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When he's done, he asks, "How come?"
"You know why."
"I don't think I do."
I count to ten and look up; he is looking at me with a blank expression.
"Don't worry about it. I'm here, and that is all you need to know."
"Does he know?"
"It's none of his business, Maxim. What is with the twenty questions?"
"I may not get along with him, Elena, but he's still my brother."
"Look, my grandfather told you. Right?"
"He did."
"This is my decision, Maxim. I don't have to explain myself to you or anyone. I'll finish counting. Take what I need, and you can return to your other business. You'll see me three days a week, tops. And don't worry, I won't show up unannounced, and I won't stalk you."
"He said that to you, didn't he? He said you were a stalker."
I roll my eyes, trying not to let that word get to me anymore. I was hardheaded. Santiago couldn't stand the sight of me. I keep counting, wanting to get out of here.
After the last stack is counted, changed into smaller bills, and packed away, I stand, grabbing the handles of the black bag.
"Elena?"
"Yes, Maxim."
"Are you hungry?"
After securing the cash, I follow him outside, ignoring the dirty looks of the females sitting in the living room with the guys watching American Me behind my back.
He stops in front of his low rider. The same black Chevy Impala with a beautiful mural of the Santa Muerte on the hood I saw pull in his parent’s driveway.
He opens the passenger door and smiles. "Hop in,Princessa."
I look toward the house and then back. "Isn't your girl going to be mad?"
He smirks. "Who said I had a girl?"
"I-I thought Leti…"
"Just because I've slept with her doesn't mean she's my girl, Elena. I don't have a girl. I don’t have a wife or kids. I also don't work in Wall Street. I'm not a lawyer or an accountant."
He isn't, but…
"Alright," I relent, not wanting to ask him about his relationships or who else he sleeps with.
He shuts the door, and I look around at the classic car admiring the beauty of the interior.
When he pulls out on the street, I ask, "Was this your dad's?"
He nods. "Yeah, he gave it to me when I turned seventeen. Julio is a good friend of both my mom and my dad, but mainly, he always had a soft spot for my mom. He helped me restore it and my aunt did the mural in the hood. My father tries to hidethat he isn't jealous of Julio, but I see it. I see the way he looks at my mom. The first time I saw my father was when my mother and I moved to the house in the east of Hillside. I knew he was my father."
"Did you tell your mom?"
