The Heart of Blood Read Free Page A

worst of his troubles were over; at least he and his son were safe.
    He knew the people he was dealing with would stop at nothing to get the money he owed them, but the den didn’t compensate for the loan. They had demanded an enormous ransom for his son’s early and safe return, and all the money Juan ever owned had already been taken away.
    A week later he received an email that contained a video of masked men beating up Aaron, who was bound to a chair, his mouth bleeding with every slap. Juan’s heart had stopped at the sight of his little boy being beaten up by huge men; he barely looked conscious after the last blow. The video was meant to be a reminder of how Juan was running out of time. Gambling had been his whole life for as far back as he could remember. He could have never been able to predict, could never have dreamed, even in nightmare, how one day, he would gamble with his own son’s life.
    Juan had decided to ask his brother for help, but before he could even talk to him about it, he was given a deadline to leave. Some loving brother , he had thought to himself. His brother’s money was the last thing that could save Aaron, and Octa had proved to be of no good use.
    Juan thought about all the immoral and inhuman things he had done in his life, how he had always escaped his dreadful fate numerous times. This time, everything was different. “If only Octa knew about the things I’ve been through these past few years.”
    He remembered Lucinda picking something up from his dressing table and taking it over to the window to look at. Juan did no pass out by this time, he was only faking it. He even remembered her looking at him with sadly surprised eyes as he dozed off. In the morning, he put the photo frame with his family’s picture back in his luggage to avoid any mishap. He couldn’t risk Octa finding out about his marriage; this was not the time.
    He somehow knew when he left this place, he would not be the same man that came here. He may have to do terrible things that would haunt him for the rest of his life to save his son.

Chapter Five
    The next day, Lucinda didn’t wake up until late afternoon. Octa had already left and Juan was still asleep. As Lucinda wearily started the day’s chores, her mind wandered back to the previous night, how Juan had been crying and the photo frame. She couldn’t figure out why her husband had never told her Juan had a family. She thought about the little, brown-haired boy smiling innocently at the camera . . . but where is he?
    She decided to ask Octa everything about Juan as soon as he got home. She wanted to help Juan. She thought about the repulsion she had felt against her husband’s gambling brother when he arrived, but a soft spot had started to form within her heart for him since last night. She was still in the middle of her thoughts when Juan’s door slid open, and he stepped out, looking like he was just hit by a truck.
    “Coffee?” Lucinda asked him sportily with a soft smile.
    “I’m going to need a whole bucket,” he muttered back without even giving her a glance.
    “Is it okay if I get the stained bed sheets from your room? I want to get done with the washing early today,” she asked, trying to hide how eager she was to get the red blotches of wine on the light-colored blanket out.
    “The wha . . . oh yeah . . . yes, you can. I’ll help you clean them, I’m sorry about last night.” Juan was speaking sheepishly now, but his voice was still coarse and thick from all the drinking.
    Lucinda smiled. Finally, signs of human life somewhere in there , she thought to herself. “I’ll clean them. It’s ok, you should rest.”
    Juan stared at her. Lucinda had been trying hard to be hospitable after she had effectively sent Juan’s plan plummeting from the sky. What a manipulative bitch , he bitterly thought as he smiled back at her.
    Lucinda went into the guest room to get the sheets. As she entered the room, she stole a glance at the dressing