Traffic

Chapter 1

Guanajuato, East Querétaro, Mexico State.

The alarm went off at 7:00 a.m. The screeching sound made the boy wake up; he rubbed his eyes and sat. His head was still aching a bit, but it would get better with a shower. He winced at the empty bed. He lived with his girlfriend Elena, but they slept in different rooms—because she didn't want them to sleep on the same bed. 

He remembered the scene they lived weeks ago and frowned; he didn't feel any guilt, as he had done everything to celebrate the girl's birthday, make her happy. The only thing he wanted was to sleep with her, was that much to ask? He stood from the bed and went to the other room. To his great luck, it was unlocked. He entered; she was still asleep. 

"Come on Elena," he said in a low voice as he seated on the bed, next to her, "It's time to wake up." But she didn't wake up. 

"Elena..." He tried again; he touched her shoulder and moved her a little—but she wouldn't wake. 

He admired her in silence. She was beautiful and she was his. If she could only let her show how much he loved her! He sighed. If he wanted to sleep with her, he would have to be patient. He was going crazy by waiting. Every morning he woke up in the same state, and the only resource he had was to take a cold shower.

He caressed her bare back with his fingers. She slept with a simple pajama with short sleeves; he preferred lace and lingerie, but she didn't wear that typo of clothing. He remembered the nightgown that he gave her as a birthday present some weeks ago; she didn't even try it on. He was hoping that with that gift, Elena understood what he wanted, but she was too naïve to notice. He went down to where her buttocks started and went back to the beginning. She wriggled and moved so she was face up. 

Eric Wood swallowed down the knot that had formed in his throat; he could see her cleavage through the nightgown, and seeing her in that position only contributed to the frustration of his desires. He reached out her and very slowly touched her collarbone; he descended until he felt those bulges that drove him mad—and that he wanted to fondle again. 

Elena wriggled again, and he removed his hand off her. No matter how hard he tried, she was still saying no. He sat there and looked at his pants; he frowned at the obvious arousal that showed through the fabric. 

He sighed and got on his feet, closed the door and went out to the living room. He turned the TV on and tuned the news channel; he knew that some information regarding the case he was working on with his team would be broadcasted. He had been a cop for four years; now, at his 21, he was hoping with anxiety to be promoted to detective, something that he had always longed for; he knew that solving that case would be his ticket to that promotion.

He went into the bathroom to take a shower—cold, as usual. He heard Elena waking up; she used to turn down the TV's volume. He breathed slowly until he regained control over his body. He rushed out of the shower, and his nose found a delicious smell of fried ham and orange juice. She greeted him hiding a yawn under her hand; Eric smiled pleased. He like that routine, but some s*x before breakfast would be better. 

"Good morning, sleeping beauty", he whispered as he got closer to her. He hugged her from behind, caressed her abdomen, and kissed her neck. She shuddered and peeled away from him. 

"You know I don't like that" she growled with a frown uncomfortably; she didn't like the boy being so affectionate. "We've talked about it, Eric. I don't like you to treat me so freely." 

"I'm sorry", he winced trying to unsuccessfully conceal his anger. "I didn't think you would get mad."

 "I get mad when you violate my personal space. Now I will obviously be still mad", she was keeping her distance. 

"I already apologized," he folded his arms. "What else do you want me to do?" 

"That's not the point, Eric..." Elena became tense; she didn't want to start a fight; Eric always took it badly. 

"We'll discuss it after work. I have loads of things to do today." He avoided having to explain. 

"It's not necessary for me to repeat what you already know", she said before turning his back to him. 

Eric breathed deeply and counted to ten; after the incident between them at bed, Elena was behaving colder than usual. He was losing his patience. 

"Honey ..." he called her, ignoring the rising frustration, "I don't want you to keep angry." 

"Don't call me that way, you know I don't like it", she looked at him frowning. 

She looked at her while she settled the plates and sat at the table. What was her problem? That situation had taken place weeks ago. How much longer would she keep her stubbornness? He stared at her; he was annoyed and patience was abandoning him. He opened his mouth to say something, but the TV interrupted him. 

