Page 61 of In a Perfect World

Chapter 31

Triana~

It was Friday, and I hadn’t gotten any sleep last night to add to the long list of reasons why I felt so damn exhausted.Thankfully, except for mealtimes, I’d been left alone all day yesterday, but it was so hard to know if that was a good thing or not.I was a media sensation, and no one was appreciating it very much over here.

The only bright spot was the day guard seemed to be decent enough.When she had taken me back to my cell after speaking with Tomasco, I’d read that her name was L.Valdez, and even though I knew that women could be just as brutal as men, she didn’t frighten me like the others.Of course, she hadn’t kidnapped me off Rancher Hills land, so that might have a lot to do with it.

I also couldn’t help but think of my parents as I sat in my cell with nothing to do but regurgitate all the mistakes that I’d made over the past few weeks.I’d been raised to believe that everything happened for a reason, but I couldn’t figure out the reason for this.If it was God trying to teach me to be grateful for what I had, I’d already been grateful for what I had.I hadn’t wantedmore, I had wanted a chance at somethingdifferent, and it really was that simple.

The sounds of boots stomping against the concrete floor had me sitting up in my cot, ready to defend myself, if necessary.However, when those boots stopped in front of my cell, it was L.Valdez and another man, one who dressed like he did more than just guard wayward criminals.

“Ms.Medina, you need to come with us,” L.Valdez announced as she opened the cell door.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Just follow us,” the man ordered.

“No,” I said, pretending to feel brave when I wasn’t.“Not until you tell me where you’re taking me.”

“Your choice,” the man bit out.“You can rot in here or you can go home, but know that I don’t care either way.”

“Go...go home?”I stammered.“What do you mean?”

“Just follow us, Ms.Medina,” L.Valdez repeated.“You can ask all the questions that you want once we get to the processing area.”

Wary but wanting to go home more than I wanted to exercise caution, I exited the cell, then followed behind them, hope choking me like I was about to pass out.He had mentioned me going home as a real possibility, but how could that be?Had Tomasco really gotten a hold of Benicio Cortez?Had my parents finally done something?Or was Sonia causing a ruckus worthy of day-time television?

When we finally reached the inmate processing area, six men stood inside, and I immediately recognized Benicio Cortez as one of them, and my hands began to shake with a mixture of relief and fear.He could be here to send me home to my family, or he could be here to haul me off to prison himself, and he’d have every right.However, being a politician, he could also be here to thank the Mexican government for making an example of me, ensuring that the rest of his citizens remained in check.

With my heart stuck in my throat, I approached the six men, and as soon as I was close enough, Benicio Cortez said, “Ms.Medina, I hope you are well.”

“I...I’m fine,” I lied.

The taller of all the men stepped forward, saying, “Ms.Medina, I am Miguel Domingo, Mexico’s President, and I am here to extend my sincerest apologies for what has transpired here.”

My heart started thumping violently in my chest as I ran my palms down my thighs.“Excuse me?”

“Ms.Medina, it has come to light that a couple of our border patrol guards have acted criminally, and in exchange for maintaining peaceful international relations, we are releasing you into the custody of Mr.Cortez in exchange for allowing us to deal with our issues internally.”

Peaceful international relations?