Chapter 12

A week later, Victoria smiled as Diego and Felipe walked through the front door to her tavern. Felipe's adoption had been finalized a few days before at a rather robust celebration at the hacienda. Both men were wearing crisp trousers and ruffled shirts and looked every inch dashing caballeros. An impartial observer would never know they weren't real brothers. "Diego! Felipe! What a pleasant surprise." She glanced at Felipe before adding, "And do you have permission to be in my tavern today?" She looked pointedly at Diego's sling.

"Finally, yes. I thought my father was going to lock me away in my room forever."

"How then would you practice your piano?" Victoria asked innocently.

Diego just grinned. "How indeed?"

"Can I get you both something for lunch?"

Felipe nodded vigorously and made his sign for tamales.

"Tamales? I think that can be arranged."

"Make that two, please," Diego requested with a chuckle.

Victoria went back to the kitchen to get their meals adding an extra helping to both of their plates. She asked Pilar to tend the customers in the taproom while she sat with Don Diego. Adding another plate on her tray for herself, she delivered the meals and sat down next to Diego, who seemed absolutely delighted that she was joining them.

"What brings you to the pueblo this afternoon?"

"Lunch and the wonderful company that comes with it," Diego replied smoothly. "Although I must admit, I think Felipe was more excited about the promise of food than the company."

"Oh? And you?"

"You know I love your tamales."

Victoria looked up with a glare, but chuckled when Diego winked at her. She shook her head. It was going to take a while to get used to Diego exercising his sharp wit freely without his mask in her presence.

Gunfire echoed suddenly from the plaza. Abandoning their lunches, the three of them, along with everyone else in the taproom, raced to the front door to see what was going on. Fortunately, it was nothing too sinister, but Martinez and his merry band of vaqueros were stirring up a good deal of trouble among the peons.

Victoria glanced across the plaza in time to see Mendoza waddling toward the cuartel to rally the lancers. "Mendoza moves slower than molasses in January, but at least he's going to stop them before he eats lunch." Victoria was surprised when Diego didn't reply. She turned around only to find Felipe standing beside her. Diego was nowhere in sight. She clutched his arm frantically. "Felipe! Where is Diego?"

Felipe turned around quickly, apparently just as surprised as she was that Diego wasn't standing behind them on the porch. His shoulders slumped visibly. He ran his hands through his hair. Father was going to kill him. He'd promised he wouldn't let Diego out of his sight when they went into town. Unfortunately, his older brother had far too much practice sneaking about for his own good.

"Felipe, hurry. We have to stop him."

Felipe gave her a wry grin that could have been from Zorro's own face. We don't have to. Don't worry. He patted her arm reassuringly and pointed to the plaza where Mendoza and his men were finally coming out to deal with the brigands.

It took perhaps twice as long, if not longer, for the lancers to deal with the disturbance than it would have taken Zorro to solve the problem, but eventually every member of the gang had been caught and the Alcalde ordered his lancers to put them in jail. Mendoza happily complied. He didn't like it when people terrorized the peons. They had a hard enough time getting by because of the Alcalde's taxes without idiots like Martinez causing more problems for them. Not to mention they'd interrupted his lunch.

Felipe waved his hand at the destruction the gang had caused in the marketplace. Nearly every cart had been overturned and many goods and food destroyed.

He could have prevented most of this.

Victoria nodded. "You're right." She glanced at the pueblo gate uncertainly.

Wait here. Felipe hurried to the pueblo stable and saddled Victoria's horse, suddenly immensely glad Diego had gifted the prize mare to her. Felipe helped Victoria into the saddle and then mounted his own horse. Without further delay, they headed to the hacienda where Felipe suspected he would find a very furious Diego.

ZZZ

Alejandro quickly rose from his desk when Felipe and Victoria came rushing through the front door. The last time someone had rushed through the door, Diego had been kidnapped…Wait a minute…

"Felipe!"

Felipe obediently turned around before heading into the library.

"Where's Diego?" Alejandro fought to keep the panic out of his voice. "I thought you went into town together?"

