THE ISLAND WOLF - EPISODE 51

Avril raced from the back of Alejandro’s mansion to the front. She crossed the street and ran straight to Arturo’s house. Her men were right behind her, together with two of Alejandro’s men and the man who had come to announce to them that Nana was dying. Avril entered the house and raced up the stairs to Nana’s room. In the hallway, she noticed blood stains on the floor. She flung the door open and saw Nana on the floor, writhing with pain and crying her eyes out. She was bleeding from between her legs and cute were all over her body.
“Nana, what happened to you?” Avril asked immediately and bent over her. She held her friend and found out she was bleeding from her mouth too.
“Help, please,” Nana muttered and Avril looked to the door. Immediately, her men dashed in.
“Bernardo, help me! Manny, get a car! Feliz come help us carry her,” Avril ordered and the men rushed to help her carry Nana. She was in a very terrible state. The bleeding was much and the cuts on her body seemed to have been made with a rough-edged object. Her cries were disheartening. It was obvious she was in deep pain.

It was almost 8pm and already dark outside. Avril couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong with Nana, and why the other men in Arturo’s house did not seem to care. After they successfully got Nana into the car downstairs, they drove to a hospital. It was a good hospital, very expensive so locals did not frequent there. Nana was immediately taken to the emergency room and doctors began to work on her. Avril dropped an advance payment and left the hospital. Her instincts told her it was Arturo who hurt Nana, but she wasn’t sure. Because, why would he hurt Nana? Nana had always pleased him since she arrived Tijuana. Even though she was not regarded with high respect like she—Avril—was, Nana was still Arturo’s woman. No one hit her in that house, no one would do that to her except Arturo himself. Unless she got hurt outside the house, which was highly doubtable. She was in too much of a bad state to be hurt outside and still make it home to her room. And the indifferent behavior of the men was alarming. As they ran into the house and came down with Nana, all they did was stare. They didn’t make any move to help. They didn’t even act like they cared which was a new behavior. Everyone liked Nana in that house, except the ones who couldn’t get her in their bed.

Avril arrived back at the mansion covered with blood stains. She went straight upstairs amidst stares. Alejandro was inside, smoking cigar as usual.
“Where did you go?” he asked without looking at her. Sometimes, Avril wondered if he could see with the back of his head. He always had a way of knowing when she was around him even without looking. That very moment, he was looking down at a newspaper and sitting by the sofa. He was backing the door.

“Arturo’s,” she answered and walked into the room properly. He grunted and turned the pages of the newspaper.
“Something happened to Nana,” she announced and he turned his head to look at her. His countenance dropped when he saw blood on her.
“What happened?” he asked rather too calmly.
“I don’t know. She was bleeding terribly. She had cuts all over her body and even her mouth was bleeding,” Avril answered.
“Hmm,” Alejandro grunted and turned back to his newspaper.
“Do you know what might have happen to her?” Avril asked and walked to stand in front of him.
“Where was she when you met her?”
“Her room, on the floor,” she answered.
“Arturo,” he stated.
“I suspected that,” Avril mumbled and raked get fingers through her hair.

“Clean up, Avril,” he stated and she sighed and entered the bathroom. When she returned, he was on his feet with his car keys.
“You are going out?” she asked.
“Yes, with you. Let’s go see your friend,” he answered and she nodded and changed into clean clothes. They walked down in silence until they reached the underground parking lot.
“What do you think Arturo did to Nana?” she asked as he beeped his car.
“I don’t know. I won’t ask him.”
“But—”
“Avril, in the car,” he cut in and she breathed out. She sat in the car and he closed the door.

They arrived at the hospital minutes later and went to see the doctor.
“She was raped and tortured with big objects. Whosoever did that must have wanted her to suffer. She might have been penetrated with a metal rod, or any large object at all. That’s what resulted to the excessive bleeding. She got a lot of tears and her uterine wall was a bit damaged. As for the cuts on her body, they appear to be made by a neck chain which was used to flog her,” the female doctor explained. Avril palmed her face and turned around in shock. Alejandro looked at her as she walked away to the bench with her hands in her hair.
He turned to the doctor.
“How is she now?” he asked.
“We managed to stop the bleeding and stitch her up. We gave her sedatives and she’s currently asleep and stable.”
“Can we see her?”
“Yes. But I advise you’d be very quiet and careful. Her body needs rest.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
“The nurse will take you to her room.” she pointed at a nurse waiting for us. He nodded and walked to Avril.
“Hey, let’s go see Nana,” he said to her.
Her head was bowed and her fingers were still clutching hard unto her hair.
“Avril,” he called and held her hand. She gently looked up and he smiled.
“Did we come here to sit on the bench?” he asked.
She sighed and stood up. He held her waist and made her lean her body on him as they walked. They followed the nurse to the room and met Nana covered with bandages, sleeping soundly. Avril almost broke down in tears after imagining the kind of pain she went through. God only knew what Arturo put in her. What if it was something hot? Why would he hurt Nana that much?

