SATIVA ✞ ON MY BLOCK [OSCAR DIAZ]

II. TWENTY

The next day, Ximena was taken out of her room and placed into the living room by Prophets. She sat in a chair, an empty one next to her like they were all waiting for someone. She didn't say anything or make eye contact with anyone in the room even though they were all staring at her. Her skin crawled every single second and she had to force herself to not vomit.

A few minutes passed by before the front door was busted open. Some more Prophets entered the room, one big one manhandling Cesar before throwing him into the chair next to Ximena.

Ximena's eyes widened as well did Cesar's as they stared at each other.

"What are you doing here?" He whispered to her.

"I don't know, you fucking tell me!"

The man who had visited Ximena in the room last night, basically threatening to kill her, sat across from them. He was surrounded by his men and money.

He cleared his throat, looking at Cesar, "So you called. Got some info for me?" Ximena snapped her eyes to Cesar, eager for what he was about to say. The text messages she recieved the other day, asking for information she didn't have.

Cesar slowly nodded, "One twenty five, Hardy Way. The Santos' stash house. One of them, at least. The main connect? Javier Osuna. Goes by the name Trenzas. The money's flowin' through El Cochino Club. A whole lot of it."

"Que estás haciendo?" Ximena whispered to Cesar but he ignored her.

"But that's not why I'm here. I came to buy my friends' safety."

"Your friends?" The Prophet questioned.

"The ones you boys rolled up on."

"Safety ain't cheap."

"That's why I got this," Cesar sat up, zipping down his jacket. His hand couldn't even make it to the zipper before everyone in the room pulled their weapons out on him. Ximena gasped as Cesar gave each one of them an annoyed look, "Easy. It's fifty grand. So, do we have a deal?"

The Prophet didn't respond at first, taking a sexond to think before nodding his head, "Yeah, all right. This should take care of your friends. What about you? We gotta settle up."

"What do you mean?" Cesar questioned as another person entered the room. The person was Latrell. Ximena heart stopped to the point she thought she was about to pass out. That dizziness feeling soon filled with anger as she stared at him with intense eyes. He had caused so much pain in only a few seconds the night of the quinceañera. Her sister was dead because of him. She would never be the same because of him.

"You're ass dumber than I thought," Latrell scoffed at Cesar.

"You weren't saying that when I had a gun on you. You tell all your homies how you pissed yourself?"

"Your ass couldn't even pull the trigger. You're soft, ese. But don't worry, because cause after I merc you, I'm gonna take your bitch. So she can finally see what it's like to be with a man instead of a pussy."

"Oh, he's the pussy?" Ximena laughed loudly, frustration and hate building up inside of her.

"Yeah," Latrell nodded, his head high.

"Really? Which one of you walked into a room full of dudes he knows are strapped and can protect him?Is Cesar the one who decided to shoot three innocent people at a birthday party?" Ximena questioned before scoffing as she shook her head, "Please, you're nothing but a pussy."

Latrell jumped forward to attack the two when his men quickly intervened, holding him back as everyone began screaming and yelled at each other. The man who had made the deal with Cesar, began yelling at his men to clear out the room, "Hey, hey, hey! Not up in here! Hey, take them to the back."

Men roughly grabbed the teenagers before leading them past Latrell, back down the hallway. "I'm gonna beat your ass, Cesar! Shoot yo' ass like I did your bitch-ass friend!"

Cesar and Ximena were thrown back into the room Ximena had been in before. The door slammed shut and Ximena could hear it being locked. Ximena sighed, resting her back against the wall where she first had been. Cesar began the normal freaking out when he realized what kind of room the two were in and Ximena let him.

"Oscar's not coming, is he?" Ximena questioned Cesar, looking up at him as he finally began to calm down to focus on her. She awaited his answer but he didn't have a chance to response as the door opened up again. A new Prophet, one bigger and stronger entered the room.

He pointed to Cesar, "Stand up." Cesar obeyed, looking at his feet.

"Look a man in the eye when he talkin' to you," the man demanded and Cesar obeyed, "Tell me, little Spooky.What do you think a man is? Are you a man?"

"I know I am," Cesar fixed his shirt, holding hin head up high to match the mans.

But, the man just laughed and shook his head, "No. A man don't snitch. The only thing worse than a Santo is a snitch. And you're both! Even the bitch has more balls than you to keep her mouth shut!" The man gestured to Ximena, before pushing Cesar back, "So get back on your knees like the bitch you are and start praying."