CHAPTER 23
One of the men suddenly came rushing downstairs and whispered something into the ear of the one who clearly held authority over the others.
The man nodded once. Calm. Controlled. Dangerous.
"The Boss," as they called him, dragged a chair across the floor and sat directly in front of us.
"Where is it?" he asked Indira.
"Where's what?" she replied coolly.
"The map."
My stomach tightened instantly.
The diamond map.
That cursed piece of paper had already drowned too many people in blood, and now it was coming for us too. At that moment, all I could pray for was that Jordan stayed silent inside the getaway room.
"Which country's map?" Indira asked innocently.
A chuckle escaped my lips before I could stop it.
The slap that followed nearly snapped my head sideways.
"Real funny," the man muttered. "The diamond map in your possession."
He pulled out a cigarette, lit it slowly, and inhaled deeply before exhaling smoke into the room.
"Y'all think this is some kind of game?"
He grabbed my chin roughly and forced my face toward his. The lower half of his face was covered, but his eyes… his eyes carried something vile inside them.
"I heard you're the toughest one around here, chiquita," he murmured darkly. "I wonder what all that toughness would look like when I blow your back out."
He blew smoke directly into my face.
Disgust crawled beneath my skin.
I wanted to break every bone in his body.
Instead, I stayed still.
He paced around the room slowly like a predator studying trapped animals. Then suddenly another thug burst through the back door.
"Boss—someone's coming."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
"We'll be back for the map," the leader warned coldly.
Within seconds, they scattered toward the backyard, climbing over the fence before anyone could spot them.
The moment the house fell silent, I sprinted toward the getaway room.
"Jordan," I whispered urgently. "Jordan!"
No response.
Panic nearly strangled me before I spotted him curled beneath the hidden bed platform, trembling.
He crawled out slowly, fear written all over his face.
"Mommy… who were those people?"
His voice broke me.
I never wanted my son to look that terrified again.
"Don't worry, sweetie," I said quickly, pulling him into my arms. "They're gone now."
I held him tightly while trying to steady my own breathing.
That was when I noticed Kora standing nearby, staring at the destroyed living room in confusion. She had just arrived and clearly had no idea what had happened.
But I didn't wait to explain anything.
I grabbed my car keys immediately.
Jordan needed to leave. Now.
The drive to Violet's house felt endless. Every car behind me looked suspicious. Every red light felt dangerous.
When we finally arrived, Violet had already prepared a room for Jordan exactly as promised. Fresh blankets. Clothes. Snacks. Even his favorite cereal sat on the dresser.
"Mommy's going to come get you once we gather enough money, okay?" I told him softly while kneeling in front of him. "For now, Aunt Violet is going to take care of you. I'll call you every single day."
I hugged him tightly.
Too tightly.
Because deep down, I didn't know whether that would be the last time I ever held my son.
Violet walked me outside afterward.
"You look terrible," she said the moment we reached the car.
"Our house was broken into," I admitted quietly. "They were looking for something. They didn't find it… but they promised to come back."
Concern flooded her face immediately. "Did anyone get hurt?"
"Thankfully, no." I swallowed hard. "Listen to me carefully, Violet. I'm trusting you with Jordan. That boy is my entire world. If anything happens to him…"
Emotion closed my throat.
"Please protect him. And protect yourself too."
I stepped forward and hugged her.
A long hug. The kind people share when they're terrified it might be goodbye forever.
Then I got back into the car and drove away.
Back at the house, everybody sat in silence, trapped inside their own thoughts.
"So what now?" Marissa finally asked. "It's obvious someone wants that map."
"And they're not stopping until they get it," I added grimly. "Even if they do get it, they'll still kill us afterward."
Silence swallowed the room again.
None of us wanted to return to that life.
We had all escaped hell in different ways, and now it felt like hell had found us again.
"The person after the map has to be connected to Don Fernandez," Indira finally said, rising from the couch. "His people were the only ones who knew about it."
"I could tell," I muttered. "That accent sounded familiar."
Too familiar.
And only one face kept appearing in my mind.
Felipe.
"Kora," I said carefully, forcing patience into my voice, "were you with Felipe the entire night?"
Her eyes narrowed instantly. "How did Felipe's name even get dragged into this?"
"Answer the question," Lupita said firmly before I could respond. "We all want to know."
Kora crossed her arms defensively. "Yes, I was with him most of the night. But he left early and never told me where he was going."
Lupita and I exchanged a look.
The same suspicion lived inside both of us.
But for the sake of peace, the conversation died there.
Eventually, everyone drifted off to their rooms.
I stayed behind cleaning weapons from my hidden stash—guns, knives, ammunition. Preparing myself mentally for whatever was coming next.
A few minutes later, Lupita entered carrying a black duffel bag. She locked the door behind her before placing it beside me.
"What's this?" I asked.
"Open it," she replied with a wink.
I smirked. "So now you know how to wink like a lady?"
She rolled her eyes while I unzipped the bag.
And then I froze.
My heart nearly stopped.
Inside rested the most beautiful weapon I had ever seen.
