#9 :: The Contract Killer

20. Prologue

Five years later.

"You know, Alexia will be turning five soon and I hate to say it, but you need a man Karmen." Hugo said.

I looked at him then laughed.

"No I don't. I've never needed a man."

"If you never needed a man you wouldn't have had that bundle of joy that calls you mummy." He said.

I smiled as I watched my daughter disturbing my niece. She loves her big cousin so much.

Yes, that's right. I have a daughter. Her name is Alexia and she's four. I found out I was pregnant when Hugo rushed me to hospital.

Yes... Hugo! I thought I left him to bleed to death, but it turns out he ended up saving me! Hugo doesn't like to talk about that day. He says it was worse than losing my parents. We spoke and we hashed things out. He even went and got my niece that Kiki told me about.

Turns out that was a good idea, because as rich as her family was, she knew she didn't belong there. From the day she came to live with us she says she's never been happier.

As for Alexia, I was so surprised when I found out I was pregnant. I was torn in two... do I keep my baby or do I not? In the grand scheme of things her grandparents killed her other grandparents. If that wasn't enough, I killed those grandparents and her father!

Despite all of that, my child wasn't to blame. So I kept her and moved out of America immediately.

Now the four of us live in Mexico. I couldn't be happier. Even though I have enough money to retire I decided to open a little restaurant on the beach.

I named it the Cardenas. Was that dangerous? Yes. Did I care? No. I was tired of hiding who I really was. I wanted my daughter and niece to know all about their family background. I did keep a lot of the bad stuff out when I spoke with Kamiyah. As much as she was old enough to understand I didn't want her feeling as she wasn't wanted.

Kamiyah is a great help with Alexia and she works with me and Hugo at the restaurant. Well, when Hugo is there. Hugo spends most his time at sea. I never knew he loved it so much.

Even more so now I bought him a boat. Was the least he deserved.

"Mummy!! Let's swim!!" Alexia said as she ran towards me.

This little girl loved swimming.

"Come on then lil mama" I said to her.

As she swam and I watched her, it hurt how much she looked like Alex. As much as I don't talk about him; I did love him. I didn't know what love was as I hadn't loved before. But I knew I loved him when Alexia was born. She looked so much like him that I cried. I missed him. I hated that I had killed him. Why did he have to come back to the house?

But I came to terms with the fact that it was for the best. It wasn't as if we could have been together. After all... I did kill his parents and his killed mine.

Today was a quiet day so I closed up early and spent the evening with my girls. We were having a great time when Hugo burst in.

"Karmen.. Code Red!" He said and ran downstairs.

I hadn't heard "Code Red" in so long I almost forgot what that meant. I followed him.

"What's wrong?"

"We need to go. We've been found. We can't stay here."

"What? Why not?"

"I got a call. I made sure to keep my eyes and ears in New York. You know...just in case. Today he calls, saying there's a hit on your head for killing the Santiagos and that they are already here in Mexico."

I laughed.

"That's impossible! I killed everyone. The only people I didn't kill was the Valdez and they wouldn't come after me!"

"This is the problem! The hit isn't from them."

"So who's it from?"

"The hits from Alejandro..." he said and all of a sudden my world was spinning.

"Wait... what? Alejandro? Alex? The guy I killed and you said was dead!"

"Yes... but it turns out I was wrong. He's not dead. He's very much alive... and he's on his way."

"Bullshit."

Just then I noticed how quiet the house had become.

"Give me a gun..." I said to him.

He gave me a gun and I made my way upstairs.

My heart sank when I saw an empty room where I had left the kids.

Then there was a piece of paper folded with my name on it.

I'll be in touch.
Alejandro.

It was then I saw red. This was the Santiagos killing my parents all over again.

"Hugo... it's a war he wants. It's a war he's going to get."

This fool has kidnapped my niece and his own daughter. Just as I had calmed down and found peace, he has now woken the beast that had been put to sleep.

I would not rest until I got my niece and daughter back and made sure that this time there was more than one bullet in his head..