Loud Silence 8
Status: in progress
Words: 2,658
⚠️warnings: angst, worry, fear, a shootout, deaths, anxiety, nightmares, ptsd, being held captive/missing. Physical aggression, a fight.
Fic index || previous chapter || next chapter - finale
FLASHBACK ( 1 week earlier)
Ana was pretending to sleep, Javier knew that. The last three days when he came home, she would lay here, wide awake.
Javier knew she was unsettled, and sleeping at her own apartment wasn’t giving Ana any comfort. Despite the risk of being seen sneaking into his place, this gave Ana more comfort than being alone.
Javier and Steve were following through on a lead she gave them. His days were long he didn’t come home until 4 or 5 in the morning. Each time, he’d have a drink, undress, then crawl into bed with her.
Javier would let her pretend. Ana always fell asleep within minutes after he drew her close anyway. Even if in the morning she complained he smelled like a box of cigarettes, she still cuddled close and slept like a baby once he was home.
It was nice for him too.
Javier never thought he wanted anyone around, he liked living alone. But something was comforting about knowing Ana was there and catching whiffs of her conditioner and body lotion as he moved through the place.
Though it’s only been three days, Javier wished he could have this for longer. He knew at some point Ana would return to her own place and put their safety before her own comfort.
Javier takes in a breath, and quietly exhales, trying to release his day. It was damn good intel, and as of tonight, they took another asshole down. He hated the danger she was putting herself in, even if she was giving them solid wins.
Javier stands and pulls his pants off, tossing them on a nearby chair, and returns to the bed. He sits and lifts the sheet when she turns over to her side and looks at him.
Dawn was peeking behind the last remnants of night, some light streamed into the room. Her brown curls were wild around her head, her eyes darkened with worry.
Javier leans in closer to her, he places one hand softly on her stomach and the other against the mattress. Due to the lightning in the room, only half his face is illuminated.
Ana tucks one of her hands between her head and pillow, her gaze is now soft but sleepy on Javier's face. He looked tired, and handsome all at once.
“You did it again, we got one.”
Ana flashes him a small smile. She slides her other hand over his, giving it a little squeeze.
Javier moves closer, lowering his voice, “Do you want to tell me what's keeping you up? Aside from the obvious?”
Ana parts her lips then pauses, like she’s rethinking her words. Patiently, Javier waits, ignoring his own tiredness for a moment longer. He slides his hand from under hers and caresses her forearm.
A solemn expression washes over her face. Ana stares past him for a moment, before re-establishing eye contact.
“The girls,” she replies honestly.
Ana taps her chest and wiggles her brows. Javier climbs into bed and settles in, he rests his head against her chest. Javier lets out a relieved breath and drapes his arm across her body.
Ana runs her fingers through his hair. She can’t see his face, but she knows his eyes are now closed. He loved this.
She continues, “I know we try. This fight is just...exhausting. For every one thing we do right, it's like 100 things…”
She trails off again and shakes her head. “I can’t really help in the way they need the most, and I hate that. I can’t pile all of them on a plane and send them to safety, I can’t get them out of the life. I can’t promise they’ll never have to sell their bodies to pay for childcare, put food on the table, or to pay grandma's bills. I can’t…” feeling emotion well up on her chest, Ana stops again.
Javier knows it’s not much, but his bones feel so heavy he can barely move, and forming words feels like a huge task, so he plants a kiss on her arm, then her shoulder.
Ana nods knowingly like she understands what he’s saying without him saying it.
“I know, you’re right. You’re right,” she runs her fingers through his hair once more, “let’s go to bed.”
---Flashback over
Javier
Javier nearly rubbed the left side of his forehead raw. As his hands move up against his skin, the sting reminds him to stop, before he makes it worse. He’s starting to see double or thinks he is, Javier isn’t even sure anymore.
“Peña,” an agent stands next to him, “what now?”
He rubs the back of his neck, it's stiff as hell, and nothing he does helps. “We go to the next,” he heads back to the chopper, “ time’s working against us.”
Javier straps in and pulls his headphones on. He can feel Steve's eyes burning into him. When they make eye contact, Steve tries to reassure him.
“We’ll find her.”
Javier looks forward as the helicopter takes off. He appreciates Steve’s effort, but nothing in the world is going to reassure him unless he finds Ana himself.
…
Adrenaline pumped through Javiers veins and fueled his every step as they closed in on the second house.
If they deduced Jennifer's clues well, she had to be here. The first house was a bust and it seemed no one’s been there for a while.
