Chapter Twenty-Seven

Olivia couldn't remember the last time she had slept so well. The bed was comfortable and the slightly ajar window had provided a cool breeze throughout the night. She moaned in delight as she stretched and rolled onto her side, burying her face in one of the soft goose-down pillows.

For once, her dreams had been peaceful. Calm. All-consuming with joy and happiness; emotions she had either suppressed or hadn't felt for a very long time. And in the center of it all, there was one man. Diego.

His kindness and his humor lifted her spirits. The warmth of his smile filled her heart to the absolute brim. His caring nature allowed her to see that there was still goodness in a world that was filled with so much darkness and hate.

In her dreams, they had sat and talked. That was all. Just talking. She'd opened her heart to him; told her about all of the darkness inside of her. About the shadow that constantly lingered just over her shoulder. And he sat there and listened, offered her whatever support she had needed. He'd brought her peace again.

But, it all vanished as the dreams faded away to wakefulness. Reality was slowly returning to her mind.

Her eyes flew open at the memories that had begun to suddenly flood her mind. Kissing Diego. Getting kidnapped. Fighting off their captors. Escaping to the mission. Revealing her identity to Diego. Don Alejandro insisting that she stay at their hacienda. Ramon offering to post up his guards for protection. Talking about the death of her parents.

Wave after wave, each memory flowed into her mind, causing the calmness inside of her him to instantly evaporate. The reality was hitting hard. The man who killed her mother was in Los Angeles and he wanted her dead as well. So much for a good night's sleep.

She punched at her pillow and rolled onto her other side in a huff.

Her gaze flicked over toward the window. The sun had already risen. Long ago, clearly. The sky was a clear blue color with only a few fluffy, white clouds dotting its expanse.

It was such a peaceful sight, but her gut was filled with anxiety. Someone wanted to kill her. Although she was used to it while donning the Shadow's hood, it was completely different when it was herself that was the main target.

She returned to resting on her back and stared up at the ceiling. Her fingers unconsciously picked at the blanket covering her; a nervous habit she'd been trying to break herself from. Saving others was easy, but saving herself was a whole new ordeal she wasn't quite familiar with.

At least she had Diego and Zorro on her side, but his assistance would only last for so long. In the end, she would have to be the one to stop this. She couldn't expect him to just race in and save the day.

She now ran her hands through her hair in aggravation and rubbed at the tension in her scalp. Why did Diego have to put himself in the middle of her problems? And why did he insist on putting himself in danger just for her? She didn't understand it. Why did he think she was worth protecting?

Why did he have to be so kind and caring? Why did he have to have her best interests in mind? Why did he have to be so damn perfect?

He had been the biggest surprise on her journey. She had never expected him to sneak in past her defenses and into her heart. It had been closed off for so long that she hadn't noticed initially. It had begun as only a means to make acquaintances among the cattlemen so she could attain their business. Then, it was a kind friendship and companionship that she'd sorely been missing during her travels. She didn't know when or how it got to the point that it made her very happy every time she saw him and missed him when it was time to part.

But, it had happened and now she didn't know how to process her emotions. She had been so focused on the goal of locating the men who'd murdered her parents for so long. It had gotten to the point that she'd almost forgotten what it felt like to care for another human being as she did for Diego. In fact, she wasn't certain that she had ever cared for a man the way she did for him.

And he cared for her as well. He made certain that she realized it every time they were together. It was so overwhelming that it made butterflies flutter around in her stomach. If only he knew how much she just wanted to fall into his arms and give in to whatever force had brought them together.

But, that would be too much of a distraction from her duties. She had a mission to complete in California and she couldn't afford to be distracted. As much as it would pain her to do so, she would have to push him away. She didn't want to. But, she had to.

"Oh, good. You're finally awake," Emily's soft voice permeated through her thoughts, drawing her attention toward the bedroom door.

Olivia had been so distracted that she hadn't heard her come in. Her arms were laden with clean linens that the maids of the house had laid out for their guest. Emily stashed them in the bottom drawer of the dresser set up on the far wall.

"What time is it anyway?" Olivia sat up and made certain Emily could see her lips.

