by Sieni A. M.
When they rounded the bend, she did not expect the sight before her eyes. A large beach house was built into the hill below them looking like something that could have been featured in a “House & Home” magazine. An expansive wooden deck surrounded the building with steps leading downwards towards the sand. A second smaller deck was built several feet away and connected to the first by stairs. People mingled on both, some dancing, others talking and strolling near the shore below. Large white lanterns hung around, casting a brilliant glow over the darkness. Alana’s gaze lingered on the dancers and their movements. She was captivated by their fluid and graceful movements. She admitted they were good.
“What is this place?”
“This is my cousin’s house. She hosts regular salsa dance parties and has been bugging me to join but I’ve never come until now.”
“Salsa?” She raised her eyebrows.
“It’s salsa, island style. My cousin mixes it up with pop and reggae. I’ve never tried it, but since you wanted to come out and dance, I thought you’d like something a bit different.”
He took her hand and led her down the steps. The music grew louder, the thump of the bass spiking her excitement, the voices from the crowd like a tidal wave of noise.
When they stepped onto the balcony a woman approached smiling in their direction.
“Manu! I never expected to see you here!” She kissed him dramatically on both sides of his face before turning her attention to Alana. She was taller and moved with a purposeful grace that Alana attributed to years of dancing. The woman wore a crimson dress that wrapped around her body seductively, varying lengths of chiffon-like material falling around her legs and blowing easily in the wind. Her thick hair was swept up in an elegant French twist, red hibiscus flowers adorning the length of one side. Lips stained with lipstick, the bright shade matched the hoops dangling on her ears. She was breathtaking and Alana tensed in her presence, bracing herself for the cold shoulder she usually expected from some beautiful women. She was, however, pleasantly surprised to see that her smile was warm and welcoming, the kind that reached her eyes and set her face alight.
“Alana, this is my cousin Ruby, the gracious hostess of this elaborate event. As you can see, she lives up to her name.”
Ruby laughed a throaty laugh and extended her hand to Alana. “Lovely to meet you, Alana. I can understand now what prompted my cousin to finally join us,” she said, winking in his direction. Manu coughed into his fist while she continued. “I’m so happy you’re here. There’s nothing elaborate about this at all. As you can see, it’s a very relaxed evening. There’s no pressure to look good dancing. I am, after all, the best dancer here.” She threw her head back and laughed out loud. “Just grab a partner—which you already have—let go and have fun. There are drinks and refreshments, so make yourselves at home. Mi casa es su casa.” She patted Manu on the arm and flashed one last smile in Alana’s direction before breezing lithely past to talk to some other guests.
Alana turned to Manu and couldn’t help the smile that formed across her face.
“You don’t have to say it. She’s quite something, I know,” he said.
“I like her,” Alana responded. “She’s got pizzazz.”
“She definitely has that. You should see her at family reunions. She gets everyone up at five freaking o’clock in the morning to do zumba. It’s damn tiring especially when you’re up past 1 a.m. listening to the elders drone on and on about their life stories, but it’s quite funny seeing the old aunties busting out their moves.”
Alana smiled. “That’s something I’d love to see.” Manu gave her a gentle look before his mouth curved into a half grin.
He took her hand and nodded towards the dance floor. “Shall we?”
The large deck had been transformed into an impressive dance floor. Couples moved to the rhythm while large circular lanterns strung across the posts. Above, the night sky was clear except for a few dark clouds that obscured some stars. It was magical and the whole scene took Alana’s breath away.
She didn’t recognize the song that was playing but it had an upbeat tempo and a contagious energy that soon reached her hips. Alana swayed to it and was surprised when Manu grabbed her gently and matched her movements. She always knew he could dance, but when he led, he executed a perfect balance between masculine strength and grace. She looked up into his face.
“Hey, no dirty dancing—” she was cut off abruptly from making reference to the Patrick Swayze movie when he spun her out. She gasped in astonishment when he dipped her low and brought her face inches from his own.
