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Chapter Twenty-Four
Esteban
The Starry Banes had the longest border with Victor, taking up the space in the middle of the island; we had to drive north to get there. We eventually arrived at the sleuth – yet another ex-prison unit, looking the same as our Santuario. A tall concrete wall surrounded the village on all sides. Since the sleuth wasn’t backed by a hill like Santuario was, the fortification had to be present all the way around. There was a lake nearby, to the east. From here we saw some fishermen at work.
We stopped a short distance away from the main gate, leaving our cars far away enough so that the Banes wouldn’t feel threatened by the sudden approach of six vehicles. We headed to the gate on foot and told our men not to follow us all the way. This visit wasn’t an assault on the Starry Banes, and we didn’t fear that they would get violent with us. If by some weird turn of events they did want to fight, our men could see what was going on from their current positions. Then they could quickly shift and come to our aid.
When Gabriel, Daphne and I stopped in front of the gate, guarded by two men, I announced our presence. “Gabriel, Daphne and Esteban from the Santuario sleuth. Here to see your Alpha.”
But before any of the men could run into the village to fetch the Alpha or get her to agree to meet us inside, the gate opened and an ebony-skinned tall woman with the prison tattoo 67 on her right arm walked out. She had a stony expression on her face, and her voice was devoid of any warm feelings when she spoke to us. “Greetings. What brings you to the Starry Banes?”
I glanced over at Gabriel, but he didn’t seem like he wanted to speak after the last encounter with the Bloody Claws. I did my best not to smile. Oswaldo had disrespected my partner plenty. The fact that Gabriel’s pride was hurt wasn’t surprising. He wasn’t fragile, he merely didn’t want to talk right now, and I didn’t mind his choice.
“Welcome, Kella. We’re here because of Victor.” I cut directly to the chase.
“Is Victor attacking your territory too?” Kella put a hand on her hip.
“He is. We also found out that Hanny is still alive; Gabriel’s sister and my cousin.”
“Another one of the Torres is still alive?” Kella’s eyes widened. “Well, that’s unexpected.”
“We were surprised when we found out too. We want to siege Fort Torres and get her back.”
Kella huffed. “And then what? Rule over the whole of Isla Paraiso?”
“Power is what Victor wants. We only care for peace,” I explained.
“I for one wouldn’t mind if you ruled over the place,” she said, surprising me.
I stared at Kella with my mouth slightly open.
She smiled; a rare sight indeed for as long as I had known her. “I was in another prison before Isla Paraiso, as were many of my people. You were never unjust wardens. And you’ve been leading your sleuth very well the past three years. I give credit where it's due. I can recognize a good leader.”
“We’re not planning to take over the island like Victor wants to though,” Gabriel spoke up.
“Yet taking over is an option for you to consider. It’s the advice I give you out of the goodness of my heart. You can do whatever you want with it.”
Gabriel and I exchanged a glance. I didn’t know what Oswaldo would say to us ruling over the whole island, but having Kella’s support in that matter meant a lot. The idea truly was something to consider. Isla Paraiso would indeed be more stable under our rule.
The Bloody Claws who might oppose our rise to power wanted to leave the island anyway once their implants were removed and they regained their freedom. So maybe there really wouldn’t be any opposition to us taking over.
“We will think about it,” I finally said, “but right now the important thing is that we want to go against Victor but we lack the numbers to do so. Just today we allied ourselves with the Bloody Claws but we will need your people to join us too so we can have the odds fully in our favor.”
Kella gave me a long look. “You want us to go to war.”
I kept quiet, letting her think about the proposition in peace.
She let out a deep sigh. “I expected it would come to this and that it would be you asking me. You’ve always had the drive to unite people.”
I smiled. I appreciated the compliment.
“Sure. We will join you,” Kella said.
Wait. Had she just said yes with no convincing or bribery? I stared at the woman, wide eyed. “Just like that? Or do you want something in return.”
“I only want to see Victor’s ass kicked. I, too, long for peace on this island. It is not such a bad place to live. Sure, I would prefer if I could leave if I wanted but I’ve learned to make the best with what I have. My life here the past three years hasn’t been terrible. If action is required to preserve the family I’ve created here, I won’t stand by and do nothing,” Kella explained her feelings and reasoning.
I nodded. Her words made a lot of sense to me. I was the same – willing to go the extra mile to protect my sleuth, the family I had chosen for myself. “Thank you, Kella. We will remember this.”
