La Princesa (The Sicarios of Navolato) Read online

  I climb up onto the table and walk quickly down toward her, resting my hands on Ana Sofia’s shoulders when I reach her. She holds up a finger because she hasn’t been given an answer yet. I crouch down and whisper into her ear that Guillermo is here, and she turns her face slightly to glance over at him.

  As soon as they lock eyes, he stiffens in his chair and she blows out her breath.

  “No one in this fucking room leaves until I say so,” she warns them getting to her feet and hopping down to the floor. “Get down, Tati.”

  I nod as I walk toward the edge of the table only to be swiftly met by Enzo, who’s holding his hands up toward me with a smile on his face. I don’t know how many times I can embarrass him in one day—maybe that’s his thing, to be humiliated—but I decide to let him have his way just this once.

  “Gracias,” I say to him quietly when he helps me down and he nods, shoving his hands into his pockets. We both turn to look at Ana Sofia who’s tapped Guillermo on his shoulder and motioned for him to follow her.

  “I wonder who’s going to make it back into the room,” he muses out loud.

  I whip my head back in his direction and give him a dangerous glare which elicits a chuckle.

  “Calm down, Tati. Out of those two animals, everyone knows it’ll be Sofi.”

  I immediately shove him as hard as I can, watching him stumble on his feet, then regain his balance. When he makes a move to come toward me, I stick a finger into his chest, and tear into Lorenzo, reminding him who he’s fucking with.

  “My sister isn’t an animal, Enzo,” I begin through clenched teeth, “and I don’t care whose asshole you’ve been licking to get this cushy job you have now. If you make one more disparaging remark against Ana Sofia ever again, you won’t have to worry about how she’ll react because I’ll tear you apart before she even finds out.”

  “That’s enough,” Thiago De León, the son of one of the most prominent men in Tetaroba says, getting up from his seat and comes to stand between us.

  Thiago is the only person here who isn’t connected to a family of killers; he’s more the one who keeps the peace in Altata out of his own good will.

  And he’s also the only one I would fuck if given the chance.

  Thiago is a tall, beautiful sight to behold. Roughly six feet in height, with light and warm brown eyes that remind me of freshly baked gingerbread cookies, black hair that looks like it’s rarely ever been combed, and the most flawless, sun-kissed skin I’ve ever seen a man have.

  Enzo turns his eyes toward Thiago for a moment, grinding his teeth as he does his best not to spit profanities at him, and I smirk. One word from this man and we’ll have to find a new place to call neutral ground which isn’t an easy thing to do in this fucking country.

  “Amazing, isn’t it?” I remark to Thiago. He gives me a curious look as I turn my eyes back toward Enzo and place my hands on my hips, “How the threat of being told to play nice or else can silence a pendejo like this, I mean.”

  “I was talking to you too, Tati,” he states, his eyes darkening in confusion.

  “I know, chulo,” I say as I reach up and tuck my hair behind my ears. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Enzo stiffen at the compliment and shrug. “I’m gonna go see what’s keeping my sister.”

  Before either man has a chance to protest my walking into a potential death match, I make my way toward the door.

  These motherfuckers are gonna learn one way or another that the women in these families are to be feared more than their male counterparts sooner rather than later.

  Chapter Seven

  I become more than a little distressed when I walk into the hallway and see no trace of either Ana Sofia or Guillermo. I have no idea what reason they would have for leaving, but as I begin to walk quickly through the empty building, toward the front door, I can feel myself becoming sick with worry.

  Guillermo is a sadist who enjoys making people suffer, and while Ana Sofia can have her moments, it’s almost always only when someone has deeply betrayed our father.

  As soon as I reach the front door, a hand gently grips me by the elbow and I turn quickly, ready to defend myself.

  “You’re gonna need some help breaking this up if that’s what’s going on,” Enzo tells me quietly, Thiago by his side.

  I look down at his hand and give my arm a gentle shake, when he lets go, I look into his eyes again, “Thank you.”

