Page 3 of Bad Blood
“Not until you tell me who you are. Unless, I somehow have fallen asleep and you are some alluring man in my dreams.”
“That’s impossible.” I lower my face to his, tucking a curl behind his ear. “Because you see, I’m the type of man someone only sees in their nightmares.”
3
Mateo
The lights coming on from behind me cause me to spin around to face the back doors. I release a long sigh of relief when I see no one there. When I turn back toward the stranger, he is gone. Still trying to grasp my reality, I head back to the house. It is now way too quiet, and the house no longer holds all the previous party guests. The echo of the door closing behind me is louder than I expect, and a low voice has my hand freezing on the doorknob. “Out on one of your late-night walks again, Mateo?”
My father saunters down the stairs with a drink in his hand. “I didn’t see you for most of the party. Where did you keep disappearing off to?”
I stare down to my muddy shoes and then back to meet my father’s dark brown, mysterious eyes. I could never read him, which made him even more intimidating to most people. It was like he was hiding some hidden emotions behind his unreadable glare. “I never did like parties.”
He chuckles and the sound is dark and unnerving. “Come meet me in the living room. Have a drink with your father. We haven’t done that in a while.”
We have never done that to begin with. My brother was the one my father usually enjoyed drinks and long conversations with, but he isn’t here anymore. All that’s left are his memories. Even the pictures that once were scattered along the walls next to mine are gone. As if my parents wished to wipe away all of his existence.
I sit in the chair farthest from my father, leaning my back against the hard upholstery of the chair that usually sat here for nothing more than decorative purposes. My father pours bourbon into his glass, and fills another before handing it to me and falling back into a long black lounge chair that sits in the middle of the room. The fire crackles behind me but it isn’t loud enough to drown out the unsettling silence that moves between us. My father slowly sips his drink, watching the rising flames of the fire behind me. I can see the flickering against his dark eyes.
“Tell me, Mateo, where is it you go off to when no one is around?”
I tilt my head to the side, shuffling in my seat. “What do you mean?”
“I think you know what I mean. You know, Santiago worries about where it is you go. He thinks you’re reckless, and recklessness is what killed your brother. He always thought he was too good for rules, too good to follow in the family business.”
“Are you still worried I’m nothing like him?”
“No, I’m worried you are more like him than you think.”
“What is this about, Father? I have a feeling it has to do with more than my nightly walks.”
“Is there something you would like to tell me?” His eyes pierce mine, holding me hostage.
I shake my head. “No, not that I can think of. It’s been a long day and the party wore me out. I would like to go to sleep now.”
“I know you don’t want to marry Santiago. You don’t like him much, do you? You will learn eventually that in this life, you don’t need to like the person you marry, you just have to tolerate them.”
“What if I can’t even do that?”
He uncrosses his legs and leans forward. “Then you drink, kill, go on as many nightly walks you need, whatever it takes until you do. In this family, there is more at stake than your feelings. When our family is finally joined with the Morales’s, we will be nearly untouchable. You didn’t want to marry a woman. And to show you that I could be somewhat reasonable, I’m allowing you to marry a man. You should be more appreciative.”
“A man of your choosing. A fucking monster.”
“Watch your language, Mateo. You should really learn some respect. You will soon realize you can’t always have what you want, but you can come close. I want you sitting in this chair someday, and marrying Santiago will help get you there.”
“Why should I respect people who never respect me, and what if I don’t want to sit in your chair? You may have chosen this life, but I didn’t.”
He laughs, no longer meeting my eyes. “That’s enough conversing for one night. Off you go and try to behave yourself, at least until the wedding.”
My phone vibrates as I walk upstairs to my room. I smile, noticing my cousin Maria’s name on the screen.
Maria:Mayo! What are you doing?
Maria had that silly nickname for me ever since we were kids and she couldn’t say Mateo, after a while it stuck, and she’s never stopped calling me it.
Me:About to pass out.
Maria:Where did you keep running off to tonight? I feel like I hardly saw you,primo.
