F I F T Y - T W O | a quick draw—

C O L T

It was dawn. The port buzzed with activity as ships docked and cargoes were unloaded. I stepped into the dock, the smell of the sea washing over me. The men I came with sent me off with a nod as I dug for my IDs. I chose the original one.

Or rather, the name my mother had given me.

I had never used it since she died. Having that name while serving under Paloma would only dirty it.

I took the train and let my thoughts drift to Caprice and our last conversation. I did not doubt that she loved me even if she doesn't say the words. But saying 'I love you' knowing that she's about to come clean with her secrets left a bitter taste in my mouth. The words felt like a shield.

Was her secret that horrible?

I had an inkling that it was about her identity. Caprice was filled with contradictions. It might be true that she was an orphan but she had also lived a life where everyone respected her and followed her every whim.

There was nothing Caprice could tell me that would make me leave her but a part of me hoped that she wasn't part of a powerful family. I had enough of those to deal with.

I arrived at my destination and headed straight for the cemetery. The sun shone for a moment before dark clouds appeared and covered it. Thunder and lightning rumbled from the skies as I stepped inside the burial ground. It had been years but I still remembered where my mother had been buried. I planned to wait for Alvarez's men to drag me to their boss.

I was aware that my fake father already knew that I was back in Spain. And what better way to capture me than to surround my mother's hometown with his men. After that, he'd surely give me to the highest bidder. Again. He's so predictable.

I halted in my tracks as I saw a man standing in front of my mother's grave with an umbrella over him. I yanked the hood lower to cover my face, gripping the 45 tighter under my pocket. "¿Conocías a mi madre?"

The stranger followed the sound of my voice. Shock contorted his face as the umbrella fell from his hand. "E-eleazar?"

"Padre?" I muttered. Time had made the priest's face old and weary but I recognized those warm eyes that pulled me out from shit. I loosened the grip on my gun. "¿Qué haces aquí?"

"Qué? I am the one who should ask you that!" The old man's voice trembled as he stepped closer. Disbelief colored his face. "Where have you been? I thought you were... dead."

"You don't need to know that." I moved past him and stared at my mother's grave. Weeds grew around the spot but the huge cross remained untouched.

How many years has it been, mother?

You must be disappointed in me, right?

"Eleazar? Are you in trouble?"

I let out a sigh. This man liked to meddle without even knowing who he was helping. It baffled me. "Do not ask for things you cannot handle, old man."

"They were right." The priest bent down to pick up his umbrella.

I turned to him. "They?"

"Indiana Zobel came here with a woman. She said she would get you out of trouble."

What? She?

"What did you tell them?" I demanded, my voice shaking in anger. I stepped closer and glared at the man. "¿Cómo te atreves? I told you not to talk about me!"

Padre Orbus shook his head. His eyes softened as his hand gripped the umbrella tighter. "Back then, you need help, Eleazar. And until today, you still need that help. God is always--"

"Shut up!" Rage rose within my chest. "I don't need anyone's help. Not even from God" I cussed as I felt several gazes on me at once. I addressed the old man again, pulling out my gun. "Get out of here, Padre."

The priest staggered backward in shock. He gave one last look of pity before he disappeared towards the weathered church in the center. I attached the silencer to my gun and turned around. The maze-like place in front of me was the perfect spot for an ambush. It seemed that my father's guards had gotten better.

A silhouette appeared a few meters away from me. I could see the outline of a man as he strutted towards me. He brought out a gun and fired.

I hid behind a stack of tombs as chunks of cement flew next to me. My ears rang in time with the roar from the skies before drops of liquid began falling.

As I turned the corner, two men stopped me. I wasn't fast enough that they caught me by the arms.

My instincts took over. I elbowed the man on my right with a loud crack, stepping on the foot of the other. When my arms were free, I fired twice at the man who stood up groggily. He fell with a silent scream before a bullet whizzed past me. I whirled around and I kicked the other man's gun away.

Beady eyes and bald head. It was Bernard. My father's head of security.

He hissed in rage at the same time someone jumped on me, forcing me on my knees.

My shoulder throbbed in agony as I shook the enemy's clutch, causing me to let go of my gun. The stranger's arms were wrapped around my neck, my eyes directly beneath the dark sky.

"Hey! Don't kill him!"

Big mistake!

My arms moved on their own, peeling off his hold on me to get the oxygen circulation back. Black spots danced beneath my eyelids. I gritted my teeth in fury before stretching my arms further and further until the pads of my fingertips felt the circular shape of his head. My fingers tightened on it, digging my nails, my muscles rippling from the effort. When I finally grasped a steady hold, I twisted it around.

A crack and a groan echoed in my ears together with the falling thump of a body.

"¿Qué esperas? Move!"

I didn't have the time to regain my breath when several men jumped on me for the second time. There were three of them. I fell face-first on the cemented ground with arms and knees pressing me down.

"Shit," I cursed loudly when my gun slid further on the wet ground.

Bernard's elevator shoes stepped into my view. He stopped and leveled his raging eyes on me. "Young sir, you've given me a hard time."

"Wipe my father's rotten ass, I'm sure he'll forgive you," I mocked with a Cheshire grin and it got me a kick to the head. Blood overflowed from my nose from the impact. I hid my groan, maneuvering my fingers into the waistband of my jeans.

I expelled a breath of relief as I felt the hilt of my knife. My fingers closed around it as Bernard began rummaging through his pockets. His brows puckered in concentration.

I pulled the knife out and twirled it skillfully in my fingers, driving it into the nearest lump of flesh that hovered above me. I could taste iron and smell the wet soil as Bernard jerked his attention to us in horror. He screamed 'idiots' before he stepped forward, a syringe in his right hand.

I swiveled, slitting the man's throat. Someone kicked the knife away as I was yanked upwards. Heavy rain continued beating down on us as the men gripped my arms tight.

"Hold him still!" Bernard yelled over the pounding rain.

I let him come closer and closer. The needle managed to touch my arm before I hit Bernard with my head. He slid backward, the syringe falling from his slippery hands. I grabbed the man's wrist on the right, forcing him to fire the gun towards the other man before I punched his face.

Bernard's eyes widened. He barked an order but I was faster. I snatched the gun from the disoriented man and shot him once. Bernard cursed and eyed his gun that I kicked earlier.

"You can get it if you want." I grinned, pointing my gun at him. "We can do it like they do in the Wild West."

The older man chuckled. "I'd rather live to see another day."

"Good. Because I need you to do something for me."