Babe.

18.

Blanca. 

I was upstairs working on the chemistry project when I heard something crash downstairs, I was working on it because even though Benny had miraculously started picking up the slack, I knew that if I wanted it done at the standard I expected of myself then I had to do it myself. I jumped up walking slowly out of my room to see my siblings standing on the stairs that led down into the foyer. 

Alfie mentioned for me to be quiet as I went to join them, downstairs my father and some man I'd never seen before were arguing furiously back and forth in spanish. My heart stopped dead in my chest when saw our front door lying on the floor ripped off the hinges and the window beside it was smashed. That would explain the noise then. 

I locked terrified eyes with my older sister as I moved closer the the three of them, what the hell was going on here?

"Out." My father snapped furiously, "get out of my house right this second before I kick your sorry ass and then send you to prison for life." 

"Don't shoot the messenger Riviera." The man spat, "you knew what you were getting into when you took the case, he warned you."

"Yeah and I warned him not to break the law all those years ago and he didn't listen then either, look where he's ended up now. Prison." My father shot back. "And it will be the same for you if you don't get out of my house." 

"You have kids?" The man sneered, "because they're first. We're coming after everything you have until you drop this." 

We instinctively huddled closer together my oldest brother putting a protective arm around me, I might have been seventeen but right now I was scared shitless and felt a lot younger than that. 

My father grabbed the baseball bat that was in the umbrella stand, I didn't know where we had it from since none of us played but I was eternally grateful for it right now. To my shock and surprise he smashed it into the man's knee, "you think it's funny to threaten my children?" My Dad demanded as the man collapsed on the floor shaking in pain, "tell him that I'll see him in court on monday. And if you ever set foot in my house again I'll do a lot worse than break your knee now get out!" 

I watched horrified as the man stumbled out of the house and my Dad set the bat back down sighing, my mother who hadn't been in our view until a few seconds ago put her hand on his shoulder, "we'll be okay." 

He nodded slowly, "I know we will. But we're going to have to start taking more measures. Eventually the kids are going to find out."

"We'll cross that bride when we come to it, for now we get a new door with steel reinforced hinges and a knew window." She added calmly, "we should think about getting a guard dog or an alarm too. I also think it's time to involve the police."

"Me too." 

Knowing that they'd spot us on the stairs soon we all hurried back to Alfie's room closing the door behind us and sitting down on his bad. Emmauel was the first to speak, "what the fuck?"

That about summed up how all of us were feeling right now.

"What case is Dad working on right now that is so dangerous that people are coming to our house and threatening him?" Ella asked concerned, "I mean, since when does he do such high profile cases, I thought he quit those when Alfie was born." 

I nodded, "he did. But I guess this one must have been a special instance, you heard what the man said, Dad knew the guy he's prosecuting." 

"They probably grew up together back in Mexico, you know he barely talks about it." Alfie added. 

It was true, he rarely talked about Mexico when he wasn't referring to his hard work our our grandparents. The rest of his life was a mystery. 

"I can't believe they broke into the house." Ella muttered shuddering, "I mean, I just always thought it were kind of untouchable."

"Same." I sighed twisting my hair tightly around my finger. We lived in a safe neighbour hood, we knew all our neighbours, my Dad was a well liked guy. We'd never had an issue before, so what the hell was going on now?

"Do you think Abuela would know if we asked her?" Emmauel offered, "I mean she must have some idea." 

I pursed my lips, "probably, but who knows if she'll tell us anything. You know how tight lipped she can be, she never spilled our secrets to each other no matter how hard we begged." 

Alfie smiled fondly, "yeah, what's that thing she always says?" 

"Tirale a Léon." Ella filled in, "Abuela won't say a word, she's big on minding her own busniess remember?" 

Unfortunately I did. We most likely woulnd't get anything out of her which meant we'd have to figure it out ourselves. Although I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to know that much about the men threatening me and my family, but I guess you don't always get what you want. "We could check his papers, his work papers. I know where he puts them in his office." 

"But we barely go to his office wouldn't people bring it up with him if we went without him?" Alfie pointed out. 

"You barely go to his office, I'm there all the time because I want to see what its going to be like when I become a lawyer too." I countered. "I can ask him to take me this weekend, and have a look around." 

"Good idea BB," my sister replied yawning, "lets go to bed though, I'm so tired I might drop." 

I nodded following her out of of Alfie's room, "share?" Ella asked me as we stopped in front of my door. 

I let out a sigh of relief, "yes." 

Grinning my sister threw herself on my bed as I tidied up the rest of the experiment report I'd been working on. I was glad she was sleeping in my room tonight because seeing out oak door kicked down had scared me to death. And who knew if he would send someone to come back? We were first on the list after all.