by Ambere Sabo
Walking from the bathroom, I’m met by my brother and his men. All are heavily armed. They’re ready for war if necessary. I wonder if they know they’re already fighting a losing one. The battle for their souls has already been fought and lost. One devil or another already owns them, in life and in death. Maybe Evaristo knew that. I hope in giving his life for mine, he earned forgiveness. I’d like to think when his children are once again with their mother that he’ll be smiling down on them.
“Ready?” Adan asks, putting his hand out for me to take. With a nod, I place my hand in his, and we lead the men out to their possible deaths.
The ride is short and driven in silence. The children are being kept in a house on the Mexican side of the border. Driving up I can see the barbed wire on the fence between Mexico and the US in the distance.
What I can assume is Diablo’s car is already parked in the drive as our envoy pulls to a stop outside. One car is all he has with him, while we roll up ten deep. Cocky mother fucker.
The men climb out first, coming to a stop at the car we arrived in. We’re placed in the middle vehicle for safety. Adan explained that if someone, were to try to hit us on the way, we’re protected on all sides. Four cars split between the left and right of us, with three in front and two behind. Vehicles on the road moved quickly out of the way, including the Policia we passed. None bothering to question or try to stop us.
This is the life my brother has led. For almost fifteen years he’s been above the law. For most of them, he’s had to look over his shoulder never knowing who he could trust. Today, I’m becoming one of those people.
He opens the door and slides out of the car, waiting for me to join him. I didn’t start this journey thinking I’d end up at his side. But knowing I can’t save him from himself and the choices he’s made is a hard pill to swallow right now. Not when the brother I thought died all those years ago stares back into the car waiting to do whatever I need.
Swallowing down the guilt, I slide across the polished leather of his town car. With a deep breath, I put my heeled foot to the dirt road before me. And with my head held high, I walk beside him for one last time.
The men spread out around the building. Only five will accompany us inside. We don’t want to frighten the children. The last thing I need today is for them to be too afraid to come with me.
Adan raises a fist and knocks on the door, Diablo calls out, “Come in,” from the other side.
He’s seated on a crushed brown leather couch in the middle of the room. Holding a brandy glass as if he hasn’t a care in the world. You wouldn’t even know we were in the ghetto with the way he has the home decorated. But who would imagine the head of the Infierno cartel would go slumming it with his safe house? No one would think to look for him here. I sure as hell never did.
“General,” he says with a nod. Still worried about keeping up appearances I see. “Thank you for keeping our Princesa safe these last few weeks. I know she can be… difficult,” he says with a gleam in his eye.
“It was my pleasure, Diablo,” Adan says with a nod. The bulging vein in his forehead the only thing giving away his anger.
I’ve no time for his bullshit. I had enough of it last night, “Where are the children,” I ask trying to keep my cool.
“Oh, but I thought we could catch up, dear daughter of mine,” Diablo says with a smirk. When I don’t reply he lets out a sigh, “Straight to business, I see. They’re in the…”
Before he has a chance to finish gunfire erupts outside. The men in the room with us split in half. Two coming to cover Adan and me while three cover Diablo. All three have their guns up and ready to take aim at either of us with just a word.
“What is the meaning of this,” Adan booms.
Diablo shakes his head, with a chuckle he asks, “Did you really think I’d let you both leave with your lives? After the betrayal, you’ve shown.” Standing from the couch, he steps in front of the men now showing their loyalty. “You may be the blood of my blood, but that only takes you so far. However, I think before I kill you, I’ll take care of the children. Let you watch as the life drains from their eyes. Just as you watched the life drain from their father’s. Bring them out.”
A door opens down the hall, and two women corral the children into the room. All three have their hands bound with rope and tears stream down their dirty faces. The youngest one can’t be more than three. They’re covered in soot though I have no fucking clue why their clothes are tattered and hanging from their thin frames.
It breaks my heart to see them treated in such a way. Does he keep all the children he moved from the compound like this? Fear of not being with their mothers, not enough. He has to bind and starve them as well?
The older woman sneers at me as she enters the room. I recognize her as Alma. The woman who once raised La Ocho, but the other woman. I feel as though I should know her, but I can’t put my finger on why. Before I have a second to try to place her the sound of more shots firing from outside begins.
“The traitors should already be dead,” Diablo barks. “You, go see what is happening,” he says pointing to one of the three now beside him. As soon as the Soldado opens the door, he takes a bullet to the head, but there’s no one on the other side.
The woman I can’t place pulls a gun from behind her and with two quick shots the other men with Diablo fall to the floor.
“What are you doing?” Alma asks in horror as she turns. Her question is met with no words, only a bullet to the head.
The click of heels is heard up the wooden walkway outside. I can’t see the door from the corner Adan has backed me into, but in my gut, I know it's her. That’s why this woman seems so familiar. I’ve seen her a time or two in the footage from La Ocho’s home.
As soon as she steps into the door frame, she speaks, “Looks like this is one family reunion you forgot to invite me to, Papa.”
