A Valentine's Day Mess Pt. 03

Claudia stroked her hand across Manny chest and asked, "Did Rodrigo love Beatriz?"

"He loved his sister and in time he loved Beatriz, too," Manny said. "But love wasn't a reason for marrying her. He married Beatriz because he wanted a legitimate heir.

"Rodrigo's trip to Cádiz was a huge success. That's why he wanted a party, but when he got home the party wasn't the first thing on his mind. He was thinking about his baby cooking in Beatriz's belly.

"The staff was busy getting the house ready and setting the table, and the cooks were sweating in the scorching kitchen. Honoria was directing it all, of course. Who better could there be?"

"Rodrigo took no-one by surprise when he got home," Claudia said, "Because of the clatter of horses and wagons outside. He threw the door open and shouted, 'My ward! My wife!'

"Honoria was in the hall instructing the band she hired. Rodrigo grabbed her arm and turned her around. He bent her backward and forced a rough kiss on her while the band laughed."

"Beatriz ran down the stairs from where she'd been directing the kitchen." Manny said. "He turned around at the sound of her shoes on the stairs and said, 'My God, your beautiful!'"

"Honoria laughed because Beatriz was a mess." Claudia said. "She had to brush back some wild locks of hair from her forehead, and her face gleamed with sweat. She wore just a kirtle and a stained apron over her chemise."

Manny drew Claudia closer and said, "That's not what Rodrigo saw. He saw her pregnant body—the way her breasts bulged and her kirtle draped over her belly. He swept Beatriz up in his arms, winked at Honoria, and carried his wife to his chambers.

"It seemed to Honoria that Rodrigo came back awfully fast," Claudia said, "So she was surprised that he had such a relaxed smile. She and Beatriz both needed to get ready for guests, so she left Rodrigo with a chalice of wine and went upstairs. Honoria found Beatriz sprawled naked on Rodrigo's bed, wiping him off her cheek and sucking him off her fingers.

"Honoria laughed at Beatriz and wiped her throat with a handkerchief. 'That didn't take you very long,' she said. 'You left some for me didn't you?'

"Beatriz didn't answer Honoria's question. She propped herself up on her elbows and said, 'I was worried that Rodrigo would think I'm fat and ugly. He didn't—he kissed my belly and my breasts and would have fucked me, but I sucked him to save time. I promised him that he would get all the breast and belly and cunt he wanted—but after the party.'"

Manny slipped his fingers through the soft curls between Claudia's legs and she lifted her knee to let him play. "Guests started to arrive before Honoria led Beatriz down the stairs again." Manny said. "She was the perfect hostess. She entertained with chatter, with her lute, and with her songs. Eyes followed her wherever she went.

"They feasted on stew, roast mutton, bread, and wine. After dinner the band picked up a galliard and people gathered to dance and to watch. Honoria pulled her brother to the side. She took a chalice from his hand and set it down. Her eyes sparkled in the candle light when she said, 'Let the others drink themselves to sleep tonight. Once they do, there's something I need from you.'

"Rodrigo was already a little buzzed, but he could still tell that his sister's smile hid something important. 'What do you need?' he asked."

"Honoria started toward the dancers, but then stopped and stepped close to speak with her lips by her brother's ear. 'I need your baby,' she said.

"Rodrigo's ears started to ring. He thought he would explode, and he turned away to hide his sudden hard-on."

"You're turning me on," Claudia said. She reached to touch Manny's cock and found him hard. She laughed in his ear. "And now you're really turning me on." She regained some composure and went on, "Honoria danced with her brother and then with other men who needed a dance partner. She plied the guests with wine until they staggered home, or they fell asleep at the table or in chairs.

"The party was almost over," Manny said, "when Rodrigo went outside to pick up a drunk who didn't make it home. He came back with the guest's arm over his shoulder and guided him, or dragged him, to a chair by the window. He checked a bruise on the drunk man's head, and when he looked up he found the house finally quiet. His wife and his sister waited at the foot of the stairs.

"Rodrigo started toward them with a grin that made his cheeks hurt. They both laughed and ran. He caught Honoria on the stairs and turned her to him. He held her with an arm around her waist, muffled her with a rough kiss and reached around her to unlace her gown.

