Gringa: Since You've Been Gone

GRINGA

A Modern-Day Love Story

Book Four

ORIGINAL ENDING

By Eve Rabi

~~~

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2012 by Eve Rabi. All rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

PLEASE NOTE:

This book is the original ending to the Gringa Series.

After numerous requests from fans for a happier ending, Eve Rabi changed it.

But many fans, having heard about the original ending,

want to read it anyway.

So, Eve is giving the original ending (this book) to them at no cost, once you have uploaded a review on Amazon.com for the current Gringa Series.

However, this edition does not have the updates the current book four

in the Gringa Series has.

Therefore, please request this book or version of Gringa,

after you have read the current series.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, and media used in this book are fictitious and are the product of the author's imagination. The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. © E.Rabi. The publication use of this trademark is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Where to find Eve Rabi online

CHAPTER ONE

It’s two months since the killing of Christa’s sons and life is slowly returning to normal. A better kind of normal though. Now that Christa and her family are out of the picture, I see a marked change in Diago. He’s cheerful and communicative. No longer is he that dark, foreboding presence who sends everyone scurrying the moment they see him.

I believe that Christa and her sons kept the beast in him alive. Now that they are dead, the beast is sleeping and I hope to … well, let’s just hope it stays that way. However, I haven’t forgotten what a ruthless killer he is.

As for me, I change my mind-channels every time I think of the killings and the FBI. They’re really quiet, so I’m more than happy to let them be.

‘I wanna have a fair in Siempre,’ I announce one evening during dinner.

‘A fair?’

‘Yeah. Like, a huge party and everyone attends – all the villagers, the young ladies ...’

‘Young ladies?’ Ricky’s fork is suspended in mid-air. Yes, they’re using forks these days.

I smile. ‘But you’ll be paying for it, Diago. There’ll be music and … and dancing … and prizes and all your men will attend. There’ll be no flame-throwing though. Your men will be there, having fun and getting to know the villagers. Mingling.’

Eyebrows dart up around the table. ‘Mingling?’

Diago just shrugs.

‘Everyone will shave and wear nice clothes.’

Diago snorts. ‘Mingling…’

I turn to look at him, ‘I’ve never danced with you before, so we’ll slow dance, cheek-to-cheek.’

He grunts and twirls his index finger next to his temple.

‘Why not?’

‘Imashy,’ he growls, a hint of fear in his voice.

‘Imaknow,’ I say mimicking his voice, ‘but Imadoncare.’

Then men are excited and badger me with questions. I answer them all and we set a date.

I enlist the help of the village elders. At first, everyone seems suspicious of Diago.

‘It is not a good idea,’ one of the elders says.

‘Si, Senorita, Diablo’s men, they …’

‘Diablo is paying for everything,’ I point out. ‘Food, drinks, prizes … we’ll even have a band so we can salsa.’

‘Diablo is paying? Okay then!’

Soon, everyone becomes involved in preparation.

Diago is intrigued but still refuses to attend, giving all sorts of excuses: ‘I’ll be busy washing Taxi, I have to kill someone, I don’t know how to dance ...’

‘You don’t know … you don’t know how to dance? I’m shocked. That is so sad, Diago, you being Mexican and all. I mean, you guys are supposed to be Latin King. Ah, well, I’ll teach you.’

He stubs out his cigarette. ‘No.’

‘Come on, it’ll be fun.’

He lights up another and blows smoke into my face. ‘No.’

To my disappointment, he will not be swayed. Diago is still fairly reclusive and is still not comfortable with people in his personal space. Something to do with being paraded by Jimo like a circus monkey when he was little. I understand all that, but I’m mad at his refusal and I sulk.

At least the men are enthusiastic. In fact, I’ve never seen them so excited before about anything that didn’t involve a hanging or a shooting or a lynching.

Santana is excited too. ‘I have to buy a new dress,’ she says.

‘Okay,’ I say. "Let’s go get you a new dress.’

We go shopping for clothes – Santana, Maria, Rosa, and me. We try on a ton of make-up, beautiful clothes and the shoes, wow! I’m having fun!

It’s a great bonding session and I feel like I’m back in L.A. with my girlfriends, preparing for a party to pick up guys.

At the dinner table, we continue talking about the fair. I tell them about the kissing booth we held at one of my university fairs.

Santana is intrigued. ‘I want to hold one,’ she says. ‘I can kiss good.’

‘You do? Attagirl!’

‘That is stupid!’ Diago says.

‘I’ll come give you a hand,’ I say and wink at Santana.

Diago’s head snaps to look at me.

‘I’m kidding!’ I laugh.

‘You’ll get lots of money for it,’ Santana goads, retuning my wink.

Diago glares at her. ‘Suuuuntana!’

