Bullets.

Ambush.

Lights. Alot of it. Blinded by them.

Men fallen. Men, fighting. Men, dreading the worst.

Heavy. Foggy. Smoke. White fluffy smoke coating the sky. Blood decorates the ground. Fire erupts, taking everything in its path. Attack. Attack. Screams that will haunt a memory forever. Pain. An agonizing sharp sting on my left shoulder. Fall. Stumble. Dark red liquid drowns between my fingers.

Is this how I go?

Am I still alive?

My eyes fight to open, but the drowsiness weighs them down. Strength? I don't have any. Wake up. A sweet melody rings through my brain, serenading me like the eighties movies. Wake up. Shit. There it goes again. It's calling, begging, praying for me to wake up. I'm trying. I promise.

Suddenly, I'm standing in an empty blank room. White. The only thing I see. My feet move as I put one in front of the other, wiggling my toes. Am I moving, or am I floating? I take another step and fall backward, the room altering to black.

Wet. All over. Water drowning me as I leap up from the bath, gasping. I cough, spitting out the water I swallowed. I shake my head, the locks on my head spraying water everywhere. Slowly, I'm up, my clothes damp as I step out. A sound crackles from my left, and I swing in that direction, darting warily.

Brown-shaven hair. Pierced gold studs in both ears. A tattoo of roses peaking from his chest. Is that him? Ander? It can't be.

"Ander," I whisper into the void.

A horrifying scream leaves my body as Ander turns around, his face marred with slashes of a blade. Images of his body, wrist slits as blood pools around him. What is this? Why is this happening? Hot tears trail down my cheeks. I'm screaming, howling, sobbing. Make it stop. Please make it stop.

"How dare you give up on me, Asiel? What kind of brother are you?"

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

"I'll find the person who did this! I promise."

Blood. Blood. Blood. Spilling from all sides. Instead of water, I'm being suffocated by thick, red blood. I deserve this, don't I? The liquid is about to cover my lips until I realize I don't deserve this. I'm not perfect, but I'm doing what I can. There's only so much I can spread myself before I start tearing apart. Everything will work out. Ander in peace. Mika and I, living our fairytale ending.

I just know it.

Everything muffles into a hazy dream-like state, and my eyes flutter open, taking in the plain, bleak white ceiling. My hand twitches against a soft surface, and I crane my neck down to see my distressed, antsy girlfriend. Her dark, lavish black hair is a chaotic mess clinging to her cheeks. She's clutching onto my hand so tightly, but a part of me loves it. Is this what heaven feels like? To have the girl of my dreams worrying about me?

Her face is staring down, not realizing I'm awake. A sharp sting pangs in my deltoid as I try to move my body, shifting my gaze over to my arm. Shit. I forgot. The motherfuckers got me in the shoulder. My harsh groan causes Mika's head to shoot upward, her eyes widening into a mixture of emotions. Concern yet relief.

Mika's frame lifts from the hospital chair and sits on the rough mattress.

A laid-back laugh leaves her plump lips as she runs her fingers through my tousled hair. "Gosh, Muñeco! You can't do this to me."

My voice comes out raspy. "Do what?"

She sighs, her eyes closing shut. "Leave me. You can't leave me, Asiel. Got it? Okay? You are not allowed."

A heartfelt smile stretches across my face. "Princesa, I wouldn't ever think about leaving you alone. It's you and me. Forever and always." I extend my pinky in front of Mika's face as she ogles at it. "You have to join our pinkies to make it official. Oh, and kiss our thumbs, then connect them."

She cocks her head to the side, pondering for a few moments, until she slowly lifts her hand. Mika gulps audibly, wrapping her pinky around mine and conjoin our thumbs. Her eyes go round, staring up like a puppy dog as I disconnect our thumbs.

"We have to kiss our thumbs or the promise doesn't count," I say, leaning down to place a peck on my thumb.

Mika puckers her pink, kissable lips, planting a soft kiss on her thumb, and connects them as she says, "It's you and me. Forever and always. No buts."

My smile soon vanishes when I glance down at her cracked knuckles smeared with dry blood. It doesn't end there. The cracks start from her fingertips. My heart splits in half as I bring her hand closer to me and drag my finger over her bruising skin. She doesn't flinch once. Maybe I'm a weak son of a bitch, but her hand looks like it hurts like a motherfucker.

"Princesa, what happened to your hand?"

