Of course, I do. I’ll take any help that means I can keep Flora safer.
“Alejandro will investigate who conspired with Humberto. He’ll find out who in the government thought they had more power than yourtío.”
Find out who had the death wish. My cousin will not only find out who it was, he’ll dispose of them as well. If more than one person was involved, Alejandro won’t disclose the secret of why he punished those men. But he’ll make an example of them, so others don’t make the same mistake they did.
“What about you,Papá?”
“I will check intola alcantarilla.” The sewer.
He names the worst penitentiary in Colombia. It houses the most violent criminals. Ones who are there for life without any possibility of parole. My father comes and goes from these prisons like he’s racking up points at a Hilton or Marriott. There are plenty of prison wardens and guards who could retire any time now and live a comfortable life, never working another day.
It’s a dangerous role, but he’s had it since he was in his twenties. It’s how he earned the nameel Espíritu Santo. He slips in anywhere and deliversTíoEnrique’s message as though it were being handed down from above. Most men know if he seeks them out, they will “shuffle off this mortal coil”—Shakespeare had such a turn of phrase. They’re just more likely to go down than up.
He’ll find out which mercenaries were a part of this. The men who lead the street gangs will know what’s going on since some of them will have been foolish enough to send members after Flora. It wouldn’t be any gang member who succeeded, but rather some professional mercenary. Men will try if they thinkthe money is right, and they’re desperate enough either for a cash payout or to improve their reputation as merciless killers.
“When will you take off?”Papá’svoice draws me back to the present and away from my wandering ruminations.
“I’ll let her sleep for another couple of hours, but we’ll leave well before dawn. I don’t want there to be any possibility someone sees us take off or recognizes our plane.”
“Is the jet fueled?”
“Yes. I made sure it was as soon as we arrived in case we needed to turn around and leave abruptly.”
“Good. Stay in touch, Pablo. Don’t make yourmamáand me worry.”
“I know,Papá.”
We rarely talk about Juan anymore. It still causes my parents deep-seated pain to think about him or hear his name. They accept his fate and know I took no pleasure in my role. Neither of them blamesTíoEnrique either. Juan lived by the sword and died by the sword. He made his choices. I did what I could to get him away from New York whenTíobanished him, but it left him vulnerable to make more shitty decisions.
Once he came back to NYC on his own, he put himself back on Maksim Kutsenko’s radar. If he’d just stayed away and accepted the supportTíoEnrique and I offered him, then perhaps he would’ve remained exiled rather than dead. But ever since that disaster,MamáandPapáworry about me even more than they did before. Not because they believe I’ll fuck up. They don’t want to lose another son.
None of what happened was a secret kept fromMamá. She came from a cartel family, just like Domingo’s. They thought they could rivallos Diaz. They discovered how wrong they were.Papá’sandMamá’sfathers arranged their marriage. I know myabueloandabuelalearned as much aboutMamáas they could before they even introduced my parents.
Their situation differed fromTíaLuciana and Domingo’s. It’s unfortunate they couldn’t pickTíaLuciana’s soulmate from the beginning like they did forPapá. ButTíaLuciana wound up with the man destiny meant for her.
PapáandMamáfell in love almost immediately. It took them a while to get to know each other, but much like Flora and I share an instant mutual attraction, the same was true for them. Except they were already married when they discovered how much they wanted their futures to blend.
I hope Flora and I can be soulmates like my parents are and that we can have a future like the one my parents have built. We just need to survive.
“Papá, I’ll check in with you when we get to the house.”
“Check in mid-flight, Pablo.”
“Sí,Papá.”
It’s not like I have to call every couple of hours to let my family know I’m okay. But it’s a courtesy that we always check in when we’re traveling, especially in a situation like this where there’s more danger than usual.
“Papá, I need to go. I don’t want Flora to wake up and wonder where I am.”
I wince as I realize what I just admitted. It’s not like my parents believe I’m a virgin. It wouldn’t surprise me if they knew I belong to a BDSM club. They probably know all my cousins and I do. Even my brother did.
However, that’s different from basically confessing to your parents that you’re sleeping with a woman. If we were good Catholics, it would be even more uncomfortable since Flora and I aren’t married. But that’s the least of my concerns.
“Take care of her,mijo. It sounds like she’s someone special.”
“Papá, she is.”
Silence rests between us for a moment, and I know he understands. I believe Flora’s the one. I don’t have to say it. Healready figured it out since I’m going to such extremes to protect her. It’s not like I would’ve washed my hands of her if I weren’t attracted to her and thought she might be my future. But he knows my various tones, so he understands what I’m not saying.
