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Chavela Valdes-Chapter 8(part3)

JULIANA POV

The day goes well, as well as a date with someone with a slight fear of heights goes. It bodes well for me though as Val doesn't take her hands off me all day. Roller coaster after roller coaster, Valentina’s hands constantly hold on tight to my arms and her face ends up hidden at my shoulder. I feel a little bad at enjoying her fear but the way her baby-blue eyes would look up at me at the end of the ride, so full with shock and thrill and relief at me being with her, sent a thrilling feel that made me feel braver than a knight heading off to war. At some point, I end up pulling her as close to me as possible and holding her hand tightly to provide some sense of comfort for her. This rewards me with hugs and kisses from the other girl at the end of each ride.

My heart is full as we walk around the park one final time, hand in hand. I look down to Val her head against her new favorite place: my shoulder, and kiss her forehead. Val looks up and smiles at me with her eyes shining brightly despite the little light the evening provides.

“I have one more place for us to go,” I whisper to her, “Are you ready to go?”

Valentina bites her bottom lip and she looks away. She stays staring at something and I curiously look over to where her gaze is. A game stall nearby is empty except for the worker that looks tired of encouraging people to play. I feel fear as flashes of El Chino’s large gun collection flashes in my head. I hold back a shiver and breath deeply to calm my nerves.

“Juls?”

“You want something,” I ask Val.

The girl pulls away and uses a hand to pull my gaze away from the shooting game. Her eyes search mine and I try to hide my reluctance to play.

She finds it anyway.

“You don’t have to,” she whispers.

I shake my head, “Pick something.”

Val’s brow furrows but she turns back to the prizes. I watch silently as she looks at all the prizes and finally settles for pointing out a fluffy grey bunny. I look at the tag and see it’s a large-sized prize. With a nod, I pull Valentina by her hand towards the man and the large shooting game. The shooting range is a simple scene of a small house in the desert. There are a few things such as chairs and animals with little target underneath. My eyes scan over all the targets and I count twenty in total. Once I’m at the stall the man approaches.

“How much,” I ask.

“Two hundred peso for a full round,” he nods, “You have ten bullets.”

I look down at the rifle and pick it up. I inspect it, the weight, length of the barrel and calculate the distance of the targets and finally the trigger. I nod, satisfied with the mock rifle and pull out four hundred pesos. I hand the dull maroon bill to the man and wait for him to set up the game.

“You really don’t have to, Juls,” Val whispers to me from behind me.

I turn around and force a smile at her, “Don’t worry, Val. I got this.”

The man asks Val to move a little so I won’t hit her and the scene starts. There is no timer but all I want is to finish this before I get a flashback again. I take my stance and shoot my first target. With a fake bang, the target’s light turns from green to red and I turn to the next. I breathe evenly as I go from target to target, shooting each target only once. A loud siren roars after I hit the final target, a bunny hidden under a rocking chair, and the whole scene shuts off. I sigh and turn to the employee.

“What do I get?”

The man’s wide eyes turn to me and he blinks owlishly. I raise a brow and he somehow turns timid.

“Anything,” he mumbled, “You got the highest score.”

I furrow my brows and look down. Sure enough the score as at max. I put the rifle down as if burned by the object and put my hands in my pockets. I ignore Val’s surprised and questioning gaze and point at the rabbit. The man jogs to the stuffed animal and pulls it down then hands it to me. I take the toy and walk to Valentina.

“Here,” I whisper, “All yours.”

Valentina stares at the bunny for a second then turns her head up to stare at me. A happy smile and unreadable eyes are directed at me.

“Gracias.”

I smile, happy at facing one of my many fears for her smile, “Your welcome, Princessa.”

“You said we had someplace to be,” she offers.

I nod and lead us out of the stalls and towards the exit. We manage to reach my motorcycle without getting any more tired than we already are. After getting us situated and stuffing Val’s new friend and her purse in the side satchel of my bike, I drive us out the parking lot and the parking area. My nerves from earlier calm down at the feel of Valentina’s warmth on my back. I sigh and drive us to the last leg of our date. As we pass the downtown skyscrapers I catch the sight of the time: half past 10 p.m.

We reach our destination quickly after that. I pull past parked cars and go to the hidden parking spaces in the back. I cut the engine off and hit the kickstand to leave the bike. Val slowly gets off and looks confused as I grab her helmet and tie it once again to my motorcycle.

“Why are we at your workplace,” she asks me.

“it's a surprise,” I shrug with a grin, “Now do you want to find out or keep asking questions?”

The heiress takes my outstretched hand and we make our way to the front of the restaurant. I let her grip my elbow as we go up the stairs. The doors are closed once we reach the top step. I push the doors forward and the sound of drums, guitars, bass guitar and other instruments paint the air around us. El Jardín is filled with young people, about our age, dancing happily to the music the live band provides. I hear Val gasps as she takes in the place as well. The tables are fewer than normal and are against the walls to provide a nice space to dance. There are couples of all shapes and sizes and genders. I grin as Val turns to me.

“I told you we play every other Saturday,” I remind her, “On the Saturdays we don’t play, the restaurant has this. They have a local band come and play music to dance to. Its to help keep us young people out of trouble.”

The woman turns back to the scene and my hands take purchase at her waist from behind. She allows me to pull her to me and hug her from behind. I see Val’s hands fidget and I frown.

“Is this not okay,” I ask, “I can take you home if you’d like?”

She shakes her head and turns around in my arms. Her hands go up and around my neck. Our foreheads touch and I stare directly into her eyes, waiting for a response.

“I can’t,” she whispers.

“You can’t…”

“I can’t dance,” she mumbles.

My face becomes blank as I take that information in. Her cheeks are rosy and her gaze is no longer attached to mine, looking down in embarrassment. I huff and untangle a hand from her waist. I tilt her head up and she looks at me.

“I can’t swim.”

“What,” her eyes widen.

I grin, “I can’t swim, Val. I almost drowned once and ever since then I haven’t even said the word ‘swimming pool.’”

The girl stares at me in shock then her face shifts to excitement. I smile as she accepts my confession just how I wanted her to.

“Then, I’ll teach you how to swim and you teach me how to dance,” she says simply like solving basic math.