  My tone is soft, genuine, and I can tell by the way he damn near melts that all he really ever wants is to be appreciated; even for little things like helping me untangle two killers if the need arises.

  “You stay here,” I say to Thiago as I push the door open.

  “No,” he snaps at me. “These people are my responsibility and if the pact has been broken, I need to see it for my own eyes.”

  He walks by me and I look at Enzo in disbelief. He shrugs and rolls his eyes, “His cojones will shrivel up and fall off when he sees what those two are capable of. I wouldn’t worry too much about it, Tati.”

  I chuckle and shake my head. He’s always had such a way with words—they’ve just always managed to fall short with me.

  “Vamos,” he tells me as he steps out into the daylight, then holds the door open for me. “I don’t want to have to explain to Vicente why one of his daughters was reduced to nothing more than a bloodstain in a place she had no business being in to begin with.”

  With as much as I hate to admit it, I know he’s right. And I don’t want to have to tell Papa that Ana Sofia was here because I couldn’t handle a little danger.

  The three of us drive to and from the park in Bachimeto in Thiago’s car. While Enzo and I have substantial standing in any state we’re in, Thiago has the respect of being the one to keep the citizens safe from people like us.

  “Come on, Ana Sofia,” I mumble nervously under my breath. Enzo gives me a glance in the sideview mirror, and I turn my gaze away. I can feel the tears beginning to well in my eyes and can only hope that she’s somewhere safe. Alive.

  “Where else do you think they could have gone?” Thiago asks as he turns left at the street light.

  “I don’t know if she’s ever been here,” I answer him honestly, my breath catching in my throat. I take a deep breath to keep from crying as Enzo turns in his chair to glance at me over his shoulder.

  “If anyone can get out of this, it’s Sofi. Don’t worry about her so much, Tati,” he tells me kindly as he rests a hand on my knee. I instantly slap it away and Thiago chuckles at how rigid Enzo becomes. “Then again, if there’s a God in Heaven, she’s probably already fucking dead,” he grumbles as he turns back around in his seat.

  Rage takes over me.

  Blinding, unequivocal rage that I’ve never felt before.

  I throw myself against the back of his seat and begin to claw at his face. He grunts in surprise as Thiago reaches over in an attempt to catch one of my arms and steer the car at the same time.

  “Tati stop!” he yells frantically as I continue blindly clawing at Enzo.

  That’s the initial moment, the next is met with a searing pain as I’m thrown back against the seat, white lights exploding in front of my eyes.

  “You want to act like a man, then I’ll fucking treat you like one!” Enzo shouts as he attempts to climb into the back seat with me. Between the blaring lights, I can see how scratched up his pretty boy face is now, and I’m damn proud of myself. I may not be able to take him in a physical fight, but I’ve left enough marks all over his skin to let the entire country know that I fear no man.

  Thiago slams on the breaks causing Enzo to fly backward into the console, letting out a grunt of surprise and pain. He parks the car, removes the keys from the ignition and gets out.

  The back door opens first as he leans down to look at me, then gently takes one of my hands in his and helps me out of the car.

  He puts a hand on either side of my face, tilting it toward him, then gently runs the tips of his fingers against the bump growi
ng on my forehead. I wince at the gentle touch, and he shakes his head.

  “Quédate aquí,” he instructs me quietly. He doesn’t move until I nod in agreement, and when I do, he takes the two steps toward the passenger side front door and pulls it open.

  He reaches in and pulls Enzo out by the scruff of his shirt, dragging him into the sunshine, and dropping him onto the pavement.

  “Look at what you did to her, you fucking idiot!” he growls at him.

  Enzo quickly gets to his feet, squares off with Thiago and points to his face, “A debt repaid,” he informs him evenly.

  Thiago puts his hands on his hips as he takes a deep breath, then glances at me. He opens his mouth slightly but shuts it immediately when his gaze flickers from to just beyond me.

  I turn my face to follow his gaze, then smile slightly.

  Walking toward us with curious looks on their faces and Raspados in their hands are Ana Sofia and Guillermo.