"Beatriz ran back, not to help free Honoria, but to help undress her. They stripped her naked right there on the stairs, then Rodrigo opened his breeches to free his hard-on. He pushed his sister down onto her hands and knees and reached under her butt to open her slit. He found her wet and ready, and he forced himself into her."

Manny watched his sister. Her eyes were drifting shut and her breath was shallow and ragged. He slipped two fingers into her to wet them, and then swirled them over her hood. "Are you still listening?" he asked.

Claudia caught her breath and nodded, so Manny went on, "Beatriz sat down on the stairs in front of Honoria. She held her head against her chest and laughed in her ear while Rodrigo gripped her hips and slammed his body against her beautiful butt. Her body felt tight around his cock. She excited him. She moaned his name and urged him on.

"There was no pulling out that night. Rodrigo unloaded everything deep inside Honoria while she laughed and gasped into Beatriz's cleavage. When he was done, he slipped out of her slowly. His cock glistened with the rich mixture of his essence and his sister's nectar. He used his fingers to wipe up some of their mix from her slit, Beatriz tugged his hand to her mouth for a taste, and then Honoria sucked it clean."

Manny pushed his fingers into Claudia while he spoke, and Claudia dragged the tender skin on his throat between her teeth. She rolled on her back and pulled Manny over her. "Dios Mio," she gasped, "Fuck me now!"

Manny gripped Claudia's shoulders, and she took him all in one thrust. She was already on the verge of coming, and her brother's penetration tipped her over the edge. It took only a few thrusts before she writhed through her orgasm. She bit Manny's shoulder while her spasms rocked her body.

Claudia knotted her fingers in Manny's hair and kissed his face while she relaxed. He worked his cock slowly inside her until she pushed him away and complained, "I'm sensitive, Manny!"

Manny pulled out and caught his breath for just a moment, then Claudia squawked while he rolled her on her belly. He pushed her thighs apart, bent over his little sister and shoved his cock back into her wet cunt. He pushed himself up on his hands and watched Claudia's butt squeeze under him. He grabbed a handful of her hair and turned her head so he could see her face, and he slapped his hips against her in an ever-accelerating rhythm.

Claudia ducked her head into the pillow to muffle herself, and she came again. Manny threw his head back, and gasped and grunted while he came. He emptied himself into Claudia's body like Rodrigo emptied himself into Honoria, and then he collapsed on her back.

It was late, and both of them were exhausted, but Claudia squirmed from under Manny and kissed his face. She whispered, "Rodrigo only waited to catch his breath, and then he took Honoria to bed. Beatriz picked up the scattered clothes and followed him.

"Honoria remembers the three of them in bed. She remembers the taste of sweat on Beatriz's throat, on her breasts, and on her pregnant belly. She remembers her brother over her, under her, and in her. She remembers the madness that they drove her to, but my memories of her end that night.

"What do you suppose happened to them?" she asked.

Manny was falling asleep, but he opened one eye to look at his sister. "I only know what Rodrigo wanted. He had a chance to expand his business to New Spain, and he planned to move to Veracruz to get it going. He wanted his family with him."

8. Sonya, I'm Sorry

Manny woke from a nightmare; he was somehow frozen in place and could only watch while Angelito pulled his sister away. He hugged Claudia to him and inhaled the familiar scent from her neck and from her hair to reassure himself that she was still safe.

Morning light was already starting to seep around the curtains and going back to sleep seemed pointless. Manny sat up on the edge of the bed, opened a drawer in the nightstand, and lifted a 0.38 automatic out of the shadows. He found the clip in the back of the drawer, and clicked it into place.

Claudia sat up beside him and watched, "Manny, no!" she said. "Could you shoot a man? Even Angelito?"

"I don't know," Manny said. "But that's why I have the gun, and the carry license."

Claudia pushed her brother's hand toward the drawer. She said, "Put it away. Angelito won't try anything when there's people around, and staying where there's people feels to me like a way better idea."

She found her panties by the bed, put them on, and then stood next to Manny. She said, "I'm not going back to bed. What do you want for breakfast?"

"Waffles?" Manny suggested. Instead, he got French toast and sausage at dawn and a good sniff of himself.

Claudia was still sitting at the table when Manny finished his shower. The plate she'd left drying outside the door was on the table in front of her and she worked over it with a spoon. She scraped her dried menses together and crushed it with the back of the spoon, and she repeated that over and over.

Claudia looked up when Manny settled into the chair across from her. He watched for a moment before he asked, "Do you think Angelito is around?"

