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48
HONEY
Mexico.
Approximately 1 hour, 3 minutes, and 12 seconds before the nuptials of FNG and Honey.
“I don’t knowif I can do this,” I said nervously. I was a wreck. My whole body was shaking with dread. I wanted to see my mother again, to hug her and remember what it was like to have her around. But it had been so long. What if she didn’t remember me? What if she didn’t want to see me?
“Hey, it’ll be okay,” FNG smiled, taking my hand in his. “We just took down your father. What could possibly go wrong?”
I smiled at him, trying to see the bright side of things, but the truth was, no amount of reassurance would make this easier. “You’re right. We just have to rip off the bandaid.”
I opened the door and stepped out, but that was as far as I got. A light flicked on at the front door and men rushed around me, holding their weapons on me. Terrified, I raised my arms, praying they didn’t shoot us.
“Hey, hey, hey!” FNG shouted. “We come in peace!”
“Get down on your knees!” one of the men shouted.
This was not how I saw this going. The silly girl inside me thought I would reunite with my mother and everything would be wonderful. The scared girl said that at the worst, she wouldn’t want to see me. Never in my life did I imagine I would be held at gunpoint.
When I didn’t immediately move, a man grabbed me from behind and shoved me forward. I tripped, falling to my knees. Gravel dug into my skin, cutting me all the way to the bone. FNG rushed to my side, only to be hit in the head with the butt of a gun. I cried out as he fell to the ground, blood gushing from the wound.
“FNG!” I bent forward to help him, only to be dragged backward by my hair. I screamed as the man pulled a clump of hair from my head, ripping it out with zero mercy. Tears pricked my eyes as a sharp pain lanced through my chest. At first, I thought I had been shot, but then I realized it was just the agony of seeing the love of my life laying lifeless on the ground.
“Tell us who you are,” the man shouted. Spittle fell in tiny droplets all over my face and the disgusting odor coming from his mouth made me gag. I had to think fast. With FNG down for the count, I had to find a way out of this. Squeezing my eyes closed, I forced myself to remember my legacy.
I was the daughter of an infamous cartel leader. I would not bow to anyone. I would not beg for mercy or bow at their feet. With a steely resolve, I stared at the man gripping my hair and spit in his face.
“I am the daughter of Manuel Ruiz. You will unhand me!”
His eyes flashed in recognition. A wave of panic fell over his face as his eyes flicked to everyone around him. I was dragged to my feet, forced to move forward, away from the man who had saved my life. The man shouted in Spanish, calling for the men to bring the boss outside.
My heart started pounding with dread. Had someone already replaced my father? Did they know that I had killed him? I was banking on the fact that no one knew what happened just an hour ago. Now, it seemed that logic was going to lead me to my doom, and kill the man I loved alongside me.
The door to the house opened. Time slowed as I waited for the boss to step outside. With just one look at FNG, I knew I was alone in this fight. In the darkness, I couldn’t see who was coming toward me, I only heard theclick-clickof the shoes as they descended the steps of the house.
The light shone over the face of a woman I thought to be dead, or at the very least, a shell of the woman I remembered. “Mother,” I breathed out.
“So, the prodigal daughter returns.”
A sinister smile spread across her face as she examined me. Instead of the warm rush of tingles and joy, I felt only dread. This was not the woman I remembered. There was no love in her eyes, no promises of hugs that would wrap me in feelings of safety and protection. Here stood a woman who dominated, who lied for years. But why?
“I don’t understand,” I whispered as she walked closer to me. I tried to step back, but a man grabbed my arm, holding me in place.
“You never did,” she smirked. “It would have been easier if you were a boy. That’s what I needed to make this cartel thrive. A strong boy that would grow up to take the reins of our family business and turn it into the empire our family deserved.” Her eyes slowly roamed over my body in disgust. “But instead, I was blessed with you.”
The way she saidblessedmade it clear it was the complete opposite of a gift. She was disgusted by me, revolted that she had produced such an insignificant offspring.
“Then why?” I asked, my lip quivering. “Why didn’t you just kill me?”
“Because it was better this way,” she smiled. “You were a nuisance, but you still had your purpose in this world. When you disappeared, rumors spread that you had been taken from me. It fueled hatred throughout the cartel. Because of you, my men found a higher need. We took out competitors in your name and slashed the profits of all our rivals. Because of you, we are the leaders in our industry!”
“Your industry?” I scoffed. “You’re murderers and…and horrible people!”
“I did what I had to. I survived in a man’s world!”
I shook my head. I didn’t understand any of this. “What about my father?”
