Guns and Mirrors

TWENTY-NINE

♕Harley Anderson♕

We all leave the office shortly after, Enrique guiding us back downstairs while Katalina walks beside us. The guards nod their head in greeting to Enrique as we walk, proving that he is well respected amongst his members.

"The top floor houses the bedrooms, my office, one of our weapon rooms and the tech room." Enrique explains as we walk, his hand holding the shiny banister as he walks with a particular authoritative yet casual manner. His shoes click along the floor and he walks with his free hand slipped into his pants. "The bottom is the kitchen, dining room, our other weapon room and a storage unit." Turning around and walking backwards for a few seconds, he smiles at both Danté and I. "But you'll see the other storage and transport units at the back of our property another time." Turning back around, we all continue down a hallway before Enrique pushes the door open.

The sound of the people behind it laughing and talking could have been heard from the minute we walked into the house but now that the door is open, the sound of boisterous laughter and loud conversations hit me full on. That, and the strong aroma of spices.

I'm expecting the conversations to come to an abrupt halt but they don't despite the various men and women lowering their voices. When Enrique and Katalina move out of the way by going to empty seats, I finally get a full view of the room. Everyone sits around a long table in the large room, the table looking like it's big enough to fit more than twenty people around it. However, less than that are present as a few seats remain vacant. Along the table is numerous dishes, all brightly coloured and mouth watering.

"Everyone," Enrique says now that Harley and I have being noticed by a few of the people, "these are our two newest members- Harley and Cameron. They'll be joining us for dinner tonight."

Some of the people leave lingering glances on us while others simply go back to their conversations. I feel Harley shift closer to me and I reach for her hand, squeezing it tightly as we walk to the two seats open closest to where both Enrique and Katalina sit at the head of the table which surprises me. Where exactly does Katalina place in this gang to be sitting at the head of the table alongside the leader? Perhaps I underestimated her by considering her as just another member of the gang.

A man much taller than me sits in the chair beside mine. His brown complexion shines under the light and when he glances at me, I'm stunned at the beauty of his honey colored eyes. He lounges back in the seat, legs outstretched, while his one hand rests on the back of it and shows his unmarked skin. Everything about him screams 'danger' and yet when he smiles at me, I can't help but return the gesture before slipping into my seat.

On the other side of the table, closer to the middle is Ramiro who smiles widely at me when I meet his eyes. Next to him his Jee- the Asian girl I once saw at the track and who Lina told me to avoid. Further up on our side of the table is the same girl who broke into the apartment in search of the memory stick we eventually found. Everyone else is unknown to me although some are slightly familiar, as if I saw them at some point or another.

"Bien, vamos a cavar en amigos." Enrique says and although I don't understand, I gather that he tells everyone to dig into the food because everyone suddenly starts dishing up. I stay still in my seat, waiting for everyone to dish up.

"Are you not going to eat?" The man beside me ask and I shake my head with a smile.

"I'll dish up when you're all done."