Maura was now gasping, sweat dripping down her face, while her husband assured her that everything would be fine. I could feel Don’s glare, but my focus was on what the hell I came here for.
“Yeah, Shio. Fuck you out here, blowing bitches legs off for?” Don derided.
I hadn’t expected Don to be here, but when it came to him, I’d learned to expect the unexpected. Cracking my neck, I lowered my gun, folded my hands at my waistline, and continued to give Ines my undivided attention.
Look a man in the eyes.That was one of the few things my daddy taught me growing up when he wasn’t too busy cosplaying an angry mobster.
“I didn’t do shit to your daughter. The question you asking me, you should be asking yourself.”
He drew his head back, glared at Solana, who was standing there without an ounce of shame. I knew she was no longer high, but the glossiness in her eyes told me that she was itching for another line or ten.
“What?” he asked, confused.
“Don’t worry about it. Look… I need you to get your hoe-ass son on the phone. He’s in the company of a muthafucka that has something that belongs to me.”
Solana scoffed but looked off before I could shoot her ass a glance. She was on thin fucking ice, so it was in her best interest that she stood the fuck down.
“Hunh?” Don asked as he placed himself into my line of sight.
“Mr. Cuppacio, let’s talk this out like gentlemen…” Ines bargained.
“Fuck being a gentleman! I tried that. I did that. Being a gentleman makes muthafuckas believe they can play with you. Do it look like I got Fisher Price stamped across my fuckin’ forehead?”
“Shio…” Don rubbed his temple with his free hand while his other was tucked in the pocket of his suit pants.
“Papá. Solo díselo. ¡Dile lo que sea que le estés ocultando! ¡Díselo! No más mentiras. No más secretos.(Papa. Just tell him. Tell him whatever it is you’re withholding! Tell him! No more lies. No more secrets.)”
“Solana! ¡Soy tu padre!(Solana! I am your father!)”
“What the fuck is these muthafuckas saying?” Don whipped his head back and forth between Solana and her father.
Solana trembled. “I’m more your property than I am your daughter.” She continued shaking, her movements reflective of her pent-up frustrations. “You are my owner! You own me! You own me and use me as a pawn! But there’s no need to get into that. Tell him! If not him, tell me! Because I’m done for, either way! I was done the day my mother died!”
“Fucktu madre(your mother)!” Maura spit on the ground next to her.
She still found time to insult Solana, even with her kneecap shot off.
“I thought we had some family shit going on… This shit is unreal.” Don ran his hand down his face as if his being in the Ledesma courtyard was a regular occurrence—a normal one.
“Can I at least get my wife some help?”
“Muthafucka, talk!” I pointed my gun, ready to push one in the dome of his Mexican ass.
“Okay, okay!” Ines gestured for me to put the gun down, but I left it aimed.
One wrong word, and I was turning this nigga into a fucking bowling ball—three shots to the fucking dome.
“I owe your Don.”
“What?” Solana gasped, but I wasn’t too surprised.
“I got in over my head. Many years ago, the Rodríguezes demanded that I pay them, even though no business was done with them. At first, I refused. Then, I began to notice my loved ones would either turn up dead or incarcerated. So, I gave in. I went with it, paying millions of pesos every month, and for what? Because they said so. But it was fine. I paid what I was told to pay for years. Things were tight, but I made it work.”
Solana watched her father in disbelief. I honestly didn’t give a fuck about the back story. I was just wanting him to call his bitch boy and tell me where my child was. However, he continued.
“Then, the eldest son of the Rodríguezes stepped into his role as the leader, and he raised the prices. I didn’t know what to do. I have a family. I have people who depend on me to feed their families. I needed help. With what he was asking, had I continued to comply, I’d have nothing. I’d done business with Demise’s father back then, so I reached out only to find out he’d passed on. Demise let me borrow the money, but I was to hand over something valuable in return. So, Shio… you were sent here to confirm if one of my sons was deemed valuable to your organization. If one was, they’d join you until my debt was paid.”
I grunted, gaining Don’s attention.