“Esta bien,” I kiss her cheek, “But only if you go slow with me. Dancing is nowhere near as scary as swimming.”

She scoffs, “I’m about to dance in a room full of people that are practically floating.”

I laugh and shake my head, “You just need a good lead.”

“And that's you,” she teases.

I sober up and take her hands from my neck. I hold them in between us and look into her eyes.

“Do you trust me?”

Val’s breath hitches. Her eyes become blurry and that unknown emotion from earlier shows up. She nods slowly.

“Sí. Tengo fe en tí.”

I keep my eyes on her as I pull her deeper into the restaurant. I lead her past groups of people until I find who I'm looking for. Sal and his wife Gabriela are dancing with Raúl and his wife, Yolanda. Nearby are the other band members dancing with girls or, in the case of Franky, other young men. Sal grins at me and Raúl winks. I blush as the twins see me and holler over the music. Axel does a rude motion but Franky smacks him over the head.

I roll my eyes at their hijinks and turn to the oldest members, now standing with their dates and waiting for me to reach them. I feel Val’s hand turn a bit sweaty but I squeeze it to calm her down. The group greets me with hugs and kisses then offer hugs and handshakes to Val. I watch as Sal introduces everyone to her and offer his well wishes for her new job. I move forward and hug her from behind as she, Yolanda, and Gabriela start talking while Raul and Sal go get drinks for us all. As Val talk to the girls, she pulls my hands in front of her and plays with my fingers. I let her do as she pleases, content with having my face hidden in her back and smelling the smell of flowers and sunshine that Val produces.

“Que bonito.”

I smirk at Raul’s teasing but don’t move from my spot. Sal hands Val a drink and gives the other to Gabriela. I share a grin with him as we wait for our dates to finish talking before pulling them out to dance. Val looks reluctant as I tug her nearby but a wink from Gabriela calms her nerves.

“You’ve got the best dancer as a teacher,” she tells her, “Just follow her lead.”

Val nods to her and turns to me, “Okay. What do I do?”

I pull her a bit closer, noticing her eyes dart from my hands to my face, and nod when she’s close enough.

“Okay. Put your hand here. On my shoulder,” I pull her left where I want it then take her right hand in mine, “Okay now you take four small steps to the left, my right. Then four small steps to the right, my left.”

I count out loud and lead her through the steps. She follows along but keeps staring down at her feet either for fear of stepping on me or reluctance to look up at me. I don’t say a thing and watch her patiently as she learns the basic steps. Once she’s confident enough she looks up.

“Okay. And then?”

“You have to let me lead and stop looking down,” I tell her.

She looks at me shocked and then stares at her feet then back up to me, “What? No! I-I can’t! I can barely-”

"¿Confías en mi?"

She quiets down at that. Our eyes meet and the feeling comes back ten times as strong. My eyes trail down to her mouth as a plump lip is held between blindingly white teeth. I drag my eyes up and meet her turquoise eyes again. She shrugs helplessly and I lean forward to connect our foreheads.

“Just follow me,” I whisper, “I won’t let you go. I promise.”

The hand on my shoulder tightens and I feel her sweet breath hitch against my face. Delicate eyelids close and I’m staring at an angel fidget for a second then settle.

“Okay,” she whispers, “I’ll follow you.”

I repeat myself, "¿Confías en mi?"

She nods, “Sí.”

I smile and cup her face with my free hand. She reveals her eyes to me as I allow myself to caress her cheek with my thumb for a second. With a final nod, I put my hand back at her waist and start counting aloud.

“Uno. Dos. Tres. Cuatro.”

“Uno. Dos. Tres. Cuatro.”

As I count Val somehow comes closer to me and I hold her tighter. Her eyes close and she tilts her head so her forehead rests against my cheek, as close to hiding in my neck as she can right now. I look down at her and trace every line and every curve with my eyes and follow down her neck until her shirt won’t let me go any further. Without meaning to, I lead us across the floor stepping forward instead of to the side. Though she stumbles Val follows me, muscles becoming loose the longer she stays in my arms. I glide us across the floor, following the flow established by the other dancers, and not letting her go for a second. The room feels soft and intimate, almost dreamlike as couples dance close around us each in their own bubble, like ours.

“This is nice,” she whispers after a moment.

I hum, “Yeah. It is.”

I take the initiative to start teaching her more by pulling away and spinning her, a little awkwardly, then pull her back. Her eyes open and she stares over her shoulder at me shocked as I lead her through the steps again only this time hugging her from behind. I feel her tense then relax against me as she notices the others in similar embraces. My left-hand releases her right and I push her hair to drape it to one side. We stay with eyes connected as we continue dancing.

“I told you to trust me,” I grin cheekily.

She giggles and I nuzzle her neck making sure to place small kisses up the strong tendons I find there. She sighs and we dance like that for a bit until I twirl her again and we’re back where we started.

“What aren’t you good at,” she whispers into my ear.

“Swimming.”

Val laughs out loud and I grin at her. Val puts her head against my shoulder and I grin when her hands tug me closer. I take the invitation to pull her completely against me so I let go of her hand and put both hands around her waist. Her arms go up around my neck as we move. I can tell with a little more practice she will become more fluid and easy to lead. Thoughts of another night of dancing flashes in my mind when the next song starts. The familiar song makes my ears perk up and paints a large grin on my face. I start singing to her as we sway to the new tempo. She pulls away just enough to watch me.

Cuando sientes mariposas en el alma

Con cada beso simplemente una mirada

Y con una flor regala tus sentimientos

Y de repente todo es lindo todo es bello

El suspirar hay un sentido en tu pecho

Una corazonada algo especial sientes por dentro

Como una luz que brilla la esperanza

Se nota en tu ropa tus ojos y tu cara

I sing the lyrics and my heart beats harder from being watched by blue, a color that is quickly becoming my favorite of all. Our gazes stay locked and I sing the chorus to her. She smiles dreamily and I put my forehead against hers again. She moves her head from side to side, giving me Eskimo kisses with a large grin. She sighs and closes her eyes, basking in our closeness. I stare at her just as before, tracing her face structure and wishing I could use my fingers instead.

