Afraid

Chp. 23

Oscar's POV

When you want dirt on someone, you send Jamal. He is nosy, gets the job done. Unraveling the mystery until the truth is told.

But I didn't expect him to totally forget that he's the biggest snitch ever.

After the dance, Amaya dropped him off and he said he had nothing to tell. More to discover, that he had only scratched the surface and needed more time to dig shit up.

Jamal also told me that Amaya wanted to set a meeting with me and at this point there is no point to meeting.

We had successfully avoided each other with haste. She would shoot me a mean look whenever we'd pass. Clearly we were great at communicating.

But avoiding each other came to an end when Tio Javier said he was throwing a barbecue a few weeks later.

Fall had set on sunny Los Angeles. The air was more crisp, a time for sweatshirts at night. But that didn't stop all the hynas that hung around us Santos from dressing as they always do.

I wanted to laugh and call Amaya a twelve year old again when she showed up in black overalls and a long sleeve shirt.

The hyna really likes her overalls.

We had made eye-contact, neither of us moving to talk to each other. It was agony for me because that's all I ever wanted to do. Hearing her talk was like listening to an Angel speak from Heaven.

Javier was tending the grill, I wanted to get to the motive of his party throwing. He was a frugal man never letting a penny go uncounted.

"Que onda?"

"Nada. Y tu?"

I shrugged in response.

"Van a hablar o matarse unos otros?" (You going to talk or kill each other?)

I turned to see Amaya burning her eyes into the back of my head.

"No se todavia." (Don't know yet)

He retorted with "Ir a hablar con ella. Déjame ser", while handing me a beer.  (Go talk to her. Leave me be)

I turned on my heels, avoiding her completely and walked to find Cesar.

He was out front arguing with Monse like usual. Just like I did before I turned on my heels and walked straight into Amaya.

"Aye, watch it!"

"Sorry. Can I talk to you? Now?" I rolled my eyes and nodded.

She pulled me to the side of the house out of view of the party and the fighting lovers.

"What happened to Cuchillos?" Her question almost had me choke on my beer.

"Nothing. Why?"

"Bullshit!" She whisper yelled.

"'Santos are running Santos.' That's what someone said to me. What happened to her?"

Now I stepped back.

"How do you know Cuchillos is a she?" Her eyes widen. She knows who Cuchillos is. Was.

"Tell me." I gritted out.

"All I know is all of a sudden I can come back to California without a crazy knife woman threatening me. So she's either not a crazy knife lady anymore or... or she's dead." Now it was my time for uncomfortable. "And from your look and my knowledge, she's dead."

"I didn't say that."

"But you also didn't tell me she's alive."

"Who told you?" Amaya gave me a look and I knew.