Lord Of Reticence

1

It was a beautiful evening, as I drove back from work. The internship year was tough, with hectic work hours and too much to learn. But I cherished every minute of it.  I loved my job, working in the ER with patients. There was so much fun and excitement there, and even though we were always short staffed, I felt like we could make something of ourselves. Listening to their stories, helping them, the thrill of being able to save a life. Though I wasn't yet sure if I was going to choose medicine or surgery, whatever it maybe, it was going to be amazing. I worked hard for it.

As I stopped at the red light, I noticed a dark figure standing by the signal. It was dark now, the sun had set, and the road was pretty much empty. The timer had 93 seconds left, and I grew impatient.
And then I saw, a pair of blue eyes staring at me, bloodshot, probably angry. This person was tall, muscular, but not heavy. Just perfectly build. With long dark hair, his face was hidden behind a mask.
The timer read 50 seconds, my heartbeat raced, and I saw him raise his arm, a pistol in his hand, pointed at me.  He fired the gun.
I closed my eyes.
My heart shattered into tiny pieces, the sound of the gunshot ringing in my ears. My body fell limp against the steering wheel.
No! Oh god. No...this couldn't be real! Someone help me! Please someone help me!
But I wasn't hurt. I opened my eyes, and he stood there still, another gunshot, fired by him, at my car, but this time I saw, he was shooting at the tyres.
He had shot the tires off of my car.
Oh, God. How could this be happening? What am I supposed to do now?!
The gunman raised his other arm.
Please, don't hurt me. Please! Please...!
Before he could shoot again, something white flew across the street, crashing into him.
I looked towards where the shooter had just been, but there was nothing.
No one was there.
What had happened? Why had I just been shot at? Who was the man? Why was that man shooting at me?! And why didn't I feel any pain?
Had I been shot?

I was still in shock, when I felt and heard a knock on my car window.
"Miss, are you alright?"  A young woman asked. Her voice, high pitched, almost scared me.
"M..Miss, can you get out please?"
The young woman held out her hand, palm facing down.
I got out of the car and slowly walked over to her. When I reached her, I realized the young woman was holding me. There were cops, and paramedics arriving at the scene. I suddenly realized, I was shaking.

"Officer", one of the cops said, to the senior officer, "Here it is" he handed a powdery substance to him in a packet.

"This is cocaine", he said, handing the powder to the second cop, "and heroin" he handed another packet to the third.
"What?!" The younger girl said. "You mean that was actually a hit? That guy was trying to kill her!"
She was right.
"Are you okay, miss?" The junior officer asked me.
"I think...I think so..."
A paramedic grabbed my arm, and led me into the police van, "I'm going to call your family", he told me. He gave me my phone. The ambulance drove away, leaving me alone with the officers.

"We need to interrogate you", the gentle looking female officer said.

"I.." I stammered, "I am an intern, at Darlyn Feather Hospital, my mother is a nurse, we are respectable people. I have no idea where this came from"
The female cop, Officer Halsey, nodded. I didn't know what she thought I meant, so I didn't ask.
"Alright", she replied after what felt like ages, "We are calling your family now".
She spoke some more to one of the other officers, who seemed to look a bit concerned.

Before they could escort me to the police van, a shining Black Bugatti arrived, a very handsome old man stepped out of it.

"Mr. Malave?" the senior officer said.

"The girl is a relative of mine", he said in his cold Spanish accent.

The officer nodded.

"Camilla, dear. Let's go" he told me. I have no idea who he is. How he knows my name. "Yesenia is waiting at home", but the mention of my mother, had me following his command, and getting into his car.

When we had driven far enough away from the scene of the accident, he turned to me.
"I am sorry child, you weren't supposed to be in this situation. Some of our men are lazy and create such mishaps. Thankfully, Arsenio saved the mess" he said.

"I am sorry, sir. Do I know you?"  I managed to say.
He chuckled softly.
"Of course you do, Miss Serrano. I am your mother's distant uncle. Tristan Malave, I am sure you have heard".

I did, in fact know this name. My great grandmother's elder sister was married into the Algiere family, and from that side my mother had a few uncles that were quite rich. Tristan was the name I heard of often when I was a child. He was a mafia drug dealer, I had no idea. Perhaps, neither did my mother.

"Where is my mother?", I asked in a trembling voice, though vulnerability wasn't something I was ever taught.

"She is at my house, with your aunts Greta and Sophia. They are all fine. It's time for a family reunion" his smile was devious.

One thing was for sure. This man was not to be trusted. Me and my family were in a mess. And I had no idea how to get out of it.
*******
When I had entered the Malave home, the place was full of people. My mother, my aunt Greta, her husband Walter and my cousins Maria, Anna, and Elvira.
Maria hugged me tightly when she saw me, which made me happy. Anna and Elvira embraced me warmly too.
My mother approached us. She looked worried about me.
"What happened, Camilla?".
"I...am not quite sure"
She squeezed my arms reassuringly.
"Don't worry. I'm here now, you'll be safe. Everything will be alright".
"Ah, here you are", a young woman, possibly my aunt Greta's age, walking with authority, came to us.
"I haven't had the pleasure to meet you since you were a child" she side hugged me with fake affection.
"Camilla, this is Kiara, uncle Tristan's third wife" mother introduced me, with a bitter taste. Not a favorite, I guess.
"Obviously the prettiest, youngest, and most loved" she gloat.

"Mom, can I talk to you?" I whispered.
"Not now, darling." she whispered back, pushing me towards the dining table.

I followed her, noticing everyone was sitting around the table chatting loudly. The food had already been brought out onto the table by a servant boy, and everyone was digging in greedily.

Maria sat beside me, and started whispering, "That is Alfredo, uncle Tristan's second son" she gestured towards the handsome, cheery guy sitting opposite us, "and that is Nadia, his youngest daughter, by Kiara ofcourse". Why did she know all this and I didn't?

"Maria? What the hell is..." but before I could finish my question, the air in the hall grew thick, as a man appeared at the top of the grand stairs.  Everyone in the room fell silent, as if being electrocuted.
His wore a black leather jacket. His hair flowed and his eyes were burning, those deep blue eyes I recognized his black turtleneck under his black leather jacket. My heart skipped a beat, throat constricted.

"Arsenio" Maria breathed.

This was the man who fired at my car. This was the monster who ruined my night. This was Arsenio Malave.