Antonio

"They are still delaying it," Agustin said, walking into the room, holding stacks of papers in his hand. Shoving it on my desk, he groaned. "I can't believe you allowed them to take first commission."

"Its business Agustin, you need to understand that." I pulled up the stacks and reviewed them. He wasn't raising a concern which Valentina or Alejandro previously hadn't. The Italians weren't treating our deal with sincerity. Their promise of labor for our shipment hadn't arrived even after two whole weeks. "Tell me when their men arrive." I waved my hand for Agustin's dismissal.

"Are you sure you would be able to handle the Castro boy without killing him?" his voice dropped as he placed his hands on the tabletop. "I can ask him nicely."

I laughed at Agustin's words. "The last time you asked someone nice, he ended up jumping off a cliff."

With a lower hummed grunt, he resigned. The room was engulfed in silence once the doors were shut. With Agustin's men, we were able to track the mole who worked for Santos. He had been a loyal member of ours till he decided that money mattered more to change sides. Agustin poured over security videos and phone calls to finally locate him.

James Hinoloas, our ground security for seven years decided one fine day to take Santos side. He sold his soul in exchange for house renovation and his family to be taken up in Spain. What he didn't consider was the fact about whom be played against. We didn't tame snakes. We slivered their head off and send a message out to anyone who ever decided to try again.

Agustin's name appeared on my screen with a message.

'James has been brought down. Come.'

When James came to know he was on the hunt, he made the classic mistake. Run and hide. What he didn't fathom was every person who hid him was scared of the Moralez to eventually rat him immediately. It was within hours that Agustin captured him and played some entertaining games for himself before bringing him in.

The room in the dungeon was different whenever it was a traitor we dealt with. Another long standing tradition for the forefathers. Never mix a loyal blood with a traitors.

James was tied up the same way like others. Duct taped mouth, hands behind his back and legs tied up front. His right ear bleed profusely onto his blue shirt, leaving a dark patch. One black eye flinched when the lights entered through the door upon my arrival.

I looked at Agustin who shrugged his shoulders. His answer to my unasked question would always be the same. Let me have some fun too. I agreed. It wasn't every day that we received a fresh meat to pound onto. The punching bags were only a stress buster, real work was when upon punching a man, the cracking of his ribs echoed. It was cathartic, almost worth the effort.

That sound was music to my ears.

Once I sat inside the room, general procedures followed. James duct tape was ripped off. His lips and chin flinched in its wake before emitting a soft groan. Agustin moved back, hands tucked behind him as he stood witness to me sitting in front of James's handing head.

"How long has it been?" I looked over my shoulders. Agustin took a step forward.

"An hour."

Another hour of torture before he would be laid six feet beneath the ground, resting peacefully till the end of times. But that one hour from now would be his visit to Dante's Inferno. Every way, we could torture him, we would.

Al was missing the action. His head between his legs ruled him more than the one above. That Italian girl, Damiela was his match, ready to spread for him anytime.

His loss.

I played my usual game. His daughter's whereabouts were known, which played a big factor for him to take us seriously. A dying man would be of no use but give him the hope for survival, of family and he will sing like a parrot. James fell for the same. With head hooked up and tears rolling from the good eye, he begged for mercy.

"I know a lot more than anyone knows. Things about Santos, about Ramon and about Valentina." he cried, without any struggle to be set free. He knew, it was useless.

The last name skipped my heartbeat. Ramon playing Val's father, without informing he was her mother's killer was known to many but her. That information appeared to our notice only a few weeks back. But the glimmer of hope in James's eyes revealed he knew other things. He knew more than me at this point.

I moved back to Agustin who relaxed on my approach. "Over so soon?" he looked puzzled.

"No, I want you to leave the room." I placed my hand over his shoulder. Agustin looked over to the wailing man before sighing. "You owe me one now, brother."

I nodded. "Indeed."

Everytime one of us took over another's kill, we would owe each other our next kill. Agustin was letting go of his juicy hunt for me. We Moralez valued debt seriously. A joke in our family was the characterization of Lannisters from a famous show was based upon us.

With the draft settled down after Agustin's exit, I moved back to James.

"Your daughter and wife couldn't cross over the border, James. My men got to them sooner." His eyes widened with fresh tears streaming down his trembling jaws. "So you better answer fast or else I wouldn't be able to protect them."

I placed a light hand over his leg and he flinched before relaxing under my touch. "Will you kill them both?" He asked, his trembling voice going silent on the last word.

"No. I promise you that if your information is good, if it's valid, I will keep them save." I held my hand out for him. Although he couldn't shake on it, he knew I meant every word.

"Okay.." James straightened in his chair. "Roman is working to get the allies stand against you."

I laughed at his words, "Is this your news?" I moved off the chair, walking behind him. "Seems like you really don't care about that daughter of yours, James." I patted his shoulder while he trembled.

"No. There is more."