"It's all right, Don Alejandro. Martinez and his gang were causing trouble in the pueblo."

"He didn't." It was more of a prayer than anything else. "Please tell me he didn't."

Felipe shook his head and grinned. I promised, didn't I? He motioned for the others to follow him into the cave. Rushing down the stairs, Felipe found Diego exactly where he thought he'd be - unconscious and dressed as Zorro on the floor near the clothes rack. Felipe shook his head. Diego was going to be furioso when he woke up. Hopefully, he'd be unconscious for hours. He pulled Zorro's mask off and motioned for help to carry Diego upstairs.

"I don't understand," Alejandro was saying as he and Felipe placed Diego into bed wearing a clean nightshirt a few moments later. Felipe motioned for him to wait a moment and invited Victoria in from the hall.

I poured ether on his mask before we left, just in case.

"What? A sleeping potion?" Alejandro asked.

Felipe nodded. He should have realized they wouldn't know his sign for ether since he'd only ever had to use it with Diego.

Victoria chuckled. "Serves him right."

Alejandro was trying very hard to contain his laughter as well. "He's going to be furious when he wakes up," he unconsciously echoed Felipe's earlier sentiment.

Felipe nodded and glanced furtively at Diego. Deciding that discretion might be the better part of valor, he headed off to the cave to unsaddle Tornado. Maybe afterward he'd take his pony for a long ride to the beach. It certainly wouldn't hurt his chances of survival any if he were far away from the hacienda for the next few hours…or maybe days...

ZZZ

Two hours later, Victoria and Alejandro were enjoying a quiet game of chess in the library when they discovered what it was like to be on the receiving end of Diego's temper.

Victoria had just moved her rook to prevent an attack on her king that Alejandro was no doubt about to make within the next two moves when they heard Diego's bedroom door slam shut.

"If he broke the frame, I'll make him fix it himself." Alejandro moved his knight forward with a sly grin. "Check, my dear."

Victoria was too preoccupied tracking Diego's heavy footsteps down the hall towards the library to be concerned about her king falling into Don Alejandro's trap. Diego flew around the corner not a few seconds later.

"Ah, Diego. You're awake!" Alejandro attempted to stay his son's anger. "I hope you don't mind; I had Maria prepare an early supper. It should be ready in just a few moments."

"Where is he?" Diego asked, his voice so deadly calm, and so obviously masking his intense anger, that Victoria felt a shiver run down her spine.

"Who?" Alejandro tapped Victoria's bishop on the chessboard as a hint.

"Don't play coy with me! Where is he?!" Diego thundered. Shocked at his tone, Victoria and Alejandro both stood up from the table.

"He left hours ago, no doubt afraid of what you'd do to him when you awoke, and rightfully so, apparently!" Alejandro yelled back.

"And you let him?!" Diego roared incredulously. "What happened in town?" His demanding tone echoed off the walls.

"Everything in town is fine." Victoria answered calmly.

"And I'll remind you, Diego, that Felipe no longer answers to just you. As head of this household he answers to me, and he promised me he'd keep an eye on you this afternoon when you went into town. I'll also remind you that you made a promise to me as well. Where's your sling, Diego?"

"I must have dropped it," Diego's voice dripped with sarcasm.

Victoria's jaw dropped open. She'd never, ever, heard Diego talk back to his father. Not even when they were children. Surely infierno had just frozen over.

"Watch your mouth, young man!"

Instead of looking apologetic like Victoria thought he would, somehow his expression darkened even further. The anger was radiating off of him in waves now, and nearly palpable. Without another word, he turned to storm out the front door.

"Diego de la Vega!" Victoria finally found her voice.

Diego whirled around, a retort obviously forming on his lips, but instead he stood perfectly still, clenching and unclenching his fist a few times before pursing his lips in utter frustration and storming out again.

"Where are you going?" Alejandro demanded.

"I'm the best tracker in the territory. I'll find him myself!" Diego snapped over his shoulder without even turning around.

"Diego get back here!"

The slamming of the front door was Diego's only reply.