Here it is, an update!

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"Guessing from your reaction, I think it does", Sands said with a sarcastic smile.

Lina stared at him gasping. "What does he have to do with anything?"

Sands held up his hand. "Hold your horses. So, you know him?"

She had a dreadful feeling inside her. "Unfortunately I do."

"Well, go on. I'm curious", he said.

Lina squeezed her hands into fists trying to control her irritation. She could see from his face that he wasn't going to tell her anything before she had satisfied his curiosity.

"Are you going to tell me what he has to do with this if I tell you?" she insisted.

"I will, I promise." He lifted his hand like he was giving an oath.

She sighed giving up "Okay." She sat back down again. "Like I said I have been visiting my father every now and then here. The bakery started out modestly but during the years father had broadened his selection of products. He started importing; fine wines, cheese, all kinds of delicatessens. Most of the wealthier people from the town, and from other towns too, became his regular customers. The average people still came for the low-priced bread made by my mother's recipes. He was doing really well.
About a year ago he told me about this man who had started to come there. A very wealthy, respectable man, that's how my father described him. He praised him to me every time we talked. I didn't understand why he was doing it, until came the time I met him for the first time."

She paused to remember exactly what he had looked like then.
"I was once again visiting dad and helping him around the shop, when a car pulled in front of the shop. It was a big, black car that caught my attention. Then I could see three men getting out of it and coming toward the shop. I immediately guessed this was the man father had been talking about. The moment he stepped in from that door, I knew there was something out of ordinary with him." She paused to look at Sands and hurried to explain herself better. "Don't get me wrong; he was a good looking man. He was about your height, fit and handsome. He had his hair combed back and the clothes he wore were undoubtedly very expensive. But there was something in his eyes and in his presence, something I didn't like. His eyes were too cold and sharp. It felt like a cold wind was blowing through you when he looked at you.
He had these two gorillas with him and I noticed that they gave a look to a woman who was shopping in the store right then. She was clearly intimidated and she just put down all her purchases and left on that second."

FL A S H B A C K

"Ahh, Mr. Ramirez! How nice of you to drop in again!" Lina's father came to greet him with a big smile on his face. They shook hands.

"Well, Mr. Evans, I have taken a liking to your little shop", he responded politely.

"You haven't met my daughter yet, have you?" Her father signaled her to come over. Lina walked to them somewhat reluctantly.

"This is my daughter, Lina", her father introduced her.

Lina forced a polite smile on her face, trying to ignore the feeling of being introduced like a prize mare. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Ramirez."

The man's eyes widened slightly and he looked at her curiously. He then took her hand and planted a kiss on it. "The pleasure is all mine. And please call me Miguel." He turned back to her father. "You didn't tell me she was so beautiful, Mr. Evans."

Lina's father looked clearly pleased. She realized he was really was trying to pair them up.

Mr. Ramirez did his shopping and Lina had to admit that he was a good customer for the store. Before leaving he sought out Lina, who had escaped to sorting some shelves. "I hope to see you again very soon, Ms. Evans."

Lina nearly shivered at the smile he gave.

E N D F L A S H B A C K

"After that he started coming to the shop regularly, even though he didn't live in the town. My father tried to play the matchmaker for us, I tried to avoid him the best I could. But for some reason, he had caught his eye on me and he didn't give up easily. He'd send me flowers, expensive gifts, jewelry… Things like that, you know", Lina shrugged. "And because I knew father would be really pleased, I even agreed to see him a couple of times, even though I wasn't really interested in him. I always felt uncomfortable around him. I had also heard these… well, rumors about him out on the town. That he hadn't made his fortune exactly honestly. That he was engaged in criminal activity. The next time I saw the woman who stormed out of the store that day I told you about, she warned me not to have anything to do with him. That he was an evil man. And she didn't have to convince me, somehow I didn't find it hard to believe.
Suddenly Miguel asked father to have my hand in marriage. I guess he was a somewhat old fashioned man to do that. When father talked to me about I put an end to it and immediately said no. My father pleaded for me to consider it, but when I wouldn't even hear of it, he gave up. He said he wouldn't of course force me into anything and that he would tell him my answer.
Later he told me Miguel clearly wasn't happy about my decision. He didn't come to the store anymore, which I was only pleased of. The last I heard from him was sometime after when I received flowers, two dozen roses, from him and a card that said 'I hope you will change your mind someday'."
Lina looked at Sands determined. "That day hasn't come."

Sands seemed to be thinking because there was a long silence. Lina became impatient when he didn't speak. "Now it's your turn. You promised you'd tell me what he has to do with this", she demanded.

"So I did." He took a long drink and sighed. "Well you see, a couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a man who wanted to hire me to do a job. He had heard of my situation and thought I was the right person for this task. I agreed to a meeting and he explained what he wanted me to do. To put it shortly; I had to get this girl from some god forsaken town and bring her to him. He didn't give me a name or anything, just the address and a description. Said the less I knew about it, the better. He also said it didn't matter what it would cost or take. The only term was that she wasn't to be hurt."

It took a while before his words sink in, but when they did, Lina felt her blood getting cold.