A Sako TRG 62 A1.
The queen of rifles.
My fingers traced along the deadly machine reverently. With its large caliber, insane precision, and ability to hit targets from almost two kilometers away, the rifle was a monster. Portable. Brutal. Perfect.
"Oh my God," I whispered breathlessly. "Where did you even get this beauty?"
I lifted the rifle carefully, admiring it like a priceless treasure.
"You know how much I love this kind of weapon?" I asked excitedly, accidentally aiming it in her direction.
"Please point that thing somewhere else," Lupita muttered, gently pushing the barrel aside.
"I saw it and immediately thought of you," she said. "You've never liked small guns anyway."
That was true.
Small guns always felt weak in my hands.
I preferred weapons that commanded fear the moment they appeared.
I was so distracted admiring the rifle that I didn't immediately notice the sadness in Lupita's face.
Finally, she spoke.
"After what happened… I told Shaun we needed a break."
My attention snapped toward her instantly. "How did he take it?"
"Not well."
She pulled out her phone and played the voicemail messages he had been leaving her.
Bleep.
"Lupita, it's me again. Did I do something wrong? At least tell me why you want a break. Was I too much? Please call me back."
Bleep.
The second voicemail played immediately after.
"Can we at least talk about this? Let's meet and fix whatever's bothering you. If I did something wrong, I'm sorry, my love. I love you."
Bleep.
I sighed softly.
That man was deeply in love with her.
There were dozens more messages, but we stopped listening after a while.
"You should see him," I suggested quietly.
"And tell him what, Brandi?" Lupita asked bitterly. "He's going to ask questions. And around him… I become vulnerable. He sees right through me like an hourglass."
I blinked. "Wow. It's gotten so deep you're using hourglass metaphors now?"
That finally made her laugh.
"You're an idiot," she muttered.
"If it's God's will, we'll survive this. If not…" she shrugged dramatically, "maybe we'll meet again in hell."
"Speak for yourself," I scoffed. "I'm definitely not going to hell. That destination belongs to you and your aunty age."
Her jaw dropped instantly. "I am NOT aunty-aged!"
I burst out laughing.
Honestly, Lupita barely looked older than her early twenties. Her body was insanely toned, youthful, and athletic.
Together we finished cleaning the weapons before heading downstairs for dinner.
Everyone was already seated. Including Kora.
"Well look who's here tonight," I muttered.
She ignored me completely.
The tension at the dinner table was unbearable.
Chicken and white rice sat untouched on most plates while silence swallowed the room whole.
But one thought had been tormenting me the entire day.
And I couldn't hold it in any longer.
"One of the goons' voices sounded familiar," I finally said. "The leader's voice specifically."
Marissa immediately looked up. "I thought the same thing. I swear I've heard that voice before."
"I wouldn't be shocked if it turned out to be Felipe," I said coldly. "That accent and voice sounded exactly like his."
Kora stiffened instantly.
Marissa's eyes widened. "Wait… you're right."
And just like that, the explosion began.
"So because he has a Spanish accent now he's automatically Felipe?" Kora snapped furiously. "Why can't you keep your disgusting opinions to yourself? Brandi, why do you hate seeing me happy?"
I stared at her in disbelief. "Me? Hate seeing you happy? Because I said I suspect your boyfriend?"
"How can you conclude that after meeting him twice?" she shouted. "Oh wait—I get it. You're jealous because I have a man and you don't."
"Three times actually," I fired back sharply. "And please. If they lined real men up against a wall, Felipe wouldn't even qualify. I deal with alpha males."
The table fell silent.
"That man followed me the day we were being watched," I continued. "So yes, I have every reason to suspect him."
"You're delusional," Kora snapped. "If he followed you, he would've admitted it when he came to Jordan's party. Stop dragging him into this or—"
"Or what?" I interrupted dangerously. "What exactly are you going to do?"
My voice hardened.
"I'm telling you now and I'll keep telling you every day—Felipe was involved in that break-in."
Her face twisted with rage.
"I wonder why they didn't kill you," she spat venomously. "If you had died back then, none of this would be happening. You're bad luck, Brandi. You're a damn jinx."
The words sliced through me.
Not because they hurt.
But because those were the exact same words my enemies used to call me years ago.
Jinx.
Curse.
Death.
For a moment, I wanted to cross the room and tear her apart with my bare hands.
Instead, I lowered my eyes silently.
"Kora!" Marissa barked angrily. "That was completely out of line."
But the damage was already done.
That night, something between us broke permanently.
"I'm leaving this hellhole," Kora announced bitterly.
We thought she was bluffing.
Until she came downstairs dragging her suitcases behind her.
The ladies begged her to stay.
She refused.
Just like that, we lost our sister.
She chose a man over us.
"Because of a man?" Indira scoffed once the door slammed shut. "She left us because of a man."
"I never imagined we'd witness one of us throwing everything away for a relationship," Marissa added bitterly. "This is a whole new level of stupidity."
Lupita sighed softly.
"She'll come back," she said quietly. "Either Felipe betrays her… or her conscience brings her home."