Si la pasas escribiendo poesías

Y te preocupas por lucir bien todo el día

Sueñas despierto pensando en tus fantasías

De entregarle todo en cuerpo y alma y alegría

Y al suspirar hay un sentido en tu pecho

Una corazonada algo especial sientes por dentro

Como una luz que brilla la esperanza

Se nota en tu ropa tus ojos y tu cara

Bright blue are revealed to me and I gasp at what I see. Her eyes seem to burn with passion and liquid heat. I’ve never felt that nor had it directed at me. I try not to gawk as her gaze turns soft and gentle but still remains passionate.

“Juls.”

I gaps again as the hands around my neck grip my collar harder with desperation. The action causes a heatwave to pulse inside my chest. One that for the life of me, I can’t explain. A soft hand leaves my nape and cups my face. Blue eyes dance over my features then settle on my lips before turning up to stare into my eyes. Whatever she finds there sets her off as she closes the last distance between us.

Eso es amor

Cuando despiertas sonriendo a la mañana

Eso es amor

Cuando sientes que ya no te falta nada

Y hay una magia en tu alma

Eso es amor

I can’t think.

I can’t breathe.

I can’t move.

All I can do is melt into Valentina’s gentle kiss.

I feel my heart flutter like a thousand butterflies taking flight as she guides me through the kiss.

My first kiss.

Eso es amor

Cuando extrañas 24 horas al día

Eso es amor

Si la consideras tu vida tu alegría tu pasión y compañía

Eso es amor

After eons of gentle kissing, she pulls away with a toothy smile. I look at her in a dream-like state. Val giggles and pulls me away from the dancefloor. I can’t help but follow my angel. I don’t hear the teasing from my brothers as she guides me out of the restaurant. Val’s steps are fast but purposeful. I on the other hand struggle not to stumble. I don’t ask where we’re going. My mind is too busy replaying my first in my mind. We reach the employee parking lot and she turns around when we reach the wall in front of my bike. My eyes widen when she pushes me against the wall and pulls me into another kiss.

My hands go up to cup her face as she uses her hands to keep me against the wall at my waist. Any fear that I had for kissing anyone slips away as I instinctively dance with Val in this way. Her lips are plump and soft as they glide over mine. I taste grape flavored lip gloss with each pass. She hums as my fingers beings playing with her hair. The only other sound around us is the soft sounds of music leaving the building from the open windows.

Finally, our breathing becomes an issue and I pull away with a hum.

“Add that to the list,” she whispers to me.

“What,” I croak out.

“Kissing. Juliana,” she explains, “You are a good kisser.”

I shake my head, “I didn’t even know that.”

Her brows furrow at me. I should be feeling embarrassed at this but her eyes seem to shine just for me so I decide to answer anyway.

“That was my first kiss,” I whisper with a blush.

Val pulls away in shock and covers her mouth.

“That was your first kiss,” she asks.

I nod to her, “First date too.”

The shock in her eyes turn soft and happy, “Well then, I'm honored. Señorita Valdes.”

My eyes go down to her lips again as she leans over to kiss me again. Just as we meet a loud ringing forces us apart. My eyes widen and I pull out my phone out.

Midnight.

Crap!

I look at my girl, “I was supposed to take you home by midnight.”

Val shakes her head, “It’s okay. Let’s go now.”

I nod and pull my keys out of my pocket but can’t move as Val is still pinning me against the wall.

“Ugh. Val?”

She grins and kisses me again for a moment before pulling me by the edge of my jacket towards my bike. Her satisfied grin stays on her face from then and all the way to her house. There are two guards posted outside, waiting for the lady of the house to arrive. They open the gates to let me through. I stop the bike just reaching the light casted by the large mansion. I cut the engine off and help Val off. I stand to take her bunny out of the bikes satchel.

“I had an amazing time,” she tells me, “You did well for your first date.”

I grin and hand her the stuffed toy, “That’s good to hear. I was really nervous.”

She scoffs, “You didn’t act like it.”

A grin is my answer to her. Val looks over her shoulder to the large doors of her home then looks back at me.

“Call me when you get home?”

I nod, “Of course.”

Val nods. We stay silent for a moment until I gather the courage to lean forward and kiss her cheek. She moves last minute and catches the kiss on her lips instead. I follow her lead again as we kiss in front of her house for another long eon. A buzz from my pocket breaks our exchange.

“Sorry.”

“It must be your mom,” she answers, “Get going Romeo. You might not be allowed out again if you miss you misbehave.”

I roll my eyes, “Says the cradle robber.”

Val laughs but quickly covers her mouth.

With a wink, I kiss her cheek, “Buenas noches, Princessa.”

I turn away and start my bike again.

“Wait,” she shouts, “What about the helmet?”

I look to the blue object in her hands then give her what I hope is a charming smirk.

“Keep it.”

With a loud roar, I’m speeding out of the Carvajal residence and into the dark streets of Mexico City. On the way home my mind replays the events of the day. Picking out flowers. Giving said flowers to Val. Taking her to the theme park. Sharing funnel cakes and introducing Val to Johnny Rockets. The dancing. My first kiss. I knew I had a large grin on my face by the time I reached Milagros’ home.

The house is surprisingly bright when I reach it. I can see the light from the living room and kitchen still on. I hope it’s not my Milagros ready to interrogate me. With a sigh, I push my bike into the front patío and leave it near Milagros’ old Taurus. I pull out my key but before I can put it in the door opens and mom is standing there with a glowing smile.

“Mija,” she says while pulling me inside, “I’ve been trying to reach you!”

I shake my head and let her pull me inside, “I’m here, mama. What’s going on?”

“En donde estabas mocosa? Ponga te agarrar tus cosas. ¡Ya nos vamos!”

My heart stops and all the blood in my veins turns to frost. That voice, though a few octaves lower, sends a panic and fear in me that only one person can.

“¿Ya no hablas o que?”

El Chino.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18497122/chapters/47564485

#amaramuerte #juliantina #juliana valdes #valentina carvajal #fanfic

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Chavela Valdes-Chapter8(part2)

VALENTINA POV

“What is going on here?”

I peak from around the wall separating my ensuite and closet from my bedroom to see Eva at my door.