"What do y-." Her eyebrow scrunches until her eyes widen with realization. "Oh, this. It's nothing. Just a little scratch."

"Are you joking?" I laugh in disbelief. "Mika, you have blood splotches, and this bone looks like it's sticking out. You need to get this checked out."

She shakes her head. "Don't be ridiculous. You're the one that just came out of surgery. I'm fine. It doesn't hurt." Mika shakes her hand around. "See? Perfectly fine. Let's just worry about you getting better."

My eyes narrow. "Mika, I'm not joking. I can't focus on anything else until you get your hand checked out."

"You're being dramatic! I'm fine."

I retain my breath as I force myself to sit up to cup Mika's cheek in my palm. "I'm being completely reasonable. Mika, your health is the most important thing to me. I'll take a million bullets for you, and I'll smile as I take them. This isn't okay. If you're going to refuse getting checked, then I'll take a page out of your book."

Beepers start going off as I rip the wires from my wrist, arms, and chest. It fucking hurts like being punched in the gut, but I push through. If Mika considers her health insignificant, then I'll take a page from her book.

"Asiel, what are you doing?" Mika raises her voice.

"I'm not staying here unless you go get checked."

Her mouth falls open. "You can't be serious. You fucking got shot at, Asiel! Don't act so carelessly."

My hand grips her cheeks, stroking circles as I beg, "Mika, please. Do this one thing for me? Give me a peace of mind."

She rolls her eyes. "Fine."

Her cheeks are puffed out like a chipmunk, clearly upset about having to meet with the doctor. She is so fucking cute. I couldn't resist the urge to pinch her cheek. Mika groans, rolling her eyes, but doesn't budge.

"Stop being such a sourpuss, Princesa," I tease, protruding my bottom lip. "It's ten minutes tops."

"Whatever."

I bite my lip. "Gosh, I didn't think you could get any sexier, but I'm wrong again. There's nothing hotter than seeing my Latina girlfriend angry. Why don't you show me what you're made of?"

Mika's eyebrows jump to her hairline. "First of all, I'm half Japanese, and second, are you implying what I think you're implying?"

I shrug. "Depends. What do you think I'm implying?"

Any sign of anger flutters away in the wind as a sensual spark twinkles in her blue irises. Her tongue snakes across her lips, moistening them as she takes one step forward. Instantly, my eyes widen, and I cough uncontrollably when Mika's hand gently grazes my cock through my hospital gown. Mika takes another step, slipping her hand into my boxers, and causes my cock to harden like wood.

She goes on her tippy toes as I lower my neck to meet her halfway and whispers, "Are you asking me to fuck you in a hospital? Baby boy, I never took you as this kinky."

I gulp. "That's exactly what I'm asking you to do."

Mika forces my body back until my back hits the mattress, and I collapse onto the bed. She giggles a light-hearted one and grabs my hands to cup her ass. They fit perfectly in my palms, thick and firm. My heart skips a beat as she throws her hair into a ponytail and stares down at me with those big, alluring blue eyes.

She is so beautiful.

It's hard to believe she's all mine.

My breathing goes erratic, and my heart falters at the sound of the door creaking open. Mika and I twist our heads at the door to see Mateo and Pacho. Mateo is sporting his typical formal attire with a sour look on his face, and Pacho wears a matching hospital gown with a sling holding his arm. Carefully, I sit up and push Mika off my lap, gripping her hand.

Mateo clears his throat. "Sorry, Jefe. I didn't know Mika was here, or I wouldn't have intruded. There are a few things we need to discuss as a familia."

I sigh. "Alright, but I need you to take care of something first."

Mateo bobs his head. "Anything Jefe."

"Mika needs a doctor. Your job is to find an available doctor and make sure she gets checked before coming back here," I explain, earning a squeeze from Mika's hand.

He scoffs. "Okay, Jefe. Pacho will take care of that. We have to discuss these matters now. Before things get out of hand."

My eyebrows mar, forming a crease between them. "That's not what I said. I asked for you to take Mika to a doctor, not Pacho."

Mateo's lip ticks. "I understand, but I think Pacho is more qualified to take care of your girlfriend, than I can. We need to discuss the events from last night. Mika can wait."

Arching a brow, I lean forward with genuine curiosity. "Are you dense? No estoy pidiendo. I'm demanding. Just because you're my cousin doesn't mean you have the authority to question what I ask of you. Now, find a doctor for Mika like I asked."

(I'm not asking.)

His head jerks back, lip curled. "Okay, Jefe. Let's go, Mika."

