Camilo's Virgin

“I guess I just suppressed so much of this because I knew it would do no good, but now, seeing their pictures and reading about their lives, knowing we missed out on so much, the anguish hit me like a brick.” It really did. I didn’t realize how much of it I buried because I had no choice, until this moment.

“I am so sorry your life was taken from you, Chas.” I lift my head as the guilt of my situation clogs his throat. I pull back from him for a minute and look at his face and his remorse is like a slap and for the first time, I can see this from his point of view. He is taking me back to the family I was stolen from, as one of my captors who is now my husband and the father of my children. I love him and I know the story, but how will my brothers receive this information? How will they look at him? Kissing his lips, I wrap my arms around his neck.

“I’m sorry, my love. I didn’t think of how this would hurt you. I love our family, Milo and even though the way I came to you is not the best, I look at it as meant to be. Without me being taken, we wouldn’t have this.”

“I agree. But your brothers and family won’t see it that way.” he is more than likely right. “What is going to happen when they attempt to take you and my kids from me?” Jesus. He is packing on the punches right now.

“That will never happen.”

“You are damn right it won’t!” The door slams open and I hear his mother shout into the room. Milo and I leap to our feet, shocked and frozen. I look on in fear as she pulls a gun from the back of her pants and aims it at me.

“Mother, what the fuck are you doing?!” Milo yells at her attempting to move in front of me.

“I am doing what I should have done after Milo jr was born. I can’t let her take you and my children away from me.”

“They are not yours,” I shout at her from behind him. I know I shouldn’t stoke an already burning fire, but my babies are not hers.

“You see. Do you see how she tries to deny my legacy? This BITCH was never one of us and will never be one of us. She was only meant to breed soldiers. Not to be your wife.'' She cocks the gun and moves closer to us, not acknowledging that if she kills me, she will not only have to shoot her son, but she will be killing her own grandson inside of me.

“Mom, put the gun down. Please. Don’t do this.” He pleads with her, even has his hand slowly snakes back to his shirt and he puts his hand on the weapon I didn’t know was there. I squeeze his other hand, letting him know I know how much he doesn't want to do this. Putting his parents in jail is one thing. Having to kill one of them is different.

“Move son. Let me take out the basura.” She loves to call me trash.

“Mom this is the last time I am going to tell you to stop aiming at my wife and put the gun away. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will.” I inhale as her eyes widen and his words hit her right on.

“You would choose her over me? Your own flesh and blood?”

“Yes! Every damn time.” I love this man.

“She has bewitched you.” The last words she says before I see her gun raise and hear the shot. I cry out and close my eyes, fully expecting pain. When nothing happens, I open them and see my husband, my protector, my savior standing over her lifeless body. The cry that wrenches from me is not for her, but for him. The pain he must be feeling at this moment. The anguish in his eyes is palpable. Tangible. It’s so thick it is threatening to strangle me because we share a connection unlike most.

“I had to. I swore to you the day they brought you here I would never let anyone hurt you and I meant it. She left me no choice.'' He is trying to convince himself. Give himself absolution but it is not necessary. A real man does what he has to do. “I killed my mom, Chas. This changes everything. Grab the children and get our go bag with all of our correspondence and identification. We have to leave now and go to the safehouse. The timeline has changed.”

A family on the run.

Chapter Six

Milo

“I killed my mom, Chas. This changes everything. Grab the children and get our go bag with all of our correspondence and identification. We have to leave now and go to the safehouse. The timeline has changed.” The words I just said sound over and over in my head. I didn’t think, I just reacted. I will forever be grateful that the kids were elsewhere in the house and didn’t see their father kill their grandmother.