by Ambere Sabo
All My Love,
Selena
“I… I… I didn’t do anything Lil I swear.” I stutter. “I haven’t seen Mythic in days.”
“And why not,” she demands.
Huffing out a breath, I run a hand through my hair, “Hell. I was in hell.”
“And you think she wasn’t,” she yells, getting into my face...
“No, Lil,” I yell, reaching up to grab her by her shoulders. “We hacked, hell Lil. Diablo’s home. We got in.”
“What? When?”
“Just last night, that's why I was asleep Lil. I was up all night. Shit,” I yell, releasing her shoulders to run my hands through my hair.
“How? How did you do it? Mythic’s been trying for weeks. And who the hell is we?”
“Hackers, everyone I could find that Mythic’s ever helped, every hacker shes ever taught something. It took ten of us to get through but were in. She can't fucking be gone, Lil. She can't.”
Chapter 18
Mythic
Word of the attempt on my life spread far and fast. While I was asleep in the Sons’ basement fighting for my life, Adan had to play damage control.
Within hours dear old dad had called with a straightforward question, does she live? When Adan told him that for the moment I was still alive, but it wasn’t looking good there wasn’t fake concern or well wishes. Just a simple command to call him when it was clear if I would live or die. Love you too fucker.
Adan doesn’t believe that Diablo is behind the hit on my life. For the simple fact that if he had been, he wouldn’t have needed to call to find out if I was alive. Some of Adan’s more trusted men believe it was La Ocho. If that’s the case, she can have the fucking title back. I don’t want it anyway, never did.
The shooter was smart enough to stay off of any of the hotels’ security cameras which more than likely means a sniper took a shot at me. They would’ve had to be far enough away to not be seen, and that means distance.
I guess that sweet little sister of mine not only has a distrust of men in her organization but most of her ladies are ex-policia whether Mexican or American. A majority of which would have special ops training in weapons. Would’ve maybe liked to get to know the chick but if it turns out she’s the one who tried to take my life, the bitch is as good as dead.
Right now, I can’t even focus on who took a shot at me. It doesn’t matter. Revenge, as they say, is a dish best served cold anyway. And I have a promise to keep.
We have to get out of here. Find a new place to hide. Try to find out if Alex still lives and where the fuck that bastard is hiding my niece. But first, first I have to keep my promise. Rose’s children must be found.
When they’re safe in their mother's arms and only then can we find a new base of operations and disappear from this life The problem with all this? My brother doesn’t have a single fucking clue where the cartel keeps the children.
The babies usually stay with their mothers at the compounds until they’re in their early teens. Unless their mothers got dead for having too many miscarriages or girls, fucker, then they grow up with the nannies that live at each compound. Usually cranky ass old women who show them very little love. Then Diablo takes them from everything they know and starts training them in the ways of the cartel, at only fourteen years old.
The boys have it lucky though. Yes, I said it, lucky. They may be trained to be cold-blooded killers never questioning the will of their master but the girls? The girls get sent to one of those damned cells. Waiting out their days to be sold to god knows what kind of person. Or worse, the pretty ones get kept by the men of the compounds, used and abused until they too fall pregnant only perpetuating the vicious cycle that is the Infierno cartel.
Yes, I'm cranky as fuck right now. You would be too if you’d just had three bullets pulled from your body a little over a week ago. Am I off somewhere relaxing in a spa? Getting massages and mani/pedis as I recuperate. No, no the fuck I’m not. Instead, I sit here in some shitty ass hotel, surrounded once again by fucking men. Men that may or may not have had a hand in putting said bullets in my body.
Why? Because my brother doesn’t think it's safe enough to have me go to the compound with him. Says there’s no way to know how far La Ocho’s reach could be felt. Really I think its because the fucker is meeting with Diablo right this very minute and he doesn’t trust me not to kill him. Really you think he’d want the bastard’s head just as severely as I do, but I put him in this situation so maybe I need to calm down just a bit, maybe…
He refuses to show our hand to Diablo in any way for fear he could hurt his daughter or even Alex if she still breathes. It's smart. I know that I'm just in pain and lashing out. I had a taste of the life I left at the Sons if only for a few days and if I’m being honest, going the second time was harder than I thought it would be. Leaving Lil, that note gutted me. Not saying goodbye to Ashton is something I will probably always regret.
So instead of being nice and warm around the few people in this world who care about me, here I sit. Glaring at the men around me watching freaking novellas on the crappy little television while my brother barters for the lives of Evaristo’s children. All because I refused to leave the state until my promise had been fulfilled.
Will Diablo give them up? Will he pardon the children of the lives he deems as his for the selflessness of their father? Or will we have to rip through every compound in Mexico to find them?
The door to my room flies open, and a clearly pissed off Adan walks in. “Pack your things,” he demands crossing the space to throw my bag on the bed.
“He won’t give up the children?” I ask.
“Oh he’ll give them up, but his terms are something I won’t agree to. I won’t put you in that kind of danger,” he finishes grabbing all the clothes from the top drawer of the dresser.
Moving to stand in front of the drawers so he can no longer throw them open, he looks up at me with a fire in his eyes, “Move Lena,” he demands.