"Nearly eleven. Don Diego and Don Alejandro didn't want you to be disturbed after the last few days and wanted you to get some sleep." Her companion began pulling a set of clothes out of the wardrobe on the nearer wall that now held the few dresses Olivia had brought with her. She pulled out one the color of the sky and held it out for approval.

"They didn't need to do that." She gave the dress a wave of approval. It wasn't like it would matter, anyway. It wasn't like she was allowed to leave the hacienda, so whichever dress she wore didn't matter.

"They're both just looking out for you. It would do you some good to allow someone else to take care of you for a change. God knows I've been trying." Olivia tried to fight back her cynicism, but Emily was observant enough to notice. "Don't be so stubborn," she spoke up before her mistress could come up with an argument. "You can't do everything by yourself."

"I know. That's why I have you." Emily was her greatest asset, although she feared she didn't tell her enough.

"It's alright to be afraid." Her maid's ability to be so observant was her greatest gift, though it could be quite annoying at times.

"You are awfully mouthy this morning," Olivia grumbled with a frown. "And I'm not afraid."

Emily was never afraid to speak out of turn. She'd been with her mistress for so long and had proven time and again to be such an asset that it wouldn't do any good to punish her. Not that she would, anyway. Emily was the greatest friend she had in the world. Olivia couldn't imagine her not being by her side.

"You have allies, now. You don't have to do this all on your own."

"Yes, I do." If only to protect everyone she cared about.

Propping her hands on her hips, she glared at the woman in the bed. "I won't sit by and watch you put yourself in harm's way."

"I'm not asking you to."

Huffing in frustration, Emily continued to pull out things for her mistress to dress. She dug out her undergarments and tossed them onto the bed a bit too harshly. "Why do you insist on carrying such a burden on your shoulders? If you're not careful, you'll end up just like your parents." It was a low blow and one she regretted as soon as the words passed her lips. "I-I didn't mean that."

"Yes, you did." Olivia wasn't angry. She couldn't be. "And you're right." A tear escaped from the corner of her eye and she hastily wiped it away. She hated looking vulnerable in front of others. She didn't want their pity. "I want to trust Diego. I really do."

"So, why don't you?"

Olivia didn't voice her response, only allowed her emotions to show on her features.

Emily realized immediately and softened in response. "Oh." She sat down on the edge of the bed and took hold of Olivia's hand, offering her whatever comfort she could give. "I see now."

The strength her servant offered her was welcome. She and Emily were nearly the same age, but her maid was more like a mother to her than her aunt ever had been. She'd comforted her during those nights the nightmares of her parents' murder had come. She had been her confidante when she'd sneak away from whatever societal gathering she'd been forced to attend to study her sword skills. She always made certain she was dressed properly and ate well as well.

She'd even been her nurse. She'd made certain that she always took her medicine. She bound her injuries. And stitched up her external wounds, though she knew Emily wished she could do something to help with the internal ones. Olivia didn't think she could get through a single day without Emily's support.

"I don't want him to get hurt because of my problems."

"Well, to me, it looks like he thinks your problems are his problems."

"And they shouldn't be." She hated the fact that Diego felt the need to put himself in the middle of things. The guilt she would feel if anything was to happen to him would be insurmountable.

"I wish I could say the words you want to hear, but I can't. You already know what I think of the matter."

Olivia chuckled softly. "Always the romantic."

The two women shared a laugh and a comforting hug when there came a knock at the door. Olivia motioned toward it and Emily went to see who it was.

One of the housemaids stood just outside the door and handed a note over to Emily. It had been decided among the household that that was the best way for the hacienda's servants to communicate with the deaf woman when it came to her mistress's needs.

She thanked the girl with a nod and watched as she quickly turned around and disappeared down the hallway without waiting for a response. She closed the door and gave the note a quick read.

Olivia didn't ask what it read because Emily wouldn't have seen. Instead, she rose from the bed, wincing slightly at her sore muscles. While her long rest should have done her some good, being inactive for that long meant that her muscles would be tight. She wondered if she would at least be allowed to walk the grounds to ease their tension.

