“My intentions with Taina are to make her happy,” Mario answered smoothly.

  “And how do you plan on doing that?”

  “By doing everything everyone else around her has failed to do.”

  Denny was taken aback by the boldness of the kid. He just took another drag of his cigar without saying anything. He was impressed, and he was about to give Mario his blessing, but Mario cut him off with these threatening words:

  “OK.” Mario laughed evilly. He put his elbows on the desk and leaned in. “Enough with the charades. I’m not here to get your blessing to date your daughter, Denny. I’m not even here for her. I came for you.”

  “Excuse me?” Denny asked, not sure if he’d heard him right.

  “Exactly what I said. I came for you,” Mario said, pulling a pistol from his waist. “Your biggest mistake tonight was letting me enter your home without your security checking me. Put your gun on the table, and we can talk.”

  Mario pointed his weapon at Denny’s head, but Denny sat unmoving, staring into Mario’s evil eyes.

  “I am in my home,” Denny said. “I am unarmed.”

  Mario kept his gun aimed at Denny’s head and went to the other side of the desk to check to see if he was being lied to. When he was sure Denny had no weapon, he made Denny switch seats.

  “How does it feel?” Mario asked. “To know you’ve been tricked. You let me walk right in.”

  “Why don’t you tell me who you are?” Denny said, his voice still even.

  The gun pointed at his head did not intimidate him. However, it bothered him that he had no clue who the person before him was.

  Who has my daughter allowed in my house? he asked himself.

  “Look at me,” Mario demanded. “Tell me, who do you see?”

  Denny couldn’t say. He looked familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on why.

  “You don’t know, do you? With as many bodies as you must have under your belt, it’s hard to remember one from years ago, huh?” Mario shook his head.

  “You just said that you were done with the charades,” Denny said in a bored tone. “But it seems to me that you’re still playing them. I don’t do guessing games.”

  “Diablo!” Mario screamed in Denny’s face. “You killed my uncle.”

  Denny’s mouth opened slightly, but he quickly shut it. It all made sense to him now. Mario looked so much like Diablo that he could have smacked himself for not making the connection. It had just been so long since he had seen Diablo’s face. He had heard of the past coming back to hurt him, and Denny was a sure believer in Karma, but he always thought he could outrun his, especially since he had just wrapped up such a large business deal.

  “Your uncle was robbing me,” Denny said.

  “Because you weren’t paying him enough money,” Mario screamed.

  It was all coming out. Ever since Mario had come to New York, he had a plan. He lied to Taina when he told her he lived with his aunt and uncle. The truth was somebody named “Tommy” Rodriguez had put a high price on Denny Capello’s head. Denny was positioned to seize control of most of Rodriguez’s business, and he couldn’t have that. He’d come seeking help from Mario’s only living uncle, Carlos, to exact revenge, but Carlos had long since left the life of being an assassin behind him. He had come to peace with the deaths of his brother and sister, and he didn’t need death knocking on his door any sooner than it was supposed to. By eavesdropping, Mario discovered the truth about what really happened to his mother and uncle. Since his uncle would not avenge their deaths, he decided he would. Rodriguez told him that Capello had a daughter his age and that to get to Denny, he would need to get to her.

  Mario enrolled in the same school as Taina Capello, but he never bet on her being as beautiful and down-to-earth as she was. He never bet on genuinely falling for her, but his mission was more important. What had happened in the cafeteria was his doing as well. He let Rodriguez know that Denny did not have any men inside the school, only outside. Rodriguez sent his soldiers disguised as lunch helpers to start a massacre in the middle of her lunch period. It all was a ploy to make Mario look like a hero. Even the graze on his arm was staged. He never meant for Taina’s best friend to get killed, but there were casualties in all wars. Taina was already so broken, and it pained him to hurt her even more, but he would move on and never look back after he finished there. Taina would be a memory, and his new girlfriend would be a hefty bank account.

