Page 87 of Recklessly You
She jumps out of her chair so fast that I jolt from where I’m standing, and she throws her hands over her chest.
“Kids? Niños. Oh, Liam grandkids!”
“Mamá!” I plead.Christ. I didn’t realize I said Sophie’s name in the same sentence I mentioned kids.
“Una familia?A family?”
“Did you hear anything I said?”
She waves her hand, and her beaming smile curves my lips into a similar shape.
“Liam, people die of all different causes. Car accidents, sickness. You can’t live your life hiding because you’re scared. Please give me a story to tell your father when it’s finally my time. I want to tell Manny all about his son, grandkids, and wife. Sophie is your light, the key to your heart you keep guarded. It’s time, Liam. Set yourself free and live, hijo mio.”
I’d be lying if I said I’ve never thought about a future with Sophie—with kids. Every time it crosses my mind, I shut it down. But losing her has only made me want her more. I don’t know if she’ll ever talk to me again, after what I said to her. I wouldn’t blame her. She was never just some fuck to me. She was my one saving grace, the only one who could make my heart flutter.
I glance at my watch and see that it’s time to leave. I tell my mom and start to gather my things.
“Liam,” Mamá calls out as I reach for my keys on the kitchen table.
“Yes?”
“Grovel.”
My eyebrows scrunch in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“You need to grovel like a hungry dog. If a man had said those words to me, I would have slapped him.” She crosses her arms and gives me the stink eye. “Inez overheard you talking to the guys the other night.” Of course. Leave it to Inez to hang her ear out the window like she was in a live telenovela.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I know. I never meant to hurt her. I said it to push her away. She means a lot to me. Thanks for the advice.” I kiss her cheek and take the leftovers she packed for me.
Sophie makes me happy. She’s not the reason behind my happiness—she’s the definition of the word. I’ve fallenrecklessly in love with her, but after all I’ve done, can she ever love me back?
* * *
A light breezewraps around me, making me uneasy as I walk to my car. The same feeling, I had at the gala. I place the food on the passenger seat and open the glove compartment, where I have my gun. I tuck the pistol into the waistband of my jeans and slowly scan the street. My eyes lock onto a black van parked several blocks away, its windows tinted to impenetrable darkness. I’ve never seen it before, but something about it makes me uneasy. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as I re-enter my mom’s house.
“Mamá!” I shout.
“What is it?”
“Lock the door and don’t open it, no matter what. There’s a van parked outside. Looks very suspicious. I’m going to check it out.”
She nods, worry lines creasing on her forehead.
I crouch low behind a small copse of birch trees. My gun is heavy in my grip. The van is tucked expertly between two ancient oaks, and my blood boils when I see Pablo step out of the driver’s side door, followed closely by one of his henchmen. They both wear black leather jackets.
“Long time no see, Liam. The boy with the balls of steel who shot a man right in the head. I’m a believer in a life for a life. You took out my brother-in-law. I couldn’t care less about the asshole, but my sister, for some reason, loved the man. She wants me to take the life of the man who took her husband.” Pablo leans against the van, seemingly relaxed. His age shows with his bald head and a white caterpillar mustache. “Let’s make a deal. I let you live, and you release my son.”
I let out a short laugh. “Nah, he can rot where he is.” Instantly, the atmosphere shifts. “Hands up, both of you,” I command. But damn! I have no cuff I can use to restrain them.
“Very well, asshole, a life for a life, sangre por sangre,” Pablo sneers, his voice malicious and evil.
The van’s sliding door opens, and I understand: they outnumber me. I need to shoot first. The sound of bullets pierces the air as I aim my gun and fire at the man standing beside Pablo. I swivel to shoot at the two men jumping out of the van without skipping a beat. In seconds, they’re all on the ground, dead.
A piercing pain hits my shoulder. My body jerks at the impact of the shot. Aiming my gun at Pablo, I shoot, but my aim is off because of the pulsing pain in my shoulder. The shot hits him in the leg as another shot hits me right in the chest. I stumble backward, my vision blurring as a wave of dizziness and a chilling numbness sweeps through me. I look down and see the growing bloodstain on my shirt. I feel the warmth of my blood flowing out of me. He landed a direct hit with his last shot. As my finger tightens around the trigger, I take another shot, and it ricochets off his torso, making a sound like a clap of thunder. I know it’s over when my head hits the cold, hard cement.
The sound of my mother’s voice is barely audible. What is she doing? My strength is quickly depleting, and I can feel myself close to passing out. I summon the last of my energy to protect my mom, but all of my efforts are futile.
“A life for a life, asshole. Isn’t that what I heard you tell my son? You took Manny from us, and I’ll be damned if you take my son from me.” My mother’s voice rings out with rage before she pulls the trigger.