I moved in front. If this was James' way of ensuring his daughter and wife had time to escape, then me played his cards the wrong way. I held the doorknob, twisting the cold metal.

"Valentina was sent here to kill you," he cried out, his voice echoing through the empty dark room. When I turned to see his expressions, James' face revealed fear. Fear of death in the hands of the man, whose wife he accused. "I know you know about Roman, we all do. But there is one thing only a few know of. Valentina was married to you to kill you."

Pacing my steps towards him, I walked behind his tied body. "Proof."

"I have it," he turned his head up to the table where a tattered jacket fluttered in the draft through the exhaust. "There were documents where Valentina was made aware of her mother's killers. It state your family."

I pulled out sheets off his bloodied jacked. Red color stained my hands and spread over them as I opened it. I was reading the doctored documents of Hanna Ramirez's death. James was right, it names us. We Moralez were blamed for her and Rodrigo's death. The truth was only known to a few. We had nothing to do with their demise. It was all Ramon.

"That's all?" I turned to him. James nodded, trying to turn the chair towards me. "I have heard them. I worked there before shifting here. My wife works there too. She too had heard her father talk about how Moralez needs to be taken down. She would be your widow and rule."

"Not good enough." I was unable to believe the words of a traitor. Was I willing to doubt my wife, the woman who helped me, risking her own life in Spain? I flung open the door, unable to stop the pounding inside my head. Agustin stood outside, scrolling through his phone. "He is all yours."

I walked away to the sounds of him closing the door and muffled screams piercing through the darkness. There was no hard evidence to show if she was involved. My heart screamed her wasn't aware while my mind spoke with proof, rationalizing James' words.

I stood at the top of the stairs, struggling to shush the voices that screamed inside my head. She wasn't a traitor. Or was she?

Valentina's room's door was open. Soft piano music spilled out from there, crossing the hallway towards me. I walked in, shutting the door behind, breaking the sway of her fingers from the keys. Her eyes widened as she looked over to me with widened mouth.

"Antonio, is everything alright?" she asked, watching me stand at the closed door. My hand remained glued to the golden lion hinge. A war brewed in my head and chest. My emotions trusted her but my logic didn't. After all, she was her father's daughter. She might have believed his words all along. By the time she realized the truth she might have been unable to escape reality even when presented with it.

She was aware of Ramon's lies but had she stopped being what she was sent here for? A killer all along.

"Antonio." Valentina moved close to me. Her eyes swam with concern and her lower tone only infuriated me further. If this was a ruse, then it ends today.

With long strides, I darted towards her, tucking her onto a wall. She was walled in front by my body, rendering her into a helpless state of stagnancy. Her chest heaved, her eyes darted to my hands and back to me. Distance between us were in inches and her body radiated heat onto me. I searched her eyes for fear, there were none.

"What are you hiding, Valentina? What do you plan on doing to us? My family and me?"

My heart ruled over till this moment, convincing me that Val was many things but not a woman who would try taking me down. She was my spine, my support. She unintentionally became the person whose opinion mattered more than my own brothers.

With her face shrinking and her eyes darting all across the room, I read her. Valentina's forehead formed sweat bears as she tried pushing me off her with all her might. I was stubborn to let go. Trapped beneath, she tried raising her leg to knee me, her move from my last assault. I was quick to deflect before I snapped.

Holding onto her slender neck, I squeezed it hard. Her throat bobbled against my palm. Gasping for air, her nails dug onto my hands, scratching as the light in her eyes started to dim.

Don't. A voice inside me pulled me back. I shifted away, letting her crumble on the floor gasping for air in long dragged wheezes. On all fours, she managed to crawl to her bedside, tossing the lid off a jug and drenching herself in water, chugging it.

Glass crashed on the wall when she flung the jug. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" her hoarse voice screamed as she scrambled on the floor a few more times, finding her bearings. Standing up, she held the bedpost for support as her body trembled. "I thought you changed, but I was wrong. A rabid dog never changes. He only bites."

Shoving her bag over her shoulder, Valentina moved out of the room. In the silence, I revisited her expressions, her fear. I was blind to trust her, stupid to believe she would be different from Ramon. She was her father's daughter after all.

Disloyalty was in her blood like him. She wasn't a trustworthy woman and I knew what was to be done.

Scrolling through my phone, I dialed a number which I least expected to be used on Valentina. The other side picked, up, enquiring on my call.

"I am placing a special request for tonight." My insides cringed as betrayal was worded and spilled out. The recipient hummed in acknowledgment.

Dropping my phone on the bed, I looked around the lavender room which reeked of Valentina's nature. Happy, intriguing, rebellious, secretive, deceitful. The color like her, awed me at one point. Only now I knew why.

I was the moth attracted to her flame. If I wanted to survive, she had to be extinguished.

~

The first domino fell, the rest are repercussions.

What do you think would happen next?