“Buenas dias,” I force a smile.

Eva raises an eyebrow and stares at me expectedly.

“What?”

“‘What,’” she repeats with an amused scowl, “What is all this? A Valentina-made Popocatépetl?”

I look to where she’s pointing. As my eyes catch the sight of my room, I suddenly understand what she’s amused about. The usually clean and tidy bedroom I take residency in has clothes sprawl all over. My desk has countless blouses piled on top of my laptop and school notes. On my window’s seat are jeans of all shades and skirts of all cuts. The large pile of clothes at the center of my bed seem to trail down onto the floor like the lava of a volcano. Against the sky-blue wall next to Eva are pairs of shoes pushed to the side. I wince and imagine the hell Silvina will have to go through to put everything back while I’m gone.

“Ugh,” I groan, “I don’t know what to wear?”

Eva’s amused look comes out completely at my answer; her eyes sparkle as she laughs. I frown and walk completely out of my walk-in closet and into my room. My sister shakes her head and walks in to stand next to me. She laughs harder as she looks me over. I try not to blush as she snorts at my undressed state.

“Nice panties,” she smirks, “I think you’re aiming too high for a first date, though.”

I push Eva into my dresser and grab one of my robes from my bathroom door. Eva guffaws as I pull it on and blush up to my ears.

“Para le, Eva,” I groan, “It’s not funny! I have no idea what I’m doing!”

Eva smiles, laughter quieting down, and pulls me into a hug. I sigh and let my sister comfort me. The smell of her sweet perfume calms me and I let out a little laugh at my craziness.

“Sorry,” she whispers to me, “It’s just funny to see you acting all frazzled over a date. You’ve been on a lot of dates, Val.”

“I know but this is with Juliana,” I answer.

Eva chuckles at this and rubs my back, “So Juliana is different?”

I nod and my sister chuckles again.

“You know, on my first date with Mateo,” she whispers in my ear, “I tripped going down the stairs. He caught me right in front of papá.”

I pull away to see my sister clearly, “You? Falling down the front stairs?”

Eva nods, “Sí. I ended up doing that all night. I spilled my drink on him during our dinner. It was very embarrassing.”

“What did Mateo do,” I ask in shock.

My sister smirks, “When I spilled my drink, he laughed and paid for our half-finished dinner. Without a word, he took me out of that fancy place he picked. We ended up at the tourist district eating street food and took me to El Palacio. We walked took a night tour there before dropping me at home.”

“That’s sweet,” I smile at her.

Eva snorts, “It was until I woke up with a stomach bug and ended up sick for a week.”

“No!”

“Yes!”

I laugh and Eva watches me for a moment. The image of Eva having a romantic night with my adventurous brother-in-law before being sick with stomach flu makes me laugh harder. Eva pinches my bicep and I try to sober up, giggles still leave my lips however as I see the playful look in her eyes.

"Anyway," she chuckles, "It ended up being the best date I ever had. With or without the flu. What I want you to know is that, the shadow that follows me? He's the best thing that ever happened to me. He may be crazy and make rash decisions but it's something that I fell in love with. I enjoy being with him, being around him, because he makes me smile until my cheeks hurt. I'm sure whatever you wear won't matter to Juliana. What will matter is that you have fun. You do like her right?"

"Yes," I mumble. "Too much I think. Especially with the time we've spent…"

"Do you like talking to her?"

I nod.

"Then how is that different than what you're about to do," she scoffs, "Go. Have fun. Enjoy your day off work. If things don't work out at least you'll have a wonderful friend you can make."

I nod and bit my lip, "I'm not nervous about that."

Eva raises a brow, "Then why are you freaking out?"

"I just told you I have nothing to wear!"

My sister stares at me then lets out another trail of laughter. I huff but then smile as she pulls me into a tight hug. I giggle as she pulls away. Eva's eyes sparkle at me then she turns to the large pile of clothes. A second passes and she pulls out a purple longneck sweater-like top that I know would barely reach my waist. I watch as she then turns to my bottoms and pulls out a pair of black skinny jeans.

"Here," she hands them to me, "Put this on. I'll be right back."

I furrow my brows as she leaves my room. I stay there for a second then shrug and pull on the clothes. I look to the mirror hanging on the back of my bathroom door and look myself over.

"Nice," I say aloud, "Maybe some boots?"

I don't get to walk to the pile of shoes because Eva walks in with a necklace in her hands. The silver chain has long and thin clawlike triangles protruding from it. It looks similar to a tribal necklace, only its made of silver and not wood and string.

"Here," Eva hums while pulling the necklace over my head, "I wore this on that first date with Mateo. I'm sure it will be lucky."

The necklace hangs perfectly under the tops neck creases. I run my finger over the sharp edge of a triangle then look up at my sister.

"What if I get the stomach flu?"

Eva rolls her eyes at my smirk. I snicker as she shakes her head with a smile.

"Maybe this will counterbalance it?"

Eva and I turn to see the intruder of our conversation and see Lucia standing at my room's entrance. I smile as she moves around my chaos and comes to stand next to me. I watch as she pulls something out of her pants pocket. In her hand is a silver ring with a large oval turquoise in the center.

"I didn't have much when I met your father," my stepmother whispers, "Nothing of value. That was until I went on my first date with Leon. It was a nice sunny Saturday and he wanted to explore around El Jardiín. We walked the streets of the Mercado hand in hand. He stopped suddenly in the middle of the walkway. He saw this elderly man selling homemade jewelry. He told us he made them originally for his wife but after she grew ill, he began making them as a means to buy her medication.

“Leon bought it for me and offered to but all of the man's jewelry. The man refused but gave us his blessing as we left. After that, every Saturday he would take me on a stroll in that market and find that man. Leon would buy a ring and give it to me. When he proposed, he had that same man make my engagement ring. This is the last ring he bought for me before that one,” tears flood Lucia's eyes as she looks up to me, "Mind taking a little bit of our blessing with you?"

