Chapter 24

T he moment we fling open the front door, we all pause and see an extremely angry dark-haired man yelling my name. I want to disappear but Enzo holds me back, not letting me go as the eyes similar to my own glare at me, as if he were planning my death for the betrayal. My brothers surround me behind Enzo, practically forming a wall to block my father.

"Catalina Adriana Dominguez. Why the fuck am I hearing that your brothers went to Italy for help!" He snarls. His eyes widen at the way Enzo pulls me even more behind him. The silence stretches on for what feels like hours as he switches his glare from Enzo back to me. Father closes the distance and stands directly in front of Enzo, jabbing his chubby fingers at him.

"Get the fuck out of my house." He bellows.

I can barely see him from behind Enzo, yet his stern voice still makes me tremble. I tilt my head back and forth, as if trying to crack my neck, in some failed attempt to gather all the courage I need. I gently place a hand on Enzo's arm, and nod, signaling him to move enough for me to see father more clearly. My brothers watch the interaction, without giving away their surprise or any sort of reaction to the way Enzo protects me. It's certainly not like a bodyguard, but more like a lover.

A momentary lapse in judgment overcomes me, and I desperately wish I could simply blend into the wall behind me. The anger and disappointment are etched across his face, as if he were wishing for my death a hundred times over. Like in a heartbeat he would trade my life for my mother's.

"You want to partner with the Columbians? Then you can keep them. But they are not welcome in LA," I state firmly. The room falls silent, and you can hear is the sound of my father grinding his teeth. I will my body to remain unfazed, hoping that he can't see the doubt swirling in my mind. Should I have answered him like that? Should I brace myself for the violence that is about to rain down on us all?

"Puta madre. You are taking liberties with dealings you know nothing about. What about you boys? What the fuck is your excuse? How could you defy my order! If you weren't my kids you'd be dead for having betrayed me." he shakes his head, "estoy decepcionado en los tres." His voice breaks slowly. He storms out of the house without a second glance. Tears well up in the corner of my eyes, no matter how hard I try to hold them back. The emotional wall I've built over the years, crumbles slowly, allowing the tears to flow freely.

The tears aren't of sadness, but of simmering anger. They are ones that have been building for what seems to be like years. My brothers don't say much else. They've always been unwilling to confront our father anyway. They'll let me do all the talking, let me be the one to take the fall. It only serves to deepen my disappointment in them.

Enzo wraps his arms around me, giving me the space to fully express my emotions for a while. He's allowing me to channel the anger that comes with speaking with my father. Allowing me to convert it into the strength I need to move forward with my plans. As Julian attempts to get closer, Enzo's grip tightens, like it had been Julian who broke me seconds ago.

Marcelo approaches Julian's side, "He will move up the wedding with the Columbians and attempt to relocate us all to Mexico to be sure we do as we're told."

I'm stunned, how could he? "He would feed us to the wolves? For them? For the Columbians?"

My hands wipe away the remnants of tears that shed for my father and the little girl I once was to him. I nod, more to myself than to my brothers, in understanding.

"Then we go to war. The Italians will back us. You'll have to marry the Italian first." Marcelo says, glancing once more at Enzo. I face Marcelo and place my hands on my hips, waiting for any news that might indicate that we'll survive this torture.

"We will discuss the details with Dario, so you can be wed by the end of the week. We can make sure that father has his hands full," he continues.

The shrill ringing of a phone instantly captures the attention of everyone in the room. Marcelo looks down at the phone now in his hand. "It's father," he says, his tone laced with concern.

With a press of a button, a man's voice crackles through the line - but it's certainly not father. "Oye, it's Romero. Don Alejandro was attacked on the way to the airport. We didn't even make it 5 minutes from the house. He's in the hospital. It doesn't look good, boss. It was the Columbians. I… we fought them off as much as we could. You should get to the hospital right away."

The air grows thick with tension. Romero's call means Marcelo is standing as head of the business and our family until we find out whether or not our father is alive.

"Is he…" Julian's voice cracks slightly as he speaks.

