Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 89772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Alejandro Martinez.
Ever since I could remember, she danced only for him.
While our mother’s humble roots played a huge role in our upbringing, it didn’t change the fact that our father grew up with wealth beyond anyone’s imagination. He owned planes, jets, cars, homes all over the world. The list of capital he held was endless.
At times it felt like the only way he knew how to express his love for us, was through material possessions. It was as if he thought he could make up for the sins of his past through giving us what we wanted. When what we craved was the truth he couldn’t form into words, at least not to us.
“Ari, don’t start.”
“Don’t start? Don’t start!” she stressed, allowing her temper to get the best of her. With her full attention turned to me, she exclaimed, “Are you serious? You can’t be serious! Were you not just in that living room with me? Did you hear what he wanted you to do? For what, Cruz? To show some loyalty to la familia? What the hell does that even mean?”
“Ari…” I warned, my patience wearing thin.
“You cannot shut me up this time! I have turned a blind eye to this bullshit for far too long! All our lives we’ve known something was wrong! The way people are around him! Come on, Cruz! That shit is not normal! Or must I remind you of the bodyguards who are tailing us right now, and all we’re doing is driving to a goddamn graduation party?”
I didn’t want to go to the damn party. Yet, there I was, wearing an Armani tuxedo with fucking Italian leather shoes. Chaperoning my pain-in-the-ass sister at a celebration where I didn’t know anyone in attendance.
“Adriana, enough. You need to calm down.”
“I need to calm down? How about you need to react! How the hell do you stay so calm? You’re just as eerie and daunting as he is. You know that, right? The older you get, the more you act like him. The more you look like him too!”
“Is that supposed to offend me, Ari? Because last time I checked, our father has given us everything.”
“Except for the truth about who he was…is. And now he pulls this stunt? How do you expect me to react? He just taunted you to murder someone in cold blood, and you’re sitting here like it didn’t fucking happen!” She waved her hand wildly in the direction of our home.
I snapped, immediately turning the wheel while simultaneously slamming on the brakes, causing it to skid sideways before coming to a complete stop.
“Carajo!” I shouted, “Fuck” in Spanish. Waving off the guards who were suddenly hauling ass out of their vehicles to see what was up. “What do you want from me? Huh? You want me to tell you how I feel? Is that what you want?”
“Yes! For once I’d love to know what you’re thinking, instead of playing it cool like you have this stick up your ass!”
“Adriana, just ask me what you really want to know, instead of wasting my time with your fucking temper tantrums.”
“I am not throwing a fit! I am not a little girl.”
“Then stop acting like one.”
She narrowed her eyes at me with a piercing stare, further pissing me off.
“Fine. If I hadn’t been there,” she finally specified, “would you have taken his life? Would you have killed that man?”
“I would do anything to protect you, Ari.”
She blinked and her eyes glazed over. “Then you’d kill for me?”
“If I had to, I’d die for you.”
She gasped, pulling away from me.
“Ari—”
“It doesn’t make you any better than El Diablo, Cruz. You remember those news articles, right? Alejandro Martinez, notorious crime boss of New York City has been laid to rest after he was gunned down in his downtown Manhattan penthouse. The investigation is still open, and there are no leads at this time on who is responsible for taking the life of the man, most commonly known as El Diablo. Justice has been served. Proving that the good guys can win, in the end.”
“Jesus Christ, you memorized it?”
“Of course I did. You want to know what else I remember? Mom telling us that he faked his death and changed his name to protect us from his past, when in reality it was his crimes he didn’t want us to know about. How many people have died from his hands, Cruz? And how many more will die from yours?”
“You’re upset, Adriana. You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, brother. For the first time in my life, I know exactly what I’m saying. We’ve searched for the truth and it’s been right in front of our eyes this entire time. We knew who he was and what he was capable of. We just pretended like we didn’t. For what though? What was the point of him shielding me from his world when you were always going to be part of it? If it was going to come down to this… to you having to step up or bow down, then why wait? Why didn’t he tell us from the beginning what your fate was? The truth is he’s been raising another man to be just like him,” she paused, allowing her words to sink in.