Page 84 of My Darling Mayhem

"Then unthreaten him," my mother said, untangling herself from Archer's hold.

I decided to be bold, and I stepped closer to my brother. One step.

Another.

I was directly in front of him, and I could see more wrinkles. He was forty now, and seeing the change up close broke my heart.

"We've been apart for almost twenty years, Juan." Tears gathered in my eyes, and I saw them also start to cloud my brother's.

His voice was thick with emotion when he said, "You didn't stick around long enough to hear that I was changing everything. We turned El Peligro into something good. It helps the community. People get excited when they see us in the streets. We protect people…we—" His voice trailed off as emotion clogged his throat.

"We did…at least. I made it something I could be proud of."

I wrapped my arms around my brother's waist and hugged him as tightly as possible. His scent hit me, taking me back to being sixteen and getting my last hug from him. To when I would sneak into his room, looking for cigarettes. Even further back when I wanted to see if he'd stolen my Barbie or had a spare GI Joe that I could use as one of my Ken dolls. I didn't dare go back to when he'd braid my hair and play with me like I was his favorite person.

He hugged me back, and I heard my mother sniff, and then Juan pulled away.

"You need to listen to me, Henrietta. I have tried to stop them. I have done all that I can do, but a war is on its way. You need to be as far away from him as possible. If he really loves you, he knows I'm right. You and Cruz need to leave with us and go back to North Carolina, so you remain safe."

Archer cleared his throat, and I felt his hand find mine, lightly tugging me back. But I had to ask because I was so confused.

"Juan, who's leading El Peligro now, and wh?—"

A clicking sound started near the front door, making me stop mid-sentence. All of us turned toward the sound, and I watched in horror as my deadbolt slid back and the knob turned.

Archer shifted in front of me, pulling me behind him right as my mother ran around me into Cruz's bedroom. My heart was in my throat as I tried to process what was happening, but it was all too fast.

"Fuck." My brother spat, running his hand through his hair while he took a position to stand in front of Archer, and a mere two seconds later, I realized why.

My front door opened, and a younger version of my brother stepped inside.

No.

Two near-identical versions of my brother stepped inside my house, smiling as if they'd found something extremely amusing.

"Hola Daddio." One of them gave Juan a nod while swinging his focus to Archer. He was taller than my brother but years younger. He looked eighteen or maybe in his early twenties. His dark hair was thick and swept back, similar to my brother's. His skin was lighter, though, and his eyes were blue, which he must have gotten from his mother, or so I assumed. He wore a black hoodie over black jeans and thick boots.

The second twin stepped in, somber and seemingly more serious. His attire was identical to his twin's, but his hair was shaved closer on the sides and left longer on top. His eyes were amber like his father's, and like mine, and his skin was more tan than brown. But what set him apart other than his hair and eyes was the scar that ran through his left eyebrow. The way he watched us and surveyed the room gave off a sinister feeling.

Fear slithered into my stomach, deep down grabbing hold of old memories and tossing them around in my chest like shrapnel. These boys had the same look in their eyes that my father used to get. These boys were the leaders. While they hadn't said it, I knew it in my bones. My brother couldn't control them…and they were his sons.

This was bad.

Juan's jaw flexed as ten men filtered into my house behind my nephews. Finally, there was silence once the door was shut until Juan spoke up.

"I told you to give me tonight."

The one with blue eyes clicked his tongue. "Father, you should know that we don't bend to demands, even when they come from you. We know you have a soft spot for our aunt." His eyes flicked over to me quickly, then back to his father. "Whereas we do not, seeing as we've never met her."

Archer started laughing, making my head snap over to him. "These are the new leaders of El Peligro? Your sons. These are the ones you can't control?"

The twin with blue eyes seemed amused and took a step forward. "Tía, you may want to slide to the side if you don't want to get blood on your face. By the way, I'm Giovanni. You can call me Gio. It's nice to finally meet you. My mother will be happy to hear that you're well. She's requested we keep you that way."

Archer produced a gun, and in the blink of an eye, it was pointed at my nephew's head.

"My men will be here in thirty seconds if I don't check in with them. I suggest you leave before this turns into a blood bath."

Gio smiled while the other twin looked like he'd found a complication with a furrow to his dark brows.

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