Page 16 of Rage & Paradise
NINE
Estrella
I don’t know what it is about these glowing lights that makes me feel so at ease, but the second I push the door open and step foot inside Seda, it feels like a five-ton weight is lifted from my shoulders.
I close my eyes for a second and just bask in the sensation. I would’ve stood right here for a long while if I hadn’t just heard someone sniff in the corner.
My eyes fly open, and I turn in that direction. A woman with braids flowing down her back lifts her head to stare at me.
“What the hell are you looking at?” she asks, full of attitude. When I spy the small glass mirror in her lap lined with white powder, I look away. I don’t know how high this woman is, but I’m not trying to get into an argument with someone who’s clearly not in the right frame of mind.
There are only a few other women sitting in the room, all of them staring at me like I’m a new piece of art they can’t decide if they love or hate.
The door behind me bursts open and Coca comes in. She looks me over and shakes her head. She grabs my hand and starts pulling me in the direction of a closed room.
We stop just before she opens the next door, and she looks to the woman who had a few words with me earlier. “What did I tell you about that shit? This is your last damn warning, Dulce. Stop bringing that crap in here.” Coca snaps at the woman, who’s struggling to get the area cleaned up.
Coca doesn’t wait for Dulce to finish. Instead, she continues dragging me behind her into a room.
“Estrella, lo siento mucho, I had no idea that was going to happen. The guys can be a bit much at times, but I would’ve never expected Oro to act like such a jackass. This isn’t like him.” Coca looks away and reaches into her pocket. When she pulls her hand back out, she’s holding a rosary, and I watch her fingers slowly, almost instinctively, move from bead to bead.
“It’s okay, it wasn’t that bad.” I shrug, pulling the throw blanket tighter around my body.
“It was that bad. It’s like he had it out for you or something.” Her fingers stop and she narrows her eyes slightly. “Does he have it out for you? I didn’t want to ask him, but it seems like you two have some sort of history.”
I sigh. “We do. It won’t be a problem, though. If he agrees to hire me, I’m sure he’ll treat me the same as everyone else. No special treatment or anything, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Special treatment? Diablo! That wasn’t special treatment, that was mental war. I don’t know what the deal is between the two of you, but I’m warning you now, these guys are close. If one of them doesn’t like you, the rest will always side with the patched member over one of us. It’ll make your time here very difficult. You might want to think about that before you agree to take the job.” She raises an eyebrow.
Panic crawls up my spine. She’s going to suggest that I work somewhere else.
“No, it’ll be fine. I promise you. Everything is going to be fine. I want to work here. It’s perfect.” I lay it on thick.
“Estrella, honestly, you should take some time to—” Her words are cut off by the sound of the front door banging open.
“Where is she?”
I hear Oro’s voice booming from the other room. Both Coca and I look at each other, expecting the other to come up with an answer for what’s about to happen.
We both come up blank.
The footsteps come closer, and the door to the room swings open. I’m ready for whatever comes. Lifting my chin and pulling my shoulders back, I wait for the blow.
It doesn’t come, but what’s more surprising is that Coca steps right in front of me as if she’s about to protect me.
Someone wants to protect me? I don’t think that’s ever happened.
“Oro, cálmate.” Coca continues to stand in front of me until Oro seems to visibly relax.
“I’m calm. I just need to talk to her. You can send the next girl in for the interview.” Oro gives her a small smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.
She turns toward me. “You okay? Do you need me to stay?” she asks.
“What the shit? You act like I’m going to murder her and chop her up in pieces or something.” Oro scoffs before backing up and leaning against the wall.
“If I’m honest, I’m not sure what you’re capable of. The Oro I know and love would never humiliate a woman for a damn interview. If you can do that, who knows what else you can do.” Coca seethes at him, and suddenly I’m worried that I might have caused yet another rift between him and a woman in his life.
Before my father and I came into his life, Oro and his mother were close, survivors together. That relationship shattered when my dad and I came into the picture. More than Oro realizes, I suspect.