"This morning, more kidnapping cases were reported", the reporter started. "Up to now, there are two hundred missing people in our country, most of them young women and children. Unfortunately, none of them has been found. Police is taking care of the cases, but how many more people will be ripped from their lives before these 'men of law' can prevent it? More details about this at eleven."

 "Suckers..." he whispered as he turned the TV off, his fists balled tightly. "What do they know about catching a criminal? It takes more than going out in the streets asking for them!" he snarled and hit the table.

Elena tensed, sprang on her feet and went away from Eric. She was scared. 

"You don't have to react that way", she whispered trying to sound calm. "I don't like it when you do that." 

He stared at her with a deep frown, blinked several times, recovering control, and looked at Elena, who was on her feet at a cautious distance. 

"I'm sorry", he said gravely. "I'm not mad at you, really", he stood up. She stepped back. 

"I got to get to school", she said quietly, turned around, and rushed into her bedroom, closing the door. 

Eric's jaw tensed up. He was a complete i***t. Every time he had to remember not to show that side of him to Elena; she didn't know him—except for that night they shared. He sat at the table and finished his food. It was the fault of those scandalous that kept ruining police's reputation; it was their fault that Elena ran away from him. 

He left the dishes in the sink, went to Elena's bedroom door; he didn't hear a thing. He turned the knob and opened the door; he slowly went in. The room was empty. He heard water running and sighed. He thought he would find her upset, crying, or packing up, like that time some years ago. He was relieved to know that she was just bathing. 

He changed his clothes in a rush and left the room so she could get dressed calmly. After putting his uniform on, he put his shoes on and brushed his teeth in the kitchen sink; then he went to the living room, pulled out his gun, and loaded it. 

"Damn it, Eric!" he heard Elena yelling. "You know I don't like you taking out that thing in the house!" She meant the gun on the boy's hands. 

He looked at her frowning; he didn't mean to scare her. He didn't hear her coming out of the room. He put the gun in the holster and stood up. 

"I'm sorry, honey", he smiled trying to reassure her. "I thought you would take more time to be ready."

 "I finished" she said closing her eyes. She tried to recover her breath; she was afraid of guns. 

"I'm sorry" he apologized approaching her. "I didn't want you to see me like that. It's just that what they said in the news... you have no idea of how much humiliation and censure we get." 

She folded her arms, lips tight.

"That is no excuse for your behavior" she frowned now that she wasn't scared. "You always say that you won't do it again, but you do it again and again." 

"I won't do it anymore, I promise", he took her by the shoulders. "Can you forgive me?" 

Liar... 

"Yes", she said, unconvinced. "I got to go" she whispered as she moved away from his grasp. 

"Wait" he held her hand, "are you really not angry?" 

"I'm still angry, and I don't want you to touch me", she freed herself from his hand. 

He frowned yet again, feeling anger building up fast in his body. Oblivious, he went to her and surrounded her with his arms. Elena got tense and pale. She tried to push him, but Eric was stronger than her. 

"I don't like you to be that cold to me", he said putting his face near hers, sniffing. "You make do bad things to you..." 

"Let me go, now" she demanded fearless. "You know you won't get a thing from me by acting like an idiot." 

Eric stared at her for some seconds; he recovered control over him. He seemed to have come back from some corner in his head; he blinked several times and let go of the girl. 

"I'm sorry", he whispered, stepping back. "I don't know what came over me." 

Elena sighed, but didn't answer. She knew what was going on with him, and now more than never she should get away from him. He was dangerous. 

"Go to school", he ordered. "We'll talk about it after dinner", he hissed. He wasn't calmed after all. 

"I don't want to", she went to the couch and got her purse. "I have nothing more to say about it." 

"Go, or you'll be late", he said avoiding her words. He was evidently angry. "I'll see you at dinner time." 

"Goodbye, Eric", she said in a low voice, turned around, and went out to the street. 