  “Diablo was trying to take care of his family,” Mario yelled again. “His sister, my mother, was dying, and all they needed was one more payment to start a more aggressive medical procedure for her. But that payment never came because you had him killed. You killed Uncle Diablo, and you killed my mother. So I fucked your daughter, and now, I will kill you.”

  Mario applied pressure to the trigger but couldn’t get a shot off because Denny reached over and knocked the gun out of his hand. Denny caught him with a right hook so hard that Mario felt like an earthquake was occurring in the room. But Mario recovered quickly and came back at Denny with a combination of power punches to his gut. Where Denny excelled in power, Mario had speed. To every powerful blow that Denny landed, Mario landed three. Unknown to Denny, Mario had a knife in his belt as well. Denny went to slam Mario on the ground, but while holding him in midair, Mario retrieved the knife and shoved it into Denny’s chest.

  “Aah!” Denny cried out in pain and dropped Mario to the ground.

  He staggered back and yanked the knife from his chest. He put his massive hand over the wound, but it was no help. Blood gushed through his fingers and dripped on his clean carpet, staining it. Denny’s breathing was short. He fell to the ground with his back on his desk. He tried to reach for the phone in his pocket. All he had to do was hit one button for his security to sweep the building clean and save him, but a kick to his temple stopped any feeble attempt at a rescue.

  “The fuck do you think you’re doing?” Mario had gotten back to his feet.

  His face had started to swell with the hits Denny had landed there. Mario again had the gun in his hand and pointed it at Denny. He almost laughed at how easy it all had been. The sight of Denny’s blood and defeat made Mario feel powerful.

  “Any last words?” Mario panted, aiming the gun at the spot between Denny’s eyes.

  Denny sat there awaiting death, ready for it. He realized then that nothing had been Taina’s fault. It was his. It all was his fault. That was his only regret in life.

  “T-tell Taina that it wasn’t her fault,” Denny told Mario. “Don’t let her live with this grief on her soul. T-tell her I always loved her.”

  Mario nodded his head.

  “Sure, old man. Rodriguez sends his love.”

  The loud bang of the gun filled the room.

  Chapter 10

  Blood. All Taina saw was the blood. The smile once plastered on Taina’s face vanished when she slid open the doors to her father’s study. All the laughter in her chest washed away only to be replaced with a searing pain by the sight she saw. There lay the notorious Denny Capello on his back with his eyes still wide open, and he had a neat red dot between his eyes. Taina caught herself on the door handle and slapped her hand to her mouth to stifle whatever sound dared to escape her lips. Her breathing was short and quick as her eyes darted around the room, looking for the intruder. The only thing her eyes saw was an open window, and the particles from the back of her father’s head plastered on everything behind him.

  “Papi,” Taina croaked finally. Her voice was barely audible. “Papi!”

  Her whole body shook violently, and she dropped to the ground. Her tongue tasted salt, and she realized tears slid down her face and landed inside her quivering mouth. She crawled from the entrance of the study to her father’s lifeless body. As she crawled, her dress got stained with his blood. She shook him when she reached his body, hoping he would wake up, but his eyes held the same dull look that Marisol’s had. He was gone. Taina got up and turned to run, but she ran right into Stephanie and her mother.

  “Taina, what’s wrong? And what’s all that noise from your father’s study?” Stephanie asked.

  “It’s Papi. He’s-he’s—”

  “What’s wrong with your father?” Isabella asked. She barely gave Taina a second glance as she walked past her. Stephanie looked at Taina’s heartbroken face, and curiosity filled her. “Honey, we heard a lot of commo—” Isabella started, but when she saw the scene before her, she almost had a heart attack. “Oh God, no.”

  She gasped, seeing her husband lying there dead. Stephanie peered into the room in disbelief, pressing Taina’s face against her face to shield her from the sight. But it was too late. She’d already seen her father’s dead body. Isabella dropped to the ground and crawled just as Taina had toward Denny’s body.

  “Baby.” She shook him. “Denny! No, no, no. You promised you wouldn’t leave me. Please, baby, wake up.”