I feel my eyes water as I nod to her. Lucia smiles and takes my left hand. I watch as she slides the ring onto my index finger. The room feels tense in a sad way as all three of us look at the ring. I feel a warmth around my shoulders, like a blanket being placed on them. I slowly raise my left hand and place it over my left shoulder. The warmth becomes hotter for a second then cools completely to an icy temperature. Not knowing if it was my mother or father, I close my eyes and send a silent prayer to the reassurance I receive.

Footsteps echo from outside my room and then stop. All three of us look up and see Guille standing there. His happy smile shifts to concern but Eva waves it off. Guille shrugs and speaks.

“She’s here.”

My breathing hitches and I look to Eva then Lucia with panic.

“Hey,” Eva says, “I told you everything will be fine.”

I nod and turn to Lucia. She smiles and shakes her head.

“Have fun, mija.”

I gulp and walk over to my shoes. I hear Eva and Lucia gather a few things into my purse as I pull on the black ankle boots I had thought of. Standing up, Eva hands me my purse and I walk past Guille, letting him kiss my cheek, and towards the stairs.

“Just a date,” I tell myself, “A date. With Juliana. It's no big deal.”

I step off the last step and around the corner. Wearing the same leather jacket from Monday, only this time with a light blue button-up underneath and tight jeans with ripped knees is Juliana. She’s staring down at her shoes, pointy-toed boots, and fidgeting with her hands behind her. My footsteps stop as I take her in again and she looks up.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” she echoes.

I walk a few more paces until I’m in front of her. She looks up through her long eyelashes, scared, but then lets go of a breath she’s holding and stands up straight. The feeling from Monday’s lunch hits my heart again as her honey-colored eyes stare into mine.

“I-I got you something,” she says.

“You didn’t have to-”

Her left-hand release whatever its holding and her right comes forward. Clutched in her long fingers are beautiful flowers wrapped in lilac paper. The bouquet is made out of sunflowers, soft purple flowers shaped like stars and white carnations. The sweet smell is strong enough to reach my nose from across the room.

“They're beautiful,” I gasp.

Juliana smiles and shrugs, “Not the prettiest thing in the room.”

I bite my lip and feel a fresh blush dust my cheeks, “Starting early?”

The girl’s smile widens, “I have to woo you, Miss Carvajal.”

“You have to,” I ask with a smirk.

“Of course,” she chuckles, “I want to keep you by my side.”

I take a shuddered breath at the response and allow my feet to carry me to stop with only a foot of distance between us. My right-hand goes up to cup her cheek. Warmth fills my heart as she nuzzles into my hand and kisses my palm with her eyes closed. My breathing becomes forced when she opens her eyes and finds mine. The feeling is back and I don’t know how to act so instead I kiss Juls cheek and take the flowers from her hand.

“Let me get these in some water,” I tell her as I walk to the kitchen.

I run into Silvina when I walk into the kitchen. She stops all her work and looks up at me. I feel her stare as I pull out a vase from under the kitchen's double sink.

“Those are beautiful,” she tells me.

I blush, “Yeah. They are.”

“Here,” Silvina says, taking the flowers and vase from me, “I’ll take care of them and put them in your room. You get going. Your date might get cold feet.”

I giggle but kiss the woman’s cheek in thanks. A ‘shoo’ from the housekeeper and I’m back with Juliana. She smiles happily when I arrive and my eyes shift to her dimples. I can’t help but wish to be able to caress them one day. “Time to go?”

She nods, “This way, ma’am.”

I swoon as she gives my her elbow to hold onto. I greedily do so and the action brings us up close again. My nerves are suddenly gone and I catch a whiff of her scent: paper, textile and a scent that is all Juliana.

“So,” I begin, “Where are we going? How are we getting there anyway? We can call one of-”

“No need,” she smirks, “I’ve got the best ride in all of Mexico.”

“Oh?”

“Mmhmm,” Juls hums, “It’s parked right over there…”

We walk in the direction of the family gates and only get a few feet when Juliana pulls me towards a small green area we have. Standing next to the stone curb is an old looking motorcycle. The black paint is slightly dull and the leather seat is worn but the state of the engine and parts are shiny and well cared for. Hanging over each handlebar are two helmets that cover the whole head. I turn to her, feeling my eyebrows touch my hairline, and see her grin in return.

“The twin’s dad sells used cars,” she explains, “He’s had this in the back for many years and hadn’t been able to sell it, so I took it off his hands. He’s letting me pay for it in payments.”

“Wow,” I chuckle, “I didn’t expect this from you.”

“You didn’t,” she frowns with confusion.

“It’s a pleasant surprise, Juls,” I reassure her.

“Are you sure,” she asks, “We can take one of you-”

“NO!”

I’m just as surprised as my date with my loud response, but the thought of being so close to Juliana during the trip is something that I can’t let go. Fear of falling or not.

“Okay,” she shakes her head in amusement, “Let’s go then.”

After taking my purse and placing it into a leather bag attached to the bike, Juliana walks to the bike and gets on then signals me to get on behind her. Reluctantly, I sit on the bike behind her and try to find a way to hold on while not looking like a creep. Before I can move to hold onto her waist, she hands me one of the two helmets that were hanging on the handlebars. Its icy blue in color and hidden glitter shines from being in the sunlight.

“I think this one suits you better,” she tells me, “I’m sorry in advance for any helmet hair, Princessa. But I need you to keep you safe and bring you home.”

I giggle at her apologetic smile and wave it off. Once we are both ready, she starts the engine and waits for a moment.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going,” I half-shout in her ear.

Juliana laughs and doesn't answer. Instead, she pushes off the ground and the bike speeds off. I quickly grab onto her waist and bury my head into the space between her shoulder blades. I close my eyes as she speeds up and doesn’t notice we have left my home until she pats my hands with her left hand.

“Come on,” she shouts to me, “It's nice outside. Look!”

Hesitantly, I open my eyes and see the trees lining the streets pass in front of my eyes. We speed down the worn asphalt and dodge slower-moving cars left and right. The feeling is thrilling and I can’t help but let out a scared and surprised laugh. Juls’ hand doesn't leave mine until we get on the freeway and speed down the long road. It’s surprisingly empty for a Saturday morning, but I suppose most people are asleep and enjoying their day off instead of sightseeing.

