Chapter 14

A loud knocking at the door in the morning startled Victoria out of her sleep. She quickly pulled up the blanket to her chin as two men entered the cell without waiting for a reply.

"Sebastián? There's work to do and you can't spend the day with your woman instead of working as everyone else!" The men she knew as Pablo and José looked around in the small cell, puzzled that Sebastián wasn't there.

"Sebastián, where's he?" Pablo asked.

"I don't know," Victoria pretended, covering under the blanket though she had dressed again after Diego had left. "Maybe he had to step out? I didn't hear him rise. Isn't he with you?"

"No, we wouldn't be here searching for him if he were! He should better show up quickly, before Carlos gets angry." Pablo growled. "And you should better get up, too. Shouldn't you be preparing breakfast now?"

After the men had left to go searching for Sebastián, Victoria quickly got ready, afraid they might return and ask her about Sebastián. She hurried over to the kitchen as every morning to help with the work and have breakfast.

"Victoria, is something wrong?" Sofia asked her. "Carlos and his men were here, searching for Sebastián when he didn't show up this morning."

"I don't know where he is," Victoria said, and it wasn't exactly a lie, because she only knew that he was on his way to Monterey. She hated lying to Sofia, who had become her friend during the last weeks and didn't look down on her like Francisca and most of the other women from the mission.

There were others who were abducted singly just like her and who she got along with quite well. All women were ranging in age between sixteen and twenty. With her twenty-two years Victoria was the oldest of the group which didn't surprise her so much, as the men had only abducted unmarried women of a marriageable age.

"I don't know, but something is different today," Sofia said. "The men are in an excited mood and two more groups of men arrived today with five more kidnapped women."

"It's getting crowded here," Victoria stated, hiding her worry. If there were so many new arrivals, it could only mean that the ship would arrive soon. Diego needed to return quickly with the army!

"Yes, I don't understand it all," Sofia said. "Why are they bringing more and more women when there is no ransom paid for them? Why don't they wait until they get their money before they abduct others?"

"Yes, it's strange, isn't it? We can only hope that we get home safely and that this nightmare will be over soon," Victoria agreed.

The women continued with their work, but were interrupted when Mateo and Carlos stormed into the kitchen. Mateo spotted Victoria at once and she mused if it had been such a good idea of Diego to gift her a red scarf, but she liked the color and the soft cloth. It was better than a boring brown one.

"Where is Sebastián?" Mateo grabbed her brutally by the arm, forcing her to face him.

"I don't know," Victoria lied. "He didn't tell me. I thought he had stepped out when Pablo and José woke me."

"Don't lie to me!" Victoria tried in vain to fend off Mateo when he raised his hand, but he was too strong. Mateo slapped her hard on both cheeks and she couldn't suppress her tears. "I know that you're in league with him since you became his whore! Where is Sebastián?"

When she didn't answer, Mateo backhanded her again and the force of his blows made her go to the ground. Mateo wanted to kick her, but Carlos stopped him.

"That's enough. I don't think hitting her will bring you any answers. She's a tough one. If you hit her too hard, we won't get money for her. It seems Sebastián has abandoned her after he had enough and now she will go with the others, but you must not damage her," Carlos ordered.

Mateo stopped his attacks and leered at Victoria. "Carlos is right. If Sebastián is not here, he doesn't care for you anymore. You won't escape me this time!"

"Mateo, stop messing with that woman! There's no time for that now. Get back to work! There are plenty of women in the whorehouses at the harbors along the coast. The faster we get ready, the faster you will be paid. When we have our money, you can have your fun!" Carlos restrained him.

"What's going on? Where is Sebastián?" Sofia asked, helping Victoria up.

Victoria bit her lips and shook her head.

"Don't you know or don't you want to tell?" Sofia inquired quietly.

"Please, don't ask, Sofia. I don't want to talk about it right now."

The rest of the morning passed as usual for the women doing the chores they were assigned to. Victoria noticed that there were more men in the hideout today and that Carlos and his group hadn't left. Instead, they were grouping together with the newly arrived men, talking agitated.

Z~Z~Z

Shortly before lunch one woman came into the kitchen, interrupting the cooking. "There's a ship coming into the bay. I think it's going to anchor here."

Victoria almost dropped the plate in her hand. "A ship? This can't be! It's too early!" She didn't care for the confused reactions of her fellow prisoners as she rushed out of the mission to verify it. There was no mistake; a large trade ship was heading for the bay where the mission was located.

Shocked, Victoria stared at the big ship as it was dropping anchor in the bay and their guards were cheering, happily celebrating the arrival. No! This couldn't be! It was much too early. It was supposed to arrive in two days and not now. Why had they been so wrong? There was no way that Diego would return today with the army and free her and the others. He was probably still on his way to Monterey and still needed to persuade the governor to send soldiers. She was on her own now. What could she do? Leaning with her face against the mission wall, she started to cry.

"Victoria, what's wrong? What do you know about the ship?" Sofia who had followed her outside put her hand on Victoria's shoulder. "You're scaring me. This is the first time I see you crying."

Victoria turned around to face her. "We will never get home," she whispered. "I will never see him again."