Chapter 7

Victoria didn't have to wait long for Sebastián to enter the room, followed by Mateo and Carlos, who were grinning viciously. Sebastián was taller and broader than she had thought when he had been kneeling beside her. Looking around in the room he stared at the bread loaf and the leftover crumbs of bread on the table for a moment, before he turned to her and grinned when he saw her sitting in the chair, wrapped in her blanket.

Before she could challenge him, he stepped behind the chair and put his hands on each side of her, effectively trapping her in her blanket.

"Drop the knife before anyone gets harmed," he ordered sharply. "The bread knife is missing from the table and I know that you have it under your blanket. That kind of knife isn't a very useful weapon to attack someone, and you'll harm yourself before you can do any damage with it."

"A knife is better than no weapon at all. You'll have to fight me before you get me into your bed, and I'd rather die before I become your whore." Victoria looked around for support, but there was only her, Sebastián, and the two other leering men.

"She is a feisty one," Carlos grinned, who had come to see how Sebastián managed the woman.

"As you wish, keep your knife for the moment. I'll deal with it later, but first you're coming with me." Keeping her trapped in the tightly wrapped blanket, he picked her up in his arms and easily carried her through the mission until he reached a long hallway leading to the small cells that had formerly been occupied by the monks in the mission. Victoria tried to struggle, but it was to no avail, because the more she struggled the more he tightened his grip.

"Stop struggling," he growled as he picked up his pace, holding her in his strong grip.

With his boot he pushed a door open at the very end of the hallway and carried her inside. Slamming the door behind him with his boot, he sat her down gently on the small bed that occupied most of the room and took a step back leaning against the wall.

Victoria unwrapped herself from the blanket and freed her hands. With the knife in her hand she moved to the farthest corner of the bed with her back to the wall, ready to defend herself. Scared, she looked at him as he towered over her and she knew she had no chance when he could easily overpower her with his massive build.

"Victoria, don't be afraid," Sebastián tried to soothe her. "I won't harm you. I'm here to help you."

"I don't believe you!" she snapped, pointing the knife at him, while she tried to keep her hand from shaking. "You want me in your bed, but I'm not that kind of woman! And how do you know my name?"

"Victoria, don't you recognize me? It's me! Diego!" He made a step forward, so she could see him better. "Now, drop that knife. There's no need to fight me."

"Diego?" Victoria stared at him, stunned. She tried to perceive the face that was hidden behind the black beard covering all of his lower face, making him look similar to the vaqueros who had kidnapped her. "Is it truly you?" she whispered. "Am I not dreaming?"

She climbed out of the bed and hesitatingly stepped forward to have a closer look, finally recognizing him and his blue eyes. "It's you! It's really you!" she whispered, surprised and relieved.

Dropping the knife to the floor, she threw herself into his open arms, wrapped her arms around his waist and started to cry. "Help me please, Diego, help me."

The next few minutes he quietly held her while she was unable to say anything, sobbing at his chest in relief and letting go of her fears.

"I missed you, Diego. I missed you so much!" she sobbed. "I was waiting for you to return to the pueblo, but you didn't come back. And now I find you here when I need you the most. I'd rather die than be raped, and I believed I wouldn't survive the night."

"Don't cry, Victoria. You're safe with me. I won't harm you," he assured her, gently caressing her in his embrace. Victoria flinched in pain when he touched her ribs, revealing to Diego that she had cracked or bruised ribs from the kicks of her abductors. Diego loosened his embrace, gently supporting her with his arms around her waist and her shoulder.

Victoria was puzzled. "I don't understand, Diego. How did you get here? What are you doing here? Why did the other men call you Sebastián? Are you in league with them? Where have you been all this time?" She raised her head to look at him. Now that she was so close to him, she recognized his familiar face and build.

"That's what I am called here. You need to call me Sebastián all the time, because we can never be sure we're not overheard. Nobody must find out who we are and that we know each other from Los Angeles, or we're both deeply in trouble. The other men will kill us if they find out that we're not who we pretend to be."

Victoria nodded though she didn't quite understand what was going on.

"Now, sit down on the bed and take off your dress," Diego directed her towards the bed.

"But you just said that you were here to help me!" Victoria stared at him aghast. "Did you change your mind? Why do you want me to do that?"

"It's all right, Victoria. I really want to help you," he assured her. "From what I saw and felt earlier when I carried you, I know that you have injuries that need to be tended. Where else are you hurting? Tell me how you got here and what happened!"

Victoria sat down beside him on the bed and recounted how she had been kidnapped by the bandits and how Mateo had beaten and lashed her.

"Why were you traveling alone to Santa Paula?" Diego chided her. "Didn't you hear the stories about the missing women?"

"I didn't want to go alone and I delayed my trip until I couldn't wait any longer." Victoria explained what had happened and that she had wanted to travel with the blacksmith. "There was nobody else I could travel with. And where were you? I could have used your help. You offered to accompany me so many other times and when I needed you, you weren't there," she accused him, wiping her tears.

"It's alright, Victoria. I'm here for you now. I'll take care of you if you let me." Diego took both of her hands in his and squeezed them in assurance. "I arrived at this hideout only today when Carlos finally decided that he could trust me. When he gave me a tour of the place, I recognized you in your dress at once and I realized that you needed my help."

"You recognized me?" A faint smile crossed her face. "Is that why you told Carlos that you wanted me?" Victoria searched his face. "Not because..?"

"No, Victoria. You should know me well enough that I'd never force myself on a woman," Diego assured her and she nodded. "I was afraid you'd die right there on the floor if I didn't find a way to help you at once. The only thing I could think of was to claim you as my prize," he explained.

"I understand, Diego. Thank you for saving me, though your talk with Carlos scared me. I didn't recognize you and I didn't know what to do," she looked at him gratefully.

"Diego is fine when we're alone, but you must call me Sebastián, at least when we're in public. It would be best if you called me Sebastián all the time in case we're overheard," he instructed her. "I can't walk around here as Diego de la Vega. Sebastián is my middle name after my grandfather. And I know that your second name is Rose." He grinned at her surprise.

"Sebastián." The name sounded unfamiliar to her, and she needed to get used to it.