Eric hit the lamp that was standing beside him. It flew and crashed against the kitchen wall. His entire body was burning with anger. Why were things going wrong with Elena? He achieved becoming a cop at age 21, worked double shifts so he could afford buying the apartment where they lived now; he did everything to give her the best, so they could be happy together. Why couldn't she understand? What else did he have to do in order to make her his?

***

 A car arrived at Guanajuato city at 7 am; one of the Bailey brothers was waiting silently to make his first move. 

"Well, we're here", Alejandro was looking through the window. "Shall we start?" 

"Of course", Thomas looked at him while he pulled his cell phone out. "I just have to call some friends."

"Just ask them to be less tough. Last time it was a scandal", he remembered the scene; the girl wasn't lucky. She was rolled over by a bus when she tried to escape. Blood was everywhere. 

"I know", he smiled. It had been entertaining for him. That girl did put up a fight. He dialed a number in his cell phone, and heard a response some seconds later. "Good morning, yes... It's been a long time since we last spoke", he was nodding. "The reason why I'm calling is obvious, don't you think?" 

"Tell him we need them to be discreet", Alejandro asked again. 

Thomas was telling his plan to the mysterious interlocutor. After some minutes, he hung up and looked at his twin. 

"It's done", he smiled and poured two champagne glasses. "The only thing left for us to do is choose our future daughter-in-law."

*** 

Elena ran out of the apartment frowning. She heard something crashing when she closed the door. What did he throw to the door? She wondered. She was scared as she had never been; she felt that she had to run away from that place no matter what. She hurriedly walked in the street, completely lost in her thoughts. 

She saw herself as a girl like any other girls; her skin was fair, actually somewhat pale; her eyes were a dark blue that made no harmony with her brunette long hair; her body had the regular measures: a narrow waist, large breasts and long legs. She didn't consider herself as exceptional, that's why she didn't understand why Eric was harassing her. She was wearing a knee length cream colored dress, light brown flat boots, dark leather gloves and a pearl colored scarf, beige thigh high tights, and a black coat over. 

She got to the bus stop and sat on a bench, thinking about what had just happened. She had been intending to leave that house for a year. Eric didn't change, though he promised to do it every time. She didn't feel comfortable around him anymore; far from it, she even slept fearing that Eric would come into her room. Like that night ... 

She closed her eyes to erase the terrible memory. If the situation didn't change, she would have to make a decision. 

She was so absorbed by her worries, that she didn't notice two men staring at her from afar. Of course she didn't see them, because they were inside a black car with smoked glass, watching her, assessing her, contemplating her as their future daughter-in-law. But they had plenty of time—they told themselves—the city was full of beautiful girls. They sighed and continued looking at the aspirants, smiling, smoking cigars, waylaying like a hunter after a prey. 

Elena got on the bus still thoughtful; she would travel half an hour before arriving to school. She pulled out her iPod and tried to relax listening music. She closed her eyes and let her mind free from those thoughts that had her confused; Eric loved her—but she didn't believe it, it was more of an obsession. 

She wasn't so sure about what she felt for him; it was hard, since it is impossible to compare the love you feel for a brother against the love you feel for a boyfriend. They grew up together as children; she knew him perfectly, and when he asked her to live together, she accepted because she was very fond of him, but she didn't love him. 

She tried to make him understand that living together didn't make them a couple, but Eric understood the opposite and problems started. Eric did take care of her and had become her only family. An orphan since three, she grew up in a dark world; the boy was her one support, her only friend; she had no one else. 

Still, that didn't mean she had to let him in her bed anytime he wanted. She wasn't ashamed to admit it; part of the awkwardness and deficiency she felt so often was a consequence of the lack of desire that normally exists when a girl is near a man. She felt no desire for Eric, and that was the reason why she would never sleep with him—despite his many attempts—; it wasn't not enough to understand her and to die for her; it wasn't enough to support her in any aspect. That feeling couldn't be strained.