  Flavored shaved ice has always been one of her favorite treats and it seems that they found a common ground to stand on rather than to die for.

  “What’s going on?” he calls out as they approach.

  I turn my face away.

  If Ana Sofia sees this fucking goose egg growing on my flesh, she’ll kill Enzo without a second thought.

  When I shift my body away from them to look at the culprit, I’m shocked to see that he’s nowhere to be found.

  And neither is Thiago.

  Chapter Eight

  “I’ll fucking kill him,” my sister seethes after I explain how I got the bump on my forehead.

  “Wanna do it together?” Guillermo asks as he dips the white, plastic spoon into his Raspado. “I never did like Lorenzo so I can think of a few things we could do to teach him a lesson.”

  “No one is going to die over this,” I intercede loudly before I let out a heavy sigh. “I kind of deserved it.”

  “No you didn’t,” Ana Sofia snaps at me. “Any man willing to lay his hands on a woman is a piece of shit that deserves to be taken out.”

  “I attacked him first,” I remind her with a shake of my head.

  “I don’t give a fuck,” she barks.

  “Here, hold this to your bache,” Guillermo instructs as he hands me his cup of shaved ice. “It won’t do much for the pain, but the cold should help start to bring it down enough that maybe Vicente won’t notice.”

  I give him a grateful smile as I press the cup to my bump. Maybe he’s right, however, Papa isn’t the problem right now. It’s my sister whose anger will only be cleansed with the blood of the man who did this to me.

  I lean against Thiago’s car as the cold sensation begins to take over me. A slight shiver goes through me when I notice Ana Sofia’s eyes are narrowed as she glances up and down the street.

  “Where did this pendejo go?” she asks.

  “I don’t know,” I reply truthfully.

  “Probably ran for his life,” Guillermo says with a chuckle as he dips his spoon into my sister’s cup. “Did he have anything to do with that, Tati?”

  “No, he tried to stop it.”

  He nods as he slips the spoon between his lips thoughtfully. “At least he’s smart.”

  I let my eyes linger on him as he swipes another spoonful from Ana Sofia’s cup. Guillermo isn’t exactly tall, but he’s not short by any means either. He’s got the scars of war prominently displayed on his arms, and a long, thick line across his neck where one of the Vargas boys made an attempt on his life. That mistake cost them the ten men they sent for him and from what I’ve been told and read in the newspapers, there was a mass of broken bodies left in the wake of their attempt.

  He reaches up to scratch the back of his head, and I notice his slicked back, straight black hair is starting to show slivers of grey. I don’t spend too much time wondering why since he’s not much older than me—the wages of war weigh heavily on anyone involved.

  He smacks his lips together as he turns his attention toward me, then raises an eyebrow. I shake my head as I look away, hoping that we can go back to Navolato before Papa sends the cavalry.

  “We need to get going,” I tell my sister as I hand Guillermo his plastic cup. “You know how Papa is and if I’m one minute past the time he expects me, Altata won’t stand a chance.”

  Ana Sofia purses her lips and glances away for a moment before nodding in agreement.

  “Estas bien?” she asks me one more time.

  “I’m fine,” I assure her with a smile. “I promise.”

  She hands her half eaten Raspado to Guillermo with a nod, then turns on her heel. “I’ll meet you at home in an hour,” she calls over her shoulder.

  Her tone tells me that this is a request and not to do my usual drive around town until I feel like I can give Papa a proper report of things. And even though it seems like she’s giving me roughly an extra fifteen minutes, she really isn’t.

  “Tati,” Guillermo begins thoughtfully as I turn to head toward my car. I stop to glance at him. His eyes linger on La Carnicera before they finally turn to me. “If you ever need anything, let me know, okay? It doesn’t have to go through your father or El Governador.”

  The look on my face must be screaming incredulity because he chuckles and shakes his head, “Nothing like that. Unlike Lorenzo, I know how to treat women and I actually have a really great girl at home.”

  My face flushes red with embarrassment and he grins, “Thanks, though. That was a nice pick-me-up.”