Each step Javier takes, every word that leaves his mouth, every room he charges into is plagued by the thoughts in his mind. The worst-case scenario keeps replaying.
What if they’re too late?
What is she’s hurt?
What if Pablo -
He should have stopped her, he should have forced her to quit, even if that meant dragging Ana on a plane himself. All the moments he could have stopped her haunt him, playing on repeat.
Javier scales the steps, making his way to the second floor. Quick on his feet, he avoids being shot and ducks behind a door.
His target in his sights, he shoots him once in the shoulder then the leg. The man falls down and pulls him up by the collar,
“Where’s the girl!” he yells, his veins popping from his neck.
Even with his injuries, the man mocks him with a laugh, blood coming from his mouth.
Javier raises the gun and shoots him in the head. Before the body drops down to the ground, Javier heads to the nearest room.
Nothing.
The second room.
Nothing.
His heart in his throat and something akin to heartburn causes havoc in his chest. His eyes sting and he grips the handle of the gun so hard his palms hurt.
Kicking in the door of the third room, hidden by a small hallway, he immediately finds a dead body on the floor. He was a big man, one gunshot wound to the gut, another to his face.
As he takes careful steps into the room, he notices women's clothes on the bed, then he sees it, the little anklet Ana always wore; broken and lying on the floor. The dead man's blood pools past it, surrounding it with death.
“Ana?” Javier’s lips quiver a little as he steps further into the room.
A heavy sense of dread befalls him. Javier drops his shoulders and lowers the gun as he nears the bend. His breathing became shallow, quick.
“No no - “ he mutters, taking another step.
Javier hesitates a moment, fearing the worst. What if she’s in the corner? All her stuff is in here. “Ana?” He calls her name in desperation and takes the final step around the bed.
His hands tremble as he lowers the gun, his mouth gapes open, and tears well up in his eyes.
ANA
Ana’s heartbeat reaches her ears as her clammy hands grip the handle of the gun.
Through wet eyes, she tries to steady the gun, though he’s already dead. Time makes so no sense, she doesn’t know when she shot him or how much time has passed.
All she remembers was being ordered to change clothes, then she would be taken to a different location.
Everyone was in a rush like something was wrong, and she heard them argue among themselves about how pissed El Patron would be if they didn’t get her over there.
Then everything went crazy.
Gunfire, orders, screams.
Then he came at her. It wasn't easy but she eventually got the gun. Then she shot him, twice.
Ana could already feel her lip swelling from when he slapped her and her wrist hurt like hell where he grabbed it. Still, she couldn't lower the gun. What if he got back up again? What if someone else came for her?
She’d have to find another gun. An escape hatch. Something. It was her only chance at living. But she can’t get up, she can’t move, Ana remains frozen in place.
Her heart nearly stops when the door swings open. She grips the gun tighter and tries to stop the shaking in her hands.
Then she hears it,
“Ana?” His voice full of worry and sadness.
She must be making this up?
He can’t be here.
Was he really here?
Ana thinks about moving, but she stays in place.
Listening to the footsteps, she hears him come closer. The utter despair in his voice forces more tears from her eyes as he rounds the bend.
Is he real?
Is he here?
Breathing quickly, she raises one brow and tilts her head, like she's unsure if he’s really there.
Javier rushes over to her, dropping down to the floor and pulling Ana in his arms.
The embrace knocks her out of her dazed state and she realizes she can touch him, she can feel him, she wasn’t hallucinating.
A heartbreaking cry leaves her lips as buries her face in the space between his neck and shoulder.
Cradling Ana on the floor, Javier holds her for dear life. Letting her cry and scream in his arms as he rocks her.
“I got you, I got you.”
Javier
Standing in the hall, his eyes remain trained on the bedroom door. Ana hadn’t come out at all in hours, and he didn’t know what to do.
He already went through the process of getting her to safety, logging her injuries, and starting her paperwork at the consulate. The last thing they needed was her first-hand account of events, but Ana was still in shock and hadn't uttered a word other than a tear-filled “thank you” as Javier held her in the helicopter.
A knock comes at his door, a tell-tale one, it’s Steve.
Making his way down the hall, Javier opens the door and sees Steve isn't alone, Connie is beside him.
“How is she?” Steve asks, with genuine concern behind his eyes.
“No good. I don’t know what's worse,” Javier’s voice strained, he rubs his face before speaking again, “not knowing what happened, or knowing.”
Steve and Javier share a look. Javier lets go of the door, pacing in anger.
“I’d fucking kill him! I’d kill him with my own hands - “
Connie tries to calm him, “we don’t know yet. Right?” Her eyes jump from Javier to Steve, both filled with anger. “Maybe, I can try talking to her. Just, woman to woman. It’s worth a try.”
