A shot echoed against the rocky walls. Before Rosarita had time to react, Diego had leapt from his saddle and firmly lifted her in his arms as he flew over her horse in a single and swift movement. He even managed to maneuver in such a way that he found himself under her to break her fall when they brutally landed on the ground.

He groaned as he hit the hard dirt but didn't waste any time. Keeping a firm grip on Rosarita's arm, he forced her to take cover by his side behind a large boulder on the side of the road. A couple of additional bullets flew over their heads. Their ricochets against the rocky walls scared off the horses, which scattered in a cloud of dust, leaving their two riders stranded.

"Are you alright?" Diego asked, an unusual urgency in his voice.

Things had happened so quickly, it was hard to be sure. She was a bit shaken, and her heart was racing so fast that it felt like it would escape her chest, but otherwise, thanks to Diego's unbelievable reflex, she was unscathed. "I – I think so," she said, catching her breath. "You?"

Diego lifted his hat, which was holed in the brim. "One casualty. Shot through and through," he said, his voice back to its usual casualness. He sighed sadly. "I liked that hat."

"How did you do that?" She was still somewhat incredulous of Diego's unexpected stunt. Playing it again in her mind, she could swear he had started to move even before they heard the shot.

Diego shrugged. "My father sent me to a military school. Despite my best efforts, I guess I managed to learn a thing or two."

"Well, I'm glad."

Flattened against the rock, they didn't dare make a move. Diego grabbed a wooden stick that was within his reach and used it to prop his hat above the boulder. A bullet immediately shot a second hole through it. Rosarita started despite herself. Instinctively, she leaned closer to him. She wasn't easily spooked, but she had to admit she wasn't exactly reassured by the situation. They were pinned under that one boulder, unarmed and far away from any possible help.

"What should we do?"

Diego crouched and scanned the area, but before he could figure out an escape, they heard footsteps racing toward them, from their left and right at the same time. Diego grumbled in frustration. Three men appeared, their faces hidden behind bandanas, like true – and scary – bandidos. One of them, a tall lanky man with a tired broad-brimmed hat, was holding a rifle aimed at them, the other two had swords by their side. Their dark eyes shone with an ominous joy at the sight of the two prey they had caught. Diego slowly got to his feet and helped Rosarita up. He calmly placed himself between her and the men and raised his hands.

"Gentlemen," he said, ever so polite, even though they looked nothing like gentlemen, "Please, do not harm us. If it's money you want, take my purse, it's in my jacket. I won't resist."

He took one step further toward them. One of the swordmen, a short and sturdy man with a nasty scar running down his temple, snatched his purse from his jacket. The other man marched to Rosarita. Diego tried to interpose but the man shoved him aside. He grabbed Rosarita abruptly.

"How about the lady? Won't she offer us any gift?"

He reeked of alcohol and the baleful look he gave Rosarita didn't bode anything good. Scared and somewhat repulsed, she tried to snatch herself free. Alas, all it did was anger him further and he pulled her briskly, so close that she could feel his heavy breath against her neck.

"Diego!"

The call for help escaped her despite herself, and sounded more desperate than she would have liked.

"Let her go."

Rosarita stopped wriggling into her captor's hands and looked up at Diego, surprised by the anger and clear threat his tone was carrying. Not once, in the past few days, had she heard him talk in such a menacing way. Standing tall and looking directly at the man holding her, Diego had lowered his hands to his side, not looking at all like he was surrendering anymore. He looked at her. His face was unreadable, but there was a resolution in his eyes that she hadn't seen in a long, long time. Suddenly, taking them all by surprise, he lunged, grabbed the rifle by the barrel, swiftly stole it from the bandido's hands and knocked him out with a swing of the weapon's butt. Before the scarred man had time to react, Diego stepped back and elbowed him in the jaw. The man fell like a brick as Diego snatched the sword his poor opponent didn't have time to take out of its sheath. Spinning on his heals, Diego extended his arm, the tip of the blade landing a mere inch from the nose of the man holding Rosarita.

"I said, let her go."

Menacing, formidable, this was a whole new Diego. And so unexpected that for a moment, Rosarita forgot her fears. The last bandido standing let go of her and drew his own weapon to face his opponent. Diego lightly jumped back to put some distance between them and with a flick of his wrist, he checked his grip on the sword. With a mocking grin and a swirl of his blade, he encouraged his opponent to engage. It was as if, suddenly, the intrepid child had resurfaced. The boy who used to defend Rosarita against bullies twice their size, who fenced with her with wooden sticks, and climbed orange trees after they'd snuck into San Gabriel's orchards, the old Diego had returned. Seeing the confidence and natural ease he displayed with a sword in his hand, Rosarita figured that, indeed, he had learned a thing or two at the University. The bandido lunged, but Diego easily parried the thrust and strock back. The unequal duel was over swiftly. In three passes, Diego had easily disarmed his opponent, the tip of his blade pressing under the man's chin.

At that moment, an odd whistling sound made them all turn around, but before Diego could dodge, he was hit hard on the head with the swirling shell of a South American bolas. He dropped to the ground on the spot, knocked unconscious by the treacherous weapon.

Rosarita screamed. She hurried to his side, but the bandido grabbed her by the waist as a fourth man – most likely the one who had thrown the bolas – joined them, a sick smile on his face. He shook the two men Diego had defeated earlier and they struggled to their feet, rubbing their bruised faces. The man picked up his bolas and, with the tip of his boot, turned Diego's unconscious body over. At the sight of the blood mixing with dirt on the right side of his face, Rosarita's heart tightened.

"Take the girl," the newcomer said.

Rosarita screamed and kicked and squirmed, but the man holding her was too strong. He put his filthy hand over her mouth to force her to shut up.

"Keep quiet before I make you stop," he said in a low, menacing voice.

The man with the scar pointed at Diego.

"What about this one?"

"Leave him there. He's more trouble than he looks. But I'm sure this dandy will pay a fair amount of money to get his lady back."

Rosarita was dragged away and thrown over the saddle of a horse. Furious but powerless, she could only watch the unconscious figure of Diego, abandoned, in the middle of the road as she was carried away far from him.

To be continued...