The Red Ripper by Kerry Newcomb Read Free Book Online

of the presidential palace, driving Bustamente from power. He paid no heed as the pirate was dragged away. Nor did he notice the redheaded norte americano making his way through the dignitaries below. The general’s eyes were fixed on the future, and in so doing he failed to see the fly in the buttermilk right under his nose.

5
    â€œEL DESTRIPEDOR ROJO …”
    Paloma, what would I do without you?” Juan Diego purred, his head tilted back against his sister’s cushioning bosom, his eyes momentarily closed as her fingertips massaged his forehead. An animalistic sigh of pleasure escaped his lips as pain flowed from the throbbing center of his skull and into the conduits of her hands.
    Paloma replied, “Without me, you would be—”
    â€œLost,” her brother finished. Juan Diego patted her wrist, then winked in the direction of a pair of nubile señoritas who were obviously hoping to catch his interest. They giggled and waved while whispering demurely between themselves. A warning glare from Paloma cooled their ardor. The two women switched their affections to the homely but wealthy son of a local merchant.
    Paloma’s lips drew back in a tight smile. She stroked her brother’s close-cropped black hair, relishing the sense of control she had over her volatile sibling. Juan Diego was quick to anger and as unpredictable as a spring storm, but Paloma stirred the clouds.
    â€œAnd now the cards,” Juan Diego said, piquing the interest of his entourage. The privileged sons and daughters of Veracruz’s own aristocracy and a few of his fellow officers began to congregate around Diego’s table. Some feigned indifference, others nervous curiosity. Esperanza’s talents had been the subject of much speculation
throughout the morning. Now Juan Diego and his friends intended to judge for themselves whether or not the woman possessed supernatural talents.
    The captain of lancers drew a silk kerchief and made a show of nervously patting the moisture from his forehead and cheeks, an act that elicited a round of laughter from his peers. Then pretending to compose himself, Guadiz glanced in the direction of the woman seated across the table from him, cleared his throat, and said, “Señora Saldevar, at your convenience.”
    Paloma, standing off to the side now, resented Esperanza for her beauty and, worse, her lack of breeding. Everyone knew the senora came from peasant stock. No doubt Esperanza had bewitched her way into her present circumstances. Men were such fools, always eager to trade position and wealth for the scent of a silken cheek, stolen kisses, or love in the afternoon.
    Paloma had no time for the nonsense of courtship. Juan Diego needed her. And what man could compare with her brother? Capt. Juan Diego was destined to accomplish great things. His loyal sister intended to have her share of the spoils, if only she could keep him focused. What was Juan Diego up to? Did he believe the hearsay concerning Saldevar’s skills, or, worse, could he actually fancy the senora?
    â€œSeñora Saldevar ?” Juan Diego repeated her name. But the woman appeared dazed or distracted. For whatever reason, her eerie silence had an unsettling effect on the people around her.
    â€œCard tricks and fortune-telling are nothing but slick pretense. Why waste your time?” Paloma remarked, filling the void left by the woman’s silence. Her comments went unnoticed. Maybe there was something to the rumors after all. The world had its share of mysteries. Paloma scowled; she had no use for the supernatural, or for anything that was beyond her ability to control.

    Juan Diego glanced around, confused. He shrugged, then leaned forward on the sandstone table and studied Esperanza Saldevar’s brown oval features, her full red lips, black eyes, and pert nose. She was a beauty all right. He indulged his own fantasies, undressing her in his mind, and impatiently gulped the last of