Family dinners were a tradition for the Gonzalez family. At least one evening out of the week, the infamous group came together at Big Rey and Lupe‘s house to indulge in some good company, delicious homemade Mexican food and polite conversation. Normally, these dinners occurred on Sunday, as a way to enjoy some
futbol and catch up with each other before the start of a new week. However, this week’s dinner had been plagued with small details that seemed like red flags in Aleyda Gonzalez’ eyes. The first red flag had been Big Rey’s request to move this week’s dinner to Saturday night. The patriarch of the family was well aware of the fact that he had three young adult children with active social lives, who most of the time had plans for their Saturday nights. There were also no major sporting events or special events taking place, and only a vague explanation about the sudden change was offered when Ley asked for the reason why. If it hadn’t been for the fact that she’d observed an increase in the patrolling of their crews around the locations she frequented, then she would’ve just brushed her off as Big Rey possibly planning some obscure surprise for them. Her sixth sense, however, was telling her that something bigger was happening.
After they had finished the majority of their meal and silence had settled in the dining room, Ley decided it was time to voice her concerns in an attempt to get a response from her elders.
"I've noticed the Carlisle crew is doing more rounds around my place and Tresses than usual," the brunette observed, turning her attention to her father at the head of the table.
"That have to do with you moving dinner to tonight instead of tomorrow?""Just a precaution, hija mía,” Big Rey finished dregs of his black coffee before reaching forward to the center table and the aged bottle of fine scotch that sat there.
"The streets have been very loud as of late. Still, that’s your brother's territory now. If you’re concerned, bring it up with him.” Rey did not particularly enjoy passing the buck. He would’ve handled things a lot differently were he still the King Snake. Alas, he was not, and his first-born son now sat in the big chair.
Alarm bells went off in Aleyda's head as she let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes. Red flag #2. Even if ReyRey didn't listen to their father's advice most of the time, Big Rey was always aware of what was happening in their turf. Rarely anything happened in the Southside without the former leader knowing. Additionally, it wasn’t like her father to brush off her worries with such a generic answer like ‘the streets are very loud’. They were the family members of the current and former kingpins of the reigning criminal enterprise of Edenridge: the streets were
always loud for them. What kind of bullshit explanation was that?
Fuelled by her annoyance, Ley chose to do as her father said and redirect her questions to the appropriate personnel at the table.
"Then I guess I'll ask you," the brunette drawled, now turning her attention towards her older brother.
"Is there any particular reason your crew has amped up the patrolling lately? Because I feel like something's going on that nobody’s telling me about. And if something's going on, I'd like to be aware of it so that I don’t get blindsided with it and I can keep Rafael safe."With a mouthful of steak, ReyRey’s dark eyes fell upon his sister. As he prepared to speak, his father shot him a look that he had seen one too many times:
don’t dare talk with your mouthful at your mother’s table. It was a simple enough message. Once he had finished chewing, he swallowed the tender meat and washed it down with a beer.
"Like Papi said, it’s a precaution. This letter business has everyone on edge. Who's to say the Gorta or even the Angels don’t flip their shit and start a war? You and my sobrino are safe.”“Do not curse at my table, Reynaldo,” Lupe chimed in with venomous intent in her native tongue. She was a strong and fierce woman, and a beauty that belied the stress she was under from her family's business. She had to be, with a brood like this.
“Aleyda, can you pass me the peppers?” The older woman sighed greatly before grabbing the bowl her daughter handed her and brushing her long, raven locks back into a bun.
“I heard from Uncle Pedro today. Your cousin Enrique is going to go on tour. Isn’t that exciting?”Red flag #3: her mother purposely changing the subject. Much like her daughter Aleyda, Guadalupe Gonzalez wasn’t the type of woman who shied away from controversial or difficult conversations. She was one to bite the bullet and rip the bandaid right off to avoid misunderstandings or bigger confrontations down the line. By this point, nervousness started to settle in the pit of Ley’s stomach. Whatever her family was holding back from her (and she
knew they were holding something back from her) must be serious.