The men exchange another look and Steve nods with approval, then places a hand on Javier's shoulder. He nods too.
Connie’s face softens even more and she heads down the hall.
Ana
Connie sits with her all night, a silent support as she tries to quiet her own mind. It’s not until sunrise that she feels like talking. Laying beside her on the bed, Connie wakes again after a light sleep.
As she notices Ana’s awake, she sits up. “Can I get you anything? Do you want Javier? He’s right outside the door.”
He was.
He put a pillow on the floor and sat there until his body made him fall asleep. Steve was camped out on the couch. But Ana didn’t know any of this, not yet.
It hurts to sit up, everything aches. Pressing her back against the headboard, her eyes find Connies.
“I can do it now, I can talk.”
Connie holds her hands, “I’m listening.”
Ana swallows and slouches her shoulders. “Javier was right, he warned me - I feel so stupid.” She drops her head and closes her eyes.
“You’re not. Okay?”
Ana holds her hand and opens her eyes. She knows her time left in Colombia was over and she would be on the next flight out of here as soon as they knew what happened.
Ana had to fight how embarrassed she felt and Javi needed to know, he had to know the truth. Maybe the consulate could get some version of it, but she had to be honest with him, and Steve.
“Okay,” she says, “ call them in.”
Connie quickly leaves to gather Javier and Steve. Javier sits beside her and it almost hurts to look into his eyes, so she looks away. Steve stands beside Connie, his arm around her shoulders.
Though it hurts and it's hard to find the words, Ana tells them everything. She tells them about the first time she met Escobar in person, that first time at his house. She tells them about being in the car with his deadliest men and she tells them about that last party.
She tells them about Pablo's chilling obsession with her and how he picked out two dresses for her to wear as he forced her to dine with him. Every thorny second that passed, she was preparing herself to defend her life, to try to protect herself from the inevitable.
She tells them how he cornered her in a room and got close, too close, and almost like the saints were looking out of her they got interrupted. Whatever it was it was a big deal as Gustavo himself came and ordered Pablo to come with him.
As Pablo angrily left the room, Ana held back a breath for so long she nearly became lightheaded. Eventually falling to the floor and consumed by relief. She looked up at the sky and prayed, praying harder than she ever had in years.
Ana mentions how at that moment while praying she smelled her mother's old perfume and heard a brief whisper of her name, just the way her father used to say it.
She watches the range of emotions and reactions on their faces as she tells them the events. She feels terrible for everything she kept back, she feels like a shitty person and the look in Javier's eyes hurt her the most. He would never, ever let her near this if he knew.
Ana pulls her knees to her chest and wraps her arms around them.
“It was only a couple hours later when you charged in. The dead guy in the room, he was supposed to take me to Escobar. He was apparently held up where he was...the guard was in the middle of taking me where everything started.” She looks at her feet under the sheet, “I fought him as soon as I heard the bullets. You saw how big he was,” she glances quickly at Javier, “he did all this.” She holds out her wrist and points to her face, then her neck.
She continues, “I ultimately got the gun. I killed him. I didn’t know if I used up all my luck and if someone was coming to kill - “ she sniffles and drops her gaze again.
Javier gently touches her knee then stands, he slowly paces.
“I’m sorry.” She cries, her eyes landing on each one of them, then back at Javier, “I’m sorry.”
“Your safe now. I got you.” Javier returns to the bed, and carefully wraps his arms around her. She instantly relaxes and holds him close as she cries.
next chapter (final)
More Javier | Masterlist
Add yourself to taglist
Javier Pena: @flowers-in-your-hayr @charming-merlin @readsalot73 @waywardimpalawriter @phoenixhalliwell @oldstuffnewstuff @tobealostwanderer
Pedro: @idreamofboobear @anxiousandboujee @evyiione @absurdthirst@mummifymecaptain @seasonschange-butpeopledont @agirllovespancakes @justanotherblonde23 @Bumblebee-Moreno (GN) @salome-c @scarletsoldierrr @mswarriorbabe80
Loud silence @thatreclusewriter @revolution-starter @cinewhore @higharnie @scarlettvonsass @nicodarling @seasonschange-butpeopledont @agirllovespancakes @iwantadecentblogname @kailan-sunshine @quantumlocked310 @agentwhiskeypussyindulgence @sheeshgivemeabreak @revolution-starter
***For the new list, those who checked all PP, I don’t know if you also means narcos, so I didn’t tag y'all.
58 notes
·
View notes