“Some of my men located you.”
My body tenses.
Some of his men?
Who the fuck is this guy?
As I stare back into the face of a man I haven’t seen in years, I can’t believe he is here. My uncle. The only family I have left. I haven’t seen him since I was thirteen. I am shoved back into the past, the memory sweeping over me like a torrent of cold air.
I had only just begun to accept my life and how it would undoubtedly be, when my uncle came into my room where I was reading and introduced himself. I was intimidated by him at first. Uncle Carlito was not only a handsome man but every movement seemed methodical and controlled. He walked and talked with authority, just like my father.
It’s been three years since I lost my mother. Three years since I came to live here with my father. I hate that word.
Father.
But that is what he orders me to call him. I refused at first. Teddy was and would always be the only father I’d ever known, but little by little, day by day, he succeeded in breaking me down. Everything I have, every privilege, and every breath has to be earned. Nothing in his world is free.
Least of all my freedom.
It has taken a full year to earn the privilege of leaving my cell. He treated me like an animal and I acted as such, scratching and clawing anyone who dare come near me. My father was not amused and he did not tolerate such rebelliousness. He withheld food. Water. And at one point, clothing, before I finally submitted to his will.
I’ve learned quickly that pleasing him is far better than disappointing him, so I’ve become what he wants.
Obedient.
Compliant.
After a while, after all hope of escaping had been lost, I accepted my fate. It was my only chance for survival. This would be my life. Eventually, I earned his trust but each night, as I sit in my room and gaze up at the stars littering the midnight sky through the iron bars on my window, I pray that I escape, that someday, I will be free.
I hear shouting from downstairs, nothing unusual for this time of night, but then I hear a gunshot and spring from my spot on the window seat.
I rush to the door, cracking it open to peek into the hall. One of my father’s men stands guard near the top of the stairs and when the shouting continues, he rushes down the steps to investigate. Crouching down, I crawl out of my door on my hands and knees to the rails of the balcony overlooking the foyer.
My uncle and father move into my line of sight. They are speaking in Spanish in hushed tones. I can’t make out what they are saying but their words seem heated.
And final.
Once my father walks away, my uncle lifts his eyes, locking with mine. I’ve seen less and less of him as of late. He was once my father’s most trusted ally and now they have become enemies. I do not know or understand why they are at odds, all I know is that I feel safer in my uncle’s presence and he is my last remaining hope for an escape.
He climbs the stairs two at a time then kneels down next to me. I do not understand how the two men can be brothers. They are complete opposites. One has a heart of gold; the other has the heart of a monster.
“Come here, my angel,” he says, taking me in his arms. I climb into his lap, seeking comfort in his embrace. My uncle is nothing like my father. He is not cruel or mean. He cares for me. He tells me as much each time he comes to visit. He always tells me how beautiful and special I am and how he is finding a way to get me away from my father.
“You look just like your mother,” he remarks, lifting my chin.
“You knew my mother?”
“I knew her very well. I tried to help her escape but she left on her own. I searched everywhere for her. For you both. But he found you first.”
Tears fill my own eyes. “I miss her so much.”
His fingers graze my wet cheeks. “I know you do.”
I sob, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my head into his chest.
“Don’t cry, angel,” he murmurs, cupping the back of my head. “Everything will be as it should. In time. But you must remain strong. And patient.”
“Why do you speak as if this is good-bye?”
