HIS TO LOVE

CHAPTER 1

Aria sat quietly as her step brother Antonio tried to maneuver the car towards the untarred road. She fell back into the seat, who decided to propose in an empty desert, with the scorching sun, the freaking dust that stuck tighter than a glove. She knew this wasn’t the place for a proposal, or the car for a place like this. Finally, he was able to move the car, giving a sigh of relief as it moved forward.

“Finally huh?” He muttered as he moved forward into the sandy mountainous area, forcing a quick smile his direction she turned her attention back outside, it wasn’t that bad, she told herself. Mexico was beautiful and she promised to have the weekend of her life, her best friend and step brother were getting engaged, there was nothing better than that, she stared as the cactus and trees passed by almost quickly and she remembered how Antonio had told her the good news, he was dating her best friend Sheila, three months later, here they were, out in Mexico for a proposal that she hoped they would never forget and if you asked her, she thought it was way too soon.

The car came to a stop, and she turned to him, awed, had the car finally stopped in the middle of no where.

“Geez Aria, relax, we are here” and he pointed up at this hill, it was totally climbable.

She rolled her eyes in annoyance “Seriously tonio, you could have done this proposal at L.A but what is this?”

“Come-on Aria, its like a hike, its gonna be fun”

She sighed looking up at the hill in front of her. “Yeah right” she muttered picking up her camera.

“Remember to take bomb ass pictures and videos” he muttered as they took the hike up

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t disappoint you”.

He turned back smiling at her “Thank you Riri”

She smiled back at him, “Don’t call me that”

“Ok Riri”

“I’m gonna shove you down this mountain” Aria teased sending him chuckling.

Immediately they reached up the hill, she stopped, it was so beautiful looking down at everything below, she could see why Antonio wanted it here.

“I know its beautiful, that’s why I choose Mexico and the middle of no where”

Grinning Aria replied“ Its going to be one great proposal tonio, and I’m so happy for you” and dragging him into a hug she held him tightly, as he tapped her back gently.

Disconnecting himself from her, she watched as he wiped tears from his eyes “ Alright then I’m going to bring Shelia and I will see you soon”

She nodded as she slung her camera over my head “Sure, I’m waiting”

“ Be careful, there are Scorpion’s”

Her eyes widened “What, nooo you’re kidding right, Tonio! Tell me you’re kidding”

He grinned at her mischievously as he gave her a little wave “Remember to record immediately we get here”

She gave a sigh “ I understand, but please don’t take so much time ok, I don’t want to be here in the middle of nowhere, alone”

“Fine” he said and was already headed down the hill. She walked around aimlessly, kicking few rocks in her way. Then she stared at the beautiful view around her and decided it wasn’t bad to take some pictures which she did before consulting her phone for the time, almost thirty minutes had passed and she was getting so bored.

It was a hot Saturday morning, but she still checked back on work, she called her assistant in Florida asking him how everything was going even with her absence, he reassured her that everything was fine before she hung up, staring into space, she wondered, where they hell are they? It was going to over and hour and there was still no sign of them.

Picking up her camera again, she began to innocently take videos of her surrounding, she was still at it when two huge trucks drove into the middle of the dessert, she sat up, now that the type of car you drove in places like this, she thought. Suddenly, a huge man holding something jumped out of the first truck, rushing to the second to open the door for someone. Their boss, cause he looked very wealthy and seemed to speak with authority over them.

Frowning she zoomed in on the people below her and noticed the huge guy was holding a gun, gasping her hands flew to her lips when they dragged a half bleeding man out of the car and roughly to the ground. She noticed it was like a gang, as few other man jumped down from the trucks also holding pistols and guns.

This had to be a movie or something she thought, but the only person holding the camera was her.

“After this no one especially your father would mess with us again” the leader of the gang said, his voice echoing around the empty desert.

Aria heard the man beg for his life, but it fell on deaf ears as they rounded up around him, gun pointed at him

They are not going to shoot she thought they couldn’t.

The shot that followed immediately after her thoughts had her shaking in fear, it wasn’t just one but multiple and she had a hand over her mouth, with tears streaming down her face. She was panting quietly in fear, as she fumbled with her phone to call Antonio.

When the call didn’t go through, she peeped down, her camera in plain sight, still recording and unintentionally she made eye contact with one of the man who yelped, drawing the attention of others to him, and their eyes followed his fingers pointed towards the hill.

She gasped falling to the ground flat, and she knew, she had to get out from there immediately, but fear wouldn’t let her even move a muscle as she lay on the floor shivering. A loud bang her direction had her scrambling to her feet but she froze to a crash beside her, a strange man with a bullet wound to his shoulder, where he had come from, she asked herself but she had no idea. But was he one of them? She didn’t stop to find out.

Backing out, she took off down the hill, praying she'll make it before they used their mighty trucks to reach the hill and who knew what they'll do to her. Her fingers tightened on her camera as she rushed down, this was her only prove and she knew she had to go to the police immediately. She slipped down the hill a couple of times, but she kept on moving, running towards the direction she remembered coming from. She was half way from the exit when she saw her brothers car. He came to a halt immediately jumping out.

“Aria what the hell?!”

“GET IN AND DRIVE OUT NOW!!” she snapped jumping into the back seat and receiving a weird glance from Shelia, who was seated in Front.

“What’s going on?” she demanded as Antonio reversed pausing at the sight of a truck coming their direction.

“Wait who are those?” he demanded.

“People that are going to kill us if you don’t move!”

“s**t” he let out hitting the brakes as he sped forth out of the desert and into the road but the truck was still following them.

“What did you do Aria? ”Shelia cried from the front seat but Aria was too shaken to answer her.

“To the police station” she commanded as Antonio moved his way through traffic and to the police station as the Google map described.

The car was silent through the whole ride, Aria processing what she had seen and Antonio and Shelia both curious and confused about what was going on. In few minutes they were driving to a stop in front of the police station, Antonio parked the car and turned to her.

“Aria for God’s sake can you tell us what the hell is going on and who were those people following us?”

She looked at him then Shelia as she ran a hand into her sweaty blonde hair, plastered to her face and they side of her head and she narrated everything, much to their shock.

“Did the man they shot tell you anything?” Antonio demanded.

She shook her head, “I don’t know where he came from but he fell to my side when the shot at him, I ran down because I was frightened”

Shelia leaned over to give her a hug “ It’s fine, I am here for you”

Aria sobbed quietly on her shoulder for a while before Antonio told them they had to go in.

Immediately they walked into the quiet station the chief police officer was already at the reception. He was a tall, though chubby man, and his blue and black uniform clung tightly to his body, and from his chubby face you could tell he was once a fine young man.

“Come into my office” the middle aged man urged them once they had stated their purpose.

“So you are just visiting Mexico for the weekend and witnessed the murder” he asked once they where seated in his office and Aria had narrated everything to him.

She nodded, frowning as his eyes gazed at her chest, he made eye contact few time but his gaze was directed to her chest. She thought he was staring at her boobs but when she looked down, she realized it was the camera he was focused on.

When he noticed her frown he forced a smile “ I have a son, he loves cameras too and yours…it looks good, but you have leave it here, its evidence for a murder now”

“But-“

Antonio cut her shut before she could protest “Aria, today was ruined our plans fell through, I am tired and I need to rest, drop the freaking camera so we could go home”

With a sigh, she placed it on the table and the officer snatched it placing into one of the chest of drawers and handing her a paper he

said “write your contact details and where you are staying, we'll be contacting you soon.”

She had no idea why that last statement of his had her cringing in fear but picking up the paper and pen, she wrote down everything the chief of police wanted her to.