Punished (Calavera Hotels #1)

Chapter Twenty-Nine Mireya

I’m with Alma at Mr. Friborg’s, her favorite Mexican Botanica. There’s a large wall with natural medicines and herbal teas. My tia Vicky used to buy the Chupa Panza Tea, a pineapple, ginger, and flaxseed tea, that she swore was the natural equivalent of a BBL. My tia got real witchy when it came to her belief in herbal teas. But who am I to judge, since apparently, I am a squirter now. I spent thirty minutes googling the whole prospect of squirting, and I’m shocked that, as a nurse, I was unaware of this.

I scan over the different natural medicines. If only there was a tea here for bitches who say I love you too soon. If only I could go back and not have said that. My brain was in a trance from the orgasm and my emotions were high. Adrian had been kind enough to not make me feel any stupider than I already did after the words flew out. He had kissed my forehead and carried me to the shower, where we cleaned up.

The sound of the door chime pulls me from my thoughts. Three young girls walk in and head straight to the candle section. Normally, I avoid coming here with Alma, because it creeps me out. Alma and Thalia love to have their cards read and dissect everything they were told together. When anything significant happens, they say, “This is exactly what Mr. Friborg said would happen.” I don’t want to know my future. My anxiety wouldn’t allow for it. I have enough anxiety not knowing what the future holds, and my heart would shatter if I were told Adrian wouldn’t be in it with me.

Alma, however, is in the back room getting her quarterly tarot reading while I scan the candle section.

Ven A Mi – to find love

Ven Dinero – to make money

I keep scanning until I see the candle I’m looking for. Santa Muerte. Holy Death . The female reaper matches the tattoo on Adrian’s back. I want to take it to his house later. I noticed he had set up a small altar with her statue, flowers, and other offerings in the spare room.

“Does she call to you?” I jump at the voice, and turn to see Mr. Friborg behind me. The man is blindingly handsome. It’s always hard to make eye contact with him .

“I… ugh… no, it’s for my boy… it’s for a friend.”

“Hmmm. Well, might I suggest a bracelet then, for your friend?” He walks to grab a red stringed bracelet, and Alma looks at me and shrugs.

When he returns, he grabs my hand and slides the bracelet onto my wrist. Right above the gold bracelet Adrian had given me. He smiles at me, and I look down to examine it. It’s a simple red string with a silver figure of the saint tied into the middle.

“For your friend, of course.”

“Thanks,” I whisper, and an odd chill slithers down my spine.

Alma and I leave after we pay for the items we grabbed. We catch up at our favorite taco truck, as we both avoid any conversation about Thalia. She tells me all about her card reading and how her true love is just around the corner. We walk around and visit the different shops. She stops in a local bookshop to pick up another fairy book to add to her collection. I find a small shop with Mexican household items and pick up a San Marcos blanket with a tiger on the front to take with me to Adrian’s house. I noticed he doesn’t have one, and no self-respecting Mexican man can survive long without one.

Alma and I both have checked out a bit.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, pulling her attention back to me.

“This week will be 10 years since she passed.”

Alma rarely speaks about her mother, but she had passed away when Alma was thirteen. She had no other family and was put into foster care. She tried several times to do an ancestry DNA test to find her biological father, but every time, something would happen to her samples. They either got lost or destroyed in the mail. She gave up after the third try, trusting the universe did not want her to know him. Maybe it was for the best. I know Adrian and Thalia would much rather have never known their biological father.

“Mr. Friborg told me my father was close by. That when the moment was right, he would find me.”

“You think he’s here? In Houston?”

“I think I need to try another route. Maybe try and dig into my mom’s past and figure out what I can. I already know she lied to me about a lot of her stories. My foster family couldn’t even find any evidence of who she was when they adopted me.”

It sounded weird, but I am the last person to question her mother’s motives. Not when my own mother was plotting something.

“I’m going to ask Patricio to help me.”