Juliana takes the highway for some time until she takes an exit and drives us through shops and houses. She drives down a long winding road until I catch the sight of a large colorful sign. I can barely read the sign as we pass by but I know the lettering and remember the passing buildings. My excitement grows as we follow a line of cars into a large parking area. We wait for our turn to reach a small building and pay for the parking and then drive to the closest space they have. The stopping of a loud engine accompanies the sound of me pulling my helmet off me.

“Six Flags,” I shout, “Juliana!”

Juls laughs and pulls the key into her pocket. I watch as she stands up and helps me off the bike. She takes the helmets and attaches them to the bike with the small hooks they have on each side. She runs a hand in her hair and then takes my small purse from my hand for her to carry. Her other hand takes mine and she directs us to follow the string of people heading to the park.

“My mother brought me to the one in San Antonio for my birthday when I was younger,” she explains, “She would always bring me here when ‘dad’ wasn’t around.”

I frown, suddenly remembering Juliana’s situation. She looks at me and sees my expression. Juls shakes her head and smiles genuinely.

“It’s our day, Val,” Juls says, “Let’s not focus on what happened before. Let’s enjoy today. I didn’t get to see you all week and today I have you all to myself so please let’s enjoy it, sí?”

I girn at her and nod. We reach the ticket booth and she walks us to the line. I watch as she pulls out a worn black wallet and pulls out a golden colored plastic card from its depths. Once we reach the teller she hands the card and asks her about the membership she had back in the States. I watch as the teller approves the membership and asks if she wants a new one for her stay here in Mexico. Juls shakes her head but asks for the price of my ticket.

“You won’t have to,” the man tells her, “It’s Friend Day today so she can go in with you. Let me just get you a blank ticket and your Fast Pass bracelets.”

“I didn’t know you had a membership,” I say as the man beings working on our things.

Juliana smiles, “I worked babysitting jobs back then. The money I got I would use it for this and to buy what my ‘dad’ wouldn’t give to me.”

I stare in awe at the girl, amazed by her strength and nonchalance of the situation she was in. It hits me then that Juliana and I are not only from two countries but two different worlds altogether. While I had my life handled for me and allowed free range she had to step up to the plate even before her dad’s disappearance.

“Here you go, ladies,” the man says handing Juliana two bracelets, a receipt, and a ticket, “Enjoy your day.”

“Thank you, sir,” she nods to him.

I follow Juliana to the entrance stalls and she takes my hand and ties a bracelet around my wrist. I look up at her and see her watching me with soft eyes. I grin.

“Lead the way.”

My date leans over and kisses my cheek and I bite my lip as she pulls away. I keep my eyes on her as she pulls me in the direction of the park entrance.

#amar a muerte #juliantina #juliana valdes #valentina carvajal #fanfic

[mystblbk]

Chavela Valdes-Chapter 8(part1)

JULIANA POV

What started as a thrill-filled day ended up knocking me back to the ground after agreeing to go with Valentina for lunch. After a long walk down the stairs of Grupo Carvajal’s main staircase, Val convinced me to be the one to treat us to lunch. This is how we ended up at a rooftop restaurant that she and her family would frequent at an upscale hotel near one of Mexico City's parks: Parque España. Condesa DF was a lovely place. It had the vibe of San Antonio’s very own upscale hotels: urban, modern, and overpriced in every way. The second we went into the building and up the elevator to the fourth-floor restaurant.

Valentina had been a girl that, no matter how many expensive things she surrounded herself with, acted down to earth and was as kind as a saint. It wasn’t until I saw directly the type of environment that she lived in that the worry and inadequacy that i should have been feeling from day one set in. Luckily for me, Valentina read me correctly, again, and calmed me down with promises that due to their discreet staff and proximity to her school it was the best option to choose from. I sighed and acknowledged her need, allowing her to ask for a table on the terrace to the woman seating people. It seems like the woman recognized her as a waiter appears from thin air and calls Val’s name.

“This way, ladies,” the well-dressed waiter said, leading us to through open space.

My eyes take in the greenery of the nearby park along with the tree-lined streets and houses. There were always so many trees that it looked like a safari from one of my childhood biology books. What pulled me away from the skyline around me was the feeling of being stared at. My eyes glance at the people around us as we pass and I’m assured my place in society when my eyes meet well dressed narrow-eyed businessmen and Stepford wives with tipped up noses.

I look down to my Chucks and pull my jacket a bit closer around my body. My shuffling is stopped when a soft hand takes mine away from the lapels of my jacket. I look up and see turquoise eyes gently staring at me. I blush and look away only to have another hand pull my chin back to her. I look at Val and she smiles softly to me.

“I don’t care what they say,” she reminds me, “Let’s not let them ruin our lunch. Okay?”

I look into her eyes and only see sincerity. With a smile, I pull her by our intertwined hands to keep following the waiter near us. The man smiles to us as we reach a table at the corner of the terrace with the best view of the two intercrossing streets. He reaches for a chair to pull out but I raise a hand.

“Allow me,” I offer as an answer.

The man watches in shock as I pull the chair out and signal for Valentina to sit. She kisses my cheek as she sits and I push the chair in the appropriate space. The man snaps out of his shock and allows me to sit before handing us our menus. I try to ignore the stares and gawking as we order and the man leaves us be.

“So, what are you doing later today,” Val asks, taking my hand again.

I look down at our hands and smile, “The library.”

“Library?”

“Yeah. I was going to look up places to take you for our date.”

Twinkling eyes beam at me, “Oh really? Haven’t had time to look around the city yet?”

I shake my head with a laugh, “No. Work. Eat. Sleep. That’s the schedule.”

Val smiles at me, “Well, I have faith in you.”

“I won’t let you down.”

The woman pulls our entwined hands up. I watch, speechless, as she kisses my knuckles.

“I know you won’t.”

Icy-blue eyes meet my own and we stay staring at each other. An urge pulls at my chest as I take in the blue, white and surprisingly gold flecks in her eyes.

“Don’t move,” I whisper to her.