  Stephanie stared on in horror, but she was able to radio the security downstairs to check the perimeters of their property for the culprit. She couldn’t believe it. Denny Capello was dead. Suddenly, she thought of something. She had seen Denny and Mario enter Denny’s study alone after dinner. Maybe he saw something.

  “Taina,” Stephanie said, snapping the girl out of her deep trance. “Taina, where is Mario?”

  Taina wasn’t in a position to answer any questions, but the security guard who had just entered the room was able to give them an answer.

  “He just left not even five minutes ago,” the guard said. “He looked dinged up like he got into a fight.”

  “He did this!” Isabella screamed while she sobbed. “He killed my husband. Oh my God, he killed my husband. Denny! Denny!”

  The remainder of the night was a blur. When the paramedics arrived, Denny Capello was pronounced dead on arrival. Isabella threw her body on the stretcher, not wanting them to take her husband away.

  Chris arrived not too long after and couldn’t believe his eyes. His cousin was dead. At first, he thought it was a joke, not believing anybody could take out an ox like Denny, but when he saw it for himself, he knew it was true. The first thing he did was speak to the police officers and federal agents, who were glad to have a reason to come snooping around Denny’s residence. Taina and Isabella went with them to fill out a report, and Chris sent the rest of them on their way after all the pictures of the murder scene were taken.

  Once the coast was clear, he went to Denny’s recording console in the house. Denny had his home and neighborhood on at least twenty TV video screens for surveillance. He played back the video of what had happened in Denny’s study that night and witnessed Taina’s boyfriend killing Denny. He also heard everything he said to Denny, including when Mario was about to pull the trigger and said that Rodriguez had sent him. Chris turned off the recording. He bet that Rodriguez thought nobody would discover that Denny was killed under his order. Chris also bet that Denny had a feeling the deal with Rodriguez might turn foul and had a spy in Rodriguez’s camp ready to pull the trigger on call. He took out his phone and dialed a number.

  “Pull the plug and bleed that whole motherfucking thing dry. The Eagle is down. Plans have changed.”

  Chapter 11

  Attending the funeral of her father was not something Taina planned on doing so soon. She was lost. Her best friend was already six feet under, and her father would be soon. Taina walked up the pews with her mother a few steps ahead of her and tried to avoid the stares of those around them. She heard somebody whisper the word “devil” when she walked by, and Taina had to pretend she heard nothing. Knowing that the whole community blamed her for her father’s death hurt her heart. Even her mother showed some resentment toward her. She was glad the veil from her hat covered the tears sliding down her face.

  Denny had a glorious homegoing. Chris made sure he sat beside Taina. He had heard Denny’s final request. Although everyone was making her feel like she wasn’t worth two nickels rubbed together, he wanted her to know that she was the last thought on his mind before he died. He held her hand during the entire service and allowed her to ride to the grave site with him.

  Taina kept her head down and stayed back while everyone else threw their roses onto the casket when it was lowered into the earth. When everyone left, Taina slowly walked to the coffin. She kissed her white rose and sent a silent prayer to her father. She hoped that he was at peace wherever his soul rested, and she apologized for bringing evil into his home. With one last goodbye, she threw her rose onto the casket containing her father’s body.

  “I love you, Papi,” she whispered into the wind chill. “Always.”

  Chris came behind her and threw his rose on the casket as well. After that, he put his arm around her and hugged her.

  “Come on, princess. Let me get you home,” he said.

  “What home?” Taina asked, shrugging her shoulders. “My mother hates me.”

  “She doesn’t hate you.”

  “She does,” Taina said, her voice shaky. “She won’t look at me. And when she does, I can see it in her eyes.”

  Chris didn’t know what to say because, knowing the type of attitude Isabella had, Taina was probably telling the truth. Instead of trying to console Taina, she most likely was shunning her like she’d done even when Denny was still alive. Since she’d saved his life, Chris had always felt a closeness with Taina. He knew that her heart was kind, and this was something she wouldn’t have wished on anyone. He knew that how she thought and acted resulted from her upbringing, but Isabella would never take responsibility for that.

