Page 4 of The Guardian

“The hell you will,” Selena spoke as she stared at Mancini. “We never would have been able to bring Gabriela’s children here without Carlos. I know of the history between you all, but if you are as smart as I have heard, you will pecar de precavido.

I knew some Spanish and as close as I could tell this meant… ‘err on the side of caution.’

For the first time, since we laid eyes on Alberto Mancini, he broke character and his blank expression slipped. His dark eyes met Selena’s and they locked gazes. He slowly raised his hands up to her. “I concede to caution for now. Let us return to my home and discuss this in my study.”

Selena gave him a nod.

What just happened? I blinked hard as Selena seemed to turn the tables with three words, with some random phrase and bought us some time. I wouldn’t lie to myself, I halfway believed that we were gonna die today, considering the army Mancini had at his dangerous disposal.

Then The Blade had inexplicably changed the game in midplay?

I noted that Gabriela refused to act afraid or unhappy as she turned her head to smile at Selena. She gave her husband a warm smile as well. While keeping a hold of Carlos’ hand, she walked her missing brother up the steps. Indeed, to her this was a sacred, joyous day. As well as it should have been. She had found out that her missing brother was alive.

Years had gone by while her babies had been lost with her never knowing if they were dead or alive. Yes, I had heard that heartfelt, desperate online message she had made about losing her children. If you didn’t get tearful upon hearing it, you must be a black-hearted demon.

Now, Mancini motioned to Selena.

She stepped over and joined him. He, his son and his guard, all proceeded up the steps with her.

“What the fuck just happened?” Rainmaker muttered under his breath from next to me as we followed closely.

“Selena just parted the Red Sea, my friend,” I muttered back.

“Blin, remind me to bow to Queen Selena after this is over.”

I squelched my laugh. We both had already been in awe of Carlos’ woman. Who wouldn’t be? Even with being large, skilled fighters that Rainmaker and I were…She could fell us like trees in a forest under her deadly axe. Plus, she would look brave and graceful while doing it.

With her intervention, we managed to avoid a mafia war… well maybe not that but we had avoided our imminent deaths. Rainmaker and I knew better though, this may have been just a small reprieve.

I sent a mental prayer up for safety. Hell, it couldn’t hurt.

The world could be a dark, dangerous place. Where death could claim you at anytime and anywhere. I knew this already as I’d barely escaped it, right here in New Orleans, almost two years ago.

I only hoped lightning would not strike twice.

Chapter Two: It’s The Cookies

Maya

I hurried the teens inside then we all halted as we gasped. We were shocked at what we saw. Just inside the large door we went through was the largest entryway I had ever seen. The marble tiles seemed to go on forever. The floor sparkled and it looked so clean that people could probably eat from it.

Simultaneously, the twins and I all looked upward in complete awe. The ceiling also seemed to go on forever. The only place I could compare this to would be a church I once entered in Mexico City and even that didn’t seem as huge as this. The church held three hundred people. This foyer as they probably called it could hold that many as well.

We were just inside the door, yet we were already lost. I did not know where to go at all.

“This is where our mother lives?” Hope whispered to me.

I nodded. “Si, Esperanza. That is what they said.”

“We cannot live here,” Alex said as he looked around with wide eyes. “They probably whip you, if you left a mark on the tile.”

“Oh, si,” a voice came from behind us.

We all flipped around to stare at Gabriela.

She slowly nodded her head as she added, “Oh, and you get a full beating for fingerprints.”

Alex looked a little ashen as he grabbed his sister’s hand and stepped forward. “Then we shall not stay here. Those old women beat on mi hermana and I made them stop when I grew taller. No one will mistreat Hope again.” He took a few steps then tried to go around Carlos and Gabriela.