CUBAN HIRE (CARTEL GXG)

THE PRICE OF VENGEANCE

Content Warning: This chapter contains some very dark, graphic scenes, please read with caution. 

"No, no, no!" Carlos's voice broke, each syllable laced with despair as he gently lowered Phoebe to the ground, his arms a lifeline, cradling her as though his love alone could keep her here. Phoebe's face, so full of life just moments ago, was now pale, her breaths thin and labored. Her dark eyes searched his, a faint spark of love and confusion flickering as she clung to the sight of him.

"Mi alma, por favor," he murmured, his voice cracking as he cupped her face. "Stay with me, mi amor."

A small, soft smile crept onto her lips. "Caramelo," she whispered, using her nickname for him, the tenderness in her voice reaching him even through the pain.

"Yes, it's me, caramelo, baby—please, stay with me," he whimpered, his thumb brushing away a single tear as it slipped down her cheek. She was fading, her strength slipping away, and Carlos's hands trembled as he held her, desperate and powerless.

Ezmeralda and Olivia rushed from their car, racing across the pavement to the couple. Olivia collapsed beside Phoebe, grabbing her hand tightly. "Phoebe, please!" she begged, her voice thick with tears as she tried to keep her friend's eyes open. "Stay awake—don't do this to me. You can make it."

"Wilson," Phoebe whispered, her eyes shifting briefly to the shadow disappearing in the distance. Olivia's heart clenched as she recognized the betrayal, her mind unable to process the cold, heartless shot that had struck her best friend. But she didn't have time for anger now—only desperation.

"Ezmeralda, call for help!" Olivia's voice was edged with panic as she clung to Phoebe.

Snapping out of her shock, Ezmeralda pulled out her phone, her hands shaking as she dialed. "Yes, we need an ambulance," she stammered, struggling to keep her voice steady. "Marshals Drive...a pregnant woman has been shot." Her voice trembled, each word a painful confirmation of the reality sinking in.

Phoebe looked up at the sky, her breaths growing weaker. "Promise me you'll keep smiling for me," she murmured, her words barely audible, her gaze finding Olivia's. She raised a trembling hand to Olivia's cheek, her touch gentle, comforting, as if she were the one doing the consoling.

Olivia's heart shattered as she held onto that touch, desperate to anchor her friend to this world. "Phoebe, please," she whispered, her voice small and broken. "Stay with us—just a little longer."

Carlos could barely speak, his mind reeling with disbelief. "Mi alma, please...our baby," he choked out, his hand hovering protectively over her abdomen. The thought of losing both of them was a terror he could barely comprehend.

A glimmer of hope sparked in Phoebe's eyes. "The baby will be okay," she whispered, her gaze never leaving his. "Take care of her for me...promise me." Her voice cracked, and a tear slipped down her cheek. "Save our Delilah."

Carlos's world splintered as Phoebe's eyes seemed to fade, her soul leaving her body. He let out an agonizing scream that echoed through the night, a sound so raw that it silenced even the crickets. Olivia buried her face in Ezmeralda's chest, sobbing uncontrollably as Ezmeralda wrapped her arms around her, her own tears flowing silently. She stroked Olivia's hair, her heart heavy with guilt and disbelief, knowing that this horror was far from anything she'd intended. She clung to the hope that maybe this was just a nightmare, that any moment she would wake up and everything would be as it was.

But Carlos's desperate whispers pierced through the silence. "Despierta..." His plea echoed through the empty night, a haunting reflection of the same word Ezmeralda herself had once whispered in her darkest moment, pleading for the impossible.