For the first time I see her in person, security footage honestly doesn’t do her beauty justice. Her long ebony hair reaches clear down her back. The petite woman before me has full ruby red painted lips and eyes the color of melted dark chocolate. Stunning and deadly is apparently the vibe she’s going for in the black leather pants and sky-high patent leather heels. If I saw her on the street, I’d guess model before the cartels leading drug dealer.
“Christina,” Diablo scolds, “What the hell are you doing here.”
“I’ve come to take what’s rightfully mine.” Without so much as another word she raises her arm gun in hand and shoots Diablo in the chest. He drops to the floor as the men with us train their weapons on her. She steps further into the room drawing the smallest of the children to her side. Looking at me, she asks, “Why don’t we make this a family affair, hmm?”
“Go,” I demand the two men with us. When they stay feet rooted in their place, I look to Adan for help.
“You heard your Princesa, wait outside the door,” he commands, and slowly the men stalk from the room. Never taking their eyes from La Ocho.
Once the room is clear of anyone she deems untrustworthy, she commands the woman all but forgotten behind the children, “Check him.”
With quick steps, the woman is at Diablos side. She watches as he’s taking shallow breathes, “His pulse is slowing, soon the blood will fill his lungs, and it will be done.”
“You purposely didn’t kill him?” Adan asks. His fists balled so tightly at his sides the knuckles are pure white.
“Of course, I was trained by his best men how to cause a slow death. One he truly deserves. Now, will I need to kill you to brother? Do you plan to try to take the cartel from me? I know she doesn’t want it,” she says gesturing to me with her manicured fingers.
“I only want my family back,” he growls, moving into our sister's bubble. “Something I can’t accomplish without the answers he could’ve given me.”
“I knew you were weak,” Diablo rasps from the floor.
Adan is beside him in two seconds flat. Leaning down he grab
s Diablo by the collar of his shirt and yells, “Where are they?”
The bastard laughs, knocking on death's door and he has the gall to laugh in Adan’s face. “Maribel… has been under your nose… for more months than I can count. Your precious Alex… is dead,” Diablo struggles to say. A smile creeps onto his face as he takes a single breath and goes limp in Adan’s grasp.
“What does that even mean,” Adan roars, throwing our father's lifeless body to the floor.
“Maribel is one of the children we rescued from the cells,” Snoopy says from the door. All eyes fly to him. Christina and her hired hand draw their weapons, at point-blank range I know the man I love is about to die.
Chapter 25
Snoopy
“What about, I’m not a fucking terrorist do you not understand,” I rage at the man sitting across from me at the metal table they have me cuffed to. “So help me God, if Mythic dies because you kept me here, I’ll blow up this fucking building.”
“Not really something someone who isn’t a terrorist says, Snoop,” G says coming in the door behind me.
“I don’t give a damn,” I snap, “Now get me the fuck out of here,” I tell him shaking my cuffed hands.
“I’ll take possession of the prisoner,” he tells the man across from me with a smirk. Standing from his seat, the lackey uncuffs me. Rearing back, I go to punch the fucker in the face, but G grabs my fisted hand. “Don’t make this any harder,” He grumbles in my ear.
“Fine,” I grunt, turning to follow him out of the holding cell I’ve been in for damn near an hour. Outside I’m met by my brothers, Venom, Havoc and Gunner. The Dominion sit behind them. Each one with a shit eating grin.
“You owe me twenty,” Hyde says looking at Venom with his hand out. With a huff, Venom pulls his wallet from his cut and pulls out a twenty. “Told you he’d try to go in alone. Having G put him on the watch list wasn’t such a bad idea after all, now was it.”
“What. The. Fuck?” I yell before I can take a step in his direction G pulls my bike up from wherever the fuck they put it. “I’ll deal with you both later, you better pray she’s okay,” I growl as I stomp over to G and climb on my bike. I don’t have time to fuck them up right now. With my luck, I’d end up right back in that damn cell. But if she so much as has a hair outta place the government will think Hyde’s so far behind in taxes that they seize that damn bar. Venom, well, him I’ll have to be more inventive with, but they’ll pay. The rev of over twenty bikes roars to life as I make my way through the city to Diablo’s safe house.
We stop a few blocks out. Killing the engines on our bikes as we pull them to the side and park. G bribes some kids to watch them, so they don’t get taken while we handle business.
Venom draws me to his side, “We’ve all seen the layout of the house. We need to surround it as quickly as possible and take out who we can.” With a nod, I follow him as we all jog up the road.
The scene before us has my heart dropping to my stomach. Soldados line the driveway and path up to the door. There are only three left standing, and they guard the walkway to the open doorway. Creeping through the rows of cars we make our way to them. They’re arguing in Spanish about lord knows what, but they don’t even sense us as we ambush them. I throw protocol out the window as I make a dash down the wooden walk.
Then I hear it, the laughter. “Maribel… has been under your nose… for more months than I can count. Your precious Alex… is dead,” someone struggles to say.
“What does that even mean,” Enterrador roars, and everything falls into place.
“Maribel is one of the children we rescued from the cells,” I say stepping into the door frame.
Two women, I don’t know, stand directly in front of me. They waste no time raising their guns and take aim for my head.
