause Anna to burst into the room. "Pa calm down. Please." She says firmly. He loved Anna, he would never hurt her. She knew coming in here would defuse him. I look at her with an appreciative look, receiving a gentle smile in return. My father mutters inaudible curse words while he walks out of my room.

"Vicente, you know what you're doing right?"Anna asks wearily. I could see worry written all over her face. I wanted to reassure her but I knew what was coming, it was only a matter of time. Giving her a nod, she gently shuts my door behind her. I lay in bed awhile, filling my thoughts with my mother's poems and the gentle words she left behind.

Unintentionally, a tear rolls down my face. Getting angry for being weak, I wipe it away. Sitting up in a hurry, I pull out my phone and text the guys. We needed to be on the lookout tonight and make sure nobody uninvited rolls into town.

I send a few over to Anna's house to watch over the girls. I knew they would feel weird about it, but it didn't matter as long as she was safe. Heading to my car, I throw it in reverse and back out the driveway. As I'm leaving, my father slams his hand down on the trunk of my car, capturing my attention. "What do you need?" I spit out. "Come back inside, I need to talk with you."

Swinging the door open, I walk back inside. Frustration grows with each step I take toward his office. I hated being in there. I felt more like an employee than I did a son. "Vicente." He says curtly as I reach the door. "What is it?" For a second, I think he might talk with me like an actual father like he might reason with me and see where I was coming from.

Those thoughts are quickly erased when he launches into a conversation about a counterattack and about how I could be so stupid. My eyes glaze over, tuning out the whole conversation. When my father's phone rings, his words are cut short. Dismissing me with the wave of his hand, I willingly exit the house and smash off towards the meet point.

DANIELLA’S POV

Walking into the hospital, memories of that night flash in my mind. My chest tightens, making me feel anxious. I take slow, steady breaths and try to calm myself down. "Are you OK?" Anna asks beside me. "I'm fine, just got a little anxious." She nods, linking her arm to mine. "Let's try to be happy, OK? It'll make my dad feel better." Throwing on a smile, we step into his room. "Hi, tio!" I say excitedly. His face lights up seeing us. "Sacame de aqui." He says, lowering his voice. (Get me out of here.)

Anna and I let out a laugh. "You'll be able to leave at the end of the week tio. You need to rest." He rolls his eyes and smacks his lips. "Estoy bein. Ustedes se preocupan demasido." (I'm fine. You guys worry too much.) Propping him up, I push another pillow under his head. We stay with him until he kicks us out, telling us we were invading his space. Man. Who knew hospital tio was so sassy?

On the way home, I noticed Anna zoning out. She'd been having this spacey look in her eyes lately. "Are you OK, Anna? You can talk to me." I say softly. She lets out a sigh, glancing my way. "It's just. The men that robbed us, were a rival cartel. I've lived in this town long enough to know there's going to be a war." My stomach settles with an uneasy feeling. "I just don't want you to be in the middle of it." She finishes. "Anna. If things do go south, just know I wanted this. I want him." I say confidently.

My answer seems to upset Anna because she goes quiet on me. When we pulled into the house, she remained silent heading into her room. Letting out a sigh, I grab my book and take my usual place outside. The night had a nice breeze, it was my favorite time. As I'm reading, I notice a car that hadn't been there before parked towards the end of the property.

Fear sets in as I run inside and lock the door behind me. Barging into Anna's room, she looks up from her laptop startled. Seeing the panic in my eyes, "What's wrong?" She asks. My chest gets tight as I try to get the words out. "There's a car parked at the edge of the property," I say.

Not even sure if it was threatening, but the anxiety of that night replayed in my mind. Anna runs out to the living room, peeking out the window. When she spots who I'm talking about, she turns to face me. "Call Vicente." Without a second thought, I turn towards my room and grab my phone.

As I wait for him to pick up the call, I make my way back into the living room. Anna stood in the same position, her fingers enclosed between the blinds. "Hola hermosa," Vicente answers, causing me to blush. "Hi Vicente, there's a car parked by the house," I tell him right away. He lets out a chuckle, almost finding me amusing. "Don't worry beautiful. He's a friend of mine."

Letting out a sigh of relief, I tell Anna. She rolls her eyes and walks back towards her room. "Anna seems upset with me," I say softly. "She thinks I'm going to be wrapped up in all of this." Vicente listens to my concerns before offering his response. "Trust me, my love. I'm going to do my damnedest to keep you out of this." Hearing his reassure, my doubt eases. Staying on the phone a while longer, we talk more. He tells me everything has been quiet so far, but they were prepared for anything. Saying he'll pick me up tomorrow, we end the call.

Anna being mad weighed on my mind. Walking to her door, I let out a soft knock. She doesn't say anything right away, but just when I thought she might be asleep I hear her footsteps approach. "Yeah?" She asks, poking her head around the door. "I don't like you being mad at me," I say bluntly.

She studies my features a moment before opening her door wider, ushering me in. Taking a seat on her bed, I await her response. "Listen, Daniella. I'm sorry for how I acted, I've just lost too much these last years. I don't want to lose you too."

The last part comes out cracked like she was holding back tears. "I'm sorry Anna. Vicente said he's going to protect me." I say, trying to offer some type of reassurance. "When is enough though Daniella? Where do you draw the line with him?" Her abrupt response throws me. "What are you saying, Anna?"

Her eyes fill with sadness. "I mean, where do you see this going? He will always be him and you will always be you." Her words felt like a slap to my face, even though I knew she was telling the truth. "I'm sorry, Daniella. I was too hard-" I cut her off, "It's fine. Goodnight." I say gently, walking out of her room and into mine.

My thoughts race with events from this past summer. How did I manage to get so off track? My phone lights up with a text. "We hope everything is well!" It read. Guilt lingers in my mind, I don't like lying to my parents. Sending them a quick response, I settle into bed. Tossing and turning, I try to get comfortable.

After a while, I let out a frustrated huff. Though my body was physically tired, my mind couldn't be more awake. I shouldn't want him. His life is chaotic, he has a bad temper, and my parents would never approve. With all that in mind, I can't seem to erase the feeling of his lips or the way he touches my soul like no other. Before falling asleep that night, I had made a decision. I wasn't going to give Vicente up, I couldn't give him up.