Our Own Angels

Chapter 18

I sit criss-cross on the bed and he sits across from me. He looks like he's trying to find the right words to say. He closes his eyes for a second and opens them.

"I've never, ever told this to anyone before.." He sighs and takes a deep breath.

"Hey..you don't have to tell me-" I try say but he cuts me off.

"No. If we're going to be together, I have to tell you before it's too late. Before you freak out, hear me out. I'm not the same person as I was in the past." He says. His eyes beg me to hear him out. I start to get anxious. It can't be that bad right?

"Back in Cali, my life wasn't full of palm trees and happy memories. Do you know who the X Cartels are?" He asks me.

"The gang?" I ask. He slowly nods his head.

"I'm just going to say it..." He pauses. "It was my father's gang."

As soon as those words left his mouth, my heart sank. I look at him to see if he is telling the truth. He doesn't look back up. He doesn't want to look at me. He is the son of the most wanted gang in America. He's related to a leader of one of the most dangerous drug cartels in the world. This man in front of me can't be part of a drug cartel. When I don't say anything he continues.

"So, ever since I could walk and talk, he involved me in his work. By the age of seven I was already learning how to use guns and how to fight. As soon as I turned ten, he let me know that when I turn 21, I had to take over the gang. But of course I didn't want to. I had my whole life planned out. I wanted to move to a different city on the east coast, become a pediatrician, and have a beautiful family. When I told him this, he slapped me in the face and laughed." His voice cracked. Tears start to form in his eyes. I take his hand in mine and let him know that he doesn't have to continue. But he does anyways.

"Last year, my dad brought me along to one of his missions. We had to go to the docks to get the shipments coming in. I stayed in the car because he said it was too dangerous for me. Then all of a sudden, I hear bullets flying. That night, we got ambushed. There was a rat in the group and they exposed us. Only one of our guys got shot but when the police arrived, they arrested everyone that was there, including my dad. They finally caught him. They finally caught America's most wanted gang leader. I rushed home and told my mom what happened. We drove to the police station right away and the police told us that there was no chance of getting bail. We could've afforded anything, we had all the money in the world. My dad got sentenced to life in prison." Tears fall down his face and onto his shirt.

"When he heard the verdict he obviously didn't want to spend the rest of his life in jail. Instead, he made the decision to..." He cries. His head falls into his hands and I gently rub his back. Silas, isn't the person I thought he was. I thought he was this cold-hearted man with no emotion. I now know why. He has kept all of this in for so long. He locked away his past somewhere deep inside thinking that it'll go away and disappear forever.

"He killed himself. He found a rope and...you know. Instead of facing the consequences he was a fucking coward!" He screams. His cries have turned into sobs. He couldn't finish his sentences. He tugs his hair in frustration. Goosebumps raise against my skin. The sound of his screaming is a sound that I hope to never hear again.

"The rest of the gang wanted me to be their leader. I didn't want that position. I didn't want to become like my father. He was evil, cold-hearted, and overall a terrible excuse for a human-being. I don't think he's ever said I love you to me before. So I made the decision to bring my mom and sister here. We drove all day and all night with three suitcases and $30,000. I didn't want to take all of his dirty money. I only took what we needed. We ran away from our past. We wanted a new life. The gang still doesn't know where I am but they are pissed." He composes himself. He wipes away his tears with the back of his hands.