“I have an offer for an alliance from one of the Capos in Mexico, Lorenzo Luna. He wants to seal the deal with Karla,” Dad says.
My gut twists in knots, and my chest tightens. I inhale and exhale to control the fear that’s a potent assault.
“Dad, you can’t do that,” Mario says, in a low, angry tone.
“Are you serious? That’s your daughter,” Ruben snarls.
“Now that you two are informed of my plans, I want you to convince Karla to marry Luna,” Dad says.
“I can’t do that,” Mario says.
“This is absurd. She won’t marry that Capo,” Ruben says.
“She has only two options. One, she marries Capo Luna to help with the alliance, or two, I will sell her to one of my customers who will pay well for a virgin,” Dad says.
I cover my mouth to hide my gasp, wide-eyed.
“I’m not going to help you, and I won’t allow you to sell her off as if she were cattle,” Mario yells.
“Shut the fuck up! You will do as I say,” Dad says.
“Never,” Mario says.
“I’m not in agreement,” Ruben says.
“You two are fucking pussy! You’re my heirs, and what do I have, losers,” Dad yells.
Oh my god!
Dad does not love me!
I hate him!
What did I expect? The man killed my sweet, beautiful Mom in front of me.
He’s a monster.
I need to escape.
I should have stayed with Killer.
I walk as fast as I can, trying not to make a sound. I run up the stairs to my room. The good thing is that they don’t know that I’m home.
It’s time.
It’s the middle of the night, and it’s the perfect time to escape. Dad, my brothers, and the Soldiers are gone. I bet that they’re working on getting those poor trafficked girls out of here. I hate them, yes, even my brothers. They’re working with him, so they’re just as guilty.
I pull on my leggings, boots, and long-sleeve top, then put on my leather jacket. I gather my hair into a ponytail. I chew my lip, closing my eyes.
Where should I go?
I can’t stay here thinking. I need to leave before I lose the small opportunity. I’m going to get out of here and figure out where to hide until the morning.
I grab my bag, the one that I have ready to run. I chew my lip, looking at the cell phone. I enter the cell numbers into my new cell and erase them from the old one. I take out the SIM card and break it. I break the cell phone in half and throw it in the trash can.
I call an Uber, and I run out of the house as I’ve done before. I stay in the blind spots of the camera and the Soldiers. I run down the street to wait for the Uber a few blocks away.
I hate being out at this time. Everyone I see, every shadow, every sound scares me. I’m a jittery mess.