She couldn’t help laughing out loud. “You lied.”
“How so?”
“You said you’d never tried this before. Clearly you have.”
He grinned. “It’s not hard to figure out.”
He pulled her upright and didn’t remove his hands from her hips. They danced and Alana felt comfortable moving in his arms. The music rose in a crescendo, and she felt exuberant. Is this what it felt like to be on a dancing high? Sweat formed a thin sheen across her body, but she was instantly cooled by the sea breeze. The next song started and still they danced. He twirled her and made her laugh. The wind blew her hair around, sending it in disarray. Some tendrils stirred across her face, a thin strand getting caught on her lips. She brushed them aside and undid her hair tie to fix it up again just as one song was coming to an end and another was on cue to begin.
Manu bent low to whisper in her ear. “You want something to drink?”
When she nodded, he led her off the dance floor to the bar. He handed her a soda water and turned to get a drink for himself. Alana smiled at the gesture. He knew her so well.
Alana looked around the house and admired the simple, yet elegant furnishings. For a flamboyant woman, Ruby was a minimalist when it came to her home. She wandered through the open French doors and plopped herself down on one of the couches to rest her feet. She left Manu to chat with a few guys and allowed him some space.
White couches were perfectly arranged in the living area, throw pillows in bright floral and striped patterns aligned neatly on top. How Ruby managed to keep her crisp-white couches clean in this sticky tropical heat, Alana had no idea. Tasteful artwork in black and white adorned the walls. A large vase holding a huge arrangement of red flowers was placed strategically against the only green wall in the room. The woman knew how to feng shui, she reflected.
“Pretty girl like you should never be alone,” came a voice that startled her from behind.
Alana’s pulse started to race. From his voice, she picked up on his suggestive tone but willed herself to remain seated. She took a few easy breaths to relax before he came around to face her. He was a stocky man in his forties with a thick neck and salacious smile. His eyes perused her from head to toe, and Alana shuddered in his presence.
“I watched you dancing out there. Such a fine thing you are. You have no idea how your movements made me feel,” his voice rasped.
Before she could react, he came closer, holding two glasses of amber colored liquid. “I brought you a big girl’s drink,” his voice lowered, his tone indicating something more.
It suddenly dawned on Alana that he followed her in. Her heart slammed in her chest, and trusting her instincts, she slowly rose to distance herself.
“No thanks. I’ve got one already.” She gripped her bottle of water and flashed it in his line of sight.
He gave her a vulgar look, his lips curling seductively in the corners, and her radar went off. Time to get out. She started to move away from the couch when she heard the clink of glasses on the side table where he roughly set them down. She shifted to continue on her path of escape, but he was faster. Gripping her arm tightly, his hot breath came across her ear, and she could smell the thick, heavy alcohol.
“Didn’t anyone ever teach you that it’s rude to pass up on a gift?”
“Get your hands off me!” She coaxed herself to remain calm but panic was rising quickly, clou
ding her mind and overtaking her clear-headed senses.
He snickered close to her neck, and then licked her there. Alana’s eyes widened. With his other hand he reached up and palmed her breast, squeezing it hard. She gasped in shock. She shook with fear and struggled to free herself, but he was much larger and stronger than she was. He chuckled low and squeezed harder. Think! Her brain raced together with her heartbeat. The music outside was much too loud for anyone to hear her if she screamed for help. It was time to act. She brought her free arm up and slammed her fist to the side of his face, her delicate fingers meeting clammy skin and hard bone. She flinched as the pain exploded through her hand, but the force was enough to loosen his grip to press his own hand against his cheek. He gave out a terrifying roar, his eyes flashing with anger, before charging towards her. Alana leaped back and turned to run when the man was tackled roughly from the side knocking him down on the floor. The vase of flowers fell and shattered loudly, spraying water and glass everywhere.