"Doña Dorotea has stopped by to see if you're up for a visit," she frowned in confusion.

Olivia raised an eyebrow in question. "How did she know I was here?"

"I was wondering the same thing."

No one was supposed to know that Olivia had left the inn. It was supposed to be believed that she was still in residence there. The innkeeper had even been paid enough to leave the room empty until it was deemed safe enough to let people know her whereabouts.

"Let's find out, shall we? I mean, after all, it would be nice to see a friendly face." Olivia's instincts were kicking in and something about this entire situation was not sitting right with her.

From Emily's expression, she felt much the same. But, they would welcome their guest with open arms and hope that she would be just as open to them. "So, let's get you dressed."

Fifteen minutes later, Olivia was freshly dressed and her hair back in its usual braid as she made her way to the patio by passing through the sala. Emily trailed behind her. A basket of sewing hung from her forearm as she followed closely behind her mistress.

Both women spotted their visitor sitting at the small wrought iron table where a tray of goodies had been set out for her. She looked to be waiting patiently for Olivia to arrive and gave no physical indication that she knew she shouldn't be there.

They shared a glance with each other. Their suspicion was high.

But Olivia would play her part and welcome the older woman with open arms. "Doña Dorothea, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

The older woman's eyes lit up in excitement at the sound of Olivia's voice, though she didn't get up from her seat. "Oh, my dear. I'd heard about your terrible ordeal and I felt that I had to come to check on you." She urged Olivia to sit and poured her a glass of lemonade from the pitcher beside her.

Olivia did as she was instructed, her eyes scanning the tray that had also been laid out. With their guest's arrival, she hadn't been given the opportunity to eat yet, so the sight of it all was very enticing. The servants knew how to take care of their guests by the look of it. There was a plate of finger sandwiches and one of pastries. There were also two bowls set out. One filled with local berries and another with nuts.

Her stomach growled in appreciation and she didn't hesitate to nibble. "I'm fine, really. You didn't have to come all this way." She noted how Emily set herself up underneath the shade of the large willow tree in the center of the patio. She'd made certain to be facing the small table and keep both women in her line of sight. Olivia shifted her chair so she could understand both sides of the conversation.

"Nonsense. After what you've been through..." she trailed off while shoving a pastry onto a small plate and pushing it toward Olivia. "You must be hungry."

She was, but despite that, she needed to remember her manners to not devour everything in front of her. She would also have to remember that this visit was suspicious. The problem was that so was so famished that her appetite was beginning to take control. She accepted the plate and took a small bite to curb her hunger as she stared at her guest in confusion. "I'm curious, how did you know I was here?"

"Oh, I overheard that silly Corporal talking to the Sergeant about it when I was in the pueblo this morning." She leaned back in her chair, cradling her own goblet of lemonade in her long, slender fingers and waved away her question as if it had been silly of her to ask.

"Corporal Reyes?" she asked. Olivia sipped from her glass, peering over the rim so she could study her guest. She hadn't seemed thrown off by her query, which meant either she was telling the truth or a fantastic actress.

"Yes, I believe that's his name," Doña Dorotea shrugged as if it wasn't important.

During her short stay in Los Angeles, Olivia had learned quite a few things. One of them was, while not exactly the brightest man in the King's Army, Corporal Reyes did his duty and would have made certain not to be discussing such a thing out in the open. Especially something this sensitive. Something about this story wasn't making sense.

"But, come now. Tell me everything. Especially about your rescue. I understand that you were saved by Zorro. It sounds exciting."

Olivia wouldn't be put off by the other woman's nonchalance. Of course, Los Angeles was certainly small enough that gossip spread like wildfire, but she doubted that word of her staying at the de la Vega hacienda would be part of it. Although, it could only be the stress of the last few days that was making her paranoid. Still, to be certain, she decided to be as vague as possible.

"Yes, Zorro did save us. He found us and fought off the bandits while Diego and I made our escape."

"That's right. I'd forgotten that Diego had been there as well." Her frown held the hint of pity. "It's unfortunate that he is not more of a fighter."