  “I’ll see you around,” I tell him with a wave as I walk quickly toward my car.

  Maybe the day will come when I have to take him up on his offer, maybe it won’t. At the very least it’s nice to know that he’s not just the savage monster people paint him out to be.

  As soon as I get into my car and close the door, there’s a tap at my window. I shove the keys into the ignition and turn the car on so that I can press the button on the console and lower the window.

  “You may want my phone number, niña,” he teases with a chuckle. I nod and reach for my phone, then tap in the number as he rattles it off. Guillermo produces his phone and I send him a message so that he can save my phone number. He stands up as he slides it into his back pocket and gives me a friendly wave.

  “Go back to Navolato. Be safe!”

  Easier said than done.

  Chapter Nine

  I drove so goddamn fast all the way back to Papa’s house that I shaved fifteen minutes off the usual drive time.

  And it’s a good thing I did because the first thing I’m greeted by is my sister sitting on the front steps of his home.

  She gets to her feet when she sees me and waits patiently for me to exit the car. I toss the keys to Santiago who immediately plays valet.

  “About time, bitch,” she calls out fondly when I make my way toward her.

  “What?” I ask in confusion, “I made it in less time than—”

  “I’m kidding,” she teases, cutting me off with a raised hand.

  “Where’s Papa?” I ask nervously.

  Ana Sofia steps off the top stair and pushes my hair out of my face to inspect the bump on my forehead.

  “Inside. That went down a lot, I would tell him you fell. If he were to find out Lorenzo did that …”

  “I’m not stupid,” I snap as I jerk away from her touch.

  She rolls her eyes, lets out a sigh and shrugs. I follow her inside, staying close enough that if she tries to beat me to him, I can easily push her aside and get to Papa first.

  “He’s out back,” she informs me as she picks up her pace.

  The next thing I know, my sister casts me a grin and then breaks into a run. And just like that, I feel like we’re kids again, racing toward our father to receive his affection first—the one thing we’ve both been unwilling to share.

  Even though he treats us equally, his praise is worth more than the stars in the fucking sky and we both know it.

  As soon as she reaches the back doors, I grunt and shove her
as hard as I can, which sends us both tumbling out onto the patio. We land in a heap, me on top of Ana Sofia who’s laughing like a giddy child, and when I attempt to get up, she grabs an arm and flips me over onto my back.

  “Let go!” I growl at her as I try to pull out of her grip.

  “Make me, bitch,” she replies with a grin as she quickly moves to her knees and puts me in a headlock.

  I grunt again as I try to get out of it, but Ana Sofia is a lot stronger than she looks.

  When an amused chuckle greets us, she instantly lets go and gets to her feet, pulling me up behind her.

  “Sorry,” she says instantly, her voice becoming soft and nervous.

  “For being children?” Papa teases.

  I push my hair back out of my face and give her a withering stare before I turn my attention toward him. He’s sitting in his favorite large chair, a sharp knife in one hand and a pitaya in the other. He’s watching us with amusement as he slices off another piece of the fruit and brings the blade to his lips.

  “My daughters,” he tells someone sitting in the chair across from him.

  Ana Sofia walks over to stand behind him so she can see who Papa is entertaining, then gives me an odd look. Pushing my hair behind my ears, I move to stand next to her, lean down and kiss our father on the opposite cheek that she did, before I turn my eyes to the visitor.

  “Hola, Señor Vargas,” I say, giving Ana Sofia a nervous glance.

  The man gets to his feet to greet us properly, taking my hand in his, kissing the top then repeating the gesture with my sister. As soon as he lets go, she tucks her hand behind her and wipes it on the back of her pants and I smile.

  Miguel Vargas, the second most powerful boss after our father, is nothing like what I would’ve expected. He’s about Papa’s age, has grey sprouting through his otherwise black beard, small, dark brown eyes, and one of the kindest faces I’ve ever seen.

  But these men usually do.

  It’s how they keep the trust of their people and the citizens around them. That, and being generous to their pueblos ensures that they are never turned in by civilians.