"You mean to say that- that Miguel hired you? To get me?" she stammered. She felt like she couldn't breathe properly and she had to close her eyes. It had never been the stuff or the money that he had wanted that night he broke into the house. He had been after her all the time! And that was why he hadn't let her go.

"Apparently he had heard your father had died and thought it was the perfect time to act. Looks like I got there on the last minute, since you already had everything packed", Sands said calmly.

"But… that's crazy!" Lina almost shouted incredulously. "You can't just take people against their wish! Why would he do it? Why would YOU do it?" she asked looking at him.

"I told you I was out of a job and I didn't have any money. That can make people do crazy things sometimes."

Lina thought about what he said and suddenly a thought occurred to her. "But you have money now! You have the money from Raulo and those men." Her thoughts went even further and she got an idea. "And if you want more, I could pay you! I'll give you more than what he's paying you. I have money from selling the store and the house, you know. Then you wouldn't need his money anymore and you could just let me go!" She looked at him hopefully.

Unfortunately he didn't seem to understand the brilliance of her plan. He shook his head with a patronizing smile.
"I couldn't do that, even if I wanted. Miguel Ramirez is a very powerful man. He has contacts everywhere in Mexico, even in the States. If I didn't keep my part of the deal, he'd have me killed. Besides, you don't have the money he's paying me."

"So you're saying that you're just going to deliver me to him, like I'm some package, and leave?" she asked aghast.

"I'm sorry, but that's probably how it's going to go down", he said calmly finally putting the whiskey bottle away. "You should get some sleep now. Tomorrow's going to be a big day. And in case you get some ideas, remember I still have my gun", he warned.

Lina stared at his turned back. She felt like she was in a weird nightmare when she lied down on the blankets next to him. It was insane. They men were treating her like she was a piece of property they could do anything they wanted to with. And Sands was just the same as Miguel; a cold hearted bastard who didn't respect anything or anyone. And to think she had had his well-being in mind for even a second.
She grabbed the whiskey bottle, she was going to need it.

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It was no surprise that she couldn't sleep after hearing something like that. She stayed awake staring at the roof and consuming the whiskey. Sands on the other hand didn't seem to let himself be bothered by her 'little problems'. He was sound asleep.

Why hadn't she left when she had had the chance? She cursed her stupid conscience. She looked at Sands next to her.
But he was asleep now and she didn't have any reason to worry about him. He certainly didn't care about her fate. If she could just get to the car without him waking up. The car keys were still in there and his injury would slow him down. She knew the saying about drinking and driving, and she had been drinking the whiskey, but this was an emergency if there ever was one.

She sat up carefully keeping an eye on his still figure, and when he didn't react in any way, she got up quietly. The horses had been silent and she hoped they would stay that way. The oil lamp cast her shadow on the wall and it followed behind her when she grabbed her bag and quietly walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Sands' voice asked behind her back.

Lina froze. Busted. But maybe she could still make it.
She turned to look at him. He was sitting up now. "I'm just stepping outside for a while. I'll be right back", she said hoping he would buy it.

Sands looked at her sharply and his eyes caught her hand. "And why would you need your bag?"

Lina looked at the bag in her hands and knew she was caught. Sands jumped up and she turned around to fumble the door open. It was strange that when you try to do something fast, you never can, especially when it's a matter of life and death. She seemed to mess an eternity with the door, but finally got it opened. Of course the alcohol might have had something to do with it too. The situation and the fresh night air sobered her up pretty effectively though.

She didn't even get to the car when he was already on her. She didn't know how he had reached her so quickly with his injury and everything, but he had once again a firm hold of her.

"Let go of me you bastard! Let go!" she screamed and managed to kick and hit him a couple of times. But it didn't help, he just became more angry and dragged her back into the barn. He had drunk quite an amount of the whiskey too but he didn't seem drunk at all. No, he was very determined. He threw her on the blankets and held her down with his body weight. He pulled out his gun and that made Lina stop her resistance.
She realized it was useless and gave up. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her breath. It sounded like he was doing the same thing.

"Don't you remember what I said the last time you tried to run off?" he asked after his breathing was a little steadier again.

She opened her eyes and looked at him defiantly in the eyes.

"I remember. You told me you'd kill me. But even that's better than to be taken to Miguel. You'll have to kill me first to take me there." She lifted her chin. "So why don't you go ahead and just do it. Kill me." She didn't know what made her say that. She didn't want to die, but having no control of her own life was making her angry, frustrated and scared. It all felt so hopeless.