‘You think?’ I ask, ignoring Diago’s outburst. ‘Okay then, count me in. We must remember to get some cherry lip gloss and mints.’

Diago storms out of the dining room, muttering under his breath.

We collapse giggling.

It’s the evening of the fair and Diago is lying on the bed watching me dress.

‘You wearing that?’

I smooth my hands over my short, strapless, denim dress. ‘Mmm ... yes. It’s sexy without being too slutty, I think.’

‘Is too short.’

I slip on my shoes.

‘I said ... ’

‘I heard you. But I’m gonna dance and this is how I dress when I dance. So there!’

‘Who you going to dance with?’

I shrug. ‘Everyone.’

‘Him!’ Diago jerks upright in bed. ‘He’s going to be there?’

I shrug again. I haven’t heard from my family since they were escorted out of Tana-Mera by the three bouncers - Santana, Rosa, and Maria.

‘You going to hold him and dance?’ He swings his legs off the bed and sits on the edge of the bed, his eyes fixed on my face.

I preen in front of the mirror. ‘What does it matter, Diago? You don’t want to be there, so drop it and enjoy watching…’ I glance at the TV, ‘whatever crap you’re watching.’

We are interrupted by banging on our bedroom door.

I open the door for Rosa and Maria.

‘Wow, look at you guys! You look fabulous – all dolled up. You gonna break some hearts there, huh?’

The ladies blush and preen.

‘And you, Senorita, you look very pretty too,’ Rosa says, her eyes sweeping over me. ‘Is very sexy.’ She looks at Diablo and frowns. ‘You let her go by herself, Diablo?’

Diago purses his lips and twitches his nostrils like Russ used to do. Russ was an old German Shepherd I once rescued. He died while trying to hump our neighbour's Toy Pom.

Maria tsks. ‘You are stupid!’

‘Idiot!’ Rosa adds.

‘Let us go and be fair,’ Santana says. ‘The boys are waiting to kiss us.’ She puckers her lips.

‘Si’, Rosa says, ‘the boys are waiting to kiss us. I have my lip gloss.’

Diago crosses his arms across his chest, his lips curling downward.

I grab my purse and plant a hurried kiss on his head.

‘Wait! Eh, what time you come back?’ he asks.

‘Whatever time I feel like,’ I say. ‘First, I’m gonna get plastered then ...’

‘Mfff!’

Troy and the men appear. ‘Let’s go. Let’s go!’

I look at them. ‘You guys look cool. Wow!’ They’re clean shaven, neatly dressed, and looking spiffy. ‘Better than the Chippendales.’

Especially Troy - he looks really good today. He’s dressed in jeans, but his hair is neat. Overall, they all look approachable, not like the flame-throwers they really are.

‘Well, Diago, Troy’s gonna get all the girls today and he might even get laid.’

Troy colours for a moment then sticks out his arm. ‘She is right, maybe.’

I take his arm and we skip like kids to the Jeep.

‘Don’t forget, you must say please and thank you to everyone, especially the Senoritas you want to dance with,’ I remind the men.

‘Then we get laid.’

"Eh, maybe,’ I say.

They snort, hiss, and make all sorts of smart remarks as we drive away.

‘Whatever. Just behave or I’ll make you dance with all the old ladies.’

****

Streamers and flags decorate the fair and the music blares. As I promised, Diago’s men don’t interfere or intimidate. The people of Siempre love it and take turns throughout the day to say thank you to them and to me.

The food stalls are laden with tons of delicious food cooked in …trans-fat, I guess, and the drinking mini taverns are filled with tipsy people having a good time.

The kids enjoy the free rides, while others dance in the area designated for dancing as well as everywhere else.

There’s karaoke, something they aren’t familiar with. But they now love it and fight over the mikes so they can belt out JLo and Ricky Martin tunes.

Everyone looks so happy, I feel a little overwhelmed that I could be responsible for so many peoples’ happiness. This fair is a good idea and a really great moral booster all round.

Elaine and Paris are there, looking hot and enjoying the party too. They probe me for details of Christa’s and Tongue’s death.

‘Not today,’ I say, in a casual voice. ‘Today, we fair. We eat, drink, and re-marry.’

‘Is that why the Devil’s not here today?’ Paris asks.

‘He’s shy,’ I explain. ‘Can’t dance for Jack and scared the villagers will think he’s a pussy for appearing at events like this.’

Paris wrinkles her nose. ‘Mff!’

‘Eat, drink, and re-marry,’ Elaine scoffs, her eyes smouldering. ‘That’s what your father wants to do these days. Look at the old goat. His behaviour is ridiculous.’

I look at my father and raise my eyebrows. He’s engaged in conversation with a very sexy Senorita. Actually, she’s talking as he gazes adoringly into her beautiful brown eyes. They’re standing really close to each other and he touches her arm a couple of times - so unlike him.

‘Wow. He has a fan,’ I say. A sexy one, I want to add but I don’t.

‘Fan?’ Elaine spits. ‘He’s a fool. Look how he’s dressed; like a peasant.’

I look at him and my eyebrows disappear behind my spiky fringe. He’s wearing a sleeveless, red vest, usually worn by younger men.