CHAPTER 76
As they approached the waterfall, the deafening sound of the water drowned out any other noise. It was only when they were very close that they noticed a faint light flickering behind the veil of water. Nathan and Robert, determined to reach it, climbed the slippery rocks, each movement made carefully to avoid a dangerous fall.
Finally, they reached the area behind the waterfall and were greeted by a scene that left them speechless. There, sitting with her brother in her arms, was Allien, wrapped in her jacket to protect him from the cold of the night. Nathan, lighting his flashlight, revealed the details to his companion, and together they observed the harvested fruit and the makeshift cones filled with water.
They were moved, a mixture of relief and admiration at the children's determination and cunning to survive in such adverse conditions. With a grateful look at the starry sky, Nathan felt immense love and pride for his children, promising to protect and care for them with even more dedication from that moment on.
Still on the fire, a branch with the rest of the fish left over from their meal.
Robert, hungry, went over and picked up a sliver of fish and said:
- Bittersweet taste... and laughed.
Allien, hearing the noise, woke up startled.
In a moment of desperation and panic, Allien acted on instinct, unaware of the presence of her father and boyfriend nearby. With a pointed branch in her hands, she advanced towards the figures standing there, totally overcome by fear and the adrenaline pulsing through her veins.
Nathan, seeing his daughter approaching with a wild look in her eyes, instinctively prepared to defend himself, but before he could react, Robert acted quickly. Running towards them, he wrapped Allien in his arms, forming a protective barrier between her and Nathan. His arms wrapped around her tightly, not to restrain her, but to calm her down and protect her from herself.
With firm hands, Robert held Allien, restraining her impulsive movements without causing her pain or injury. He understood her despair, the anguish that consumed her, and his only goal was to calm her troubled heart and ensure her safety. Meanwhile, Nathan looked at the scene with a mixture of relief and concern, silently thanking himself for having someone so determined and loving by his daughter's side in times of distress.
- I have a girlfriend, so brave and strong.
- Robert! She shouted, letting go of the branch.
And turning away, as if she couldn't believe her ears, she threw herself into his arms.
Robert, she didn't need anything else in life, there was her world.
- Huh? Huh? Robert deserves a hug like that, but his father is almost killed in a fit of rage by a young woman with a spear in her hand?
- Dad! And throwing herself into Nathan's arms, Allien cried as she apologized for the attack.
She explained to him that the man had tried to hurt her and had managed to escape with Jack through the window two days ago. Then they found that place and decided to hide there.
- Did he touch you, Allien? Nathan had fire in his eyes.
- He slid his hands up my arms and then started caressing my legs, sending shivers down my spine. When I tried to pull away, he held me tightly, forcing me to stay where I was. It was then that, in an act of desperation, I kicked him between the legs. He reacted angrily, hitting me with a punch and a slap to the face before leaving the room. It was only when he had gone that I managed to persuade my brother to untie the ropes that bound us, and together we managed to escape.
Robert moved the flashlight closer, the light revealing the purple bruises that marred her wrists. His blood began to boil with indignation, but when he directed the beam of light at her face, shock paralyzed him. Fingerprints were brutally stamped on her cheek, and one eye was swollen shut, the result of a cowardly blow. A wave of fury swept over Robert, a fury that pulsed inside him, crying out for justice and revenge against the monster who had done this to her.
The moment was broken when little Jack, in the midst of all the commotion, woke up frightened, screaming:
- Allien, run, run... I won't let him hit you, run.
Allien ran and hugged him. Looking at everyone, she said that he was having nightmares whenever he slept.
- I'm here, little one. Calm down, my little brother...
The boy looked at her, not yet realizing who the two men there were, and said;
- Kiss... will cure, mommy says that kisses will cure everything.
And he kissed Allien's eye.
Nathan had tears streaming down his face. His son, still a baby, was worried about his sister. It was beautiful to see their love.
Robert, who was also looking on in amazement, wiped away the tears that insisted on rolling down his cheeks, he loved that boy, from the day he was born he loved him.
- Jack, look my brother ... Daddy's here, look.
Half hidden behind Allien, with a look of fear on his face, he peered over her shoulder. Nathan felt a squeeze in his heart as he witnessed the cruel consequences of that monster's actions on his son. How could someone inflict so much fear and pain on an innocent child? Anger boiled up inside Nathan, mixed with a sense of helplessness at the suffering his son had endured.
- Come on, son. Come on daddy... Nathan said;
- Daddy... Daddy. And Jack ran into his father's arms.
- Robert! Is that you?
- It's me, my friend...
- You're back.
-I'm back, my friend.
Robert pulled Allien close and held his hands.
- Let's find a way to get out of here, this place is hard to get into, imagine climbing down and getting out.
- I know how to get down and it's easy. I've been in and out many times with my hands full.
Nathan put out the fire and looked at Allien, who grabbed his jacket and called to his brother.
- I'll take little Jack, Allien.
- Dad, I've got used to it, it'll be easier for you to follow me.
And so, Allien called to the boy, and he tucked his head inside her jacket, his arms around her neck and his legs around her waist.
- It's my little monkey... look.
- Little monkey, Daddy. Let's play with Allien." And with impressive agility, she walked along the rocks until she reached the shallow end of the lake, passing the stone wall. Once she was in the water, she was able to walk upright with water around her waist, and her brother was practically dry.
Robert and Nathan had taken three times as long to get into the cave and she, with a child clinging to her, had made the journey so quickly.
Cody and Bill welcomed them with warm hugs.
Nathan got on his horse and little Jack went with him while Allien went with Robert.
Nathan thought about not allowing it, but his daughter had already been through too much at the hands of those bandits for him to forbid this youthful love.
When they arrived at the café, they found Carson locked in his room with Elizabeth. According to Willian Thatcher, his daughter was angrier than a jaguar. Only Carson, that doctor, was able to take her by the arm and pull her into the bedroom, where even over her cries of protest, he kept her locked up for hours, and who only knew he was still alive because he heard Elizabeth's threats.
Nathan smiled, but heard Willian Thatcher, who was hugging his grandchildren, say:
- Go up with them Nathan, and tame that wild jaguar.
The door to the room opened and Nathan noticed an angry woman, a real jaguar lived inside her, but at the sight of her son on Nathan's lap, Elizabeth's gaze changed completely and the boy was pulled out of her arms, in a way he could never explain, and to his surprise, she pulled Allien behind them, so that she had her two boys in her arms.
Tears marked that moment, when the reunion of the family was filled with love.