Page 58 of No Greater Oblivion

His concern deepens. “Not what I asked.”

“If I can drive my ninety-two-year-old granduncle’s 1968 Ford pickup across Highway 344 at night without any mirrors or functioning headlights, then I can drive anything.”

“You learned to drive in Puerto Rico?”

“Obviously,” I reply. “Where else?”

Alejandro blows air between his lips. The sale’s clerk returns with paperwork to sign and he only glances at it briefly before scribbling his name at the bottom. He hands the clipboard to me and points with the tip of his pen. “Sign here.”

“What is this? Wait, Alex,” he starts walking away, “I don’t speak Catalan!”

“There are Spanish translations at the bottom. Practice.”

“Where are you going?”

“To make a phone call.” He lifts his cell to his ear and points. “My insurance is about to go through the roof.”

I purse my lips at him. “Ha-ha,” I grumble and settle into a nearby seat. “Very funny…”

If I thought Spanish was difficult, the mere sight of Catalan in writing almost gives me a stroke.

Alejandro’s hyper-focused on me mastering Spanish before dipping my toes into Catalan because while the latter may be the primary language of the region, Spanish is spoken more broadly. However, I’m starting to debate on whether or not I should pick up an introductory class at BIS this semester. I can’t read or pronounce any of the street names for the life of me and if I’m going to be living here for the foreseeable future, I need to make an effort to better immerse myself in the culture and way of life. Language is a huge part of that.

Alejandro won’t always be around to translate or make life easier. Plus I hate still feeling like a tourist when I’ve lived here almost a year now. I’ll never be a native but at the very least, I can make a wholehearted attempt at not being an obnoxious American expat.

After skimming through the papers and picking out what little makes sense to me, I eventually sign where Alejandro instructed me to and call it a day. I notice it’s been a while since he stepped away and the second I lift my head to look around, I spot him through the windows, standing on the curb. Diego has a morose look on his face and Dimitrio removes his sunglasses before pinching the bridge of his nose. Alejandro is speaking to them and although I can’t hear what he’s saying, I can tell by the tension in his back and the firm set of his mouth that he’s fuming. At one point Diego snaps back, equally as heated, and this time Alejandro is loud enough for his muffled voice to echo inside.

It's impossible to make out what he’s saying, especially after Dimitrio grabs his arm and makes eye contact with me through the glass. Alejandro turns around and upon seeing me, immediately snaps back around to face his brother. They exchange words and Alejandro spins on the balls of his feet, storming back inside.

My hands tremble as I rise to my feet and clutch the clipboard against my chest. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine.” He takes the clipboard from me and scans the paperwork to make sure it’s in order before handing it back to me. “I have to take care of something but Diego’s going to stay behind.”

My chest tightens. “What? But I thought⁠—”

“I’ll be out late so have dinner without me.”

He leans forward to kiss me, and I pull away. He lifts a hand as if to reach for me but I can’t stand the thought of being touched by him. I step back so quickly that I trip over my boot and stumble into my chair, eventually catching my balance on the armrest. To save myself any further embarrassment, I sit down and turn my back to him.

I was so foolish to think we had stumbled into a tentative peace this morning. We spoke for a little while and had breakfast before we left for the dealership. On the ride here he seemed fine and even asked if I wanted to go out afterward. It’s beautiful today—sunny, blue, and cloudless.

“Dee, I’m sorry. This is important.”

“Everything is more important than me.”

Everything.

15

FURY-BORN

Alejandro

The Past

In order for my plan to work, the men around Sandro need to turn against him.

Capos, advisors, associates, everyone from the top down. Killing them isn’t enough when anyone in the food chain can be replaced and Regina’s tactful and resourceful—she wouldn’t allow the family to go unprotected or without council for long. Which means I have to flip his men one by one until he can’t even trust his own shadow.