Finding Forgiveness

“That’s what I thought,” he grumbled.

We sat in silence for a few minutes before he spoke again.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

Three hours later, I was sat in the back of an SUV with Andrea as Chico drove. Thankfully, we’d avoided the sketchy boat trip and taken a jungle track away from the house instead but the journey was long and silent. Andrea had forced me into a tight black dress with a deep cleavage and given me a new identity as a girl named Polly.

“Under no circumstances should you let him see your mark,” Andrea said positioning my hair over the scar. “Remember what is at cost if he finds out who you are and that I am behind this. That party will turn into a shootout instantly and the blood will be on your hands.”

I nodded.

“Who is this man?” I asked.

“I don’t have secure ownership over the trading territory in Caracas. There is another cartel rivalling for it, fighting for it, refusing to give up. It’s like a war and I lose men to it every single day. This man is the Kingpin to the other cartel, Richardo Gonzalez.”

As he said the name,? his tongue lashed with spite like it was poison to his lips.

“So he must die,” Andrea concluded. “And then Caracas will be mine.”

I nodded.

“You know it was a tough choice between planting a bomb and blowing the whole party and this less… extravagant method. But I decided the bomb would be too kind. I want to kill the bastard with my own hands and watch him suffer,” Andrea said.

“Why have you waited thing long?” I asked.

“Because the bastard is impossible to find. Or was impossible to find. But then his computer security system failed for 0. 002 seconds and that’s all my tech guy needed to hack in. Then I could listen to every phone call, read every text and see every location. The man’s as good as dead.”

“Se? or, we’re almost there,” Chico spoke up.

“Ready, Blanca?” he questioned.

I nodded.

“When you get him alone, make sure you get his gun off him. I want him totally defenceless,” he said. “And do whatever he takes to keep him in that room until I get there, understand?”

I gave the slightest nod.

“Do you understand?” He asked again. “I wanna hear you say it.”

“Yes,” I said quietly. “I understand.”

Chico stopped the car amongst a line of other expensive and fancy looking cars outside a large house. Pretty women in long dresses accompanied by men in suits were stepping out of all the cars flocking for the front door of the house, which judging by the music and chatter, was the location of the party.

At the front of the door, two big men stood who were clearly keeping guard, eyeing every guest to enter.

“Surely they will recognise your face?” I asked as Andrea took my hand and guided me down out of the car as I took care not to trip in my dress and heels.

“Don’t worry about that,” he replied with a wink.

We then made our way to the front door, Andrea approached the security with confidence. Both of them nodded to him and let him through without so much as a word.

“As I said,” Andrea whispered in my ear. “I have people everywhere.”

Once we had entered the doors, we were greeted by champagne and canopies. Andrea took two glasses from the closest waiter and handed one to me before leading me away from the door.

He then scanned the lobby of the large house and let out a short sigh.

“Through here,” he said dragging me into the next room which was huge with many sofas, tables and a large window stretching up to floors that looked out to a bubbling blue pool. People mostly stood in small groups inside or around the pool but some couples sat on the sofas, leaning close to each other with their hands on the others legs and their arms around each other.

“Out there,” Andrea said pulling me into him and putting his hands on my hips so that my ear was close to his lips. “Gonzalez is by the pool.”

I slowly turned my head to look outside in the most discrete way possible.

“The one with the red tie and the moustache,” Andrea added still staring straight ahead.

I followed his gaze and saw who he had described. A man around thirty perhaps with a light stubbly moustache and a bold red tie. He held a glass of champagne and around him stood two couples, hands entwined and two or three other men.

“He has no mate?” I asked.

“You’ll have no trouble tempting him. Trust me,” he added nodding to a group of girls who had just entered.

Their dresses were short and their make up fiercer than the other women at the party.

“He’s known for his love for women,” he said. “Those girls are all prostitutes.”

“Do I look like a prostitute to you?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“He’ll love you,” Andrea slurred running his hand over my ass. “Now, go.”

After gulping, I headed for the door leading out to the decking around the pool. I turned back to Andrea briefly but he only gave me an encouraging nod before taking a large swig of champagne.

As I neared the group, I walked around so that I came to Gonzalez from the back. With my heart beating fast, I cleared my throat and took a deep breath.

“Se? or Gonzalez?” I said.

“Si?” he said before turning around.

His eyes scanned my face and then dropped to my chest before his face softened and his lips turned into a smile.

“Americana, eh?” he asked.

I nodded with a confident smile.

“What brings you to Venezuela, chica?” he asked. “And to my party?”

I simply smiled as flatulently as possible and ran my hand down his arm.

Gonzalez paused for a second, eyeing me once again. My heart beat so fast, the tension crushing me from the inside. But then he put a hand around my waist and pulled me closer to him and I let myself relax.

I caught eye contact with Andrea who was watching from the same spot inside and he smiled in satisfaction and nodded once again.

“It is a wonderful party, Mr Gonzalez,” I replied.

“Gracias, my dear,” he said. “I am celebrating my 30th birthday.”

“Well, congratulations,” I said before leaning closer to his ear. “I’ll give you your birthday gift upstairs.”

He grinned and took a deep breath in before his hand shifted down to my ass.

For the next ten minutes, he continued the conversation with the guests around him as he ran his hand all over my back and threw my hair. Every time his fingers brushed my neck I tensed, terrified that he’d see my mark but each time I managed to escape narrowly.