8 The Beauty Contest

As I woke up in Juan's room, memories of the night before flooded my mind, and I couldn't help but feel a surge of anger at myself for letting things go too far. My gaze swept the room, searching for Juan, only to find the space empty. Moments later, I watched as he emerged from the bathroom, a white towel wrapped around his waist, his wet hair and glistening skin making him look incredibly handsome.

His proximity left me momentarily captivated, but I quickly composed myself. Unexpectedly, he approached me with a smirk, bringing up the events of the previous night. He began, "About last night..." but I couldn't let him finish.

"Last night meant nothing," I interjected firmly, frustration and regret fueling my words. "We got caught up in the moment," I continued, trying to distance myself emotionally.

Juan's reaction was unexpected; he sounded disappointed as he responded with a calm tone, "Oh."

I decided to take control of the situation. "I'll leave now," I declared, standing up from his bed. I wrapped his duvet around myself, feeling somewhat exposed. "Let's pretend it never happened," I added, determined to refocus our efforts on finding Sofia and exposing Guzman.

As I reached for the doorknob, ready to exit the room, Juan called my name. I turned to face him, noticing that he was staring at me intently. "Nia," he said, his voice serious, "get dressed. We need to go somewhere."

With a nod, I agreed, "Alright, let me get dressed quickly." I hurried out of his room to prepare for the next phase of our mission, leaving behind the complicated emotions of the night before.

As we arrived in front of a truly impressive building, Juan took my hand firmly, flanked by four of his armed men, creating an imposing presence as we entered. Inside, a woman greeted us with a polite smile, her demeanor contrasting with the intimidating group that had just walked in.

"Hola, Senorita," Juan addressed her, his voice stern. "We're here to register for Miss SanCasas."

"Hola," she replied with a nervous smile. "I'm so sorry, but registration closed last week."

Juan's patience wore thin instantly. He menacingly flashed the gun at his waist, and his men followed suit, causing the woman to visibly tremble. He held my arm tightly, causing me pain, as he leaned closer to her.

"There's late registration," she stammered, her voice trembling as she handed me the registration form to fill out.

She added, "She needs to attend beauty classes."

Juan, maintaining his imposing demeanor, responded with authority, "I have a personal beauty trainer for her. If there's any information needed, text me." He jotted down his phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to her before we left the building.

"That was pretty intense in there," I said to him as we walked back towards the car.

He ignored my comment, his mood still clearly affected by my earlier actions.

"You could have just asked nicely instead of threatening her," I suggested, trying to ease the tension.

He abruptly turned to me, his face stern. "Mind your business, Miss Carmen," he retorted sharply.

He instructed me to enter the car with three of his men, making it clear that he expected full compliance.

"Whatever you are asked to do, do it without complaints," he warned before departing in another car with one of his men.

I watched as his car disappeared into the distance, a sense of unease settling in the pit of my stomach. Juan's behavior was becoming increasingly unpredictable, and I couldn't help but wonder about the dark secrets he held and the dangerous path we were headed down.

Later in the night, we arrived in front of a dimly lit warehouse. Malik, one of Guzman's men, pulled me aside, his grip firm as he spoke in hushed tones.

"Your mission is to secretly implant this bomb into that warehouse," he explained, handing me a bag. "The timer has been set to 30 minutes. You'll enter there dressed like this." He held out an incredibly revealing dress for me to wear. "Get dressed in the car. There are over three men in there. Get their attention and secretly drop the bomb before leaving. Make sure you're out before 30 minutes, or else you'll be a victim."

I was overwhelmed, my heart racing. "I'm so sorry, I can't do this," I pleaded, my voice trembling. "Juan and I never talked about missions like this."

Malik's patience wore thin, and he swiftly drew his gun, pointing it at my head. "Do it now," he ordered, his voice cold and threatening.

Tears streamed down my face as I reluctantly grabbed the dress and changed in the car. Malik provided me with instructions on what to do and say as I walked toward the warehouse.

As I entered, I greeted one of the men, attempting to sound confident despite my fear. "Hello, I'm Carmen," I said.

The man eyed me suspiciously. "Who sent you?" he demanded.

I tried to maintain my act. "Oh, you're so funny," I replied with a flirtatious tone. "Madam Indie sent me over to have fun with you tonight."

"Madam Indie sent me over to have fun with you tonight," he said with a lecherous grin.

"Oh," He replied, feigning excitement."I've been waiting," he continued, opening the door to let me in. His inappropriate touches made my skin crawl as we entered a room.

"Wow, you're so pretty. I've never seen you before," he commented, his hands moving closer.

"I'm new, that's why," I replied, trying to maintain my composure despite feeling disgusted.

"I like them new and untouched," he whispered, making my discomfort grow. We both entered a room while he was starting to undress,I knew I had to leave immediately.

"Could you please excuse me? I have to quickly call Madam Indie to let her know I'm safe here. There's no network in here," I lied, desperate to get away. "I'll be back immediately; my bag and jacket are here"I added .

"Yes, pretty, I'll be here, ready for you." He responded with an oddly calm tone .

I nodded and quickly made my way outside, feeling a sense of urgency. Once I was out of the building, I didn't waste a moment. I sprinted towards the nearby street corner, where I had left Malik and his men.

Minutes later, I spotted Malik and the others waiting in a nondescript car. My heart raced as I approached them.

"Get in now," Malik urged urgently as he grabbed my hand, pulling me into the car.

Without hesitation, I jumped into the vehicle, and Malik hit the gas pedal hard. We sped away just in time, and I watched in horror as the building we had been in moments ago erupted in a massive explosion.

The shockwave from the blast rattled the car. The force of the explosion sent shockwaves through my body, and I clung to my seat, my heart pounding.

As we drove away from the scene, I couldn't help but wonder what had just happened. The building had blown up right after I left it and I narrowly escaped a deadly incident.