“Took you long enough,” Miquel stated as he lounged against the side of my desk with a young boy kneeling at his feet who was shaking in fear. Miquel looked a bit more unkempt than normal. His dark hair was perfect, but he looked as though he’d been to Hell and back.
“Some of us have a life outside of this place,” I replied, my tone bordering on stern. He was only a means to an end. It was too bad that I couldn’t kill him. Our families were tied together one way or another. Still, it would be a cold day in hell when we would finally get along for more than five minutes.
“Boys,” my father said, his voice filled with a warning demand. “Now is really not the time.”
“How ‘bout we get down to business,” Shemoli stated, glaring at the kneeling boy that couldn’t be any older than twelve.
I’d seen children of all ages brought into this kind of life. It tended to happen more often as the days went by. I wasn’t sure if was because parents just couldn’t afford to pay for normal things so the only option was to sell their children for their own benefit, or if the parents were in such a position, they had no other choice.
It was sad that it happened way too often. Also, something I never dealt with.
“Yes, I agree,” my father said, pinning Shemoli with a look that could have easily set him on fire. “Why don’t you tell my son, yourboss, why he was called in this time?”
I turned my attention to the man, the same man that I knew without a doubt was behind the kidnapping of Avidya, and the killer of her best friend. I was surprised that Avidya wasn’t overly upset over the killing of Becca, but she had had a lot set on her plate since then. Maybe she had just pushed it back so she didn’t have to think about it.
Shemoli fidgeted where he stood, refusing to meet my heated gaze. I glanced over at Miquel and he seemed to be annoyed, but yet pleased to be in the loop of whatever this was.
It wasn’t often when Miquel and myself were in the same room, let alone same place. His family had a mutual respect towards my own family due to crossing territories. There were a number of times Miquel himself saved one of my men or hinted that one of my own men may be a spy. I did the same for him and his own men.
That didn’t mean we never butted heads. We just never quite got along due to our own beliefs on how things were run and reported.
“Shemoli,” my father warned one last time. His one and only warning. My father was not the type of man to be messed with at all. He was as deadly as I was when I wanted to be. I was feared for a reason, as was Carlos.
“I didn’t do shit,” he huffed out, flexing his biceps against his chest.
“Have it your way, then,” Miquel nearly sang out, one eyebrow lifted. “I’m sure you are well aware how this man here was behind the takingandbranding of one Avidya Ray just five months ago.”
“I was paid to do what I did!” Shemoli stated. “And it’s in the past. So what? It’s not like you didn’t get shit out of it.”
“I know what he did, and he’ll pay the price for that after I get what I need from him,” I stated roughly.
“You need to know that Shemoli was also behind this here,” Miquel said, gesturing with an open palm to the boy at his feet. The boy jerked as if he was expecting to be hit.
“I’m not surprised by that,” I stated flatly. A shame too. “Shemoli has a history of doing such things.”
“He did it on my turf!” Miquel nearly shouted, outraged. “He willingly bought a sex slave, a child, on my turf! I should have shot him right on sight, but didn’t. I know you need information from this rat.
“One of the few things we agree on,” I muttered out. Neither one of us agreed to child trafficking, even though the small gangs around the area were greatly known for doing so. Miquel was more into abusing women, but children being brought into our world like this was unacceptable.
“So, at least I wasn’t trying to win the hand of the girl I was paid to take,” Shemoli goaded. Little did he know that he was digging his own grave quite fast with each word he spoke.
“I was offered the girl,” Miquel stated through his teeth. “Your boss knew what I was offered.”
Ah yes, Miquel had been smart to tell me that Cody had offered his daughter to the man, and for a high price too, might I add. Miquel had wisely declined since Avidya bore my mark.
“And that’s just perfectly fine? That slut was marked as yours!” Shemoli yelled, his voice echoing off the walls around us. He knew what was going to happen in a matter of minutes. We all did. But that didn’t stop him from nearly begging as he spoke.
“You are the one that marked her,” my father spoke up, his voice calm but yet deadly at the same time.
“Why?” My voice was hard as it came out.
“Because I wanted her. She was to be mine! Cody promised me I could keep her. Such a pretty doll, and perfect for my toy collection,” Shemoli dared to say.
“I’ve heard enough,” I stated towards the man in question. I wanted to go back to my wife. “This needs to end.”
I could hear Shemoli gulp in the pronounced silence of the room. I knew what needed to be done.
“Go wait in the hallway, boy,” my father spoke toward the shaking boy. In an instant, he stood up and dashed out of the room, chin quivering the entire way with his hands clasped in front of him in a death grip.
I hated having to end the life of one of my most productive workers, but the transgressions had gone too far this time. There were no more chances.
Before I could pull my own gun, Shemoli took out his own gun and pulled the trigger before anyone could blink.
BAM!
The gunshot echoed down the hallway.