”Rico is an idiot, ma. He’s lucky he can sing cos the boy doesn’t have a pair of brain cells to rub together.”A hand came crashing down with a firm grasp onto ReyRey’s shoulder. His father was a huge man; much larger than the already imposing R2.
”Mijo, be happy for your cousin and shut up,” Big Rey returned his attention to his daughter and smiled.
”How’s my grandson? I might take him and you out tomorrow, head into Boston for the day if you don’t have plans?”As if on queue, a pair of one small but mighty footsteps could be heard thundering down the hall and making their way to the dining room. It wasn't long before the figure of a small child came into view.
With his sand-colored hair, fair skin, button nose and blue eyes, it was impossible to deny that this little boy was the son of Cameron Hyde. But the bright, innocent, pure-hearted grin on his chubby-cheeked face was as opposite from his father as it could ever be.
"Papa!" the little boy shrieked, running straight to Big Rey's chair and excitedly wrapping his arms around his grandfather.
The cute display of affection brought a momentary smile and relief to the tense Aleyda's face. The bond her son shared with her father had begun the second he had laid eyes on the little boy. That day he’d first met his firstborn grandchild, Big Rey had cried like a baby. He had cradled the newborn boy in his large arms, peppering him with kisses and cuddles while making promises to love, care and protect him unconditionally: just as he had done with his three children. In many ways, Big Rey was the father figure in Rafael’s life-- and Ley wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Mi nieto! Rafael!” Rey held his grandson close in a hug. He loved this little boy more than anything. In spite of the knowledge of the evil from which he was born, little Rafi was family. There was an overcast cloud, a specter that hung over their heads and Rey would not be lying if he didn’t worry that that same darkness sat in the blood of his grandchild.
R2 looked at his father and nephew and began to tap on the table rhymically, biting his tongue. He wanted to say something, he was desperate to say something. He loved his nephew but the older he got, the more physical features of his degenerate father he saw in him. Unable to contain his feelings any longer, ReyRey turned to his sister, gripping onto his beer bottle.
”He’s out, Aleyda”Mika rolled his eyes at Rey Rey’s tactless approach in revealing that. It was one thing to let her know, but immediately Mika saw the sudden terror on his sister’s face. It was so obvious that silence befell the dinner table and midway through a sip of his Modelo, he closed his eyes only to open them back up when he noticed that very same feeling that he felt last night, the same expression of disbelief that he saw on Ley’s face.
“And he’s here. In Edenridge.” Mika’s words came as he looked to Ley, uncertain what else he could say, but more importantly, trying not to let it be known in both his words and his face the well-guarded secret he has been keeping about the true nature of his relationship with Cameron Hyde.
What did they just say?As the meaning and implication of her brothers’ words sunk in, Aleyda froze on the spot. For the better part of three years, the Gonzalez girl had been able to live her life in a somewhat content state knowing that the man who had mentally and physically abused her would be spending at least ten years behind bars. Justice being served certainly did nothing to help her forget the difficult times she had faced when they were dating, nor did it appease her paranoia or keep her from sleeping with a knife under her pillow-- but it brought her a little ease to know that he’d be paying dearly for his crimes on the inside. With Cameron in prison, she was able to slowly start healing her trauma and putting herself back together, all while building a better life for her and her young son. Hyde being out meant that any peace she’d obtained was gone, and that her and Rafaei’s life were now in the gravest of dangers.
With this realization settling in, Aleyda felt as if all of the oxygen in the world had suddenly evaporated, leaving her deflated lungs struggling to breathe. Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest, eyes wide with terror as a heavy load settled on her stomach. She wanted so desperately to cry, to scream until her throat was raw, to bang her fists against the wall until her knuckles were bloody. But her body remained paralyzed in place instead, as if being held down hostage by the chair she was occupying.
“There’s no way he can be out yet...” the girl muttered hoarsely, as if speaking any louder would invoke the presence of her ex.
