Chapter 4
Driving to Santa Paula with her cart, Victoria reflected on her life and she wished she'd have some company to distract her. Any company would be better than driving alone, though she knew very well whose company she liked best. Zorro would be the best to give her security, but he always left after a short encounter while Diego offered interesting conversation and an open ear for her problems. He would also stay with her for the whole trip and would not have to leave her if they encountered soldiers. Why did he have to leave? She wanted him to come back!
Alejandro had asked her not to drive alone to Santa Paula, because there had been more disappearances of young women in Alta California and he was afraid of something happening to her.
The blacksmith had wanted to accompany her, because he had some business to attend in Santa Paula too, but then his apprentice had fallen ill and he could not leave his business unattended. Victoria had delayed her trip a few days for the apprentice to get better or otherwise find someone else to go to with her to Santa Paula, but now she couldn't wait any longer. Her tavern was almost out of wine and she needed to order more, besides buying other supplies and going to the bank.
In the recent weeks without Diego and Zorro, Victoria had begun to realize how important both men were to her life. She had spent most of her free time with Diego and now that he was no longer there, she felt lonely. All of her friends at her age were already married with one or more children and lived a different life focused on their husbands and families. She regularly spent evenings at the de la Vega hacienda, enjoying the food and talking to Alejandro and Diego, but who else was there?
She met with a few suitors who had shown their interest when they no longer had Zorro as their rival, but none of them had sparked her interest. They were either too old or too young or mainly interested in her money or boring, or simply they weren't Zorro. And they weren't Diego either.
Two days ago she went for a walk in the market with Don Javier and it had gone quite well. Don Javier had been charming and had carried her basket with her groceries and he had been interested in her and her opinions. They had spent a pleasant time together and she had agreed to meet him again, but when she got home the elation had left her.
Just as in the past nights she sat down on her bed and opened the drawer of her nightstand to look at Diego's drawing of her. She couldn't explain it, but she longed for that happy moment he had captured in his picture though she couldn't remember it. She wanted to feel as happy as Diego had drawn her in the picture, and when she thought of Don Javier and the other suitors she couldn't imagine any of them causing her face to light up as Diego had achieved it in his drawing.
What could she do? Marry one of her suitors out of despair because there was no other choice? Or continue to wait for Diego or Zorro to return? Diego was already gone for two months and Zorro had left six weeks ago. Why didn't Diego come back? Hadn't Zorro found him and asked him to return? Or had something happened to Diego?
Neither Alejandro nor Felipe could tell her where Diego was and they hadn't heard from him either except for a short message four weeks ago that he was well and working on some experiments that required more time.
What kind of experiments was he doing? Was he really so enthralled by his science that he had no more time for his friends and family at home or were they simply an excuse because he was busy with other things? Busy with courting his future wife or having a burning romance?
The prospect of Diego bringing home a wife or not returning at all troubled her more than she had been willing to admit previously. She missed him deeply and she couldn't imagine a life without him. Was he only like a brother to her or was this love she felt for him?
Comparing her feeling for Diego with those she had for Ramon and Francisco, she finally had to admit the truth to herself. She loved Diego, but not as a brother! It had felt good when he had held her the times she had fainted over a false Zorro or when they had danced together. She liked to see one of his rare smiles when he was always so serious as if something was weighing him down. How could she love Diego when she was in love with Zorro? She wanted to be true to the masked man she thought she loved, but who was really the right one? How would it feel if Diego kissed her?
Z~Z~Z
She had almost reached Santa Paula when she saw a group of men, three on horses and one on a covered wagon, coming toward her from Santa Paula. Except for the covered wagon that seemed strange to her, their look and outfit marked them as free vaqueros who were traveling from hacienda to hacienda, helping with the round up and branding of the cattle and moving on when the work was done. All of them were rough looking, in ragged clothes, and each face was hidden behind a full beard, quite different from the mustache that was favored among the caballeros like Diego. Why couldn't he be with her now? She missed his smile and his company.
"Buenos días, Señorita," the man on the covered wagon greeted her. "Traveling all alone on this road? Don't you know that it is dangerous for a lovely señorita to travel alone?"
Victoria didn't like the way the man leered at her, she was only too familiar with that from her tavern.
"My brother and my father are right behind me," she lied. "They will catch up with me any minute. They fell behind because they had to step out for a minute."
"We will check that," the man on the front horse said. "Mateo, ride ahead and have a look for two riders. Alfonso, you will guard the road behind us while Enrico and I stay here."
"Si, Carlos," the two men nodded, riding off in opposite directions.
"What do you want?" Victoria asked, alarmed. "Let me pass!" she demanded, trying to pass the covered wagon that was blocking her way.
"You are a pretty young woman and we want you to accompany us," Enrico whistled, eyeballing her.
"Let me pass, Señores, or I will shoot!" Victoria had retrieved her pistol from the compartment under her seat and was aiming it at the two men. At that moment Mateo returned from the road behind her and pulled the pistol from her hand with a quick move.