She rubbed her temple, feeling it pounding; she wanted to leave him since long ago, and she would do it today. Her friends at work encouraged her; they knew the guy and practically helped her with everything. However, she was worried about his reaction; therefore, she would go back and pick her stuff after school, and then she would abandon him. It was the best thing to do, and she had a right to create a life on her own. 

Memories came to her of the days when Eric wouldn't leave her alone for one second; the few friends she could've had vanished because of him, of his never-ending possessive presence; but she never complained. She trusted Eric wholeheartedly; growing up with him practically gave them the same last name... she was so blind. 

In a moment, she actually met a guy that she fancied; he was the football team captain and always talked to her in Science, a class that—luckily—Eric didn't take. He was nice and caring, made her laugh a lot, and he was handsome. He invited her out many times, but Eric was always an obstacle; she felt like she was betraying him after so many years in which he took care of her. One day, after practice, the football guy gave her a flower and asked her on a date. She was glowing with joy; she had finally said yes. 

But the guy never showed up. Now when she remembered it, she waited for him in the place they had agreed for more than an hour. When she got home and told Eric about it, he didn't seem to be bothered; he even told her that if she wanted to date that guy, he wouldn't oppose. She felt better and the next day she waited for him to talk about it, but she never saw him again. 

She got off the bus still thinking. If she had dated that guy that last year, would she still be with Eric? Probably not. She walked, thinking of her words. She still had some blocks to walk, but she could already see the main building of the Technical College.

*** 

"She is the one" Thomas looked at her lustfully. Alejandro looked at her too; she was quite attractive. 

"Are you sure" he asked without looking away. 

"Of course! Can't you see her?" He smiled, excited. "She's perfect!" 

"I must admit, she is beautiful" he said. "Do you think Jack will like her?" 

"I don't care; if the brat doesn't like her, we'll find a different one" he was not going to discuss the matter. 

Alejandro frowned, but didn't protest. He had read the report that they had provided, and he had no doubt she was perfect for being Jack's wife: Elena Wood, twenty years old, no family, the only person who knew her was his nobody boyfriend, she wasn't wealthy, lived in a decent apartment, she was studying psychology in the Technical College, she had nothing but the place where she lived. Perfect. 

Their process took three stages: the first one, Localization, was where they were standing at the moment, looking for the right girl to accomplish the mission. It implied a process—long, generally—of monitoring, when they decided if she was actually the right one. 

The second stage was called Preparation; in this stage, the selected person was taken to an unknown place and injected with a strong dose of a weird mental manipulation drug, which turned their brains off. You could tell the victim that she was a fish looking for food, and she would believe you. This stage was his favorite, since it was when they showed their creativity. 

They could create the perfect woman that fitted his nephew's taste—in this case, she would meet every requirement that he knew Jack would want in a wife. This stage had two steps; the first one was the previously depicted. The second one was renovating the woman, changing her looks, her speech, and even her clothes. 

They turned her into a completely different person, and she couldn't remember anything—as long as the medication was constant. False documentation of a high quality was produced: passport, ID, academic information, family and medical history. The third and last stage was called Re-localization; the person was led to the place of mission, was introduced with a different name, a different life story that couldn't be proved false. 

Nobody was suspicious, since they were good at the job. Elena would be presented as a protégée, following a story that they had used before. She would go home and behave like the lady she believed to be. The process took from five to seven days to be completed. That would depend on the reaction from the person experiencing the effects of the substance which name he couldn't remember. He sighed and resumed looking at the girl, who walked thoughtfully; his brother was also looking at her. 

Alejandro pulled his cell phone out and gave instructions to one of his subordinated. He wasn't cruel, especially when he was dealing with women. He ordered them to be careful, and to not hurt her. 

"Caucasian girl in cream dress" he pointed. "I don't want a mess, be careful." 

He looked at Thomas, who was smiling, pleased; he knew that he enjoyed this type of situations, when someone died; they were very different in that aspect. Being twins wasn't easy. Despite growing up with him, he couldn't get used to have identical faces, green and gray eyes, blonde hair with some gray hairs from age, a thick fair beard, both of them handsome, single, owners of companies and businesses. 

