Santo
WhenGuillermotoldme to jump, I didn’t ask how high, I asked when and where. It was the bittersweet pill I was forced to swallow anytime he called me up with a favor. Just his name flashing on my caller ID was enough to remind me that I was permanently indebted to him until my corpse became food for the bugs.
I was a King in my own right, at least on this side of the country. But my cousin never failed to put me in my place at any chance he could get. He loved to remind me that I was here because he allowed it to be. Los Muertos was a life sentence, you either died for the cause, or you died a traitor, but you’d bleed out for them no matter what. He saw the Black Crow Brotherhood as an extension of his power, not as an alliance. It was a dangerous line we teetered and if Zerkos found out I was trapped so far under his thumb like this, he would probably start a war over it.
One we wouldn’t win.
It was only supposed to be six years, that was the agreement we had struck. But nothing was ever that simple, my cousin was a mastermind pulling too many strings I couldn’t see and the minute that tattoo was branded to my skin I knew I had to play it smart if I wanted to be my own man ever again. He kept me under his thumb, threatening to put my younger brothers and sisters through the ringer. Constant menacing that they would be given the worst of the tasks needed from his gang.
The kids had it the worst, they were forced to kill rival gang children to send messages, and they were always running a corner to sell drugs to the dopeheads. It was the sickening part of that life that I refused to accept, and he knew as long as they were around, that he had me too. I would do anything to keep my siblings free from the stain that came with this life.
At this point, I found it easier to go with the current, instead of fighting his demands. He wasn’t unreasonable by any means, and his asks weren’t ludicrous. Two or three times a year he called me to Ocean Valley, threw a photo my way and expected the job to be done clean and correct. It wasn’t like there weren’t other hired guns he could use and wasn’t like the men closest to him weren’t capable. It was a power move to let me know he owned me, and like a dog I came running to my master every time.
I got the call right after I had herded Zerkos back into his room last night to keep him out of Kane’s. There was a part of me that was absolutely writhing in agony out of jealousy. She had said it herself that she wanted me, but yet she crawled into his bed just the same. Again. It was a mindfuck and I had to keep reminding myself that she only chose me because I was the safe option. She chose me because I’m probably the one friend she’s got left at this point.
Friend.
By morning, my plane ticket was already bought, and my bag was packed for the weekend. I wasn’t happy to be leaving. Even less happy to see her coming out of his bathroom in just a towel. What was with the shower? I was even less happy to be telling her I was leaving and seeing the letdown look in her eyes like I was to blame.
And then Zerkos dragged her naked body into his room like she was his property and fucked her loud enough so that Mateo and I would hear. Kane stood by the door. His fists clenched so tight you could see the white of his knuckles wrapping around the bone. I wasn’t ready to let anyone into my head yet and realized maybe Guillermo’s call was a blessing in disguise. I took the opportunity and headed out as fast as I could.
Ethan was waiting at the elevator, and I lifted my chin up to greet him as I piled my way in.
“Do you need a ride?” he asked me, but I shook my head at him.
“I’ll only be gone two nights max, I’ll keep my car at the airport, thanks,” I said to him as the doors opened letting us out on the ground floor. “I need you to keep an eye on everything, let me know if anything strange happens, anything odd, or different.” He raised his eyebrow at my vague request, so I leveled with him. “Let me know if Zerkos goes Berserk on the Mexican, okay?”
Ethan laughed at the request and said half-jokingly, “You mean more than he already has? Or is there a certain threshold we’re tolerating?”
“Just keep me in the know, if anything happens. Anything,” I stressed, knowing that it was going to be impossible to focus on whatever job Guillermo had waiting for me in Ocean Valley, but I had to trust my brothers to take care of Cecilia and keep things afloat here.
The flight was a direct one, but it was always tedious traveling from coast to coast. Cove City was basically another planet compared to the Ocean Valley culture I had known my entire life. As I stepped off that airplane and felt the sun on my skin, I was reminded I was home.
I made my way out of the gate and Guillermo was waiting for me with a grin plastered to his face, three tatted dudes flanked him as I approached. The smile was as fake as he was. We both knew he was just waiting for me to fuck up in some way so he could either put a bullet in my chest, or a leash around my neck.
“Primo!” he opened his arms wide and took me into a half hug from the side, never actually stopping as we walked towards the exit.
“You’re bald now Memo?” Guillermo was a good seven years older than me, but he wasn’t old enough to be losing hair yet. He was a few inches shorter than me but built bigger, stockier. It had probably been six months since I’d last seen him. He called me down to torture some rival street gang soldiers they needed to get some information from.
“The ladies love it, man,” he said, running his hand over the shiny globe, then pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offering me one. I gladly accepted it after that flight. He lit his, then mine, taking a deep drag before looking back at me to ask, “Should we eat? Let’s eat.”
His Lamborghini Urus was obnoxiously parked on the sidewalk, miles away from any airport parking. He didn’t bat an eye to the airport security scowling at him, but he did throw him a small wad of cash before getting into the car. ”Rulin”by La Perversa played out of the expensive sound system he completely modified and upgraded. The drive to the restaurant didn’t take nearly as long as I expected for a Saturday in Ocean Valley, but Guillermo also drove like an absolutely fucking maniac, and that helped too.