“How was the rally?”
Fuck. If he’s already heard about it, then that means someone else in Dante’s organization probably has, too. We don’t want word spreading too fast, otherwise we risk Dante setting fire to the hillside. If he quells this resistance before we can get it going, then everyone will suffer greatly for it. Cat included.
... Our child.
“You better have some answers for me!” I growl, excusing Jesus. I slam my office door shut and start to pace.
“I have a truckload of them,” Juan responds. “Let’s meet. Can you be back at the ruins by nightfall?”
“Yes... How is Cat?”
“She’s fine. We’ll talk.”
He hangs up before I can ask any more questions. There are still a few hours until dusk, but I don’t waste any time. A child of mine could be out there, in dange
r, without his or her mother or father...
God, I don’t even know if it’s a boy or a girl.
Curiosity threatens to eat me alive as I make my way back to the burnt-out ruins of my old jungle compound. The sun sets softly but a hard determination comes over my peeling skin. When I stop long enough to think about it, my hands start to ache, but I never have long enough to linger on the pain. For the first time in my life, I’m more focused on the pain in my chest, in my heart, in my soul.
I show up at my old palace just as the bottom tip of the sun is disappearing beneath the horizon. The eerie golden light that washes over the charred and overgrown ruins fills me with a sorrowful nostalgia. I’m almost nervous. So much has changed; so much continues to change.
If what Cat said was true...
A child.
“Yo!”
Juan spots me before I spot him. He’s already over by the jungle wall that borders what used to be a vast lawn. I kick myself for getting lost in my daydreams of the past, if Juan wasn’t a friend, he could have easily gotten the drop on me. If I’m going to succeed in reclaiming what’s mine, I’m going to have to be more vigilant.
“Where are we going?” It’s one of the least important questions I want to ask, but it’s a good enough start.
Juan starts walking and I don’t hesitate to follow him. “I don’t have much time,” he explains. “Dante’s in town and that means I’m on call, but I have to show you something. We can talk on the way.”
I immediately jump forward and grab him by the shoulder. He turns around and I get right in his face. “No more pussy footing around, Juan! I should have asked on the phone... What’s this about a child?”
Juan’s head drops like it weighs a thousand pounds. The last thing I want to do is snap at the only friend I have left, but my patience only goes so far, especially if it involves a potential family. “I’ve been waiting for days, Juan,” I explain. “Cat’s words have been tearing me apart.”
Juan takes a deep breath before finally looking me in the eye. “Catalina had a child when you were away... your child. A boy.”
A heavy wave crashes over me as my entire world implodes. For an eternal moment, I’m dragged under the water. Everything is still; I can’t breathe. But then the water breaks and I rush back above the surface.
“What’s his name?”
“Oscar. Oscar Luis Alzate.”
I shake my head. “Oscar Luis Alzate-Montoya.”
A small smile breaks out over Juan’s somber features. “Would you like to meet him?”
“Is that where you’re taking me now?”
Juan nods and my heart fills with adrenaline. “Then what the fuck are we waiting for?”
I haven’t been down this part of the underground tunnel yet, but it hardly looks any different than the other parts. Everything is the same down here; I hardly know how Juan finds his way around.
For my part, me and my men have put up markers at every corner we’ve used so far, color coated to lead the way. I don’t see any markers down here, though. Juan must have these routes memorized.