Chapter 115

EMILIANO'S POV Behind me, the van door slammed. I didn't wince. I didn't even inhale. The city lights drifted like ghosts past the windows as I silently stared straight ahead. Every hiccup felt like a warning. As if the earth were trying to make sense of me. "You sure about this, man?" Diego's voice was sharp but low as he looked at me from the front seat. "If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here." "You have the option to leave. There is no shame in it. Without glancing at him, I shook my head. I'm only doing this out of shame. I clenched my fists. Under my jacket, I could feel the icy steel of the pistol. Last night, my aunt and her children were taken by Santiago's men. Dinner is halfway through. Not a warning. Simply gone. It was evident from the message left behind that they were collecting the price of my past. I'm responsible for this. Everything. The van decelerated close to a dockside alley. Diesel fumes combined with rot and sea salt. My stomach turned. Diego threw an earpiece at me.