  “Come on,” Chris urged. “We will visit his burial site often.”

  Taina followed him back to his Mercedes-Benz and got in the passenger seat. Before they pulled away, Taina asked her cousin a question.

  “Do you think Papi hates me?”

  “Never, my love,” Chris told her. “Denny loved you with all that he had. If anything, he is hoping from his grave that you don’t hate him. I am now in charge of all your father’s business, and the person who ordered the hit won’t even have a funeral. I want you to know that regardless of whatever happens, you will be set for life. I’m leaving New York. With your father gone, there is nothing left for me here. But if you ever need me for anything, just call me. I will never change my number.”

  With that, he pulled off from the cemetery and let the others pay their respects. He nodded his head at the hired hands he had guarding his cousin’s grave site, making sure that nobody would come and be disrespectful. He drove Taina back home and kissed her on her forehead.

  “I love you, princess,” Chris said.

  “I love you too, Chris,” Taina said, trying to smile at him.

  It was weak, but he was happy that she could even muster up that one. She waved her final farewell to Chris Capello and walked into the house. When she entered, she saw many people there. All Taina saw was black; she just wanted to make it to her bedroom. When she was spotted, some people stopped their speech, letting her know they were most likely discussing her. She saw many people surrounding her mother, and when Isabella’s eyes fell on Taina’s, her nose flared in disgust.

  “Get her out of my face,” Taina heard her say as she pointed in her daughter’s direction.

  “I will not allow you to speak to her that way,” Taina heard Stephanie say in her defense. “If you would have been a mother instead of a credit card user, then maybe none of this would have happened, bitch.”

  “You’re fired,” Isabella countered, but Stephanie just laughed.

  “We all know that when Denny died, he left everything to Chris and Taina. You can’t fire shit.”

  Taina ignored their argument and ran upstairs to her room. When she got there, she broke down in a fit of screams. She cried for her father, Marisol, and the fact that the boy she had fallen in love with had betrayed her. Taina had tried to call Mario many times, but his phone was disconnected. She didn’t know where he lived. She never inquired where he laid his head at night the whole time they talked. She felt like a fool and didn’t have anything to live for anymore. She threw off her hat and veil and lay across the floor.

  The images of Marisol and her father’s dull eyes entered her head. Her heart wrenched. She felt like she didn’t deserve to breathe the air she was breathing. Struggling to her feet, Taina made her way to her panty drawer. From it, she pulled a small bottle of 1800 Tequila. Alcohol in hand, she went into the bathroom. Her eyesight was blurry, and she could barely see where she was going, but she knew what she was aiming for. When she was in the bathroom, she stared into the mirror on her medicine cabinet and saw the mascara running down her face. Her lip trembled when she looked at her face. All she saw was her father.

  “Fuck!” she screamed and punched the mirror.

  The glass shattered, and blood from her wounded hand dripped into the sink. She ignored the pain in her hand and opened the cabinet, looking for something—anything. Her hand fell on a bottle of Tylenol, so she popped open the top. She didn’t use any water, just alcohol, and she took the whole bottle to the head and swallowed.

  It didn’t take long for her to feel the drugs take effect. Taina dropped to the ground and watched as the world she knew faded around her. She was happy to leave a place where she had absolutely nothing and join Marisol and her father.

  She last remembered seeing Stephanie’s plump frame entering her room and calling her name. She screamed when she saw Taina lying on the ground and the open bottle of pills lying next to her.

  Chapter 12

  Three Years Later

  “Be strong. I love you, ladies!” a heartfelt voice said.

  “I love you too!” Taina’s voice sounded, and she welcomed the feeling of her friend’s warm arms around her.

  It had been three years since she attempted suicide, and what a journey it had been. Stephanie had found her on the floor, almost dead, and she was rushed to the hospital. They were able to resuscitate her, pump her stomach, and once she was well enough, they sent her to an institute to get better. It was a ride, but that was where she met Jay and Mila. They too were survivors of suicide attempts, and Taina was grateful for them.