The burly guy began dragging Javier back to the living room, one hand firmly placed behind Javi’s neck, the other still pointing the gun at his head. I was shocked, a small yelp escaping my lips, when my wrist was grabbed by Peter, and I was yanked out of my room to follow them.
I thought Javier had ranked up. I thought he was Carlos’s successor now.Why is someone holding a gun to his head? Is this another test?
“Javi, what’s going on?” I asked, trying to control the fear I was feeling. I didn’t have time for my stupid emotions to get in the way. Not when my brother’s life was at stake.
He glared at me to shut up, so I did.
Peter flung my body onto the floor of the living room, and I quickly sat up, his hands on my shoulders forcing me to stay on the floor.
“De rodillas,soplón,” Carlos spat at my brother who reluctantly complied. The vein in Javier’s forehead was popping out like it did when he was angry. I stared into Javier’s brown eyes with a panicked expression.What the fuck did you do?
The front door suddenly opened, and I twisted my neck to look over my shoulder.
“Ayúdalo!”
My dad and Kush froze just over the threshold, the case of beer in my dad’s hands landing on the floor with a crash.
“Welcome gentlemen,” Carlos said in that fake politician voice he usually reserved for public events. “You made it just in time for the main event.”
Kush pushed my dad into the room, his loyalty to Carlos clearly stronger than his loyalty to my dad, his closest friend.
“I really trusted you, I just…I’m so disappointed.” Carlos looked genuinely sad for almost long enough to make me think he might not go through with his threat. “And to think you were going to be my legacy. You really fooled me well, hijo. All that work…down the drain now. Your first mistake was thinking that as mi sucesor I wouldn’t be looking at you under a microscope. What did they promise you? Safety?”
Oh my God! What the fuck?! My brother flipped? He’s been working with the police? Why the fuck would he do that when he knew what would happen?
Carlos laughed sadistically. “You’re not safe now, are you hijo?”
“I haveneverinformed to the police,” Javier gritted out, struggling against the hold he was under to face Carlos more directly. “I told you I don’t fucking know what you’re talking about!”
“Lies!” Carlos snarled. “Don’t mistake me for a fucking fool. I do not tolerate traitors. You know that fact very intimately,Jack.”
Javier’s jaw ticked with what I could only assume was exasperation.Why the hell did he call him Jack?
“I know you’ll never tell me the truth. You’re sick. I think you actually like the torture, so I’m not going to waste moretime asking you for answers I know you’ll never give me. Mis sabuesos will sniff out just how far your squeals reached.”
Javier took a deep breath, a look of calm washing over his face.
“You know she’s next in line. Hopefully this teaches her a lesson she would’ve learned sooner or later. Disloyal rats will be silenced, and anyone who helped you will be silenced as well.”
What?My stomach dropped. Carlos studied me like he could read my mind, like he could detect whether or not I knew what my brother was doing.Fuck, Javi was right. He’s going to kill me too. FUCK!
Carlos nodded his head, “Go ahead, Vargas.”
I watched as Vargas, the burly guy, moved the gun to Javier’s temple, his finger on the trigger. My heart raced erratically as I realized that Javier must have been selling secrets to earn his freedom,ourfreedom. This was his ‘plan,’ his way of taking care of things, ensuring I got out of here. That’s why he was so adamant that he couldn’t get another job, why he took the sucesor position, so he could get access to more information. He told me…he fucking told me, and I didn’t realize what he was saying. Didn’t realize what he meant when he said all this would be over soon.
Oh my fuck. Holy fuck. Shit. Do something!
“Cinco.”
“Javier,por favor!” I screamed, pleading with him to try and save himself. Even if it only delayed the inevitable, I wanted him to fight back. Ineededhim to survive.
“Cuatro.”
Javier’s eyes turned soft as he met my gaze, “Remember what I taught you. You fight like hell.”
“Tres.”
“Cierra tus ojos, güerita.”