“I need to tell Chidi and Xiào Wéi that Nana is in the hospital,” she whispered to Alejandro, with her head still leaning against his chest. He raised his hand and soothed her cheek with his thumb.
Avril looked up at his face and his jaw was clenched tight. That dark and cold look was back in his eyes, and he seemed to be thinking far.
“Jandro?” she called and he blinked and looked down at her.
“I need a word with Arturo,” he muttered.

The next day, Avril and the other girls went to stay with Nana who was still asleep. Alejandro went to the port to see his new shipment of wine that arrived. When he returned by late afternoon, he went home, showered and dressed up for his club. He went to the same club he bought Avril and entered their lair. El Cando was sitting there with two half naked women on his thighs, rubbing him all over. José was smoking weed in one corner and making a discreet phone call.

“Alejandro, good to see you here!” El Cando hailed at him and laughed.
“When was the last time you stepped in here?” he asked as Alejandro sat at the table in the middle of the room. El Cando was sitting on one of the sofas, but close to the table.
“Last month,” Alejandro replied.
“Ladies, one of you should go give Alejandro a perfect massage. He looks tensed,” El Cando whispered. One of the strippers moved to Alejandro and raked her hand through his perfectly permed hair. He gave her an expressionless look and looked away. She sat at the edge of the chair and ran her hands on his chest before proceeding to massage his shoulders.
El Cando got on his feet and grabbed a wine bottle from the bar. He poured it out for Alejandro and himself. The other stripper joined the first in touching Alejandro.
“What’s that one doing?” Alejandro asked and nodded his head towards José.
“Personal business. Remember that blacksmith who disappeared with his gold?”
Alejandro nodded and took a sip of his drink.
“He found out his location. He’s giving orders to have him brought over alive,” El Cando explained.

The door opened and Arturo walked in. He saw Alejandro and tensed. They eyes met and for that split second, they both did not move.
“Arturo, I heard girl is in the hospital,” El Cando said. Arturo closed the door and sat down at the table.
“He put her there,” Alejandro spoke up. El Cando and Arturo looked at him as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his breast pocket.
“He put her there?”
Alejandro did not reply, but instead lit a stick and took a long drag.
Arturo’s eyes on him were dark and angry. El Cando seemed to notice that so he looked at the ladies and signalled for them to go. They both kissed Alejandro’s cheeks before leaving.

“What is going on with the two of you?” he asked. José was done with his call already so he walked to the table and sat down. Only El Cando was standing.

“Why the tension?” José asked and pulled a stick from Alejandro’s pack. He lighted it and began to smoke.
“These two here, are having a fight. I bet it was Alejandro who gave you these little bruises I see on your face,” El Cando answered José.
“He saw my woman naked. He made her naked. In my room. On my bed, ” Alejandro gritted.
“That would not have happened if you just kept her to yourself. You were being greedy,” Arturo retorted.
“I agree with Arturo. You touched our women, but don’t let us touch yours. Very greedy, Alejandro,” José pronounced.
“And you put her best friend in a hospital because of that. Cool,” Alejandro said and took a drag. He blew out straight smoke and took another drag.
“Why did you do that?” José asked.
“I was angry.”
“Indeed. I wouldn’t have cared, but Avril is in a very bad state because of that. Arturo, you were foolish to take out your anger on her friend. If you can do that to her, then you can hurt Avril too. I would never let you come near her,” Alejandro gritted and glared at Arturo.

“Brothers, let’s settle this. Arturo, you want Avril, right?” El Cando asked.
“And Alejandro, you don’t want him near her. Why?”
Alejandro did not reply.
“Arturo, I think you should let this go. If he doesn’t want her touched, let it be so. He’s our leader, we don’t question his authority.”

Alejandro sighed softly and sat up.
“I’m sorry if I’m truly being selfish. But I want to keep her. I want her as my wife. It’s high time Alejandro Mateo got an heir.”