Chapter 2

Diablo:

“How would I be sure that it was not your family? How would I be sure that it was not you who wanted to plant that bomb inside the box?” The memory of that night, the night when the two of us got married, kept playing in my mind as I knew that things have changed since then.

The idea of me thinking that you would have something to do with this and what I saw today, what I saw the same year on that very night even, was a reminder to me that things were different. She was not the woman that I thought that she would be. If anything, she was the one pure Ivanov around. Thankfully, she was now my Duraturo…

My eyes scanned the surrounding as I wrapped my arm around my wife, who was clearly anxious about being here. She was doing her best not to say a word or show it, but I knew that she was not happy about it. And one thing that I knew for sure, if she knew that someone could read her like an open book, then it was me. And that was something that she often kept in mind.

The idea of her claiming that she saw Alonzo was one that I couldn't help but find myself thinking about. Alonzo was the type to blend within the crowd and he knew how to do it.

The last time that you, all of us, were here, I knew that things changed for all of us. Elton was the last person that she spoke to here. A French that her mother chose to ally with a man that she did not expect to see dead by her own mother and their ‘allies’.

The memory of our wedding night played in my mind. And for a moment, I couldn't help but find myself thinking about how far the two of us have gone.

It started out with a bomb, one that we got, one that I still did not know the source of. And now we were here, side by side as husband and wife, fighting to return the peace that we had. A peace that was taken away from us, one that my friend and her father made sure to break.

The idea that Alonzo is part of this was something that I still could not process. And no matter the number of times that I tried to understand his motives, I couldn't help but find myself going curious about what he had planned, how long he was doing that, and why. I could not find an answer. And being the coward that he was. The rat that he was playing. I could not find him to ask. I could not confront him to understand. But I knew that I will, and that was going to be more painful for him than anything that he would go through.

“I trust that the two of you are well.” Jonathan said, looking at both Sienna and I. “The last time I saw you, your wife was furious. She seems to be a lot more calm right now. I believe that your child has managed to tame you, to calm you down or exhaust you. Or you two are just planning on doing something that is crazy and this is not the calm before the storm.”

“You called for us, Jonathan, and that is something bad we came to. I believe that you did not just call for us to say hello. And you of all people know that we have things to take care of.” Sienna said, choosing to be the one to respond to him.

“Indeed, I did. I know that you have an enemy that you are searching for, and that enemy is your father and his right hand. Alonzo is causing us more trouble lately and his head is not only on the line but has prices on it. I am trying to understand his motives but I cannot too. No matter how much I try, no matter how many men I have following him, we cannot seem to find the right response. The man has killed the moral woman that I have sent to him and more men that have had drinks with him than anyone else around. It seems to me that he is aware that there is a price over his head and it is one that is hefty and would have men and women wanting to kill him.” Jonathan said, and I looked away from him. “The man seems to have been planning this for a very long time. You don’t need to blame yourself, Diablo. Whatever it is that you are thinking about, you do not need to think of.”

“The man has been my right hand, my best friend and the one person who knew everything about me. I doubt that you would think that this is something that I would not think about.” I said, looking at the man who nodded in understanding.

“While I do understand your perspective, you need to understand his. He has his own motives, and he is a man that was sold. He chose to buy his own way, and he chose to accept the price that was paid for him. Whatever it is that he has as a reason, he is not giving it. And being your right hand, he had enough power to stand in front of the worst of enemies. Therefore, it does not make sense why he would need more power, especially coming from different families who have none.” He said and I looked away. “However, there is something that the men have noticed about him that they have reported. More of them have reported the same thing before taking their last breath.”

“And that is?” I asked, looking at the man who smiled. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and showed me a picture. I frowned when I took sight of it.

It was Alonzo's father. A traitor who betrayed the family. A man who almost killed my mother after trying to assault her. Had it not been for her reflex and her hitting him with a vase, he would have had his way with her. And for that he was punished a penalty of death. Especially considering the fact that just as he did to my sister, just as he was betraying us, his father was too, and mother had heard him. The one difference was rather than shoot her just as Alonzo did to Maria, he tried to hurt her.

I knew not to be surprised at this point. His fruit did not fall too far from its tree and that tree was one of those that I knew that I was not going to forgive. I had given him my promise the last time that I saw him and since then he has been making sure to avoid me at all costs.

“He is avenging his father.” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. Sienna looked at me, trying to understand what she was listening to as she looked at the picture. The picture of Alonzo's father. “He is avenging a fucking damn traitor…”