Whispers of the Damned

Jason didn't take me to the hotel he said he had booked for us. But he did take me to the luxurious villa on the beach, which he said belonged to his parents, which he used because the distance between their other villa, where the luxurious party was to be held, was closer than the distance from the hotel to it.

I spent some time enjoying the expensive wooden-floored house that I didn't know the type of and gazing around at the furniture. Simple but classy. It was elegant enough without being overly furnished, and I enjoyed the view from the balcony. Venice Beach, where some people were basking in the sun and some men were surfing the slightly high waves.

"I have to go to my parents' place first, do you want to come with me?" Jason asked me.

I opened my mouth and grimaced. I shook my head. "I think I'd like to rest a bit."

He chuckled softly, leaning in to kiss the top of my head. "Get some rest, then. I might be there for a while. I've prepared dinner so you just need to heat it up. Or if you don't like the menu, you can just wander around the food shopping center."

I nodded. "Sure," I replied. "Are we the only ones here?"

He tilted his head. "Zane was going to stay here too but it looks like he's still on his way."

I glared. "Zane? Your brother?" I opened my mouth. "What if.. if I'm the only one here when he comes?"

"It's alright, sweetheart. He's quite chill," he replied, chuckling. "Didn't you want to meet him?"

"Yeah, but..." I shuddered. "I'm just uncomfortable."

His smile was soothing. "I'll tell him to come to my parents' villa instead, then."

I nodded with relief. "That's good."

"I'll leave for now, then. Get some rest."

"Be careful."

He walked out, and I looked around the house again. Everything was clean and beautiful, and there was nothing to make me uncomfortable here, so I laid myself down on the bed in the room Jason had shown me.

Well, our rooms were separate, and that was okay because I also preferred sleeping alone. I could never sleep with another person, let alone a man. I liked my own space. I could even stay in my room all day without seeing Joanna, even though

we lived together. But I was comfortable with her. I liked sleeping in her company when my nightmares got the best of me. No one else outside my family line could make me cling like that other than Joanna and Magnan...

I should feel the same way about Jason. Shouldn't I? He's my boyfriend. I should be more comfortable or able to sleep with him without fidgeting and staying up all day. That should be it.

It made me wonder: Do I really love him? Or is this just a normal thing that some people feel sometimes? But I should be really comfortable because we've been dating for three years, and I'm so sure that I love him. For God's sake, that's not a short time. But I'm still the same as I was three years ago. I realized that I had closed myself off from him too much.

What's happening to me?

Snorting softly, I realize I've been overthinking. I get out of bed and decide to walk along the beach for a while to refresh my mind. I tie my hair into an original roll, grab my small purse, and start to walk out of the villa.

I wore thin sandals as I walked towards the beach, feeling the heat of the sun on my skin. I observed four men near the waves of the beach. Two of them were sitting on their surfboards, watching the other two focusing on conquering the waves. Then, one man who had been sitting on a green surfboard got up and started surfing after his two friends. The other one remained seated on his blue surfboard. Only he wasn't wearing a swimsuit, just boxers.

I winced as one of them fell into the water, swallowed by the waves, but seconds later, emerged from the water and shouted pleasure at the other three guys. Frowning, I didn't understand where the fun came from. Were they not horrified to be in the sea with those waves of death? Did it never occur to them that there could be ferocious sea creatures that would devour them from below, such as whales, sharks, or even leviathans?

The men... had a strange thing for fun.

I folded my arms in front of my chest, stroked my neck, which was exposed to the direct sun, and tilted my head when I saw the four of them as a self-entertainment since the beach was quite deserted.

Four good-looking men with athletic bodies brought comfort to my eyes because all I saw were my ugly brothers when they skated at Juan Turnillo Beach. I'd rather sleep on a beach lounge chair than look at those three ugly guys. Unfortunately, I was at the edge of the beach, so I couldn't see their faces clearly, but what caught my eye the most was the guy still sitting on his board, the guy who only showed off his athletic back to me, his hair was black and bushy, and the side profile he showed as he laughed at his friends fascinated me. The muscles of his arms moved as he caressed the surface of the water. Truly a feast for any woman's eyes. He was athletic but not overly so. His muscles were shaped just right, and I wondered about his abs and shoulders. Ugh, if only he turned around...

And yet, I blinked, realizing that I had Jason, who obviously had like the things that were in that guy sitting on the surfboard. Although Jason was a little less athletic and had blonde hair, he had the charm of gentleness.

Whereas the guy that my eyes were drawn to... maybe he was some kind of bad boy because that's what bad boys do: flaunt their physical assets and ensnare women with a wave of their sexy face.

