GRINGA (22 page)

             
Diablo nods.

             
Three lashes. Fuck! I need to act quickly.

             
‘Stay here,’ I say to
Austin
and stride up to Diablo. ‘Don’t do it, Diablo,’ I say. ‘
D
on’t
!
’

             
Diablo shakes his head and thumps his chest with his fist. ‘He come here, he challenge
me …’  

        
             
‘No he doesn’t. He’s just ... he’s like, worried about …?’

             
‘Diablo, there is something going on between Gringa and this man,’ Christa interrupts
, her voice filled with excitement. ‘There is. I see it.’

             
Diablo’s heads snap to look at me. ‘Who is he
to
you, eh? Your man? Your boyfriend? Eh? Who is he?’ He throws down the whip
and draws out a gun
.

             
‘No! He’s ... he’s family. They all care, okay? But they don’t know how to handle this. He’s doing what any brother will do for his sister.’

             
A load of crap, but I’m desperate to save
Austin
. No other man has done something like this
for me
before and I’m touched. I mean, I’ve never believed I was important enough or beautiful enough or worthy enough to be rescued by a man, let alone a man as handsome as
Austin
. If I wasn’t so afraid, I’d probably feel a little like Helen of Troy.

             
‘You shouldn’t be upset, Diablo,’ I say, looking directly at him. ‘I’m here. ‘You wanted me here and here I am. So just let him go. Call off Christa and your
dogs
right now. I don’t want him hurt.’

             
‘N
o
!’Christa say. ‘
Diablo
, t
here
is
something between Gringa and this man. I tell you there is.
I am a woman, I know it.
’

             
‘You’re
fucking
crazy,’ I say.

     
             
Diablo’s piercing stare and silence unnerves me even more and I feel a wave of panic
.

             
‘Diablo, it hasn’t been easy for me. Like, you’ve seen for yourself, huh? My family has seen it too.
Austin
’s not challenging you – he’s here to ... negotiate with you.’

   
             
‘
Nego
tiate?’

    
             
‘Yeah. He wants to ...
to
ask that you ... you like, take him ... and ... you know - let me go. 

             
He cocks his head to one side and looks at me mouth agape. ‘Take
him
? I not gay!’

             
‘No, no, no, he didn’t say  ... ’
             

             
He snorts and I see a twinkle in his eye. 

   
             
Thank God he’s amused, not angry.

             
‘Cut him loose, Diablo.’

    
             
He shakes his head. ‘No.’

   
             
Christa is thrilled with Diablo’s answer and claps her hand, her eyes glazing over. ‘Kill him, Diablo! Don
’t
whip him, jus
t
kill the Gringo who challenge you. Kill him!’

             
Diablo takes a step towards
Austin
.

             
‘Diablo! Diablo! Diablo!’ she chants.

             
I grab his
sleeve
. He spins around and glares at me.

             
I stare right back
, sucking in my panic for
Austin
’s sake
. ‘You touch him, I walk
. O
kay? Then you can shoot me, throw me off a cliff – whatever – I give a fuck after that. You’ll be doing me a favour. Hurt him, and you’ll have to say
adios
to me.
I mean it. I really do.
’

             
I’m taking a huge gamble here
,
talking real big. He could call my bluff and kill both of us right now. I ha
ve
no choice
but
to gamble. I resist the urge to wipe off the beads of sweat on my forehead.

             
‘K
ill him Diablo,
Christa urges
as she circles
Austin
like a lion eyeing a deer
.

    
             
Diablo
looks at me
and
we
enter into a staring contest.

             
In desperation, I do something I never thought I would ever do - I reach out and touch Diablo’s hand. ‘You don’t always have to do what your mother tells you to do,’ I say in my softest voice. ‘How can I respect you if you don’t think for yourself, mmm? If you’re gonna be my man, you have to think for yourself
, cos that’s what I like.
’

             
He
stares
at my hand on his
for a moment, then
says, ‘
Corte le suelta
!’

             
‘Diablo no!’
Christa snarls
.

             
Troy
is already hacking at
Austin
’s ropes.

             
W
eak with relief
I give Diablo a genuine smile.
Why does he want me so badly? Okay, so he’s a thug and a killer and a bastard and he fuck
s
his sister – but he still wants me
.
Me
.
Superfluous
, discarded Payton, whose own father couldn’t love her enough to care. It’s confusing but I have to admit
, it’s
salve for my ego. I’m feeling
…
powerful. I challenge any women in my position not to.

    
             
‘Thank you,’ I finally say and walk back to my bloodied knight whose heroics almost got us both killed. My handsome
k
night with no armour. Tall, broad shoulders, beautiful smile, beautiful eyes, kind and gentle. Perfect. All my girlfriends thought he was gorgeous. Compared to
Austin
, Diablo looks like an
a grisly bear.

             
‘What’s he saying?’
Austin
asks, jerking his head in Diablo’s direction.

    
             
‘Forget it
Austin
. He’s not going for that. We need to get you home.’     

    
             
I mutter my thanks at
Troy
and lead
Austin
to my villa, but Diablo grabs my arm
and jerks me back
.

    
             
‘What?’ I ask. Please don’t tell me he’s changed his mind. 

             
He says nothing but
the look in his eyes – well,
I get the message.
‘Fine, I won’t take him to my room.’ I look at
Austin
. ‘Come
Austin
,’ I say and lead him aside to sit on a chair.
‘
Austin
, look, what you did today – it’s like, awesome. I mean, it makes me feel good to know you care so much. But ...’ I shake my head.

        
             
He lifts and drops his shoulders and my heart gushes with love for him.

             
Finally, under the vigilant eye of Diablo, we hug briefly and
Austin
leaves Tana-Mera.

    
             
Only when
Austin
drives off does Diablo leave the courtyard.  

    
             
As I watch his car’s tail lights disappear, I promise myself that I will never cry in front of my family again or let them know how bad things are in my life. I have to suffer in silence.
And oh, I make a mental note to destroy the letter I wrote to
Austin
.
             
   

CHAPTER FIVE

I hear a soft knock at my door. I open it to see my entire family standing there. 

             
‘Wha ...?’

    
             
My father, Elaine, Paris and Austin
hurry
into my room and quickly shut the door.

             
‘What happened?’ My father
whispers. ‘Why we here?’

             
‘Nothing,
’
I say, sneaking a glance at
Austin
. ‘
How did you guy … ?
’

             
‘Your driver just rocked up and demanded we come with him,’
Paris
says. ‘Hey this place is
cool.
’