Manu straddled her attacker and landed quick blows to his face. The man grunted in pain and retaliated by punching him on his sides, struggling under the weight, attempting to buck him off. But Manu’s size and strength were no match for him. The noise from the scuffle broke the attention away from the party as people waded into the room to watch the commotion unfolding. A couple guys rushed towards the pair and attempted to pry Manu off the man, but he continued to plant swift punches to his face and chest.
“What’s going on here?” Ruby shrilled before she entered the room. “Manu, get off him!”
Manu wiped his mouth and stood, sending daggers towards the heap on the floor. Alana’s attacker looked back up and snickered through a bloody mouth. “You keep your dirty hands off her,” Manu bellowed.
The man swore back and spat out blood. He stood and swayed on his feet before locking eyes with Ruby. Ruby stared back with venom.
“Alana, did he hurt you?” Manu came towards her trembling form. His body was taut, fists balled and cut. The adrenaline rush was slowly waning from her body’s system, and she moved a shaky hand through her hair. She winced in pain when she remembered it was the same one she used to sock him in the jaw.
“I… I think I’m okay,” she stammered. “I hurt my hand trying to fend him off.” She was too ashamed to inform him that her breast was pulsing with pain as well.
“Let me take a look at it.” Manu gently held her hand in his own and inspected it silently. “Can you flex your fingers out for me?” Alana did as he asked. He let out a breath of relief. “Good. There’s nothing broken, but you’re going to have some bruising.” He growled out orders for someone to bring ice and a dish towel.
Ruby sauntered to where they stood. Her concerned look touched Alana. “Are you alright?” She took the ice and towel from someone and wrapped them together snugly before placing it over her hand. Alana hissed at the contact. “Come sit.” Ruby led her to the same couch she was sitting in earlier.
Alana looked over to where her attacker was standing, flanked by two burly guys holding onto his arms to keep him in place. He gave her a heated glower, and she snapped her gaze away.
“Do you want that bastard arrested?” Ruby asked determinedly, shocking Alana. “I can have him escorted to the police station.”
That brought an uproarious reaction from the man, and he strained against the men beside him to get away. “You can’t do that, Ruby! How long have we known each other?” Ruby ignored him and looked at Alana.
Alana inhaled a shaky breath and looked at the man. He shot her a threatening glare. She nodded slowly to Ruby’s question before she could think about what she was doing. Drunk or not, there was no excuse for his behavior. He assaulted her, and she had no doubt he would have taken it further had it not been for Manu’s impeccable timing. While she prided herself for putting up a fight, she wasn’t sure how long that would have lasted before he broke her down. She shuddered at the memory.
“Yes,” she heard herself say. “I want him scared to the point that he will never try something like that again.”
Ruby signaled towards the men, and they moved the attacker away.
“Ruby! You’re choosing that bitch over me? How can you let this happen? This will hurt my family!” He cursed loudly and fought, shoving against the men towards the door.
“You should have thought about that before,” Manu said with enough fury to blaze up the room.
“Everyone go home. Party’s over,” Ruby announced loudly to the crowd who were riveted to their spots, witnesses to everything that transpired. By this time, someone had turned off the music, effectively cutting off the spirited mood that was there moments earlier. The guests slowly filed out the door leaving Alana alone with Manu and Ruby.
“I’m so sorry, Alana,” Ruby apologized sincerely. “This has never happened before.”
Manu sat beside her and took her good hand. He spoke gently, “I’m going to have to take you down to the station as well so they can get your statement, hear your side of the story.”
Alana sighed heavily. “I know. My family is going to freak out over this.”
She closed her eyes, and he squeezed her hand. “We’ll deal with that later. One step at a time, alright?”