Sighing softly, I thought about walking along the seafront again and maybe finding a stall selling delicious snacks. I started to walk again but I stopped when I saw the man who had been sitting on his surfboard move, beginning to skate as his three friends took turns sitting on their boards.

My eyes blinked a few times, trying to get a good look at him. Unfortunately, I couldn't because of the distance and the glare of the sun.

But from afar, he was so handsome and.... a little familiar.

I squinted my eyes as my vision blurred and regretted not wearing glasses. I started trying to focus my gaze on him, not knowing where the curiosity came from, but I didn't think about it. I was one of those women who couldn't stand looking at handsome men, well just to admire them not to get close to or flirt with them.

Especially that guy who was surfing shirtless. The movement of his body on the waves was very mesmerizing, beautiful, very... sexy. There were abs on his stomach and chest... so pleasing to the eye.

I narrowed my eyes at his downturned face, his bangs slightly covering his eyes, and then I couldn't see him anymore because the waves ate him up. Snorting, I shook my head at myself. This is really ridiculous.

I began to pick up the pace, walking along the beach in search of food and coconut water, which would surely be fresh and help me fight off the California sun.

Not far from where I was standing earlier, I found a stall selling coconut water. I stood and waited for my drink to finish while looking at some accessories hanging on the wall.

"No mojito?" asked the fat, bald man in a blue shirt with a South American accent.

I frowned and shook my head. "No, coconut water only," I replied, not in English but in Spanish.

He raised an eyebrow and shouted for someone else to make the coconut water before asking me again in Spanish. From his accent, he seemed to be from Chile or Argentina. "Where are you from, Miss?" I raised a smile. "Colombia. You?"

"Chile." He said happily. "Do you want Empanadas or Sopaipilla? I'll give it to you for free."

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I chuckled and shook my head. "I'll take your offer, but I'll still pay for it."

"No, no." He shook his head. "You don't have to. It feels like I'm meeting a distant relative."

"Aren't there a lot of South Americans here?" I asked.

He nodded. "Very many, but Colombians have a special place in my heart."

"Why?" I tilted my head, looking at him with curiosity and interest.

"There used to be a group of Colombians who helped me build this little shop of mine that was destroyed by a group of thugs, and they were very kind. They helped my struggling family to send my teenage son to college in Boston." "Who are they?"

"If you know, he is Juan Rodriguez and his wife Saba Rodriguez. They walk like ordinary people, but I know they are very rich people," he said thoughtfully as if thrown back in time.

While I was full of shock. Never thought that it was my own parents.

"They're not here anymore, but their son who I know is named Abraham is here, he even has a house on the beach not far from here. He comes here often."

I opened my mouth in astonishment and blinked a few times.

He chuckled. "Why am I telling you a long story?" he asked himself before he walked towards the bartender's table and then into the kitchen while I was still shocked at his story.

Damn, I'm shocked because... how did I happen to find the person my parents helped? That's really wow, and it will be a story I'll tell my mom.

Even Abraham comes here often?

It made me realize that Los Angeles is so controlled by my father that he must be known in every corner of this city without them realizing that he's the leader of a terrible Colombian mafia group.

He reappeared with a plastic cup and brown paper wrapper and handed it to me.

"You really don't have to give it to me," I grimaced when I saw that he had given me a lot of the Chilean snack.

"It's okay. Take it."

"Thank you," I said sincerely.

He smiled the way my father smiled. Gentle.

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"I'll come here often," I chuckled softly. But a suspicion crept into my heart. What if he was a bad guy... or an enemy who already knew me and was trying to get familiar to appeal to my vulnerability. What if he put poison in this food and killed me and that he lied about Abraham coming here often?

I left after she said a few words about Mother always protecting me and then smiled.

I closed the shop door quietly and turned around.

But someone bumped into me, causing my plastic cup of coconut water to fall to the ground and make me almost fall down the wooden stairs. The man's arm wrapped around my waist.

"Fuck, sorry." The heavy, raspy voice sounded in front of my face.

I looked up to stare at him and was ready to revile him, but the words escaped my head. Something tied my tongue.

Something made my body freeze like ice, even though it was so hot in Los Angeles.

My eyes widened at the handsome man in front of me. The familiar man. So familiar.

The one who haunts my nights. The one who always in my nightmares, and ruined everything.

My lungs are bound by something so tight it makes my breath catch. Goosebumps spread throughout my body.

I quickly moved away from him with a violent shudder.

His dilated eyes and surprised face made me realize that he knew me too.

I immediately pulled away from him and ran...

Leaving him behind.

Danzel. 

He was Danzel.

The man who left after enjoying my body and left a mess in my life.

The one who molded me into a different person.

"Wait, please." his heavy voice was behind me.

And I ran.

Running so fast.