"He's alive for now, but you should get here. We have guards at the entrance and the doors in case they try to attack. We just need to know what else to do," Romero says with worry in his voice.

Trying to stop the panic attack from arising, I grab my purse and head to the back patio without acknowledging anyone else in the room. Was this all my fault? All I've ever wanted was his love, and now it might be too late.

Pulling out a cigarette from my purse, I place it between my lips and frantically search for my lighter. I light the cigarette and inhale the first drag, savoring the toxic chemicals that fill my lungs and provide a momentary sense of calm. I walk towards the lounge chair and sink into its cushions. The night sky is full of stars dimmed from the lights of the city.

I go through two cigarettes before I decide to cut myself off. My throat burns, and my hands reek of the deadly habit. My legs are shaking uncontrollably as a light wind blows across my skin. I continue to fidget, my nerves fraying as I wait for Enzo to come. The longer I sit here, lost in my own troubled thoughts, the heavier my eyes become until I finally welcome the encroaching darkness as they close.

Warmth surrounds me, filling me with a sense of peace. One that I haven't experienced since Mama was alive. The feeling of strong arms around my body reluctantly wakes me. I already know it's him by the woodsy scent that surrounds me before I even have a chance to open my eyes. It's Enzo. His scent is now seared into my memory. I haven't been able to stop thinking about him since we first met. Hell, how could I think of anyone but him? This undeniable chemistry and spark that surrounds us in a bubble of our own making.

"Shh, Princess. Get some sleep," he whispers, trying to soothe me back to sleep. I have no worry in the world as he carries me back to my room. Gently, he lays me in bed, removing my heels and the rest of my clothes before tucking the blanket around my bare form. He begins to walk away, but I take control of what I want at this moment.

"Stay," I say softly. He freezes momentarily as the words leave my mouth, then slowly moves back towards me, removing his jeans before slipping into bed beside me. My face is on his covered chest, the soothing rhythm of his heartbeat lulls me to a peaceful slumber as our legs intertwine.

The warm rays of the sun wake me, I can feel Enzo's strong arms draped over me. My back is pressed against his chest, instinctively, I wiggle my ass right against his hard cock. I can't help but grind myself on him, loving the sensation of him thickening beneath me. His hand grip my waist, stilling my movements, "Lina," he warns in a low voice.

I pout and turn to face him. His eyes soften as they meet mine. I can't imagine how I must look this early in the morning, but I don't care. Reaching up, I place a gentle kiss on his soft, plump lips. He groans but pulls away before we can deepen the kiss. Sitting up against the bed frame, he removes his warmth from my body, seeming lost in thought while all I want is to be lost in him.

"Come on, we need to get ready," he says softly. "If your brothers find out I'm even in here, they may just kill me. I'd rather not die today. I need to protect you."

"Do you know if they went to visit our father last night… Is there any news?" I question, sitting up and pulling the blankets up to my chest. Not allowing any type of distractions from this conversation.

"They should still be at the hospital. They said they wanted you there first thing," he replies before turning towards me and running a knuckle underneath my chin before looking into my eyes.

"He's in rough shape. They said he may not make it," the words I dreaded hearing spill out in a hushed whisper. I nod, struggling to contain my emotions - the heart aches for a father who never cared for me as he should have. My heartaches for the father he once was until the death of my mama, a wound that I don't think I'll ever heal from.

I go through the motions in silence, getting dressed and showered. I don't think I even get a chance to eat breakfast. Motion after motion, until I find myself standing in front of the guarded hospital doors. Everything is still ablur and while my mind races with unanswered questions. What will become of my family? The Columbians started a war but will we survive? How will we defeat them when my father is supposed to be the one who is unstoppable?

He's the one who is supposed to protect our family.

As the hospital door swings open, Julian comes out more disheveled than normal. His hair is unkempt like he's been pulling at it for hours. With long, purposeful strides, he reaches for me, and the tears I carefully held back come out.

