LUIS

Hand once again holding my heart I moved up my driveway in disappointment rehearsing the words I wanted to say. The words that would assert the willingness I had to be there even if she saw otherwise.

And to tell her the truth of my past and the fact that though I returned to the place that was once another form of Hell for me, I wound up finding an angel that made being more open seem less scary. Cradling the gift in my hands wondering when I will finally give her. I was upset when I went to her apartment and found no one there. I had called her mother and even Rita hoping if she was with one of them.

Only to fall short when I didn't get the responses I was hoping for. A small part of me felt unsettled but quickly brushed off the worry to the side knowing that I was probably overreacting.

Taking leisure steps towards my door, perplexed was one word that could cover how I felt taking in the sight of a box on my doorstep. Looking around my eyes landed once again on the simple black box whose body had no labels on it making me grow suspicious since I hadn't ordered anything in the first place.

And suddenly I grew nervous.

Just open it.

It can't be that bad.

Except if I found something there I shouldn't. Pushing away those dark thoughts I shook my head to gain some encouragement to just open it and put my worst fears to rest.

Kneeling down, I took a deep breath and slowly opened the lid.

A sickening feeling crept up on me seeing the all too familiar gold handle of my father's old pistol staring menacingly at me, making me yearn to shrivel away at the memories that flooded back from all the times he threatened me with it.

To the time he took Tim's life with it.

Heart rapidly beating, a note was stuck inside the lid. With words painted across it making the rest of me freeze in horror.

You tried to bury your own...

Left us to rot whilst you ran off with your new family. No matter how hard you try the same blood in their veins will never be your own. You will always be one of us.

I immediately dropped the box as if it scorched my skin suddenly feeling antsy. My heart hammered painfully in my chest and I collapsed next to the box shaking like a leaf facing the torturous winds at what this all meant.

As much as I would take pity on my past coming to haunt me, the sound of my phone ringing caught my attention to find a picture of an unconscious Tiana lying on the ground with the words splayed below the image:

In the Hate we will prosper.

The device landed on the ground as I yelled out in anger and frustration. I've never felt so powerless in my life quite like this. After all that has happened, she had to get involved in my mess. I honestly thought those messages were just that.

As much as I tried to escape my father and all he represented it seemed he wasn't done with me yet.

And as I shook in anguish I realized, I don't think he ever will be done with me.

***

"I can't believe this shit happened," Rita whispered staring at me, choosing me as her new victim to her glossy eyes that trapped me, coerced me to see the pain and fear behind them as if mine weren't the same.

Tiana's mother was perched against the wall in my living-room sobbing quietly. I felt terrible for being the reason behind why her daughter was kidnapped.

This was all my fault.

"So when did you start getting all these mysterious texts?" Uncle Logan inquired staring intensely at me.

"A few weeks ago," I cleared my throat," kind of started after Tiana went with us," I gestured to Rita," to this other club. Then th-"

"So you were aware there was a fucking lunatic yet you never said anything!" Nathan yelled advancing towards me to shove me. I stared at him blankly knowing my inaction resulted in this outcome but I swear I thought the messages would remain simply that.

Such that I didn't even block any of the punches he began landing on my face nor his kicks after my body made contact with the floor. My hands remained planted at my sides as he continued landing blow after blow.

It was only due to my father and Uncle Logan pulling him back that managed to save me from suffering another aching punch.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! IF SHE DIES- THAT'S ON YOU!"

They dragged him out of the room but that never caused his yelling to cease as he fought to free himself from both men. And I was left in the room, rooted on the floor wishing that this horror-filled illusion would end.

"Lu-"

"He's right. . ."

Rita stopped a few inches in front of me and I could tell she was concerned.

"It's all my fault. I-If I had just listened to you- if I had just gone to tell Uncle Logan . . . hell anybody. We wouldn't be in this mess!"

"It's not your fau-"

"It is Rita. ALL OF IT IS!"

"Were you the one who pulled the trigger and killed my son?"

Both of us glanced towards the hushed voice to see Tiana's mother staring at me. Her face void of any emotion except for her bloodshot eyes being the only proof she had been crying.

"Answer the question, Luis."

It unnerved me how calm her voice was but I replied anyway. She deserved that much from me," No. . . . I-I didn't. You know I had nothing to do with his death."

"So how is it your fault?"

Standing up I moved slowly towards her," I should have said something. And now Tiana's. . ." I shut my eyes unwilling to say the word that had emerged in my head out of fear if I said it, it would become true.

I should have said something. And now I unintentionally led to all this shit.

I'm such an id-

"When you first came and apologized for my loss. . . Admitted to me that you were that man's son. . . " she paused tears falling from her eyes that remained planted on me," what baffled me the most was the fact you took on his sins and bore them as your own," she continued grabbing my hand gently.

"I've never seen anything like that in my life," she sniffled pulling me down to take a seat next to her and I obliged choosing to stare at the ground. I felt incapable of looking her in the eye due to the shame.

"It was the least I could do. . . I know I should've come back sooner but I was scared- believed you'd turn me away in anger at the fact I'm connected to him."

It was the truth, after I confessed who I was I never expected her to open her arms to me. And she showed a level of kindness that baffled me for someone who'd been given a harsh hand in life after losing her child.

"It kills me . . . knowing I can't be with her now. And yet all I can do i-is pray," she said after releasing a shaky breath squeezing my hand," b-but I won't lie . . . I don't know if I have it in me to bury another child."

And I think my heart just broke. . .

A sob broke out from her and I kept my gaze on the floor knowing one look her way would make me cry again. I'm not sure how long we spent like that, I already felt myself slipping further away into regret at what I should have done. It's only when she rubbed gentle circles into my knuckles I momentarily found myself landing back to earth to hear her next set of words.

"I'll be damned if I allow this evil to turn me into another version of it."

Glancing in her direction, I could see the determination shine through. It was too easy to allow this world to consume you, too easy to allow the need to revenge become the only air you breathed.

I gave her hand a gentle squeeze hoping that by doing so the strength that emanated off her body would find its way to me and give me the courage I needed to see this through.

"Luis," my father's said. I looked up to find him scowling and I immediately stood up and went towards him." we're going to need to find out whos doing this to you and take that son of a bitch down."

"Whoever it is obviously has some connection to my father. But its not making any sense of who it could possibly be."

I swallowed down the sickening feeling I felt trying to figure out who it could be that was terrorizing us. The only other man who had the potential to rein havoc on innocent people's lives was behind bars. And just when I thought that he was officially done with me, this just had to happen.