Free I'll Remember You (Hell Yeah!) by Sable Hunter Page B

through his mind on fast-forward, they raced too fast for him to see them clearly.
    And the dreams.
    Deep in the night, he would dream of her. A clear image of her eluded him. But he could feel her in his arms and she was heaven to hold. When he would awaken, his arms were so empty and he longed for her with every fiber of his being.
    Martina had come to his bed twice more, and twice he had turned her away. The last time they had argued. She demanded to share his bed, saying she wore his ring. He wanted to ask her to remove it, but something told him to play it slow. Until he had answers, he needed to keep things status quo. But he was running out of excuses. First he’d told her he was weak and now the excuse he was using was that he wanted to remember her, he needed to remember loving her. This request just seemed to make her more furious. 
    Now here he was, seated at the table. While eating with Martina, her father and her sister, he could almost see and hear another family. He had brothers, a large family of brothers, one that laughed and shared and roughhoused good-naturedly. Somewhere there were people who missed him, who cared for him. He could feel it.
    “Austin?”
    “Austin?”
    He jerked his head up. “I’m sorry. I was lost in thought. What did you say?” He looked at the face of each one of the Delgados. They were dressed for dinner, a handsome Hispanic family, eating classic dishes, served by impeccably dressed help, and living in a mansion without a want or care of any kind.
    And he, he didn’t belong here. This was not his home. Home was…
    “Did you remember something?”
    Everyone at the table tensed. Austin paused, considering his answer. He hadn’t remembered anything specific, nothing concrete. All of it was more feeling than anything else. And dreams. “No, I didn’t remember anything.” At least nothing he was willing to admit to her.
    “Are you sure?” Everyone was so quiet. All eyes were focused on him.
    “I’m sure.” Especially considering the fact she was looking at him with the coldest eyes he’d ever seen. Austin realized he was being warned. Without words, Martina was warning him.     
    “Diosa! Diosa!” A man came running in.
    “What is it?” Martina rose. It still confused Austin why everyone answered to Martina instead of Tomas.
    “They have captured people, men who were crossing over Los Banos. Come quickly!”
    “Toro?” she asked. Tomas groaned and threw his napkin down.
    What was Toro? Austin wondered.
    “I do not know.” Her employee was panting with exertion.
    Martina walked calmly to the buffet, opened a drawer and took out a pistol, a 9mm Beretta. “Let’s go.”
    Austin jumped up to accompany her. He didn’t feel possessive of her, as he should. But she was a female in a house in which he was a guest. And he was not a man who sat back and let the females in his household defend him. 
    When they made their way outside to the front of the house, there were six armed guards standing in a half moon shape. All of them were brandishing AK47’s. Where had they come from? He was used to seeing a couple of bodyguards, but this looked more like a SWAT team. And why in the world were they carrying automatic weapons? Back in Texas everyone had a deer rifle. But a machine gun?
    Texas…well, hell. He was from Texas! Not damn Wyoming.
    Another seed of distrust planted itself in Austin’s mind as he watched Martina march out to confront the trespassers. She was lying to him. Why?
    Tomas and Alessandra came to stand alongside him and Martina. When one of the bodyguards herded eight men into their midst, all with their hands over their head, Austin couldn’t help but react. He grabbed Martina’s arm. “What’s going on?”
    “It will be all right.” She reassured him. “This happens frequently.”
    The scene was surreal. He felt like he was watching an old spaghetti western or something. The men were like captured bandits, headed for the gallows. Austin