Prologue:
Gun shots.
That’s what echoed through the desert surrounding the small town of Tilden, Texas. Seven shots to be exact used to take the lives of illegal immigrants and drug dealers as they met for an exchange.
Eliza Cruz, her boyfriend Miguel Rodriguez, and their five friends now all lay motionless at the feet of a girl not much older than eighteen. The girl stood in shock, although she didn’t let it show as she took in her mother’s permanent pained expression.
Two of the assassins stood facing her with their giant hands clasped behind their backs, weapons now concealed in their holders. No one spoke except for the third, who was quietly reporting to his boss that the “mission was accomplished.”
The girl’s eyes wandered from Eliza, her own mother, to the man whom her mother loved so much. Miguel had come to be quite the father figure to the girl in the past three years, especially considering the monster her real father was, as if she could ever call him that. No, instead he was Sal Valentino, the man who never cared.
Miguel’s eyes were widened for he had seen Eliza get shot before he himself was killed; now that was a man who would die for love. But Miguel was a large part of the Mexican drug cartel, and had dragged Eliza into helping him sell his cocaine on the streets all over Texas. The girl never much cared for her mother’s way of life, but Miguel was actually good to her and loved her more than anything else in existence.
When she came to live with them four years earlier, they had been happily living in a Louisiana condo with a cat named Pepper. However, the girl was on the run from her father, so their entire life had to be uprooted in order for her to stay.
The third assassin suddenly snapped his phone shut and strolled casually towards the other two. The girl only glanced up briefly before looking back at the bodies. These were the people she knew and loved, the people she actually trusted. Now they’re dead.
The two twin-looking men turned on their heels and began walking towards the first large, black SUV. Currently there were two; one in which the assassins came and one that Marty, Miguel’s best friend and right-hand man, had driven with the other four to the exchange location. To the north stood Miguel’s beat-up and ridiculous looking gray jeep where he, her mother and she had been laughing only ten minutes earlier. A small sigh escaped her lips as her eyes fluttered closed. She wanted to go back now, to save her mom and Miguel, maybe even Marty and the goons. But there was no hope.
The crunch on the dirt informed her someone was walking towards her, probably the third assassin. She could feel his presence to her left but she made no effort to acknowledge him as he neared her. After a few moments, he cleared his throat nervously. “It’s time to go, Kallisto,” his deep voice was barely audible and yet seemed to echo across the dirt and sand. When the girl didn’t respond, he reached out to grab her shoulder.
At the briefest touch, she snapped.
The two assassins sat side-by-side in the car as they watched their associate get his ass handed to him by the girl. Although amused, they weren’t laughing. Kallisto was highly deadly; everybody in the business knew that. Messing with her was certain death. Their eyes were stuck to her as she reached her arms around their burley friend’s neck. One wrapped on his shoulder as the other sought out the perfect location to grab his head. With one swift movement, his body slumped into the dirt, his neck breaking and leading him to death. It was then the boys decided to intervene.
Stepping out of the SUV, they walked at a slow paced side-by-side towards the girl. Her face was still a mask of little emotion, but her eyes were practically on fire with rage. No one messed with her and her family.
The men stopped about five feet from her, silent as night while their eyes remained glued to hers. After what seemed like an eternity, the girl spoke. “He sent you, didn’t he?” She growled. Nathaniel, the one with black hair and slightly bigger arms, nodded while his partner, Kyle, remained a statue.
Her lips pressed together, carefully choosing her next words, “What does he want?”
Kyle seemed to snap out of a trance just then as his phone vibrated from his jacket. The boss must have called Giorgio and got no response, and the man was impatient. He flipped it open without looking at the ID and extended his hand toward the girl.
Her eyes flipped between him and the device several times before she hesitantly took it. Once placed to her ear, she scowled at the voice coming from the other end. The voice began to yell for several minutes, so she decided to multi-task knowing how today was going to end anyway. “I don’t care what he told you to do; you are going to bury my mother and Miguel. I’m taking the jeep back to my house to get my things and only then will I go with you. If you don’t do as I say, you will end up like your stupid little friend.” She barked.
The boys immediately jumped into their tasks, knowing fully well she wasn’t bluffing in the slightest.
A small bit of satisfaction began to run through her, but she cut it off. By the looks of things, she was going back where she never really wanted to be. Because of that, she needed to shut down yet again. She needed to quit feeling anything. Now, there was no mother or Miguel to worry about, it was only herself. The way it should have been all along.
When she returned the phone to her ear, the voice had finally silenced itself. It was then that a sly, twisted smirk began to grow on the girl’s face.
“Kyle, I demand you answer me right this minute!” The voice commanded; only making the smirk grow wider.
She took a few seconds just to piss him off before responding and snapping the phone in two, “Fuck you.”
YOU ARE READING
A Valentino's Life (On Hold)
Teen Fiction"The crunch on the dirt informed her someone was walking towards her, probably the third assassin. She could feel his presence to her left but she made no effort to acknowledge him as he neared her. After a few moments, he cleared his throat nervous...
