Page 57 of Blood Spilled
“Whatever it is, if he needs us, he will let us know.”
I nod, because I know Gabriel is right. If there is ever a problem, we can’t handle ourselves, we always turn to each other before anyone else. Most of the time we couldn’t trust anyone else. “I better go and take care of these ashes. Maybe go spread them over some cow shit.”
Mateo laughs. “Yeah, we better not go too long without checking on Bobby.”
“Or what remains of him,” Gabriel adds. “And soon there will be nothing left, and he will have no more limbs for me to send to his friends.”
“What about Marcus?”
“What about him?” Gabriel runs a hand through his hair, squinting his eyes at me.
“Any idea where he is?”
Gabriel releases a sigh, shuffling where he stands. “No. He didn’t say where he was going. Only that he had to go away for a little while but would be back very soon. There’s still a lot for him to take care of. Some unfinished business.”
“Who the hell is he? Casper?”
Gabriel laughs. “You need to lay off all the fucking movie watching man. You forget not all of us have time to sit at home on our asses all day.”
He shakes his head, cracking a smile. “Anyway, Marcus said he has too much here for him to stay away forever.”
“I have a feeling he's talking about more than just us.”
Mateo smiles. “I think we all know when you love something enough, you fight for it until the very end.”
Mateo doesn’t even need to say anymore for me to know who he’s referring to. Miguel and Marcus’s relationship has been made known to many people. Santiago and Mateo’s mothers made sure everyone knew what a despicable man Miguel Juventino was and how our father was his whore who had died betraying many of the local mobs. At least it was made to looklike it was him. That’s why he can’t come back to his old life. Not yet. Not as himself anyway. Marcus Casteneda must stay dead for now.
Gabriel grabs Mateo’s hand and pulls him toward their car, “I’ll see you later, hermano. Let me know how things are on the other side of the world.”
“Will do,” I shout behind him, walking toward a figure hiding behind a large tree, shaking my head with amusement. “Couldn’t miss your own funeral, huh?”
Santiago steps out from behind the tree, lifting his glasses. “I had to miss the first one. The least I could do was show up for this one.”
“And?”
“It was beautiful, I think I would have liked it.”
I laugh, shoving the urn into his chest. “Good, because this will be the last one you have. After this, life will be a lot easier if you just stay dead.”
He pulls me toward him, licking the shell of my ear. “How about you take me to Heaven then, Angel?”
I laugh, pushing him toward the only car left on the street. I had asked for it to be delivered earlier with all our things. All the important stuff at least. “Only if you promise not to say shit like that to me again.”
We slide into opposite sides of the car. Santiago’s arm slides over mine before he yanks off his hat and glasses. “Before we leave for good, I need you to take me somewhere first.”
“That’s not part of the plan.”
He rolls his eyes, placing a piece of paper with an address on my lap. “When has any of this been a part of the plan? I’m pretty sure we never were.”
I slide my fingers over the address, wondering why he’s taking me to a campground. “What is this place?”
“Where I want to sprinkle my ashes.”
“You are aware they aren’t actually your ashes, right?”
“Just drive, cabrõn.”
I do as he says, not sure why he is making me waste more time than we already have just to sprinkle the ashes of the guy who tried to kidnap him. No one ever did come looking for Manivela, and hopefully they never do. There are rumors he ran away with Joseph Romano's money, the Italian mob boss he’d worked for. No one knows the rumor started with us and we made sure money actually went missing to match our story.
