Waiting for my husband to return.
1667 Words
A few weeks later....
" Mrs. Ortega, a letter has arrived for you." A young girl brought me news of my husband's disappearance.
" I'm not able to return to you my love, you must take mother and hide her and yourself away for a while.
Daniel, my new head of security has prepared the yacht. You can trust him. I am safe for now, thanks to Daniel for bringing this new threat to light. I will send word to you when it is safe to return."
I was shocked at this news, if Manuel died, I was a free woman. What if his enemies catch him?
I went to the dock as directed, waiting for the yacht to arrive.
My mother in law, Amelia was fearful of being on a boat, she told me about when she was a small child, escaping from dissidents while living in South America.
Her family fled in a small boat, it was very traumatic for her now.
We waited for 2 hours, finally a man approached us.
" Josephine, so glad to see you again." He grinned.
Recognition of this man threw me into a rage.
I ran at him and beat his chest with my fists. "You! You did this to me. Why are you here now, you can't make me go back to the tall man!" I screamed at him.
Chef Daniel Jackson stared at me, and tried to quiet me down.
"How did YOU come to work for Manuel?" I was shocked.
" I was ready for a change, Manuel agreed to give me a chance." He held my wrists tightly.
My mother in law disliked Daniel immediately. She tried to claw at his fists, getting him to release me.
" No problema Senora, I'm here to get you both onto this yacht."
He let me go.
I felt sick seeing Daniel. I wanted to find my escape on this boat, now I was unsure of anything. I was so betrayed by this fraud.
My fear of Daniel was greater than my desire to leave my husband.
I hoped Manuel escaped his enemies, somehow. Then he could destroy this liar.
A big luxury yacht arrived. I spoke softly to mama and helped her to board the boat.
She wasn't doing very well.
I gave her the best care I could.
Soon I was taking care of her in her bed. She was sea sick and dehydrated.
She told me to leave her and escape somehow. She knew that I wanted to flea Manuel.
I refused to leave her, though I was pretty sure I could have jumped overboard and swam to one of the nearby islands.
About a week had passed as we were out to sea, to my horror Amelia died in her sleep.
My fear of my husband grew, I didn't want to tell him his beloved mother died. He would be devastated.
Daniel assured me he would explain everything to Manuel.
_____________
I spent the night in my room, alone now. Daniel sent Amelia's remains out to sea.
I wanted to go with her somehow, I was always thinking about my escape.
Now that Manuel's mama was gone, I could leave. I pondered everything.
My sleep was disrupted by someone entering my room.
I listened for a moment then felt a hand on my mouth.
" Stay quiet, please. I need to tell you something but Manuel has ears everywhere. My name is not Daniel Jackson, it is Ian Monroe. I am blowing my cover to save you Josephine. I am American, CIA."
I felt tears forming.
" Why, why did you sell me to those monsters then?" I cried.
" I have been under cover for 5 years. I've been working the cruise lines to try and break up this s*x trafficking ring.
When Lana Hill approached me, looking for someone to sell you into the s*x trade, I agreed. But I had no plans to actually go through with it.
Only I didn't know those I had been working to take down were made aware of you as well by one of the coffee shop employees, his uncle is the tall man that took you. I risked blowing my cover if I resisted."
I could only cry at such betrayal.
" I worked hard to place myself in Manuel's trust. I need your help Josephine. I need you to keep my secret so I can take down this entire operation. Unfortunately... that means I need you to stay married to Manuel for now.
Please Miss Brennan, consider the others that will be stolen from their families as you were."
" What of my family, have you heard anything?" I needed them to know I am safe, alive.
" I believe after a few months of deep searching, they have gone back home."
" Ian, I will help you, if you promise me that my family will be kept safe. Manuel has many times threatened to kill my family if I dared escape him."
" For their sake, it is best if they do not know you are alive I'm sorry, no one leaves Manuel Ortega and lives."
He moved away from me, back to the door.
" I can do anything you need me to, but I think he will kill me when he finds his mother dead. He will surely blame me in his grief Ian."
" No, I won't let him. I have a plan. I need you to trust me. I am going to give you some medicine to make you ill.
When Manuel arrives, he will be too distraught to lose you too. I will keep you safe." He moved back to the shadows and out my door.
For the first time in months, I had hope. I was not alone.
The next week, I became very sick. I lost weight and had a bad stomach ache. I couldn't eat very much.
Manuel arrived via boat to his yacht. He was livid at the loss of his beloved mother.
He did indeed believe I had hurt her, however just as Ian had thought, he took one look at me and realized I would die as well.
" My love, you have grown so thin. What is this illness that took my moma?" He began to sob.
I sat up, holding my head. I was very sick.
Manuel called the doctor. He arrived the next day, we had to go to port to meet him.
" Mrs. Ortega, please tell me what you are currently consuming?"
I shrugged. " I can't seem to keep anything down."
He took some blood and diagnosed me with possible bird flu.
He quarantined me on the boat.
Manuel was forced to abandon me there.
He asked Ian to care for me, since he had been exposed already.
I started to feel better immediately.
Ian had been giving me a tea with a small amount of night shades. I was feeling so much better now that I wasn't drinking the tea.
We started to converse in the middle of the long nights.
" Tell me Joey, are you really interested in sushi?" He asked me as he sat on my bed.
I nodded. "You must have trained as a chef Dan...I mean Ian?"
He smiled at me and nodded.
" I actually staged under a great chef and learned quickly. I had to, to get the job as Chef de cuisine for my cover job."
" Do you have a family?" I needed to know if he was putting his family at risk too.
" I did once. My wife was a cop. She died in the field,7 years ago.
I threw myself into the work instead of facing my grief for her. She was a lovely girl. Very tough, but fair. I loved her dearly. I miss her every day."
" What was her name, or can I ask?"
" Mazie Jean." He said.
" Enough now. Go to sleep, tomorrow we are heading back home." He pat my hand, then covered me up and slipped away.
The next day, I was almost one hundred percent better.
Ian brought me a tray of food.
We talked about what he needed from me as I ate. I was going to need to stay with the man that bought me, beat, and raped me.
I had been running on adrenaline and anxiety for so long.
I feared I might actually have feelings for Manuel now. I told Ian.
" Stockholm syndrome, it's when a kidnapped person falls for their captor." He said.
" Ian, please don't ever let me fall in love with him. I've been afraid for so long. I believe now that his mother passed, I could leave him. If given the chance, maybe even kill him." I said the last part in a whisper.
By the next day, Ian sent word to Manuel that it was safe to go back to his home.
He spoke to the doctor. I was released from quarantine.
Ian took me to the dock. I was so afraid of Manuel's anger.
When I arrived, Manuel walked with me back to the house, my legs were very weak. He was far from angry.
He carried me to his bed and undressed me.
" Love, you are so very thin now. I feel bad for sending you and mother away, especially since the threat to my home wasn't anything really, just a small coup."
He kissed my eyes, then my lips.
" I'm glad my mother had you, I heard you never left her side. I am grateful to you, how can I ever repay you?"
" Free me, trust me. I want to see my family, I'm so homesick Manuel."
" You have no family Phina, I am your everything. If you persist in this talk, I will go kill them and end your yearning. Do you understand me, I own you!" He became a monster once again.
- Writer