Alana could not believe that one night of euphoria had so quickly turned into a nightmare. Did she ask for this? Was she at fault for acting out defiantly against her brother? No, of course not, she reasoned with herself. No one could have seen this happen, not even her brother. A wash of emotions swept over her, engulfing and leaving her experiencing a vulnerability that scared her to her core. Part of her was tempted to call the men back, convinced that her attacker was scared enough as it was and not to stir up any more attention. The other part, however—the part that was still hurting from her father’s death—was winning the mental battle. It argued that she couldn’t allow this incident to slide, that she was not to blame. She did what she could to defend herself, and now he had to face the consequences of his actions. Think about your father. Do this for him, her mind pushed.
This could be his vengeance.
Realization smacked her hard, and she sucked in a breath. Yes, this could be her revenge. By getting back at one drunken killer through another drunken assaulter, she would be able to avenge her father’s death. Alana’s heart rate picked up at the significance of it. She would do this for him.
“Alana, I’m sorry,” Manu said with a grim expression. “This is my fault. I should never have left your side.” His face was remorseful, his features contorted in guilt. Alana felt her heart tug.
“Hey,” she said and faced him. “I didn’t expect you to babysit me. Besides, I did okay. I got a good punch in there.”
That elicited a small smile from him. “I’m sorry I missed that.”
She looked away and stood. “Let’s go,” she said tiredly. “The sooner this night is over, the better.”
They said goodbye to Ruby, and Alana was led to the door where a blast of salty air slapped harsh reality into her. She was going down to the police station. She was going to have to face him. Tell her side of the story. Relive it all. For your father, she reminded herself. Fueled with determination, she allowed Manu to support her back as they exited the house.
“I should have brought that machete,” Alana thought she heard him mutter fiercely under his breath, but she was too wrapped up in her plan to give it any notice.
Chapter 10
“Are you alright?” Manu asked as they parked near the police station. He shifted so he was facing her, his face lined with concern.
Alana took a deep breath and nodded. “I will be once we get this thing over with.” Getting out of the truck, she smoothed down her dress and made her way inside.
“I’m going to call David,” Manu said and produced his phone from his pocket.
Alana cringed on the inside. “Let me talk to him.”
Twenty minutes later Uncle Solo and her brother strode in. Alana was in the midst of being questioned b
y an officer who appeared to be at the end of his shift. His heavy arms sagged over the desk, and his movements were slow and lazy as he recorded the events of the evening. His face lacked emotion and he kept his eyes averted, only nodding now and then in acknowledgment.
“Alana, we take assault very seriously,” he said tiredly. “If you want to go ahead with this charge, you have to be absolutely sure you want to do this. Since he did not rape you, I would encourage you to think hard about this. What we can do in the meantime is take your statement and that alone will be a permanent stain on his record for life.”
It was there Alana learned her attacker was a renowned businessman in the community. The escort to the police station and threatening statement was humiliation enough, and his family begged for the assault charge to be dropped. She knew news traveled fast on a small island, and if the public got wind of his misdemeanor, he would be ruined. The gossip alone was going to cast a negative light on him, his marriage, his family, and his business.
“He didn’t hurt her! He didn’t touch her!” his wife shouted at the police officers. She was hysterical and shot tearful glares towards Alana. Addressing her she threatened, “If you do this, you will regret it!”
She swore aloud and cried, her hands pulling roughly at her hair and dress, anger spilling and lashing out towards her husband. Her stricken face was filled with the fierce passion of a woman who just found out what her husband had done—torn between defending him and striking him across the face. The air in the room was charged with tense rage and threats mirroring the flickering florescent lights above.
“Let this go, Lana,” Uncle Solo said quietly. Never one who liked confrontations, he pressed on. “Thankfully, you’re okay, and you’ve made your point and shaken him up enough...” he reached for her shoulder and tapped it to emphasize his words “...you don’t want to drag this out to the courts—it will take months and will be costly. Let’s just forgive and forget, yes? You don’t want to bring this kind of attention to yourself and our family. I’m sure he’s learned his lesson now that he has been shamed in front of his wife and family. His pride has been hurt, and in this country that is the worst kind of punishment.”