Mythic yells, “No,” as she runs from one corner of the room tackling the smallest girl to the floor just as her gun goes off. The bullet hitting the ceiling as the children behind them scream out. Mythic struggles to get the gun away from the woman beneath her as the second grabs a child and puts a gun to his head.
“Enough,” she bellows pushing the gun into the boy’s temple, drawing all eyes to her. “Who are you?” She asks glaring at me.
“He’s her biker,” the one on the floor says sneering up at me with the same honey brown eyes as Mythic. “Now let me up,” she demands looking at Mythic who has her pinned to the floor.
“Do you promise not to hurt him,” Mythic pants out.
“Of course, sister dear,” La Ocho responds.
“You tried to kill her?” I growl with my hands balled at my sides.
La Ocho, stands from the floor, straightening her shirt and flattening her hair as she does, “I did,” she replies with a nod.
“Why?” I demand.
“Because I thought she wanted what was mine. As I see she’d rather live with you in whatever the hell that home can be called she may live. Now I’ll ask you again brother,” she says turning to look at Enterrador who stands gawking at me. “Do you want what is rightfully mine or not?”
“You have mi hija?” he whispers. With a nod of my head, I answer him the best I can. How didn’t we see it before? The similarities are there but we never even put it together. Turning to La Ocho, he tells her, “I want nothing from the cartel. I only wish to have the life it took from me back.”
“Excellent,” she says holding her hands in front of her. “Then you may live.” Turning to me she asks, “I assume you’re not alone?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Then you can walk us out. We’ll bring the children with us to make sure nothing happens.”
“Wait,” Mythic says stepping towards her sister who puts a hand up to silence her.
“They will not leave with us. Merely make sure we make it to our vehicle without issue. You’re welcome to come with sister dear.”
Picking the little girl up she carries her out of the house while her companion holds the boys each by the hand. They slow as they reach the wall of bikers that block their path.
“G,” she says with a nod of her head.
“Ocho,” he says through gritted teeth.
“Unless you wish to leave empty-handed, I suggest you let us through.”
With a nod, he moves to the side, and The Dominion members follow suit. He watches her walk past with nothing but hate in his eyes. More than one would have for a simple drug dealer. There’s something there, between them, but I don’t know what.
Mythic and I trail behind them, but La Ocho is true to her word as soon as she’s safely in the car the children are let go. Mythic runs to grab them as the car pulls off of the curb and disappears down the street.
“Should we have let her go that easily?” I ask.
“That’s a problem for another day. Right now, we need to get them back to Rose, and… I’d like to meet my niece,” she says looking up at me.
“Mama, you know mama?” The oldest little boy asks.
“We do,” Mythic coos brushing the hair from his face. “We’d like to take you back to her if you’ll come with us.” He nods so hard you’d think his head could pop off if he wasn’t careful. With a smile, she stands up and takes his hand in her own. “Let’s get you home.”
Chapter 26
Mythic
My niece has been so close all this time, and we knew nothing. I’ve never met Lilly’s mama. She doesn’t spend too much time at the clubhouse, and it’s not like I was little miss social when I was there. Aside from Snoopy’s room and the kitchen, I don’t know where much else is.
As soon as we're back to the crowd of bikers waiting to take possession of Rose’s children it starts. “What do you mean my daughter is with you?” He demands. “I spent over a week in your clubhouse and didn’t see any children. Let alone, my own daughter.”
“Daughter?” Venom asks, looking between Snoopy and me. “What the hell is he talking about?”
“Maribel,” slips from my lips, quietly and al
l hell breaks loose.
“You’re the bastard who sent her to those fucking cells,” Venom roars, “She deserves better than a father like you.” He’s in Adan’s face with two giant steps. Without giving so much as a second for any of us to explain he’s punching my brother in the face.
“Wait,” Snoopy hollers, handing the little girl in his arms to me. The chaos has her small body shaking. They’ve just gone through hell at the hands of my father, and as soon as they’re free, we walk up to this fucking mess. Jogging over Snoopy pulls my brother and his apart. Havoc steps up to take the next shot, and I have no fucking clue what’s happening.
“Stop,” Snoopy hells, standing in front of Adan, “He didn’t put her in the cells. Diablo did.”
“My little sister said her father put her in the cells. So, if he’s her father,” he seethes pointing at Adan, “You’ve got your facts fucked, Snoop.”
“Diablo raised her as his own, but he is her grandfather. Enterrador is her father. I don’t know how the fuck that all went down or why, so don’t ask. We can talk about it later. But for now, can we please get the fuck outta Mexico? Unless any of you would like to spend the night in a Mexican jail? Because the head of one of their biggest cartels is dead inside of that house,” he says pointing to the building behind them, “And I doubt that will go over too fucking well.”
Everyone seemed to forget Diablo lay dead with his killer already long gone before Snoopy brought it up. At least getting the hell outta dodge is something they can all seem to agree on. I wish letting the kids ride with me had gone over quite as well. No one wanted the children anywhere near Adan least of all G or Havoc. But in the end, they’re the idiots who came to save the day on a bunch of bikes. Much to their dismay, Adan and I follow the line of bikes to the Dominion clubhouse. The children all clinging to each other and me in the back seat while he drives.