The people of the pueblo were far too quick to write off Diego as useless when it came to a fight and while she knew that was part of his persona, she felt that she had to defend him. "That may be so, but Diego was still very brave. He protected me as much as he could."

Doña Dorotea completely ignored her defense of Diego as she sipped her tea. Which was odd; she always seemed like she had a fondness for the young caballero. "Well, you seem to be handling things far better than I think I ever could."

Olivia shrugged. "There isn't much I can do. Worrying about it won't help at all. And Captain Estevez did say that he would let me know if he found out anything."

"So, you don't know why you were singled out?"

She still had that niggling feeling in the back of her mind and with that question, it became even more prominent. "I still can't say for certain. But, it seems like someone wanted me out of the way." She couldn't tell Doña Dorotea about Allende or the fact that he was the one who had arranged the kidnapping. Unfortunately, it seemed that other than Diego and his father, she didn't really know who she could trust in Los Angeles.

"Hmm," was all the older woman could say as she sipped from her glass.

The longer their conversation continued, the more Olivia felt her visitor was acting strangely. Why was her kidnapping of such interest to her? It could simply be because she'd felt Olivia had needed a friendly face after such turmoil or it could have been because of more sinister means. And she obviously couldn't look over her shoulder to Emily to find out her opinion because that would be far too apparent.

She decided that changing the subject was best. "I hope things are well with your family. Is Rosita still faring well?" She'd been meaning to stop by and check on the mare, yet she'd been quite busy talking to a few of the other landowners and hadn't had the chance.

"Oh, of course. Tomas made certain to follow your instructions and dispose of that horrible plant properly and as far away from our fields as possible. I can't believe we'd been living here for so long without ever realizing we'd had such dangers around."

"You have been lucky, indeed." There had been something in the other woman's tone that gave her pause. She talked about dangers that should have made her uneasy, yet she remained calm. Had she known about the oleander's existence?

She never got the chance to question it as the main gate swung open to allow Diego and his father to stroll through. They each wore a sombrero and took them off when they caught sight of the women.

"Good day, ladies," Diego greeted warmly, though he showed a look of concern with his father. "Doña Dorotea, this is a pleasant surprise." He glanced toward Olivia with confusion. She shrugged in response and with the older woman distracted by their arrival, she was given the chance to see what conclusion Emily had drawn. She didn't have to sign anything to her to share her opinion. Her expression filled with suspicion was evidence enough.

"I just stopped by to check on the two of you. I'd heard about what happened."

The two of them? Olivia was shocked at the statement. Earlier she'd barely given a second thought to Diego's well-being and now she was concerned about him? Just what was the real reason why Dorotea had stopped by? Something told Olivia that her reasons were more sinister in nature.

"Well, we can thank Zorro for their safe return," Don Alejandro praised in clear relief.

"Yes, of course. Thank the saints for Zorro." But, there was something in her tone that didn't mirror her words. She stood from the table and gathered her shawl. "I believe I have taken up enough of Señorita Walker's time. I should take my leave."

"Won't you at least stay for lunch?" Diego offered. He was only asking because of curiosity but played it off as propriety.

Standing up from her chair, Olivia was hoping that she wouldn't take him up on his offer. This entire visit had left her uneasy.

"That sounds wonderful, but I'm afraid it will have to be another time. Olivia, again I am glad to see you safe and in one piece. You as well, Diego."

"Gracias," he bowed, while Olivia merely nodded and took slow steps toward Diego to not arouse suspicion.

"I will walk you to your carriage," Don Alejandro offered and didn't give her the chance to object as he led her toward the gate. Mostly, he was doing it so he would be certain she had left.

"How did she know you were here?" Diego asked quietly so they wouldn't be overheard.

"She told me that Corporal Reyes and Sergeant Garcia had been talking about it this morning and she had overheard."

Diego frowned in confusion. Apparently he knew something she did not. "Did she say around what time this was?"

She frowned in confusion at the question. "No, but I didn't exactly ask either. Why?"

"Because they were only coming off duty when they came to check in on you this morning. Ramon gave them the rest of the day off and they were so exhausted that they were going straight to the barracks."