Mika springs to her feet, releasing a harsh sigh. "Don't be so grumpy, Mateo. I'm not looking forward to this either."

Before Mika exits the door behind Mateo, she swings around and waves goodbye with an air kiss. Being dramatic, I pretend to catch and drag it towards my beating heart, grinning. Mika laughs, shaking her head with a bright glimmer in her eyes. Once she is out of my eye view, I shift my gaze at Pacho, scratching the nape of his neck.

"How's your arm?" I ask.

He shrugs, sporting a half-wit smile. "Ehh, I have received worse. How about you, Jefe? It's probably your first of many."

I groan. "Gosh, I hope not."

Pacho turns around and grabs a laptop laying on one of the vacant chairs. "If you don't mind, Jefe. I want to speak for Mateo. He isn't wrong. We need to come up with a strategy before the rest of the familias think they can get away with attacking us. Let me inform you of what we found out."

A heavy sigh escapes me, and already I feel too exhausted to deal with these matters. Days like this bring back a sense of the reality of how much I loathe my career. It doesn't get any easier than this. If it's not the Velazquezs, it's the Ramiezs, the Menendez, the Castellano. I will never get a break. Being Jefe might be all my capo's dream, but if they were in my position-- they would run in an instant.

I jerk my head. "Go ahead."

Pacho sits on the hospital bed and rests the laptop on his lap, plugging in his password. "Last night, I had Mateo run home to retrieve my laptop. Everything is on this baby, meaning all the cameras in and around our house."

A lump forms in my throat. "O-okay."

His fingers dance around the keyboard, switching through the files on the screen. "Last night, I couldn't really get much sleep, so I checked every single camera. Around one in the morning, I notice an unfamiliar car parked outside our house."

"So, you found the perpetrator?"

Pacho's face pinches with stress. "Yes, the car belongs to one of Luka's associates, but I found out something worse."

My heart bounces like a pinball in my chest. "What could possibly be worse?"

He tilts the screen in my direction and presses the play button as the video resumes. The night is dark, muggy, the only light source from the lamp post around our lawns. A faint yellowish hue glows on Gato's husky frame as he strides through the yard with a small box in his hand. The next few frames are blank. The camera focuses on the trimmed green lawn until Gato walks back into the frame.

With empty hands.

Seconds after Gato enters the house, Luka's capos barge into our house without a struggle. Easy as taking candy from a baby. How fucking clueless can I get? My relationship with Gato has been rocky from the start, but I never entertained the possibility of Gato betraying us. Un-fucking believable.

He is a fucking backstabbing snake.

Fury scorches through my veins. "What do you think was in that box?"

Pacho cocks his head. "It can be many things. The most reasonable option is a key to unlock the door. Or the code to open the screen door. But what I do know is we can't trust Gato for much longer. He is compromised."

I ruffle my fingers through my hair. "Then that's that. He's out. We can find someone else to take his place. Shit. How long has this been going on under our noses? Weeks? Months?"

Pacho's lip tilts to the side into a scowl. "Give me a few days, and I'll go re-watch every clip captured on camera in the past twelve months. But first, how should we go about this? When is the appropriate time to strike back?"

My mental gears spin for a moment before I reply, "Now. Bring Gato in here. I accepted our strained relationship, but I won't accept his disloyalty. He should've been kicked out of the familia years ago for abusing Elena under everyone's noses."

"I'll go find him now, Jefe." Pacho nods, bowing down before disappearing in the hallway.

This is going to cause an even bigger rift between my papa and me. Gato embodies the son he has always wanted. Cold, ruthless, heartless. Exactly like my papa, which is why they always got on. Even with the pieces of evidence framing Gato, I don't doubt my papa would want to keep him in the fold, but I'm the Jefe.

Not him.

He needs to wake up and remember that before opening his rotten mouth.

My attention floats to the doorway as a pair of knuckles bang against the door, and Gato straightens his tie with a passive expression. I clench my teeth and fight back the urge to knock him out. He doesn't have a single fucking clue about our discovery. I almost can't wait to rip the comfy blanket from under him.

"Jefe, are you feeling okay?"

"Yes."

He bobs his head. "Don't worry, Jefe. We're going to hit them where it hurts, starting with their wife and kids."

I nearly laugh. "What made you think that's the route I'm going? I'm not my papa. Familias will stay intact. They had no knowledge or desire to attack us last night. Luka's capos deserve death."