“Do you think he will? ”

“Well, he just gave me a promotion and a long speech about being ‘a hardworking woman who is representing the next generation of latina women,’” she mocks his voice, and I laugh with her.

“You got a promotion, amiga? Why didn’t you tell me? I am so proud of you!” I reach over to grab her hand.

“It just happened the other day. You know Mr. Fri—”

“Ya. Ya. I know Mr. Friborg told you this would happen.” She laughs before she grows serious.

“Why do you think he gave you that bracelet?”

“I don’t know. Adrian is drawn to her.”

“To La Santa Muerte?” she whispers, like she is afraid Death herself would appear like Beetlejuice if she said it too loud.

“Ya, he has a big tattoo of her on his back, and an altar in the penthouse.”

“Who knew Adrian was so spiritual?”

“Maybe he gave it to me because I killed our relationship. I told Adrian I loved him after sex.” My face falls into my hand. Alma’s laughing so hard I think she might pass out.

“You did not. Please tell me this is a joke.”

“I did.”

“And did he say it back?”

“He literally just kissed my forehead. ”

“Oh, shit.” She moves to comfort me.

“If you meant it, then don’t feel bad. When we love someone, we shouldn’t only express that when we are guaranteed they love us back. That’s too safe. And boring. Love requires risks, and sometimes it’s a risk not knowing how the other person feels.”

She was right. I just need to figure out if the risk of loving him outweighs the pain I’d face if he isn’t able to love me back.

W hen I get back to the penthouse, I decide to deep clean everything. Something about cleaning is relaxing to me. I place the candle I bought Adrian on his altar, next to another that is close to burning out. I move his laundry around, and then decide to relax and watch reruns of Vampire Diaries because my soul could use some Damien Salvatore. I can’t be the only woman in love with an emotionally distant man. I fall asleep three episodes in, but wake when I hear my cell phone ringing.

It’s my mother, and this is her third attempt. I still haven’t had a chance to process what I saw the other day, and Adrian’s confessions make me weary about what to say to her. I want to ignore it, like I usually do, but I need to get to the bottom of whatever she is plotting right now.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Mireya. I haven’t seen you in over two weeks! Have you forgotten about me?”

“No, I actually did go to see you the other day, but I decided not to go in, seeing as Diana was visiting you and all.” I never speak to my mother this bluntly, and I can tell it throws her off when the line goes silent.

“What the hell was Diana doing there, Mom?”

“Excuse me? I don’t have to explain who visits me, at my house. If you really must know, so you can sleep better at night, she came by to drop off an invitation for the engagement party.”

“How do you even know her? And why would she want to invite her fiancé’s ex-girlfriend’s mother?”

“Oh, Mireya, don’t be so dramatic.” It’s only a matter of time before she tries to gaslight me into making this about my own insecurities. Not today.

“You can stop with the bullshit. I know you’re up to something, and whatever it is, just stop now before you get in over your head.”

She huffs, and I can already hear the storm she’s about to release.

“You know why Diana came over here? To warn me about your little thing going on with Adrian. He is still calling her nonstop. He is using you until he can get back to her, just like Bryan did.” A verbal slap to my face. I feel the need to go back to my apartment as a panic attack rises in my chest. I grab my bag and head to the elevator. The phone still connected to the call, I try to block her out as I ride the elevator down. She’s just lying. Just sticking her knife in.

“You are that pathetic that you actually believe he wants you?” The words start to echo around me. The elevator walls feel like they’re caving in. She’s pushing that knife in deeper.

“You are really as stupid as your father if you think anyone would love you.” She pushes it through and slices me all the way open. This one takes me out.

I wake up in the elevator, hyperventilating. I must have fainted. I used to do that when I was younger. Stop breathing when I would try not to cry in front of my mom. Don Mario is in front of me, waving some kind of salt under my nose. Why the hell does he have that?

“There she is. What happened, girl?”

“I… I just feel like I’m going to—” and then I vomit all over.