PROLOGUE
Gabriela Gómez Mora
I pulled out a wallet-size photo of Alex and me on the beach where he died. I sank down on the bed, gazing down at the photo with burning eyes. However, instead of crying from sadness like I used to, tears formed out of anger.
My father took away my partner, my children, my life, and my dignity. In turn, I intended to take everything away from him. My babies didn’t deserve to be taken away from their mother. He would feel the pain I felt ten-fold.
I stiffly held the picture in my hands, staring down at it. A numb, tingling sensation traveled up along my arms as the sound of my heartbeat filled my head. For a moment, I forgot to breathe. I wished I knew what it was like to watch my children grow up, to see them smile and care for each other. I often wondered if they looked like Alex. I hoped so.
I had no guarantee that they were even alive, but something inside of me told me they were alive and well somewhere. My father was cruel, but I didn’t think he would stoop low enough to kill two newborn babies who were his blood. That would make him El Diablo. Lord knows, he was responsible for my brother Carlos getting hurt so badly.
At least I had my cousin, Ignacio to thank for all of the information. He was my ally and I didn’t have many of those at all. So I was grateful for him and the risks he took to keep me in the loop about Carlos. I frowned at the thought. It killed me that my own brother was trapped in a possibly endless sleepas a result of the war that raged between the Castillos and the Mancinis.
I snapped out of my thoughts when my phone started ringing. Ignacio was calling me. My heart rate spiked. “What is it?” I asked once I answered.
“Your father just arranged a meeting with some of our family,” Ignacio told me in a hushed voice. He was probably in a different room from some of the cartel members.
“A meeting for what?” I questioned him, wondering what my father was up to now.
“He wants to talk about next moves,” Ignacio replied. “What happened with Carlos sent your father into a rage. He wants revenge against the Mancinis.”
I almost laughed. My father wanted revenge now. He didn’t know how it felt to be wronged like he’d wronged me. And it was his orders that had hurt Carlos in the first place. “Do you know when this meeting will be?” I asked, determination washing over me like a wave. I would be there with them all.
“Why? Are you coming?” Ignacio asked, sounding shocked.
“It’s time for me to pay my dear family a visit. Don’t you think?” I replied with a faint smirk on my face. I had visited Carlos several times since he’d been in the hospital and luckily, I hadn’t run into my father or his loyal pack.
“I think you’re crazy,” Ignacio said before chuckling lightly. “But it’ll be nice to see you again, prima.”
“I appreciate all of your help, Ignacio. You’re one of the good ones,” I told him in a sincere voice. Things would be a lot harder and a lot lonelier for me if not for him having my back.
“I believe in you,” Ignacio replied. “But you must be careful. Tension is high with Carlos being injured. The meeting will be within the hour, I think. Your father is here now and more family have been arriving.”
“Muchas gracias…I’ll see you soon.”
An hour later…
My black heels clicked against the white tile of the hospital floor as I strode down the hallway toward my brother’s hospital room. Being here felt suffocating like the walls were closing in on either side of me. I let out a shaky breath, sweat threatening to break out across the crown of my head.
I hated hospitals as the memory of when my babies were taken from me always came back painfully whenever I was in a place like this. I had visited Carlos at least four times a month while he had been here. It had been hard to get in even when there was no enemy family present. It felt cruel being here, but I wanted to be here for my brother. I also needed to confront my family. They needed to know that I wouldn’t allow them to step on me any longer.
Before I could go around the corner, I nearly ran straight into Ignacio, who seemed to have been looking for me. I wanted to hug him, as I hadn’t seen him a while, but I refrained from doing so. “What’s going on? Are they still in Carlos’ room?” I asked him, hoping I hadn’t missed my chance. There were only so many instances when my entire family was together in one place at one time.
Ignacio nodded as he tugged on the collar of his white polo shirt, relieving some of the pressure around his neck. He seemed tense, but who wouldn’t be tense in a room full of Castillos? “They’re all in there,” he replied. “I just wanted to check on you.”
“Check on me? You look like you’re about to pass out,” I commented.
Ignacio stared at me while looking concerned. “You don’t look so hot yourself, prima,” he replied.
I brushed my fingers through my hair and straightened up. My family was the type to attack whenever they saw any sort of weakness. They didn’t have an ounce of mercy in their souls, but I had already figured out that they didn’t even have souls either. At least…most of them. “This is my first time around all of them again,” I reminded him. “It might put me into a hospital bed of my own.”
Ignacio stared at me with warmth in his eyes. “I won’t let that happen.”
I shook my head. The last thing I wanted was for him to blow his cover. It was risky for us to be talking now, but we wouldn’t be out here long. “Act normal. You know, like you worship every move Santiago makes,” I muttered. It drove me crazy how people were so submissive to my father.
“You know that he’s a ticking time bomb, especially now,” Ignacio warned me before glancing behind him. “He’s increased security. It’s like he’s paranoid.”
“His favorite child was nearly killed. What do you expect?” I snapped while lowering my eyes. This situation made me face a cruel harsh truth. “If it were me, he wouldn’t even bat an eye.” It wasn’t fair that my own father didn’t care about me. He only cared about money and power and I couldn’t help him gain any of those. Carlos could do that for him though. He saw me as a nuisance, so I saw him as a monster. At least we agreed to not like each other.
