Page 5 of Defy

There are so many things wrong with that assumption. I stare him down, giving him neither a yes or a no. It’s far more complicated than that and he knows it. Or maybe he doesn’t. Maybe my sister was always meant to be a bargaining chip to him. Maybe he never felt a thing for her.

“Where is the girl now?” my mother interrupts the pissing match between my father and I, addressing Luis, causing my stomach to clench.

“I’ve put her in the rooms next to mine. I don’t want people talking until we confirm her identity and come up with a plan,” Luis says, hitching his shoulders like he’s proud of himself for having good foresight.

Our mother nods as my father speaks, keeping his attention on me. “Before we can just allow you room and board, you know the first thing that must happen,” he says.

My mother whirls around, clearly already able to read his mind. “No,”she says, vehemently protesting whatever it is he’s about to say.

“Imelda, we can’t be seen showing weakness even if he is our son.Especiallybecause he’s our son. Heleft.Without a word. We must know where he stands. If it were anyone else, they’d be dead already.”

I expected this. I stupidly also expected maybe they’d let me stitch up my bullet wound before sending me for four rounds with a human gorilla, but I’ll make do.

My mother is still trying to persuade him. Perhaps she’s softened in her old age. “Hejustgot back, Omar. There will be time enough for punishment. His wound still bleeds.”

“It’s fine,” I speak up, my voice still devoid of emotion. “Nothing can break me more than what you’ve already asked of me.” Might as well address the elephant in the room.

“Never say never,” my father sneers as he turns his back on me.

I thought it would be my mother that would take the most convincing to let me back in. Imelda Hielo knows how to hold a grudge… for decades. Just ask her used-to-be-best-friend, Catalina. So, I’m surprised to learn that it’s my father who seems to be the most disappointed in my return.

“Fine. I’ll drop him off,” my mother says. “Luis, bring the girl to me on the veranda in fifteen minutes. I’ve waited a long time for this.”

Three

I’M LED TO A ROOM I know all too well. In my previous life, I used to command this room. Today, I visit in a different capacity.

Only the bedrooms in this place are denoted by names, but unofficially this room is known asPurgatory. The first stop before your fate is decided.

I know the surprise is evident on my face when Diego, our old enforcer, opens the door. He and I used to dole out punishments together but it looks like he’s been working solo in my absence since no one else is in the room.

I can tell he’s just as shocked as I am. It’s like time stood still in this place for the last eighteen year with all the familiar faces still walking these halls.

Purgatoryis another stone-walled room, but it has a tile floor for easier cleanup. Decorations are sparse here. I’m not exactly sure how one would decorate a room designed for torture anyway. A wash basin sits in the corner and a cabinet with towels and rags we used to clean up the mess leans against the far wall. Windows sit up high so no one can see in or out but that also means they can’t be reached to open. Two years before I left, Diego and I installed a fan that is currently whirring overhead because the tangy scent of blood and iron would get overwhelming.

The three-inch scar on Diego’s left cheek is still visible under his eye. Although slightly more faded with the passing of time, it’s a reminder of a raid gone bad. A man who never should have had a chance, dragged his knife blade across Diego’s face, narrowly missing his eye socket. Diego’s black eyes flare briefly with recognition which is quickly replaced with skepticism before returning to normal size and addressing my mother.

“Señora,” he nods hello, keeping his eyes off of me as he greets her.

Her voice is granite, all traces of her earlier emotion gone.

“I need to know where his loyalty lies. If you can’t do it, I’ll find someone who will,” she threatens.

He nods as she exits and closes the door behind her.

I give a tight smile to Diego. “How’ve you been, man?”

“Dom?” he asks, startled to see my face staring back at him.

“Yeah. It’s a long, fucked up story, but it’s me.”

He’s supposed to be beating the shit out of me but he can’t bring himself to do it quite yet.

“Where the fuck have you been, pollito? I thought you died.”

I feel a faint smile threaten my lips at hearing my nickname – little chicken - come out of Diego’s mouth like I never left.

“Part of me did,” I answer honestly. Diego was another member of my small handful of true friends. Yes, he’s an employee, but we basically grew up together.

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