Val furrows her brows but stays silently watching as I pull out one of my sketchbooks from my bag. I open the worn blue book to an open page and pull out a sharp HB pencil. I look up at the heiress and wink at her. A curious smile is given to me as I place the book on the table and start drawing. I glance up at my subject every few seconds as I draw her profile. Val’s energy becomes excited and in awe, as I keep working at a fast pace. The minutes pass and we don’t talk. The sound of pencil on acid-free paper is the only noise our table makes. Before long the waiter returns with our drinks. I sigh and move to close the book but soft hands stop me.

“Let me see,” blue eyes plead to me, “Por favor, Juls?”

My eyes freeze as I take in her pout and wide eyes. My heart stutters as the shade of blue seduces me to I unconsciously nod to her. Val grins and takes the book from my loose fingers. The movement of pages wakes me up from my stupor and I make a move to take the book back.

“Wait-”

“Juls…”

I wince as Val stops at a few pages in. I look out to the safari around us in an attempt to feign disinterest and fear. I hear Val gasp as pages are turned. My thumbnail makes its way to my mouth as my nervous energy heightens to extremes at the noises she makes.

“Que hermoso.”

WHAT?!

My head whips to Val in a panic. The woman is staring down at my sketches, hopefully not too embarrassing ones, and softly tracing the shapes she sees on the page.

“How-,” she whispers, “How did you draw me so well?”

I gulp when she looks up, patiently waiting for my answer.

Sal’s words hit my heart again and I answer truthfully, “I told you, Val. I’m crazy about you. I can’t say that I don’t think because when I don’t think my mind turns to you. That book is a testament to how much that happens.”

Pale cheeks turn rosy and bright blue eyes seem to turn neon with energy. The woman looks down and I feel a hum in my soul as I watch as she grins down to the page.

“You’re such a charmer,” she whispers.

“You bring it out of me.”

She sighs dreamily and I accept her praises for once. I grab all my courage and turn to the page I was working on. Val gasp as she looks to the drawing.

“It’s not done…”

“It’s beautiful.”

I watch for a moment then speak my thoughts our aloud, “My art teacher said that there once was a woman who wished to have an artist fall in love with her.”

The woman in front of me looks up, “Que?”

“She was convinced that he would see her and love every part of her,” I continue, meeting her gaze, “All of her. Every curve. Every line. He would love her as she was because he would be able to understand that her uniqueness is what made her truly beautiful.”

The air in her lungs leaves her. My eyes watch as blue eye morph into something soft. Something that I have yet to see on her face. I breathe out raggedly and lick my lips to speak--

“Aqui esta, señoritas.”

I blink and the spell is broken. I begrudgingly turn to the waiter as he places the food in front of us.

“Perdon,” he says looking between us, “Did I interrupt?”

“No.”

“Sí.”

The man looks apologetic and smiles kindly to me before leaving. I sigh and turn back to Val. Her annoyed look turns a bit sad when she turns back to me.

“What timing,” she huffs.

A small smile tugs at my lips, “We have Saturday.”

Her eyes light up then, “All of Saturday?”

“Does that sound like something you would--”

“Yes!”

A laugh leaves me and I shake my head, “Okay, then. Let’s eat. You have to go to school and I don’t want your step-mom or your sister to yell at me for keeping you from going.”

This makes her huff but after I kiss her knuckles and she grins. I half-heartedly eat, content on watching the gorgeous woman in front of me. Ideas of sketches file themselves in my mind as time passes. Before long, Val is done and I proclaim I’m ready as well. She looks uncertain, mostly from seeing my half-eaten plate, but lets it go on one condition.

“I want this.”

My eyes turn to see the page she has turned to. It’s a picture of the park bench we met at. I look up at her in confusion but she simply smiles.

“I want a reminder.”

I grin at her, understanding her reason, and take the book. With a quick tug, the page is free and I hand it to her. Val stares at it and I see the same unknown emotion as before. She then looks up and it's gone.

“Let’s go.”

I manage to convince the older woman to allow me to walk home from her university once we arrive there. Though reluctant, the girl hugs me and kisses my cheek before walking up the stairs to the school. My eyes follow her silhouette until she’s gone through the entrance. I sigh happily and start walking to El Jardín. I walk slowly to a nearby bus stop and pull out my phone only to find a small white card in my hand with it. I look down at the card and furrow my brows. I turn it over and my eyes widen as I read what’s written

“What the?”

How are you going to pick me up if you don’t know my number, Romeo?

--Valentina

The note is written under Valentina's name and the new position in her family’s company. Just above the handwriting are three numbers. One number was circled with a little heart drawn next to it: her cell phone number. Valentina’s writing is loopy and large, girly and bold all at once and makes me grin as I read it then re-read it.

“Cleaver girl."

I tap the card on my hand and unconsciously pull up the card next to my nose. The same scent from the previous owner hits my nose.

“What are you doing to me, Valentina?” I whisper to myself.

I have no time to linger in thoughts as the bus arrives and I jump into it. The ride to the restaurant is slow enough for me to pull my book out and sketch her a few times. The bumps and sudden stops do nothing to harm my work, I’ve gotten used to the dreadful driving of the city bus drivers.

A few stops before reaching the restaurant my hand starts writing word near a pair of well-drawn eyes. I start hearing stums and beats while I keep writing. I start tapping with my other hand to the imaginary beat as I continue. The bus stops and I look up from my page.

Here.

I pull on my small backpack and grab my things. I hand the bus driver the eight pesos of fair and jump off the steps with ease. I huff and walk forward until I feel pain from my right hand. I look down and see the open page next to my cut skin. Furrowing my brows I read what I wrote.

Y aunque la vida, tal vez

Nos haya llevado por distintos caminos

No somos súper humanos

Para controlar o cambiar el destino

The words seem incoherent but for some reason, I hear the singing of guitars and beats of drums as I read them. I shake my head and continue walking into the resultant. As I enter I hear music playing from the stage area. I grin as I see some of my brothers jamming with smiles. I greet the staff that I pass and even get a smile from Carla. Sal looks up from his seat nearby and sees me. He waves me forward and I shrug the backpack off my shoulders and put my notebook on top of it.

“How did it go,” he asks when I sit next to him.

I sigh happily in response and he laughs.

“Good to hear,” he nods, “So...did you ask her?”

“Yes but now I need to come up with a date for Saturday.”