He accepted the glass that his twin offered him, rather to dissolve the knot in his throat than to celebrate; they toasted the future couple, the marriage they would settle, but overall, the money they would make when this was achieved.

*** 

She sighed when she convinced herself of her decision. Her friend Sarah would give a place to sleep while she looked for another apartment. She just had to wait for the right moment, and she would be free. 

"Help!" she heard a scream. "Help me, please!" someone continued. 

The voice was so desperate that took her out of her mind. She looked at the street to find out who was screaming for help, but she couldn't see any one. 

"Please, help me!" the voice shouted again, and she spotted it. 

The screaming came from an alley. She could see not far from her a woman trying to escape from a pair of guys who had cornered her. She was crying and yelling. Why did nobody hear her? She dismissed this thought and ran to her, willing to help. 

"Hey! Leave that lady alone!" she called out as she got nearer. She pulled out her cell, "One call, and police will come and get you!" she threatened. 

The men stopped and turned to look at her. The old lady was on her knees, begging for mercy. She took another step and called Emergencies. 

"Police? Two men are attacking an old woman, two streets from the Technical College" she indicated to the officer, "In the alley."

"Damned you!" she heard one of the guys say. They ran from the old lady, and she saw them disappear in the dark. 

She approached the woman and helped her stand up. 

"Don't worry, you'll be fine" she smiled at her reassuringly. 

The old lady smiled at her; she was now on her feet and was brushing the dust off her clothes. 

"I am very grateful, miss" she said. "I don't know what would've happened if it wasn't for you." 

Elena smiled at her again, linked her arm with hers and helped her walk.

"Are you OK?" 

"Yes, dear, thank you so much" she smiled again. 

"I'm glad. I hope you will be more careful. It isn't safe to walk by these alleys, even if it is daytime", she was explaining; she now could see that the lady was not that old. 

"You're right, dear" the woman agreed, "It isn't safe to walk by here." She said this last bit so quietly that Elena could barely hear her; she didn't understand the tone of her voice, a voice that was now different, she thought. 

"Do you want me to walk you to the street? Where are you heading?" 

"It's not necessary" the woman declined with a head nod, "I was going to the market; this is a shortcut that I always take. Besides those men are gone, so I can walk safely." 

"Right" she accepted smiling. "Well, then I should leave." The girl said goodbye and shook her hand. 

She walked towards the end of that dark tunnel; chills started creeping up her spine, though she didn't know why. She began walking faster, without realizing; something was urging f the darkness as soon as possible. 

She looked back to see the lady, but she wasn't there anymore. This made her feel a cold and dry fear taking over her body. She was reaching the end of the alley; she could already hear the hustle of the cars and the pedestrians; she would be out in the light in some seconds. Then she saw someone entering the alley, walking right to her. The person stopped in front of her; she also stopped quickly. She knew this wasn't a good thing. 

"These streets are very dangerous, Ms. Wood." 

She froze when she listened. She turned and intended to run away, but she ran into another man that was waiting for her, on her back. They grabbed her by the shoulders; she couldn't see their faces. They were utterly quiet. A third guy appeared and took her purse. Was this a robbery? 

"Take everything" she said in an attempt to be free, "I won't call the police." 

"You already did. Do you think I didn't notice?" 

Her eyes opened wide in terror. Were those the same guys she had driven away some minutes ago? 

She felt lost. They didn't even have to fight her; she was frozen. She heard more footsteps from behind and watched amazed how the woman that she had helped before was looking at her amused, taking a wig off her head and the rags she was wearing, and came up to her, grabbing her savagely by the neck. 

Elena was crying, terrified, as the woman showed her a syringe full of a transparent liquid leaking from the point of the needle. She tried to scream with all her might when she felt the piercing steel sinking in her skin. After that, everything went black, dark as the tunnel where she was trapped in.