Page 4 of Blood Spilled
Diego’s right, and I hate that he is. Many people relied on Santiago and used him as a shield. Now that he is gone, they are fully exposed and weak. The attention is no longer taken off them and their enemies no longer have to worry about major allies. I stroke my chin, spinning in my chair. “Were you able to complete the job?”
He sets a phone in front of me with coordinates. “Yes, I put a tracker on her car. If it is her, I'm willing to bet she will be heading Mateo's way very soon.”
“Good. If she suspects Mateo, then she won't see me coming. I'll let Gabriel know she will be heading their way soon. That way there are no surprises.”
He nods. “What about Santiago? You don't plan on keeping him forever, do you?”
I shake my head. “Only for as long as it takes.”
“As long as what takes?”
“For him to pay for every bad thing he's done. For him to break into a million pieces and beg for mercy. He needs to know his place in this world now.” With me standing and him kneeling. I keep that last part to myself though. A few years ago, Santiago came to the club asking for me to move my business elsewhere and I refused. It didn't take long for my fields to be on fire and everything I've worked so hard for to be gone. I fell to my knees in front of that burning field, defeated, while Santiago rose to the top. It's time he knows what it feels like to be the defeated one.
Unlike me, he won't find his way back to the top. I will make sure he only sinks lower.
Diego shuffles in place and grabs the phone from my desk. “Well, if it were me, I would have killed the piece of shit a long time ago.”
“I'm not you though. I'm me and that's not how I do things. Not with men like him. There are those men who deserve to die and then there are those men who deserve to suffer. Santiago is a man who deserves both.”
He nods and fumbles with his phone. “I sent you the coordinates. I'll let you know if anything else comes up.”
“Good. You can take the rest of the day off. You've earned it, after all. I'll make sure Tony looks more into this country home and who else lives there.”
“Sounds good. Thanks boss.” He walks out my office door and there is pounding coming from the nearby room. I roll my eyes knowing exactly who's causing it. I reach for my phone and land on Gabriel's number.
Me: The wicked witch is on her broom and she is headed your way.
Gabriel:If she comes here, we will be more than ready for her and she is going to wish she stayed buried under that damn house.
Me:We will be sure to bury her a different way, maybe even next to the pieces of her dead husband.
I smile and stand from my chair. I shake my head as the pounding grows louder. There's a clanking sound coming from the room Santiago’s in. My little mouse must be starved for attention and he is going to get it.
Five
Santiago
I slam the cuff harder against the cage, not sure what I'm trying to accomplish. I'm cold, hungry, ache all over and the horrid smell of this cage is causing my stomach to shift. I kept swallowing down the bile every time it rose. I didn't need to be surrounded by more of my own vomit. The door opens and I peer up at Angel as he enters the room.
I didn't expect him to be smiling. I was preparing myself for a scowl or for his face to be red, fuming with anger. Not a look of enjoyment. I already miss the resentment from earlier. The more his eyes brighten, the more uneasy I feel. He kneels down with a roll of paper towels and a bottle of spray. “I brought you some gifts. Were you trying to warm up to me by playing me a sweet song?”
He tosses the items closer to me. “How about you clean up your mess and I bring you a blanket, and maybe even a bottle of water? Would you like that, little mouse? Then maybe you'll bequiet, and I can get back to work. I was going to have someone else come clean it, but I think I’ll have you do it instead. You clearly need other ways to keep your hands busy.”
He reaches in his back pocket and tosses me a small grocery store bag. “You can put your mess in here.”
I reach for the roll and tear off a few sheets of paper. Getting all the mess in the bag, I
I gag. The awful stench affects my nose and stomach the more I push the mess around with the paper towels.
Spraying down the bottom of the cage several times doesn’t rid the smell completely. He watches me the whole time with a look of glee on his face. He enjoys every minute of my humiliation. I toss back the cleaning supplies, along with the tied up bag.
He lifts the stuff from the floor and nods in approval. “There, was that so hard, precious?”
I shake my head. “I would like my water and blanket now, please.”
He chuckles. “Is that so? Even tossed a please in there. That's really sweet. You can be sweet when you want to be. But desperation will bring a lot of sides out of you that were never there before.”
“I like how you keep thinking you know me. You only know what you've seen. There's always much more to something than what meets the eye. The truth doesn’t always lie in front of you. As far as it comes to my life, you don’t know shit.”