“I thought he still had at least seven years left inside. They promised me he would do all of his time on the inside!”Mika looked around the table and the expressions on his father and brother and his other mother said volumes. He couldn’t fathom what horrors his sister was entertaining right now. That volatile relationship with his half-brother was horrific and the fear that he saw in Ley’s eyes was equal to the dread and internal panic he felt last night when Hyde surprised him at his place. And after a few moments of thinking and after Mika took another sip of his drink, he let his eyes fall on Ley.
“They let him out, Ley. On good behavior.”"On 'good behavior'?" Aleyda repeated in disbelief, her eyebrows raised while voice took on that slight pitch it always did when she was about to start yelling.
"On 'good behavior'?!" she cried out again, leaping from her seat so abruptly that the chair clattered backwards, scaring the wide-eyed Rafael into hiding his face in Big Rey’s chest and hugging his grandfather even tighter.
"So you're telling me that that you can fuck with someone's mental state so badly they can't get through a day without nightmares or feeling like a worthless piece of garbage, threaten to kill someone numerous times, push and grab someone by the hair and all around hard enough to leave bruises, and beat someone up so bad they had broken ribs, a broken collarbone, concussions, contusions and had to be put in a fucking medical coma because of brain swelling while almost losing their baby in the process-- and get off on good fucking behavior?! That's fucking bullshit!"As her chest rose and fell with panic and fury, Aleyda’s eyes fell on her small son. Still in his grandfather’s arms, she took note of Rafael looking up at her with the same wide-eyed terror she knew she used to have on her face when she looked up at his father, and felt her heart shatter into a million pieces with shame and regret. When her son had been born, Aleyda had sworn to be the best version of herself she could possibly be. The circumstances of Raf’s conception and his arrival to the world hadn’t been ideal, but his survival against all odds was enough to make his mother vow to offer him nothing short of everything he ever wanted and deserved. He was her little miracle, the calm after the storm, the sunshine after the rainstorm. This cursing, wrathful woman standing in front of him wasn’t the soft-spoken, affectionate, loving, patient, gentle mommy Raf knew. This was a woman that resembled a man she never wanted to cross paths with again: his father.
She couldn't let her little boy see her like this.
Before she could scare Rafael even further, the tearful Aleyda stormed into the hallway and leaned against the concrete wall. She tried to regulate her rattling breathing and racing heartbeat unsuccessfully, getting increasingly more desperate with each second. Eventually, her mind, spirit and body just gave up the fight, and every ounce of energy was drained from her. Slowly, Ley let her body sink to the floor underneath her feet, curled up in herself, and began to break down, sobbing so loudly and uncontrollably it set her throat on fire.
Big Rey looked at his two sons and shook his head. How could they be so blasé with this information? They know what that monster did to his baby girl. They know the pain that she endured at his fists.
“Idiotas!” The Emperor Snake hissed. He handed Rafi off to Lupe, pressing a kiss on top of his little head.
“Take him in the garden, mi amor,” And once his wife and grandson were out of earshot, Rey’s large fist crashed down hard onto the table.
“You happy now, Reynaldo? Mikhail? We could’ve dealt with this quietly!” He got up to his feet and followed his daughter into the hallway. Rey crouched down to her level and lifted her sobbing form from the floor and into his large arms.
"He almost killed me!" Aleyda wailed into her father's chest in between sobs, holding onto him in desperation as her whole world seemed to be spinning out of control and crashing around her.
"He almost beat me to death, Daddy, and those motherfuckers just let him out like that to try and kill me again?! Why the fuck would they do that to me?! Why?! When is it going to end?!" “We will figure this out, mija,” Big Rey held his little girl close, as close as he could possibly do so. Cameron Hyde was a psychopath, a rabid animal, he was the beast lurking beneath the collective bed of this town. Yet he was untouchable. His father, Mikhail’s father, was a friend and a partner: therefore any action from the Gonzalez' or the Serpents would end in war. Whatever they did-- and they
would do something-- it would have to be done smartly. Cameron Hyde will not live to see his next birthday, count on that.