He raised the gun and she realized he might just have been pissed enough to do it, even if Miguel had told him she was not to be hurt. Lina had to close her eyes again. Maybe this was it. Maybe this was how she was going to die. In the desert and in the hands of a man who thought she was nothing but tradable goods. With her closest family gone, there weren't too many people to miss her, except for aunt Bessie. Maybe she would go where her mother and father were. Maybe she would be together with them and it wouldn't be so bad after all…

Instead of a bullet to her head, she felt a pair of lips on hers and her thoughts drifted away. He had caught her totally by surprise and she didn't realize to fight him. Or did she even want to?
The kiss started out careful, but quickly deepened into a passionate, almost desperate one. Suddenly Lina noticed she was grabbing onto him like she was drowning. Every thought she had had disappeared and she was full of nothing but that moment. She grabbed his hair to try to pull him even closer. She didn't even realize him putting the gun away, she didn't care anymore. He tasted of whiskey and cigarettes, but in a soft, good way. Despite of the situation – or maybe just because of it - it was the best kiss she had ever had. His lips were warm and soft and his hands wandered on her body causing wonderful shivers on her skin. She wanted to get closer to him. He began to take off her blouse and she wanted to feel his skin against hers so badly.
From somewhere far away Lina heard a creek from the door. They both stopped abruptly and turned to look to the direction of the sound.

There was a man standing in the door crack.

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The man at the door looked just as amazed as Lina imagined the two of them did. He stood there quietly for a moment and then left closing the door again. It must have been the owner of the horses, but of course she didn't know that for sure. He did look like a farmer. Sands reached for his gun, but Lina stopped him by taking his hand.

"Don't", she whispered. "Let him go. You don't have to kill everyone that comes across."

Sands looked down at her for a while. Then a small smiles rouse on his lips and he put the gun away again. His hair was hanging on his face and she lifted her hands and tucked it gently behind his ears. He was leaning on his hands and his eyes were so close to hers that she thought she could see behind them. There was a whole new world in there she hadn't seen before and she wanted to explore it.
It was crazy. She should have hated him for what he was doing. But she found she couldn't. The feeling she had was far from hate and all she wanted him to touch her again. She could see he wanted it too.

"What's happening?" she whispered to him hoping he could give an answer.

"I don't know." He looked just as uncertain as she felt. "You want to stop?"

The question surprised her, but she didn't even have to think. She shook her head barely noticeably.

That sign was enough for him. He bent down to kiss her again and with that kiss all the uncertainty that was left was wiped away. She felt like she was melting from the inside and the blood in her veins had turned into burning hot lava.
They peeled out of their clothes, being careful of the wound in his side, and wrapped around each other. Their shadows that repeated their every move on the wall didn't part even for a fraction of a second. His hot mouth wondered on her skin and his hands were everywhere doing magic tricks she had never known before. She trembled when he finally lifted her legs around his waist and pushed inside her. When she felt she was reaching the end, she sank her teeth in his shoulder to keep quiet. He collapsed into her arms.

They fell asleep in a tight embrace, without giving tomorrow a single thought.

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Lina woke up to find that sunlight was penetrating through the cracks on the walls shedding light into the otherwise dark barn. The oil lamp must have died during the night. Lina would have thought last night was nothing but a dream, had she not woken up right there in Sands' arms. A blanket was pulled over them. He was already awake and was looking at her. His eyes were serious.

Lina had no idea what was going to happen and she looked back at him feeling that uncertainty returning again. What was he thinking and what was he going to do? Did he regret what happened? It was too early for questions like that to race in her head.

Her heart sighed in relief when he smiled and touched her cheek gently. She wiped a lock of hair from his face.

"Morning", she said softly, but a little tentatively. How was she supposed to act like after a night like that?

"Morning", he said and kissed her. The kiss was soft and tender.
One of the horses neighed and they both startled apart. After realizing it was just their old acquaintance saying good morning, they laughed. Lina gazed into his eyes, seeing him now in a totally different light. How could he make her feel this way?

"What do you say, we get out of here?" he said gently.

What did he mean by that? She looked for an answer in his eyes and she felt like bursting into a happy laughter when she found what she was looking for.

They got dressed and cleaned up each other's clothes; they had been lying in the hay all night after all. There was a bite mark on his right shoulder and some scratch marks in his back. Lina blushed slightly when she saw them and hoped he wouldn't see a mirror anytime soon. She changed his bandage and saw the wound had started healing nicely.

"I told you I'd be a new man", he said winking. Indeed.

Lina laughed and they gathered up the stuff, carried them to the car and said goodbye to the horses and the barn. They reached the main road again and drove ahead. Though now her mood was totally different than last night. Lina was confused, but somehow very happy and hopeful too. What had happened was amazing. This man had kidnapped her for money, treated her bad, even hit her. And now there she was; sitting next to him in the car, not wanting to be anywhere else. And after one night? She must have been out of her mind, but somehow she just knew it was right. Maybe this could all work out for the best after all.

Just then he looked at her and gave her a smile. Now that it was a real, honest smile she could see it was a very beautiful one and it lit up his whole face. He really did seem like a different man.

She felt foolish for feeling happy just because he smiled at her. She was definitely losing her marbles. Either that, or she was in love…

Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed him looking concerned into the re-view mirror again. He had been doing that for a while.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I think we're being followed", he said shortly.

Lina took a careful look at the mirror on her own side. He was right, there was a car right behind them. It stayed persistently on their tail, clearly not trying to get pass.

"What do you think they want?" she asked concerned after a while, when the car was still behind them.

Just then they saw a car ahead of them. It was parked in the middle of the road, blocking both lanes. There was no way past it. Sands slowed down and stopped the car. He turned to look at her.

"I guess we're about to find out."

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R&R please!