Hermosa Asesina

seven

...Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen.

Fifteen people in one room all staring at me. Whispering among each other. I scan the room till I meet someone's eyes in particular.

Nathaniel?

His eyes glare back at mine as he clenches his jaw. He stood next to Marie who was also staring at me.

"Bienvenido, Madeline." Santiago said holding his hand out in front of him. "Meet the people that will hold your trial, and maybe your executioner." He grabs my waist and pushes me into the middle of the room till the people circle.

"You will be answering some questions regarding who you are and what ties you have regarding the government. Any wrong or questionable answers get you killed, understand?" Santiago asks leaning his head. I hear a gun cock and turn my body around to see a man holding a shotgun behind me. "Any questions?" He says laying back on a table. The room stays silent as I try to look around to see the people's faces around me. Marcello is at the door guarding it. I look back at Nathaniel and he's staring at me with eyes of pity.

"No? So we shall start." Santiago said smiling. "My sister tells me you refused to tell her about your brother Kaden, so, tell me about him." I turn my eyes to Nathaniel who points his head to the ground hearing the name. I stand there puzzled as to how I even landed in this situation in the first place. "We don't have all day. Speak." The gun behind me touches my head causing me to grunt.

"He's my brother. He runs a gang not too far from LA." The gun nudges my head and Santiago laughs.

"You're gonna have to be a little more vivid than that."

"There's nothing more to tell you. He's my older brother, last I heard from him he was in jail for being busted with coke. That was two years ago." I stared at the man infront of me. He looked me up and down trying to find a lie or any sort of nervousness in my story. He shrugs then huffs.

That was a lie. Last I heard from Kaden was from Tatum, that he was somewhere near San Jose looking for us.

"How are we supposed to know you weren't sent here from the government? Trying to get info from us?"

"My younger brother could die and my parents are already dead. If this is the governments way of trying to get information out of you guys then fuck, I would have left a long time ago. Not only that but Nathaniel knows me, I taught him everything he's capable of, if you guys can trust him you can trust me." Everyone's eyes turned to Nathaniel, they stared as his eyes met mine. Santiago turned his head to look at Nathaniel and laughed when seeing his expression. Nathaniel looked upset at me for bringing the information up.

"Ponte en el medio." Santiago said to Nathaniel. Nathaniel shook his head slightly and walked in the middle with me. "Responder por ella."

Me and Nathans eyes met as he turned his head up and locked eyes with him.

"I've known her all my life. She has too much to lose to be a spy, she would never put her younger brother at risk, nor would she put her friends at risk. That's why she came to us instead of with her brothers gang. She wouldn't leave him how Kaden did." The silence in the room was uncomfortable. The people around us seem to fade away in my eyes as I focused on the two men infront of me.

"You guys fucked huh?" Santiago says in laughter. The room erupts in small giggles and I look over to Marcello who's in a full panic of laughter.

"What?" I utter, being confused on how he assumed this.

"I mean, look at you guys. How you're all awkward around eachother, it's funny really. I've seen that eye contact you've been making with him during this whole meeting. I'll do you a favor, answer the question and we're done with this meeting, you'll be in." Me and Nathaniel stare at eachother until I bite my lip and look back at Santiago.

"Yes." I say blankly. Cheers erupt in the room and Santiago slowly claps.

"Well isn't he just a lucky man. I mean, if I was him I'd fuck you the first chance I got." He stares at me as the words leave his mouth. He licks his bottom lip and stands up from resting on the desk.

"You can leave, I'll let you know when we need you." He says walking up to me. "Marcello will escort you, unless you would like to go with your little toy here." He laughed. I rolled my eyes as I started walking to the door. He grabbed my forearm and brough me to hit chest. He brought his head down to my ear and whispered into it.

"My room is always an option."

The comment made my head spin in disgust. I wanted to slap him but my body stopped me from doing such a rash decision. I yanked my arm back and walked for the door. Marcello stood infront of it opening it for me. I could hear Nathaniel's footsteps behind me and I paced my way through the hallway.

"Maddie, stop." He huffed trying to catch up to me. I stopped in my tracks and turned around.

"How do they know about Kaden?" I said angrily staring at Nathaniel angrily.

"Maddie, they had to look through your family to make sure you were really are who you said you were." He grabs the back of my neck and forces me to look up at him. "What they know about Kaden is only on the surface level. Nothing he put you or Tatum through is in any file they've read about you or him." I could fill my eyes start to sting and force my head up. I grab his hand off my neck and walk backwards while still locking eyes with him.

"Why, Nathan. Why do you keep trying to make something out of 'us'. That died a long time ago. 'We' are done. Stop trying to make it happen again." He is almost about to say something but I turn around and stomp out. I refuse to let tears drop down my face and recall the hallways it took me to get to the front door. I push my was through crowds of people till I find the front door. I wait outside the door shivering in the cold. After a few minutes Marcello walks past me and I walk behind him wrapping my arms around my chest. Once we reach his car I sit in the backseat and rest my head against the window.

"Not gonna go with lovebird?" He asks looking through the mirror.

"Shut up and drive the car." I say blankly.

"You're so lucky I'm being forced to do this."

___________________

I arrived home and knocked on the door awaiting for someone to answer.

My body ached and my head was pounding.

The door opened and I was met with Tatum's eyes. He gasps and holds me in his arm.

"Where the fuck were you?" He says pulling me back to look at my face.

"Too much to explain. I just want to go to sleep Tatum." I say walking into the room.

"You disappear for a whole ass day and all I get is a 'I'm tired'?"

"Tatum, I'm sorry I'm doing this right now but I will explain in the morning. Just leave me be for right now." I stomped my way to my room and shut the door.

"And why the fuck are you dressed like that?" Tatum yelled, sounding muffelled throug