Karina Espinosa - From the Ashes Complete Boxed Set (3 in 1)

Copyright 2021 by Karina Espinosa

ASIN: B08S3X6GM6

H e had a little dick, Amber whispered to the group, causing us all to giggle like schoolgirls around the dinner table. I mean, I didnt have a ruler or anything, but you know She gave us a knowing look and we all nodded.

It was girls night out, and if you thought guys were the only ones who talked about dicks, you were sorely mistaken.

Its not about the size, Maria cut into the laughter, its about the motion of the ocean. She made a wave with her hand.

I rolled my eyes. Yeah, until youre stuck on a boat with no currents. Shut up, Maria. We all burst out laughing and then ordered another round of drinks.

Easy for you to say, Amber said, her eyes a blue green like the ocean. You have the perfect boyfriend, Camila.

Having the perfect boyfriend wasnt everything, and frankly, he really wasnt all that perfect. He clipped his toenails in the living room and chewed with his mouth open. Gross. But no one saw the behind the scenes stuff. They just saw that he brought me flowers almost every week and had a smile that belonged on a Colgate commercial. Dont get me wrong I liked him but calling him perfect was a stretch. We all had flaws, even me.

What do you guys have planned for this weekend? I changed the subject. I didnt want to talk about Benthe perfect boyfriend. One would think if I was so unhappy, I would have broken up with the guy by now, but nope, still hadnt grown the balls to do it. Id probably end up marrying him out of pity and live miserably with an open-mouth chewer for the rest of my life. I shivered. Ew. Never mind. I resolved to find a way out of this relationship, pronto.

Maria twirled her blonde hair. I need to get my hair done. Its starting to get curly again and my roots are showing.

I took a sip of my margarita. I dont know why you would get rid of your curls. I love mine, I said as I shook out my chestnut hair like I was selling shampoo.

She shrugged. Its just hard to manage.

Hard to manage, my ass.

I chugged my drink, the alcohol going straight to my head, and blew out a breath, preparing myself for the ten-minute farewell tour I knew would follow when I told the girls I had to head out. I had a big day tomorrow at the office and I couldnt stay out late.

Alright, ladies, its time for me to go, I announced to a round of boos. Holding up my hand, I added, Happy hour next Thursday?

You know it! Amber held up her drink, her eyes a little glassy. I was glad she hadnt driven here tonight.

I made my rounds and told the girls goodnight, then made my way to the front door of the Mexican restaurant where we met every Thursday, which was situated in downtown Los Angeles. There was a slight nip in the air, but the alcohol warmed my blood as I started walking toward the parking garage where Id left my car. It was only a few blocks away and the night air would clear my head.

In a pair of straight legged slacks, a blouse, my blazer folded over my arm, and my designer purse in hand, my heels click-clacked down the sidewalk. I hadnt had too much to drink so I felt comfortable driving home, or else I would have called an Uber. I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose and hurried along the darkened street to the garage.

I needed this girls night. If I had to deal with another mountain of monotonous paperwork, or Bens incessant toenail clippinglike, who the hell had that many freakin toenails to even clip?!I would go insane. And not in the mental ward kind of way, but in the 2007 Britney Spears sort of way and I dont look good with a shaved head. What I really needed was a vacation, time to get away from everything and everyone, although I knew that was a pipe dream. I had a huge presentation tomorrow at work and my team hadnt done a single thing to help, leaving almost all the work for me to do. They thought because I was the youngest one on the team, they could take advantage of meand they were right. I was only twenty-six, while they were all middle-aged and going over the hill. To say I was stressed out about how tomorrow was going to play out was an understatement.

As I worried about everything I needed to do, my cell phone rang and I dug it out of my purse. When I saw my sisters name on the screen, I answered immediately.

Hey, Carmen, is everything okay? I said as I continued to walk down the sidewalk.

She snorted. Yeah, why wouldnt it be?

I sighed heavily. Well, youre calling me late at night, so I thought it was an emergency, jackass. What do you want?

Carmen chuckled through the phone line and I couldnt even be mad at my little sister. Im just playing mediator. Mom called me and told me about the fight you guys had. Just talk to her, Cami

No, Car. You dont know what its about, so stay out of it.

My parents were going through financial hardships and my mom refused my repeated offers of help. It pissed me off. She was letting her pride get in the way, and if she continued down that path, they were going to lose the house. We got into a fight and said some things to each other we probably didnt mean, but even so, I wasnt ready to talk to her. I was still mad, whereas she was just being stubborn.

At least talk to Dad, Cami. Please, she murmured.

I was quiet for a moment before I relented. Fine. Ill call tomorrow. We said our goodbyes and instead of feeling relieved, I just felt more stressed out than before.

I entered the parking garage and took the elevator to the roof where Id left my car. The best part about parking on the roof was that it afforded a magnificent view of the city of L.A. in all its glittering, star-studded glamour. Another bonus was that I hated searching for parking, and there was always space on the roof. Plus, it was less likely my car would get dinged.

After the elevator made its sluggish ascent, I stepped onto the roof and the wind whipped my hair around in my face. Holding my curls back so I could see, I dug around in my purse for my keys but couldnt find them. I stopped right behind the trunk of my car and pulled open my purse to really get a good look inside. I had so much junk, it was like a damn Walmart in there. I added another to-do item to my mental checklist. Clean out purse.

In hindsight, I should have been more prepared. More alert. But when nothing truly bad ever happened to you, you were never ready for it. You were too trusting.

I heard the boots behind me but didnt turn around until they were practically upon me. By then I was on one knee on the ground, pulling things out of my purse, still searching for my car keys. When I peered over my shoulder, I saw him.

The beginning of my end.

He was tall and dark haired, with a trimmed beard and icy blue eyes that were illuminated by the parking decks unflattering fluorescent lighting. He wore dark blue jeans and a black zip-up hoodie with the hood pulled down, but the part that got my attention was the gun in his right hand.

I left my blazer and the random items from my purse on the ground, but stood up slowly, with my purse in hand. Id never been robbed before, but this didnt feel like how I saw it in the movies. I could easily identify him to the police. Unless he didnt plan on letting me live.

My hands started to tremble as I clutched my purse in front of me. You can have everything, I said. I wont fight you, and I wont go to the police. With shaky hands, I started to hand over my purse.