"Hermana. Enzo," he says, pulling himself back and looking between his friend and myself, "I'm glad you came." He nods to Enzo, in a silent expression of gratitude.

As we walk inside the hospital room, vivid flashbacks come to me from the day I was torn away from mama's lifeless body. The once joyful home, filled with love and laughter, now dimmed by the sight of my mama's blood covering the floor. An image I had once buried deep within my mind.

Father lies motionless on the bed, his face oddly peaceful, free of the worry lines on his face or the permanent frown I remember. He looks the way he did when I would sneak into their bed as a child. I remember that whenever I got scared at night I would sneak into bed with mama and him. He always remained as still as a board, snoring throughout the night while I cuddled myself close to him. He'd wake me gently in the morning, reminding me that I was a Dominguez and that I was made for greatness. Those comforting rituals ended the day she was killed.

I had tried to find comfort with him the night after, but when he woke up moments later, he awoke angry and nearly violent. I fled to Julian's room that night and he's watched over me every day since.

We stand there for what feels like hours, looking at my father with no sign of improvement. I cling onto his hand, praying he can hear me in some way. "I love you. I know why you did what you did and I forgive you. Just know that I'll always love you, Papa," I say, tears streaming down my face as I grip his hand tightly. My brother watches our father, as if expecting him to wake or disappear at any moment. I'm not sure how this will turn out. All I know is that I shouldn't be here. I can't bear to see the man I hoped would one day love me wake up angry and blame me or never wake up at all.

I'm not sure which one I prefer and that is even more upsetting.

My brothers speak with each other in hushed tones, carefully hiding their plan like they always do.

Nothing will ever change.

I'll always be on the sidelines, hidden and unacknowledged.

I'll always be a secret and I'm not sure how long I can stay here and allow that. I should make sure that the Columbians pay for the attack on my father. I should run far away and never return. I should do a lot of things and for some reason my mind is clouded, unsure whether to confront them or flee far away. Marcelo clears his throat loud enough to get my attention.

"Hermana, we've been hiding so much from you that I'm not sure I know where to begin," starts Julian suddenly speaks, his hand caressing the back of his neck.

"We didn't want to worry you. This isn't a fight you should be involved in," adds Rafa, Marcelo clears his throat once more after a moment of us staring at one another.

"We took a vote. I've been against this from the beginning," he continues. "But as you know, Columbia started a war with us long ago. Father has only made things worse by going after the children of Ricardo. Killing Eduardo's siblings caused the death of our mother. They may have attacked him tonight as a retaliation for having cut off the border and making a deal with the Italians. But they've been hitting our territories way before that. It's really been back and forth for a while now and now there's the subject of guns.They are getting weapons from the Russians in exchange for cocaine. With father the way he is, we need to prepare that they may come for us before you marry one of the Italians."

I nod, trying to take in everything he's been saying.

Julian clears his throatand continues, "We brought Enzo onto the team because the Columbians have been stalking you. We believe that they will attempt to sell you the moment you marry Eduardo. They've even threatened your life, despite having Enzo by your side. They know this would devastate us, Hermana."

I turn my attention to Enzo. His face doesn't show any emotion and his eyes lack the familiar spark I've grown accustomed to. Why didn't he tell me? Is he merely toying with me to be entertained while fulfilling his paid duty to observe me? He doesn't look at my direction, even if he can feel the daggers I'm mentally stabbing him with. His eyes remain fixed on Julian as if he hadn't anticipated this revelation.

"Lina, we did what we had to. Perdoname," Rafa whispers.

I no longer want to deal with this conversation. I stand up and walk towards the door of the hospital room. Pausing briefly, I half hoped Enzo might follow and comfort me, but it comes as no surprise when he doesn't. Whatever thing between us was, he is only my guard. Instead, Rocco and a few of his men follow me to the bathroom and back out to the waiting area.

As I wait to go home, I decide to handle this situation my own way. It's time to show them who they are messing with. I'll help end this war, even if it means accepting a proposal to gain access to the enemy .

They'll regret not involving me sooner, especially when it was my life being threatened.