Drawing my hands up to my hips, I grit out, “What are his terms?”
Huffing out a breath he replies, “A meeting, one on one with you, When it's over he’ll give the children to you but only you.”
“Okay. What's the big deal?”
“He wants the meeting to be just the two of you. I’m not allowed to be there, and neither are any of my men.”
“Adan, I can take care of my fucking self. If this gets those children away from him and the cartel. I’m fucking going.”
“No you’re not,” he snaps, grabbing me by the shoulders. “I can’t lose you again Lena. Not after everything he’s taken from me. I. Just. Can’t.”
The men around the room shift uncomfortably on their feet. They’ve seen more emotion out of their general these last few months then they're used to. It doesn’t settle well with them. You can tell in the way they look at him. No longer do they watch him with proud, confident eyes. There gaze has been replaced with confusion and fear.
Clearing my throat, I draw his attention to the men placed around the room, “General, I respect your concern for my safety, but if my father wishes to see me, then see me he shall. Set up the meeting.”
His standing in the cartel can’t falter right now, not until we run. He knows this, and with a sigh, he replies, “Yes, Princesa. I’ll set it up.” Without another word, he leaves the room.
So this is it. I’ll see the bastard face to face for the first time since I was fifteen. Let's just hope this meeting turns out better than the last.
Chapter 19
Snoopy
If I ever see this damned woman again, I will strangle her. With my bare fucking hands. How could she leave without so much as a goodbye? Had she, I could’ve told her she didn’t need to run anymore but nooo instead I sit here like a lost damned puppy with no clue where to go from here.
We made it into hell, if only that were the end of it. The mother fucker’s smarter than we gave him credit for. Thirty days, that's it. That’s all we c
an access. Every month his system reboots, and the footage is erased. I'm assuming he saves it to an external hard drive, one we can only access from inside the home. Yeah, like that’s going to fucking happen
The ten of us have scanned every minute, every day. We’ve logged countless hours of watching his staff clean, cook and bullshit. Diagraming who everyone is and what they do in the household. But there isn’t anyone out of place. No Alex, no little girl.
Diablo spends very little time in his home but the few days he’s been there this last month only leads to more questions. Questions I can’t answer without help from someone who knows this fucker. Never in my life did I think I’d say this, but damn I could really use Enterrador’s help right now.
Jumping when she places the plate on my desk, “Dammit Cess, you trying to give me a heart attack?”
“You need to eat Snoop. You won’t be any good to her if you starve yourself,” she tells me plopping into Mythic’s seat.
I can’t help the way my gaze travels to the chair, God I wish she was here.
“We’ll find her Snoop. You have to believe that.”
“And if she disappears before we can? What then?”
“Faith, Snoop. You can’t lose your faith right now. It’s the only thing that kept me sane when we didn’t know where Venom was.”
“That was different. Venom doesn’t know how to make himself disappear like Mythic does.”
Placing her hand on my arm she tells me, “And he never would. There’s a reason she made her brother bring her here Snoop. No matter how short her time was in this clubhouse, she knows it. This is her home now. Here with you and Lil. She’ll be back.” Withdrawing her hand she turns her attention back to the screen that’s giving me a fucking migraine, “Now, what are we watching?”
I can’t get lost in my head right now, no matter how much I pray what she says is true, so I focus on the screen. Pointing at the fucker I’d like to kill, “That’s Diablo.”
“I figured,” she says with a nod, “They both look like him in their own way. Now, who’s he talking to?”
“Not a fucking clue,” I admit with a sigh.
We sit in silence for a moment as she listens to the one-sided conversation that has been driving me insane. Coming up with the same question I’ve been asking myself for hours. “Whose Reinita?” she asks.
“That is the fifty million dollar question right now. There are no records of him taking another wife. And I fucking doubt he’d call Mythic his queen.”
“No, I’m sure he wouldn’t, but whoever it is she’s sick. Have you talked to the task force? Maybe G has an idea of who it could be.”
With a shake of my head, looking at the screen, I tell her, “No, I’ve been sucked into this screen since she left. Trying to find anything that could give me some answers.
When she doesn’t say anything, I look over, and she’s already got her cell phone out and pressed to her ear, “Hey G, I’m with Snoop, and he’s got some questions. I’m going to put you on speaker alright?” She tells him and before he has a chance to reply shes holding the phone in her palm.
“Well good morning to you too Cessy,” he says with a chuckle. “What can I help ya with Snoop? Is this about Mythic being in Juarez?”
“What,” I snap. “What do you mean she's in fucking Juarez? There's no way she’s safe in that damned city.”
“Alright,” he draws. “I take it you didn’t know.”
“No, I sure as hell didn’t. Why the hell is she there?” I demand.
“Umm. Well, honestly, we aren’t too sure. It's not like she’s ever let us in on her plans, man. Enterrador had a meeting with Diablo this morning.”
“And she’s with him? What the fuck is he thinking?” I yell slamming my chair back as I stand to pace the room. Why the hell would she leave here saying it wasn’t safe only to go straight into the lion's den. What the fuck are you doing Mythic?
