Easter's Lilly Read online

We were sitting on the rocks talking and the boys were trying to make me laugh. We could see Diego coming towards us in the distance. “Here goes nothing,” Hector said.

  “What’s up?” Max asked.

  “He said he just hired two new guys to replace you two.” Max shook his head.

  “I don’t know Max, but I can’t take a chance. Lilly’s pregnant and I don’t want a stray bullet flying in her direction.”

  “Hello…” Hector said. “What about us?” He pointed to himself and Max. Max laughed. “Seriously, what if they try to kill us in our sleep? Are you going to sleep with your gun on your chest?”

  “You two will stay with us tonight,” Diego offered. “We need to stay close until we are sure of what Jorge is up to, Hector’s right. What if we wake up and everyone is dead.”

  “We’ll stay with you but…” Max looked at me. “No, inappropriate behavior while I am in your room.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry Diego but I’m not ready for that yet.”

  “I thought we were passed that, Max.” Diego stroked my hair. “Nothing inappropriate, I promise.” He took my hand. “I want her safe more than I want to prove anything to you.”

  “Me too,” Max agreed. “Me too.”

  “I’m going to put two men outside the door as well,” Hector said. “Miguel and Felix are our two best shooters.”

  “That’ll work,” Max agreed.

  “I’m scared,” I said, and I looked up at Diego. “I’m really scared.”

  “Between Max and me, do you think anything could ever happen to you?” He asked.

  “And me,” Hector said sarcastically.

  “Well, we don’t think she’s gross,” Max said laughing.

  We all loved Max’s sense of humor. He was always funny when things were looking bleak. When we went back to the house, Jorge was in the kitchen with his two new enforcers. Diego introduced them to Max and Hector and Jorge introduced them to me. “This is the beautiful Lilly,” he said. They went to shake my hand but Diego pushed me behind him and said something to them in Spanish. “They don’t speak English Jorge, why introduce her in English?”

  “How do you know they don’t speak English?” Jorge replied.

  “How long have you been working for Jorge?” Max asked them. They said nothing.

  “Okay, so maybe they only know a few words,” Jorge continued. “Why protect Lilly from them?”

  “She doesn’t need to know them,” Diego answered.

  He said something in Spanish to Hector and Hector took my arm and led me away. We went into the living room and I asked, “What’s going on?”

  “He doesn’t want them to get too familiar with you.” He looked back to see how close they were. “Rape is always a scary thing when we have unknown hit men in our house.”

  My eyes opened wide. “Rape?” I freaked out. “Oh no, Hector!”

  “Shhh…” he said. “I get a bad vibe from these guys. Promise me you will behave and stay close, Okay?”

  “No problem there,” I agreed. I began to feel sick. “Hector,” I said. “Do you want to come with me to the bathroom?”

  He smiled. “No, but I will.” We went to the bathroom and he actually held my hair while I threw up. “You do this on purpose, don’t you?” he asked smiling.

  “Yeah, sure I do,” I answered. I sat on the floor of the bathroom. “Hector are we going to make it through the night?” I was feeling so helpless.

  “Definitely,” he answered. “Max and I are the best in the business.” Then he picked up my chin and I looked into his eyes. “Lilly, they are both crazy in love with you. Any one of us would put our lives on the line for you.” My eyes welled up with tears. “Any one of us,” he repeated. Then he helped me up off the floor and he hugged me. “You are very important to me too,” he said. “You’re my brother’s girl and you’re carrying his baby. I love you for that all by itself.”

  “Thanks Hector.” I hugged him back. “What do you think they’re talking about?”

  “I think Max and Diego are feeling them out,” he answered. “We’ll be fine, I promise.” We walked back into the living room. “Have I been wrong yet?” he asked.

  “No,” I answered. “Not yet.”

  Night soon fell and Max and Hector checked the house with guns drawn for intruders. Miguel and Felix were stationed outside the bedroom door and Max and Hector put blankets and pillows on the floor with guns ready to go by their sides. Diego and I lay down in the bed and he put his arms around me, in protection mode. “Diego,” Max looked over at us, “if we hear something outside, push Lilly behind the bed and get in front of her.”