"Yeah, he's here," Claudia said. "But I don't know why. My heavy days are over, and for the last couple months that's been when he disappeared."

She hardly looked up from her work until she had an innocuous little pile of brown powder, and then she laughed and said, "Don't sneeze or anything, or I'll be all over your kitchen." She scraped the powder onto a piece of paper, opened the locket she bought on Saturday, and set it on the table. She bent the paper to funnel the powder into the locket, and then snapped it shut.

"There it is," Claudia said, and held the locket up between her thumb and forefinger. "Is it weird that something like this could be important to Angelito?" Manny took the locket from his sister and turned it over in his hand. "Now all we need is the right chain," she said, "And you can wear me—or my stuff that life is made of."

They stayed at the table for a few more minutes and decided what to do with their day, then Claudia stood up, sniffed at her own scent and told her brother, "My turn to shower, and none too soon."

Manny examined the locket with an engineer's eye and saw nothing special. It had no scent. Maybe it felt slightly warm in his hand. But when he looked up again, it was with the confusing sense that he could see beyond things around him. He put the locket down, shook his head to clear his mind, and told himself, "I didn't get enough sleep."

He didn't believe his own explanation.

The kitchen was clean and the dishwater was running before Manny heard the water turn off in the shower. He straightened the bedroom, picked the used towel off the floor, and amused himself until Claudia was ready by trying to remember how and when they made each of the stains.

Claudia slung her purse over her shoulder and asked, "Ready?"

Manny looked around the apartment, spotted the locket on the table and dropped it in his pocket. "Ready now," he answered.

Claudia surveyed the parking lot while Manny locked the apartment. "Look," she said. "Angelito's waiting for us."

Manny spun around to see what she meant. Angelito's truck was parked next to his car. Angelito leaned back against the car with his hands behind his head and sunned himself. "Are you sure you don't want me to bring the gun?" he asked.

"I'm sure," Claudia said. She watched Angelito turn and look back at them and said, "Let's go see what he wants. It's not like he's going to take us by surprise or anything."

Manny kept Claudia behind him as they got close. Angelito faced into the morning sun with his eyes closed and didn't react at all until Manny asked, "Why are you here, Angelito?"

Angelito opened one eye to look at Manny and snorted. "So, you know my name," he said. "That old bruja must have told you."

It was the first time Manny heard Angelito's voice. It was deep and hoarse. Manny puffed up his chest and clenched his fists. "We know who you are and I don't want you here."

"I thought you wanted to know why I was here," Angelito said. "Make up your mind." He watched Manny's threatening posture, then reached into the back of his truck and picked up a long, heavy wrench. "Didn't one of your presidents say, 'Speak softly and carry a big wrench?'"

"Stick," Manny said. He felt stupid for correcting Angelito, and he took a step back to be out of range of an easy swing.

"I'll take my wrench over your stick," Angelito said. He pitched the wrench back into the truck and went on, "I want to know why I'm here, too." He looked around Manny at Claudia and said, "You got away from me for long enough." He sniffed at the air and looked back at Manny, "Your little bitch is drying up. I can't use her now, but the hole she tears in the wall every month is still there. I'm trying to figure out why."

"Wall?" Claudia asked, and Angelito laughed.

"You really don't know, do you?" Angelito said, and shook his head. "Idiots. How could you be so fucking ignorant?" He opened his truck and climbed in before he said, "I'm not done, but you aren't going to tell me what I want to know."

Angelito slammed his door. Manny and Claudia watched him start the truck and rattle away. Claudia was still watching him pull onto the street when she said, "He probably means the wall between our world and the world of las animas. It sounds like something Abuelita would say." She reached down and patted Manny's pocket where he put the locket. "If I tear a hole in the wall every month then maybe we know why it's still there."

"That might explain a lot." Manny said and opened the car to let Claudia get in. He walked around the car without saying more. He pulled onto the street and headed west toward the plaza while he described the confusing sensation he got from holding the locket in his hand. When he was done he looked up at his rear view mirror and said, "Angelito's behind us."

Claudia turned around to watch. "He said he wasn't done," she said. "It's hard to guess what he has in mind—but it probably isn't kidnapping me."

