Page 34 of Blood Spilled
“I would have much rather we met in different circumstances.” He eyes me up and down. “But I can tell your questions and desire to leave won't stop until we talk. So, let's talk, shall we? Let me first start off by telling you who I am. My name is Robert Velnuella and I run this territory. I have spent years building my name and my allies. When your mother says you're safe here, she means it. But you won't be safe out there, not alone. Us working together can benefit us both.”
“I don't even know you. Whatever my mother promised you, she probably can't give you. Like I said, I don't know where that money is.”
He nods. “Like your mother said before, it's best you sleep on it. We'd hate to tell the very few allies you do have left that you have been working with their enemies. Even if you don't knowwhere that money is, you are still technically married to Mateo so legally half of what is his belongs to you. Like we said, sleep on it. You'll feel much better after a shower, proper food and rest.”
I swallow hard, clenching my fists to my sides. I don't say anything, because there's nothing left to say. I'll play their little game for now, only until I get what I'm after. My chance at freedom.
Twenty-Four
Angel
We pull up to a small trailer the tracker leads us to. As soon as the car stops I'm ready to jump out, blasting my gun, but my brother stops me.
“Think logically, hermano. Always take in your surroundings first,” he says, pointing to a black sedan pulling up in front of the house. It doesn’t look like it belongs there and the plates look familiar.
“It's a Morales vehicle. Look at the plates. I guess Santiago's mother hasn't lost all her money after all,” I say, clenching my jaw.
“Maybe she's draining someone else or bribing them with false promises,” he responds, resting a hand on the wheel.
We grow quiet after two men step out of the car, glancing around. We are far enough away not to be noticed, but still close enough to see them running toward the house with guns in theirhands. A few shots are fired, and it doesn't take long for them to come out with an unconscious Santiago in their arms.
My stomach twists into knots and my hand falls to the door. Carlos stops me again, holding down my arm. “Don't be stupid, hermano. He will be okay with them for now. This gives us time to form a better plan.”
He was right and I'm glad I let him convince me to let the car leave. He had already gotten word from Gabriel on where Santiago's mother was staying. I know that bitch has some vendetta though. I doubt this has anything to do with missing her son. The Morales family never did anything out of love.
We get back to his place and I crash on his couch, waking up multiple times throughout the night, reliving the moment of me walking into my house and finding Santiago gone. I won't be able to sleep properly until he's back with me. He has a way of affecting my life no matter what he does. Whether he's here or somewhere else.
I press between my brows, reaching for the water bottle on the coffee table. As I drain each drop, I see Santiago's face. Those big green eyes haunt me and so do his words.
“Can I have some more water, Master?”
Crunching the empty plastic between my fingers, I lie back down, staring up at the ceiling until I pass out again.
I leave Carlos's house, the moment I wake up, sneaking out while he's still sleeping. I need to check on my fields and take a shower. Fresh clothes and food won't hurt either. I send Carlos a message as I'm grabbing food from the first place I stop at.
Me: Let me know when you come up with this so-called perfect plan. I had to go home to take care of some stuff.
I'm sitting on fucking pins and needles on my drive back home. I can barely eat my food and leave most of it in the bag as I enter my empty house. After showering, I pace around my house for what feels like hours. And hours turn to days. I constantly stare at my phone waiting for a message from Carlos, but it never comes. All my alerts are for work emails and messages. I answer them all, not knowing what to do with myself afterward.
I go for a jog, watch some T.V. and try to nap. I hate all this fucking waiting. I have to see him. I have to know he's okay. I had this sudden need to keep Santiago safe from anyone who wasn't me. A deeper part of me has already claimed him, and it's been waiting for the rest of me to catch up.
More and more that sense of ownership takes over. I hated this man once and I’d wanted to destroy him. I still do, but for different reasons now. No one should be allowed to ever touch him, but me.
I grab my gun and rush out the front door. The outside of my house still smells of smoke and ash. It will take a while to rebuild what I had before. We were luckily able to save a large amount of product. I will just have to transfer supplies from my other location.
I get in my car and drive to where I shouldn’t. He's back to living his own life now and I should let him, even if I know this may end badly for him. His own brothers wanted him dead and his mother wants to pick up where his father left off, making him her puppet. I can already picture him living the same way as before, hiding his misery behind a fake smile. I want to rip them all to shreds, but Carlos says it’s way too dangerous and we have to plan things accordingly. Santiago’s mom has brought more of our rivals into the game, and these men are the real face of evil.
One wrong move and we are all dead, but a part of me already feels as if it has died. Each day he was gone, I walked by his room, closing my eyes and imagining him in there, still able to feel the presence he left behind.
My hands tighten around the wheel and my focus goes back to the road in front of me. It’s dark out and not many people are on the road. The closer I get to the house, the more I expect there to be heavily armed men lining the streets, but there is no one out here.
I get out of my car without a single idea of what I’m doing. My mind has one mission and one alone—make sure he’s okay.
As far as my brother knew, Santiago’s still alive and if he were dead, we would all know. People would be screaming it in the streets, both basking in glory and out for vengeance. It’s not enough for me. I have to see him for myself and my body won’t rest until I touch him.
I walk closer to the house he now stays in, searching around me for any men who may pop out of bushes or cars. One is standing in front of the main gate, so I move to the back one, checking for more guards. So far the coast is clear.
Climbing on top of the brick wall, I toss a rock at the top fencing to make sure it’s not electric. I climb over it once I know it’s safe, watching out for more guards and spot one with his back toward me when I’m climbing down, landing lightly on my feet in the grass. I pull out my gun, pressing it to the back of his head. “Make a sound and I blow your head off.”
