The Untouchables

19. The End of The War

"I'm sorry." Rafa's words are as cold as ice as he stares into my soul. It looks like he wants to stab me right now, but the thought of losing Quintero's collaboration is stopping him.

"You don't have to apologize, even if Carlos told you so. All I want is to keep using your lands to produce my merch."

"Quintero didn't tell me to do this. I've decided to meet you when..." He looks away, hesitating to continue.

"What? Are you two keeping secrets from me? What's wrong, Rafa?" I lean forward on my armchair, searching for his gaze.

Finally, he turns to me again. "Your empire is about to end."

I take a sigh of relief, laughing. "Is that what Quintero told you?"

"No. But what he told me made me get to that conclusion."

My body stiffens again, but I keep laughing. "You're taking things too seriously now. Come on, where's my sweet clown Rafa?"

Navarro shakes his head, squirming in his seat. "Are we done? Peace?" He stretches his hand to me.

"We're good," I say, putting my golden watch in his hand as a symbol of our reconciliation. "Take it as a welcome back gift."

The doorbell rings, startling both of us. People don't get in my house ringing the doorbell, ever. They come in with my guards, or kick down the door if they want to be killed after I killed someone they cared about.

I walk to the door and open, a gun in my hand. The delivery guy hands me a package and walks away. I read the target on it: from your dearest friend, Carlos Quintero.

The package is heavy, wet and stinky, so I bring it on the table between me and Rafa. I grab my pocket knife to open the gift, but Rafa grabs my arm.

"I wouldn't do that," he says.

"What should I do then? Toss it away?"

"No. I think it's better to call Carlos and ask him-"

"Ask him what, Rafa? Why did he send me a dead animal in a package? I don't care about his reasons." I cut Rafa's belly, forcing him to back up with a groan.

Then I cut the tape on the package and stick a hand in it. My nails thrust in something soft, rotten. The sensation of being in contact with whatever that thing is makes me retch.

I open the box and my mind takes a while to put the pieces together and understand what I'm looking at. It's my father's head, and my fingertips are thrusting in his green cheeks, making a transparent liquid coming out from his skin.

I fall back on my armchair and throw up on my shoes. Rafa takes me in a warm hug, speaking words I can't understand while I focus on breathing before my heart can start beating any slower than now. I release every breath with a whistle coming from my tight throat. It takes a while to regain my awareness, and then my senses make me perceive everything I don't need: my heart aching, my cries, my legs shaking, the weakness in my arms. The pain, everywhere. The betrayal. Death.

Memories pop up in my head with no control and I remember Rafa's words about my empire falling; realization hits me. "You knew that." I turn to face him.

Navarro backs up, raising his hands. "There's nothing I could do to stop him. Listen, he did that to teach you a lesson. I think we should just accept it and move on. Business comes first, family is a side job that we use to-"

"You're fucking dead!" I yell, taking my gun, shooting at him and everywhere around me when he manages to hide from my fury. "I'll find everyone you've ever loved and hang them up like fucking pigs in front of your shitty house! Do you hear me?!"

Rafa's attempt to stop me before makes me laugh now as tears cross my cheeks. Quintero will pay with his life and not only that for killing my father.

I pick up a letter under my dad's head and read the few words on it:

I own you. - Carlos Quintero

You own nothing anymore. The piece of shit is a dead piece of shit now.