“Snoopy, calm down,” Cessy tells me. “I’m sure there’s a reason she went down there, but we can’t ask her that now can we? We need to work our side of the puzzle Snoop, it's all we can do.”
“Fine,” I huff out. “Does Diablo have a new wife?”
“What? No, not that we're aware of anyway. Why do you ask?” G questions.
“Because I’ve listened to a damn conversation at least a dozen fucking times trying to figure out who the hell he’d be calling Mi Reinita.”
“Wait. How are you listening to his conversations in the first place?”
“We broke through his security system.”
“You what?” G yells. “And you didn’t think this was something we needed to know?”
“Don’t start with me man. We just got through a couple of days ago. Besides the bastard is rarely ever there.”
“I don’t care if he’s never there! It could be the break that lets us finally get charges against him. You should’ve told us the minute you were in,” G scolds.
Before I have a chance to flip out Cess raises her free hand halting my tirade. “Look G, you want what Snoop has, fine send someone up here to copy it or whatever the hell y’all do but fighting with each other isn't going to get anything done. We need to know who this chick is, you need access. This is why we work together remember?” she finishes looking up at me like I’m a kid who just stole a cookie out of the cookie jar.
“Fine, I'll be there tonight,” I snap.
“Wait,” G says pausing for a moment. “You’re coming here?”
“If that’s where Mythic is, that’s where I’ll be. I’ll bring what you need with me. See you soon.” Before he has a chance to tell me no I grab the phone from Cessy’s hand and end the call.
“Well that wasn’t very nice,” she says with a sigh.
“I don’t give a damn. I need to talk to Prez. I want to be on the road in less than an hour.
“Well alright then,” she says standing to follow me out.
Walking down the hall, I pass a few of my brothers. They all give me a wide berth right now. Not sure what could set me off, what could have me threatening to erase them from the digital world. Yes, I may or may not have threatened Colt with something similar. The girls are the only ones who’ve had the balls to come near me lately. I may be angry, confused, hell even hurt but I’m smart enough not to have a death wish.
“I’ll see you later, Snoop,” Cess tells me as I reach up to knock on Prez’ door.
“Come in,” he hollers from the other side.
Without so much of a hello, I tell him, “I’m going to El Paso.”
“Alright,” he says with a gesture of his hand towards the chair in front of his desk. “And why exactly are you going to El Paso?”
“Mythic, she’s in trouble. I just know it. That idiot of a brother took her to Juarez.”
“Okay,” he says quietly. No trying to talk me out of it, no arguing just okay. I can feel the tension leave my shoulders with just that one little word. I didn’t know how he’d feel about any of this.
“I love her, Rodeo,” I tell him, looking straight in his eyes. Admitting out loud for the first time since that blue-haired beauty walked into my life.
Coming around the desk, he stops at my side, with a hand on my shoulder. He looks down at me and says, “Then bring her home.”
With a nod, I stand from the chair giving him a one-armed hug before I walk from his office. I don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into now Mythic, but I’ll be damned if I let you face it alone.
With a stop at my room, I grab my go bag and head out to the garage. Apparently, my brothers won’t let me face this alone either. Venom, Havoc, and Gunner with their ladies in tow, all wait for me on their bikes. With a nod, I climb on to mine, and the rumble of four motorcycles rips through the room. We’re coming Mythic, we’re coming.
Chapter 20
Mythic
“Here, wear this,” Adan says walking into my room carrying a garment bag.
“What wrong with what I have on?” I ask with a
huff. I happen to like these jeans damn it.
“In all the years you’ve watched him has he ever worn jeans to a dinner meeting?” Adan asks giving me the side eye.
“Just because he wants to be uncomfortable doesn’t mean I have to be,” I sass. Unzipping the bag, he pulls a floor-length nude colored dress out for me to see. I can’t help but stare for just a moment. It has beautiful beading from bust to waist giving it the appearance of glitter. It’s gorgeous.
“I guess I could wear it, if you think its best,” I tell him reaching for the hanger.
With a smirk, he replies, “I do.”
What can I say I’m a sucker for pretty dresses.
“The car will be here promptly at six to pick you up, I convinced Diablo you’d be more comfortable in a more public setting. So you’ll meet him at a steak house in El Paso. He wasn’t happy to have to come into the states, but it’s a location I can try to have more control of. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe, Lena, I promise.”
“And the children?” I ask looking away from him. He’s confident this meeting is a death wish and right now I have to stay positive. Focus on the goal at hand.
“They should be here now, or at least close. That’s why he asked for dinner to be tonight instead of yesterday. Do I believe he wasn’t setting up some kind of trap?, Not one fucking bit! But we have no choice but to trust him. If all goes as planned, you should have Evaristo’s children in your arms by the end of the day.”
God lets hope so…
Chapter 21
Snoopy
“Does she know he contacted you?” I ask G as we sit in a van outside of the steakhouse Mythic is set to arrive at any minute.
“I don’t think so, but he doesn’t know y’all are here either, so please try to stay hidden until it's done. If she can get him to talk about what he does with the children we have a real chance at saving them all, Snoopy.”