A wicked smile spreads across his face. "It's just an idea. A pretty entertaining one. At least for me. I already thought up a million ways to carve their familias into pieces."

Yanking my hands through my unkempt hair, I take a deep breath. "What were you doing last night around one when the Velazquez broke into the house? I don't recall you guarding the door to my office like you were supposed to."

Gato chews on the inside of his cheek as his eyes gaze at the ceiling. "Well... I had urgent matters. I needed to take a shit."

A small smile creeps across my lips as I signal him to come forward and turn the laptop to him. "Alright. Let's pretend that your story is true. Why were you outside minutes before everything went down? What was in your hand?"

He clicks on the rewind button and plays over the scene. "Oh, I remember. It was my tenth year anniversary with Elena, and I brought her a gift. She came to pick it up since I was stuck doing the night shift and wouldn't be able to take her out on a date."

My body reacts without thinking, grabbing onto Gato's collar and craning my hand back to punch him in the fucking face. "Do you take me for an idiot? How long have you been informing the Velasquez of us?"

His eyes widen with fear. "W-What are you talking about? I didn't meet with Luka. I swear!"

"You really think I would believe a word that leaves your mouth?" I sneer, crunching his collar in my grip.

"Jefe, I fucking swear to you on Jesus Christ himself," Gato pleads, his Adam's apple bobbing. "I had nothing to do with last night. What do I get by going behind the familia's back?"

A stormy red haze falls over my vision. "That's exactly the same question I've been asking myself."

"Jefe," Gato says through gritted teeth, his pleads, his vulnerability fueling into spiteful anger.

Slamming his body against the wall, I cock my other fist back before punching him square in the jaw and letting him fall to the dirty hospital floors. As the initial anger simmers, the sharp ache in my shoulder comes to light. I bite down on my bottom lip hard, clutching my arm as Gato spits blood onto the floor.

His hair falls over his eyes as he seethes, his chest heaving up and down as he slowly gets up. My cousin offers a bloody, strained smile before craning his arm back to retaliate. With widened eyes, I fling back and forth, causing Gato to miss, his anger flaring to a brighter flame. Smoke comes from his nose as he pushes open a pocket knife, and before he can plunge it, Mateo runs in and grabs him.

"Woah. Woah. Woah. Hurting the Jefe is not allowed, Gato," Mateo ridicules, squishing his knuckles until the blade slips out.

"I didn't do what you think I did, Jefe," Gato insists, his breathing ragged.

"You're a piece of shit! Why? Why did you do it?" A bang echoes in the room as my palm makes contact with his cheek. "You know what? I don't care enough to hear your pathetic excuse. You're done. You're no longer Gato Morterero. All your money, titles, properties will be stripped away from you. That means Elena is no longer your little play toy, and she can take away your rights as a father if she wants to."

His eyes narrow. "I don't give a fuck about that stupid whore, but not my fucking kid. You can't take her away from me."

I pat his cheek. "You have a point, which is why everything is in Elena's hand. If she feels like you deserve to see your daughter, then you have nothing to worry about. Easy peasy. Now, get out before I go ahead, and put you out of your misery."

Mateo doesn't loosen his grip on Gato and instead hauls him out in the hallway like a sack of potatoes. Once again, I'm saved by my cousin for intervening the moment Gato drew out a knife. It feels fucking great to rid the familia of a foul member.

One step at a time, the Morterero family will leave a beautiful, haunting legacy for the vulgar people on the earth.

Hey guys... IM BACK 😝! Did I keep you on your toes wondering what happened to Asiel? Don't worry our baby boy is fine. 🥺Just a little injured shoulder but he's okay!!!

The way Mika and Asiel would've got it on if the boys didn't walk in. 👀👀cock blockers right lol! Would you guys like to have seen that 👀👀?

How do you guys feel about Gato? Do you think he was lying? Or that he was really meeting his wife? You think this could come back around to bite Asiel in the ass? Let me know your thoughts lol!

Thank you for being so patience with me! I had a busy week and day today, and I was hoping to post earlier but I got preoccupied. I'm so sorry.

I literally met Sabrina Carpenter today🥹🥹. It was amazing but really embarrassing. Like the more I think about it the more embarrassed I am of myself like guys I was fumbling over my words. I couldn't speak for shit. 😂😂

But it's okay I'm happy! I just wanted to share with someone how happy I feel! Hope you guys do too!

Love ya and can't wait to read all your comments !!