“Papi will figure this out.”Mika felt an immense weight start to swell inside him, building from his stomach as Ley went on an emotionally-charged tangent about his monster of a half-brother. He knew she would react like this. With how horrendously Hyde beat her, Mika wasn’t surprised but it didn’t make witnessing it first hand any easier and knowing that he kept such a large-scale secret from her about certain things any easier. To top it off? Big Rey made him feel even worse for saying anything regardless if he was probably just as afraid for Ley as Mika was.
As he glanced over at Ley, who sat on the floor with Big Rey consoling her, that feeling only worsened.
“We did the right thing, right? The news would have reached her ears so it was better we told her than some slimeball looking to get a rise, right?” Mika asked Rey Rey, keeping his tone as low as he could but still loud enough that his brother heard him. He felt like he had to justify playing his part to make himself feel better, but the truth was Mika wasn’t certain if they should have said anything to begin with.
ReyRey looked at his uncontrollable sister. She had every right to feel as she did. The monstrosity she once claimed to have loved didn’t deserve to live. He turned his attention to Mika, his fist balled up against the table.
“We did the right thing. Better she hear it from us rather than see him on the street.” R2 got up to his feet and went to his mama’s fridge to get another beer. He looked out the window to see Lupe playing with Rafi, who had seemingly already forgotten about his mother's outburst and was chasing his grandmother around the yard with his signature beaming smile.
“You need to let us know what he does, brother. You’ll be our eyes and ears on him.”I was afraid you’d say that.But Mika knew that Rey Rey was right. He didn’t even disagree. Of course, he would keep them all in the loop. Because it wasn’t just Ley who feared Hyde — Mika had similar feelings of dread for his brother. The dread of what Cameron Hyde would do in any situation. Just being near him last night brought up all of those painful memories of his brother, but there was obviously more than that.
“I’m meeting him tonight,” Mika admitted, his voice staying at the same, careful tone that it was before.
“He wants breakfast, so I might know more about his plans… maybe.”ReyRey turned and made his way back over to the table, placing his free hand on the chair he was previously sitting on.
“Once we know what he’s up to, we’ll make our move. What he did, what he could do; it’s unforgivable.” ReyRey knew that he himself was not a good man. He was under no illusion on that but Hyde was something else entirely.
He remembered years prior, when he had just taken iced from his father as the Kingsnake. There were rumblings of a kid in the streets, someone so violent, so sadistic that there was a wash of fear running through the streets like blood. This was a person who wasn’t just shooting people or stabbing people, he was choking them. Drowning them. Breaking every bone in their body and forcing their families to watch. One paper decided to name him:
”The Hellmouth beneath our quiet town has opened and out stepped the Devil incarnate”. Rey knew then he would be trouble. Had he known then what he did now, Cameron Hyde would’ve been buried long ago.
ReyRey glanced at his grieving sister and father in the other room. Aleyda didn’t know everything. She didn’t know of her ex-lover’s connection to her adopted brother sitting at the table. They were all protecting her.
They had failed before. They wouldn’t again.
Mika lamented the complicated position he was in. Rey Rey talked with such confidence and conviction about dealing with Mika’s devilish half-brother. A large part of him agreed and may have been on board, but what was to do with these feelings that he had. Hyde was a monster who had proven to Mika that devils existed, but there were very rare moments that his older half-brother made him feel wanted and accepted by his own blood. So, suffice to say, his thoughts and feelings on the matter weren’t as simple as yes and no.
But no matter what he felt about it, the one thing he could agree on was that Hyde shouldn’t ever be allowed near Ley again.
“Whatever the cost, we do it for our sister,” Mika heard himself say, but the words didn’t register in a way that made him hear it back in his head. He followed Rey Rey’s gaze and his priority to protect Ley was clearer to him than ever.
Member
AlteredTundra
Sapphic Pigeon
Foster
spicykvnt
Taytay
HaleyTheRandom
Aces Away
Izurich
Crimson Flame