Angelito passed them by when they parked at the plaza and disappeared around a corner. Claudia got Manny to take a walking tour of the historic district while they waited for the shops to open. They saw the blacksmith's shop, studied old adobe buildings with thick, buttressed walls, and walked around the jail where Billy the Kid was once held.

All the time, unseen in a spreading cottonwood at one corner of the plaza, a raven watched as they walked the back streets then went from shop to shop.

Claudia bought dog tags for Manny so she could use the chain for her locket. They sat down in the gazebo and talked in the shade. The raven fluttered down from its perch and strutted around the gazebo as if it were looking for scraps of food on the ground. It watched and cocked its head to listen while Claudia took the dog tags off their chain and replaced them with the locket.

"Now you can tear your own hole in the wall," Claudia said with a laugh, and she slipped the chain over her brother's head. The raven startled them both with a loud caw and launched itself into the summer sky.

"That was weird," Manny said. He tucked the locket inside his shirt and added, "I haven't seen Angelito the whole time we've been here. Could that have been him?"

Claudia's eyes followed the bird as it disappeared over the buildings. She asked, "Remember the raven we saw on Valentine's Day?" She wrapped herself in her arms and shivered in the growing heat. "I could tell that Angelito was around here, but I wasn't thinking about him. I should have been more careful with that locket."

"It's getting hot," Manny said. "Lets get something to eat and go home. I need a nap." He found a dark booth in the back of the saloon where they sat across from each other and worried about what Angelito might do next.

The heat rippled off the asphalt when Manny parked in front of his apartment. Angelito's truck was in the back of the lot, but Angelito wasn't in it.

The door to Sonya's apartment stood open. Claudia stopped when she got out of the car and looked around, "I have a really bad feeling about this." She said. "Let's talk to Sonya."

Sonya's radio was on and tuned to a Mexican station, but there were no sounds from her. Manny found her cell phone on the kitchen floor. Its screen was shattered, and Manny's heart leaped into his throat.

Claudia called "Sonya!" as she stepped into the kitchen. She called "Sonya!" as she stepped into the living room and found signs of a struggle everywhere. She called "Oh my God, Sonya!" when they found her on her bedroom floor, pale and still. Bruises on her throat made it clear she'd been strangled, and bloody skin under her fingernails proved that she put up a fight.

Manny stepped back in horror and Claudia fell to her knees beside Sonya. She sobbed, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's my fault. Sonya, I'm sorry!"

Manny backed away. He checked the rest of the apartment to be sure no-one else was there, and he ran the stairs. His apartment stood open. The door was shattered around the dead bolt. It creaked on its hinges and cool air rushed from inside.

The kitchen was empty. The living room and his roommate's bedroom were empty. He stepped toward his bedroom door at an angle that let him see most of the room, then moved aside to see the rest.

Angelito stood by the bed with his back toward Manny. The drawer beside the bed was open, and he gripped Manny's automatic in his hand. He picked up the stained towel from the bed with his other hand, looked at it, and laughed.

Manny was poised to jump—to take Angelito by surprise—but Angelito spun around with the pistol up toward Manny, and Manny froze in place. "You're making this easy for me," Angelito said. "It's even loaded. You meant the bullets for me, didn't you?"

Angelito's arms and his face were scratched and oozing blood. "Why did you kill Sonya?" Manny demanded. "What was she to you?"

"That Mexican cunt downstairs? She got in my way," Angelito growled. "She was calling the police and making noise. I hate noise."

Manny watched every detail of Angelito's movement; he saw his hand tighten on the gun and his finger curl on the trigger.

Claudia banged through the front door and yelled, "I called 911!" Angelito's eyes snapped up, and in that instant Manny dove at him and slapped the gun aside. It shattered the window when it fired and the casing fell on the bed.

Angelito shoved Manny against the wall and grabbed the chain around his neck in a thick-fingered fist. He broke it with a jerk that pulled Manny off his feet, and then he snapped the gun barrel across Manny's face. Manny staggered back with a gash over his cheekbone.

"Damn you!" Claudia cursed, and jumped on Angelito's back. The impact knocked him to his knees. She wrapped both hands around the barrel of the gun, twisted it out of his hand, and tossed it away.

Angelito threw Claudia off, and her head hit the door frame. He scrambled for the gun, but Manny reached it first. Angelito jumped back as Manny, with blood streaming down his face, brought the gun around and squeezed off three quick shots—two into the bedroom wall and one over Angelito's head as he ran.