"Do you think they were so tired they could have said something without thinking about it?"

"Anything is possible, I suppose." He noticed the way she continued to stare after the departing visitor. And now Emily was standing beside her with the same expression. Don Alejandro was returning from waving her off. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, still unsure of what had just transpired. The plot against her could just be making her jump at shadows, but her gut was telling her something had been off with Doña Dorotea. "It's probably just my imagination, but she was acting strange." They hadn't exactly become close during her visits with Don Tomas, yet this encounter had been much different than the previous ones.

"It is not your imagination," Emily confirmed for her.

Diego looked stunned that her companion had spoken. She supposed it would be quite strange if a person hadn't heard her voice before.

He shrugged off his reaction and returned back to the conversation at hand. "Strange? How?"

"I can't explain, but she was asking questions about the other night and who would want to kidnap me."

"Perhaps she was just curious," Don Alejandro suggested. "Despite how horrific, it could be seen as exciting."

"Only to some," she replied cynically. "But, it was as if she was asking why me, specifically. Almost as if, she couldn't understand why I was chosen." She tried to shake her muddled thoughts away. "Maybe I was just reading too much into it. Could have been my imagination running wild, is all." Even as she said those words, she didn't believe it and she didn't think Diego or his father did either. Emily certainly didn't.

"Maybe the stress of the last few days hasn't gone away just yet," Don Alejandro pointed out as he rested a hand on her back and led her to the door that opened into the sala. His words were trying to be reassuring, yet she was still doubtful.

"Perhaps," she relented, verbally, yet her body gave pause just outside of the door. If it had been just her that was feeling these things, she could agree. But the fact that she wasn't and Emily had seen the same things she had told her that it had nothing to do with stress.

"If it'll make you feel any better, we'll discuss it with the Sergeant and Corporal tomorrow when they check in on you." This was Diego's way of putting her at ease and she was grateful for it.

"Thank you." She realized that he was studying her. She felt self-conscious and hoped she looked alright. "What?" She fought the urge to smooth her hands down her skirt as if he would be offended by any wrinkles in sight.

He shook his head. "I'm just pleased that you seem so well-rested."

"Thank you. I don't think I've ever slept better." She almost forgotten the good mood she'd been in when she'd woken up that morning. Doña Dorotea's visit had thrust that from her mind.

"Have you eaten anything yet?" Don Alejandro asked. "We were just going to see if lunch has been prepared."

"Oh, I'm famished."

He smiled at the fact that she was trying to stop herself from being dramatic. The way he gazed at her—like a loving parent—gave her great comfort. And at the same time made her feel guilty. Like if she allowed him to treat her as such that she would be betraying her own parents. She knew that they would want her to be happy, but it was just a silly thought that crossed her mind. "I'll have the servants set out a plate for you as well."

"Thank you, Don Alejandro." She wasn't just thanking him for the meal, but for everything he had done for her. He only smiled at her in response before heading to the kitchen. Had that been his way of telling her that he knew? She hoped so.

"And if you're feeling up to it, I thought perhaps we might go on a ride afterward," Diego added as he followed her inside.

"That sounds wonderful." It would feel wonderful to be allowed to set foot outside these walls and even more so to be in Diego's company.

"Fantastic. I'll let Bernardo know to have the horses saddled and ready for us."

How did he do it? How did he go about his day without the weight of the world on his shoulders? He knew so much about the darker parts of life and yet he remained mild-mannered and joyful.

If she had been him, she would be pounding the pavement, eager for answers from whoever she could get them from and with whatever means that it would take to get them.

She hadn't forgotten that The Chameleon was in Los Angeles and that he was the same man that had killed her mother. With the realization that they were the same person, she now knew it wasn't just her life that was at stake. The fact that he was in Los Angeles told her that his plans were much more dastardly than just killing her.

She had yet to discuss him with Diego, but the man never acted alone. And his attacks were never usually small in scale. Something was brewing on the horizon. Something bad. She just didn't know how to initiate that conversation with Diego. What would he do when he discovered that the land he called home was in danger of being lost forever?