"All clear, Carlos," Mateo reported. "There's no one coming from Los Angeles. Obviously, the woman lied and she is traveling on her own."
"Leave me alone! Let me pass!" Victoria demanded, trying to hide her fear when she found herself weaponless and surrounded by four men.
Carlos shook his head, grinning, "I'm sorry, but that's not an option. Get down from your cart and step over to the covered wagon."
Victoria hesitated for a moment, but then she decided to descend as she was told before Mateo could reach for her arm and pull her forcefully down from her cart.
"Step beside the wagon and hold your hands together," Enrico had stepped down from the driver's seat and had a rope in hand to bind her.
Victoria pretended to obey, but then she ducked under the arms of Mateo and ran off the road into the bushes. She hadn't run very far before she realized that the bushes were neither high nor thick enough to offer her much cover and there was nothing where she could hide. Victoria continued to run, but she had no chance against the men on their horses. It didn't take long for Carlos and his men to catch up with her. Mateo and Alfonso dismounted and caught her by the arms.
"What do you want from me? Please, let me go!" Victoria resisted as much as she could when the two men tried to bind her, but in the end they tied her hands tightly in front of her.
"She's a feisty one," Mateo leered at her. "And a beauty, too. She could be a lot of fun." Holding her bound wrists in the grip of one hand, her slipped the other hand under her skirt and ran it up along her naked thigh. Victoria lifted her knee and struck the man in his groin and he let out a yelp in pain.
"You little bitch!" Angrily, Mateo raised his clenched fist and hit her in the face. The force of the blow was so strong that she lost her balance and hit the ground. Victoria felt an intense pain in the head as she was lifted on a horse and carried back to the road. Then she lost consciousness.
Z~Z~Z
When Victoria woke up again, it was dark around her and she couldn't move. Her head was aching and she felt a bruise on her cheek where Mateo's fist had hit her. After a moment her eyes adjusted to the dim light and she could make out her surroundings. With her hands and feet tied she was lying on the hard board of a wagon that was moving constantly. The wagon was filled with bags containing supplies and food. The gag in her mouth made it impossible for her to shout or make herself heard though it was probably of little use anyway. The only ones who would hear her were her kidnappers who were taking her to an unknown destination.
What did they want? She remembered how Mateo had touched her thigh and she almost vomited at the thought. Lying helplessly under the sticky canvas of the wagon, she tried not let her fear overwhelm her. She wouldn't give up; she knew she had to try to escape the destiny the men had planned for her.
Z~Z~Z
Victoria had lost all track of time during the hours in the wagon. The dark canvas absorbed the light and she didn't know how much time had passed when the wagon stopped. The canvas was lifted a little and she blinked into the light of the setting sun.
"Give her something to drink, we don't want her to die of thirst," Carlos ordered.
"I'll do that," Mateo offered with a grin. He leaned over her and lifted her skirt almost to her waist. Spotting the blood between her legs, he quickly pulled the skirt down again. "I will have you, Señorita, if not now then in a few days when your moon flow is over," he glared at her.
Feeling humiliated, Victoria nonetheless was relieved about her moon flow for the first time in her life, as it had saved her from Mateo.
"Hey, Mateo, keep your hands to yourself. You know that you're not to touch her or any of the other women either. You'll find willing ones in the brothels when we have gotten our money," Enrico grinned. "Give her some water and let her relieve herself before we go on."
Mateo pulled down her gag and put a waterskin to her lips, letting her drink. Dried out as she was the water he gave her wasn't enough to quench her thirst and she licked her dry lips.
Mateo and Enrico removed the ties around her legs and pulled her roughly to her feet. "There's a rock where you can relieve yourself, but don't try any tricks," Enrico warned her.
"I need a free hand," Victoria demanded, holding up her tied wrists for Enrico to untie her. Enrico freed her left hand, but tied the other to her back.
Victoria slipped behind one of the rocks where she was out of sight. Instead of taking the time to relieve herself, she took the chance run, hoping to make some distance before her escape was discovered. She hadn't gotten far when the men started yelling for her. Hiding behind a big boulder a little off the road was her only option since she couldn't outrun them. Cowering on the ground she heard the men yelling for her, demanding to show herself. Her heart was beating fast when she heard them running in her direction. Please, don't let them find me, she prayed. She saw one of them running past her hiding spot, but he turned around when he reached an open area.
"And who do we have here?" Mateo was standing right in front of her. With the boulder at her back, Victoria was trapped. "Didn't we say no tricks?" he said angrily. Mateo unhooked the whip from his belt and began to flog her. Trying to protect herself, Victoria rolled to a ball on the ground as the whip slashed her back.
"That's enough, Mateo," Enrico interrupted him. "Don't kill her! I don't think she will try that again."
"No, she won't. This woman is nothing but trouble." Mateo kicked her hard with his boot and Victoria felt an intense pain as her rib cracked. Another of his kicks hit her head and she lost consciousness.
From the rest of the trip she didn't remember much except that someone gave her water from time to time as she faded in and out consciousness.