  Diego reached behind him and showed Max his gun. “I’m as ready as you are.” “I don’t think there is any danger of my sleeping tonight,” I told them.

  “Remember what I said, Lilly,” Hector reminded me. “Any one of us.”

  “I’m okay Hector, I remember.” I smiled at him as he winked at me.

  “I’m going to take the first shift,” Hector said, checking his gun. “Max you need the rest.”

  “Yeah right,” Max said. “Like I’m going to go to sleep with her in here.” Hector and Diego laughed at that. My face turned red, I’m sure. I hid it under the covers. We sat and waited for sounds. It was grueling. Hours went by before we heard anything. Suddenly there were voices outside the door speaking in Spanish. Diego did exactly what Max told him to do and translated for me as the conversations went on in a whisper. Max and Hector both drew their guns, as did Diego. I was never so scared. Diego whispered, “Max and Hector are missing, we need to see Diego.” That is what the men outside the door were saying to Miguel and Felix. Then he said, “Jorge ordered a hit on the boys.”

  Then Diego said, “Miguel is telling them not to disturb me and my wife while we are in bed. The men are saying Jorge ordered them to find me. Miguel is telling them that they don’t work for Jorge. One of them just pulled their gun.”

  Hector moved towards the door and looked at Max. “Not yet.” Max motioned for Hector to wait. “Miguel can hold his own. Wait a few more minutes.” We heard a loud BANG and a thud and then again, a BANG and a thud. Max opened the door slightly and Miguel walked into the bedroom. Everyone lowered their guns and breathed a sigh of relief. “Here’s something new,” Miguel said. He held up a needle. “This is what he was going to kill you with.”

  Max picked it up and looked at it. “How do you know?” he asked.

  “He held it up and tried to stick me with it,” Miguel answered. “But Felix shot him.”

  Diego was helping me up and asked me if I was all right. “How’d the last guy die?”

  “Same way,” Miguel said. “Went after Felix with a needle and I dropped him.”

  “Good job boys.” Max patted Miguel on the back. Diego walked outside the room and I ran to the bathroom to throw up. I was lying on the floor when Miguel walked in. “Should I get Max for you?” he asked. That surprised me. Why would he say that?

  “No,” I answered. “Diego will be back soon.”

  Max walked in and nodded at Miguel. “Thanks, but I’ll take it from here.” He pulled me off the floor and got on his knees beside me. He put me in his lap in front of the toilet and held back my hair. “It’s okay baby girl, I’m here now.” I threw up in the toilet and Diego walked in.

  “Don’t worry,” Max said. “No sex, just morning sickness.”

  Diego made a face and said, “Yeah, thanks Max,” and walked out.

  Max laughed as I puked my brains out. Then I lay back on the floor. “What a devoted husband,” I mentioned.

  “I told you,” he reminded me. “Just throw up and you’re all mine.” I laughed as he lifted me up off of the floor and put me into bed. “I so want to lay with you,” he told me. “I so want to taste you.”

  “You are a crazy man,” I said smiling. “I am sick as a dog.”

  “You are glowing with beauty,” he told me. He reached under my nightgown and glided his hand over my thigh and then removed it
quickly. I sat up. “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “I just wanted to feel you,” he answered. “One more day is an eternity.” He looked around the room and kissed me slowly on the lips. “Oh Max,” I whispered. “I was just sick a minute ago.”

  “Oh Lilly,” he whispered back. “You taste like honey.” I started to get a little excited. But as luck would have it, Hector came back in and dragged Max out of the bedroom.

  “Good night Lilly,” Hector said smiling. “Say goodnight, Max.” He blew me a kiss and they left me. Diego was back in a minute but made no attempt at intimacy. I think my vomiting made him a little sick.

  “We’re okay now Lilly,” he told me. “At least for a while.” We slept in each other’s arms until Sunday morning. And when I awoke, Diego was gone.

  CHAPTER 18

  It’s time to tell Olivia