Salvador grins, “I have a few ideas.”

“Oh?”

“Do you trust me,” he smirks.

I nod slowly and he grins back.

“Alright. So, do you remember that on Saturday…”

#amar a muerte #juliantina #juliana valdes #valentina carvajal #fanfic

[mystblbk]

La Hija--Chapter 6(Part 2)

My mind wanders and I remember Lupe's explanation for Alacran's distant nature towards me. Visions of my sister's wedding to Mateo pass by my mind as I think about my father’s expectations of Eva. I frown thinking about Eva being married solely because of a sense of duty to my father makes my heart hurt. An idea burst in my mind and I glance to the rearview mirror again, setting my plan at full force.

“You know, Eva,” I speak slowly to my sister, “Dad always wanted us to be happy.”

“What,” she asks turning forward.

I smile softly, “He wanted us happy, Eva. No matter what we do or who we love. He wanted us to be happy.”

She stays quiet and looks from Guille to me, “Why are you telling me this?”

“I found my happiness,” I explain, “Guille has too. I think you deserve it too.”

Realizations hits her and she whispers, “You know about Alvaro.”

I nod, “Juliana’s mom, Lupe, told me. She’s a bit pissed off actually.”

Eva looks a bit embarrassed but answers anyway, “I had my reasons, Val. He knows them too.“

I sigh, “Well, just think about it.”

Eva gives me a noncommittal shrug and turns back to her window. We’re enveloped in silence until Guille moves then gasps and grabs his side. I apologize for the tight space but he shakes his head and begins talking.

“Where are we going,” Guille grunts out, hands holding his side.

I glance at him before answering, “Juliana’s home.”

“WHAT?!”

I smirk at Eva’s burst, “Juliana has a doctor at her home, two actually. Dr. Perita and her grandson Panchito. Dr. Perita has her practice while Panchito works in the ICU at the public hospital. Panchito is Lupe’s fiancé and Dr. Perita has worked for their family since her grandfather was in charge. They live with Juls and Lupe.”

“And that’s another thing! Juliana Valdes is your girlfriend? Your secret girlfriend? How have you kept it a secret? You babble all the damn time! How did you even meet her,” Guille gapes, “Dad kept us away from her all the time! He said she was dangerous! He was right! A gangster? No wonder he only allowed us to talk to-”

“Alvaro,” Eva finishes for him.

“Its Eva’s fault,” I smirk, happy to change Eva’s mood.

“MY FAULT?!”

I let out a laugh then answer, “Yes. If I hadn’t left me to my own devices during that Sorolla's gallery, I wouldn’t have gone to the bar to get a drink and I wouldn't have met Juls.”

“The gallery,” Guille echos.

“That was two years ago,” Eva gasps, “You’ve been together secretly for two years?”

A smile tugs at my lips and my heart flutters. In the small pause I take to answer, memories of romantic dates and nights of passion make my heart soar. I sigh happily and nod to them.

“Sort of,” I answer, “We met two years ago. We’ve been seeing each other for almost a year, but we’ve only been together for about eight months.”

“You count the days,” Guille smirks at me.

I roll my eyes but my happiness is too strong to budge from my face. I glance over to Eva and see her with a blank stare. She looks pensive, something not unusual.

“Hey,” I call to her.

She looks at me then shakes her head, “I’m fine.”

I sigh and nod back. Convinced that Eva and Guille will leave things be, for now, I focus on driving. The perfect paved streets start to deteriorate and the frequency of houses becomes less. I take a dirt road off the main highway and drive it until the trees start to thicken and signs warning trespassers start to appear.

“Almost there,” I tell my brother, “I hope you guys remember how to get here.”

“She’ll let us come here without you,” Eva asks.

I nod, “Yup. We discussed this before.”

Eva raises a brow and Guille shakes his head. Both have conflicted looks on their faces but they quickly turn into awe and amazement as high red brick walls appear in front of us through the tall trees. The wall ran as far as the eye could see, possibly even farther as some trees blocked the sight. About every few meters there was a camera and a large light, similar to street lights. The wall wasn’t one or two rows of brick, as there are armed men hidden inside the structure at their posts.

As we approach the large metal doors leading inside, a well-dressed man appears from a well-sized building near the road. A few other men follow him, heavily armed with long-range pistols and rifles. With no fear, I stop near him and lower my window. The man’s suspicious look turns surprised then to relief and warmth.

“Señorita Valentina,” he bows his head, “The Missus let us know you might show up. I’ll let you on through.”

“Hold on,” I call to him as he turns around, “Is the doctor in?”

The man nods, “Both are. The Boss got cut up bad. The Missus patched her up but Panchito came to check on her anyway. Is something wrong, Miss?”

I nod and he pulls out his radio while I answer, “My brother was hurt during the raid. The medics said he might have bruised ribs. I would have taken him to the hospital but…”

“Right,” he nods, “I’ll let them know so they can help you. It’s just you three, right?”

I nod, “Yes. Just me, Guillermo and Eva.”

Eva’s name makes the man smirk but he nods and waves me forward. As directed, I drive forward and the double doors open for me to go through. I start driving again, this time at a slower pace since the horses Juliana owns are left to roam.

“They’re following,” Eva murmurs.

I glance at my mirror and smile as two black Range Rovers follow behind me. I stop and allow one of them to take the lead and have us in between the two vehicles. The car upfront starts driving again and I follow.

“Is this normal,” my brother asks.

“Juls is a bit overprotective,” I answer with a smile.

Eva's smile is small and amused, almost nostalgic. I bite my lip to hold back a grin and continue to follow the SUV ahead of me. The dirt path turns into perfectly paved asphalt as we finally approach La Familia's mansion. I hear Eva and Guille gasp as the large home appears in front of us.

The home was large, three stories with smaller buildings around it. The style was in the colonial Spanish style with large arches and rectangular pillars that made the whole building look regal. The white walls were covered in vine-like plants that crawl up the walls and tangle themselves with the house's structure. The clay roof tiles were red-orange and mirrored the cobblestone leading up to the double doors of the mansion.

As I park next to SUV in front of me, Eva leans forward.

"Well at least she has good taste," she murmurs.

Guille snorts and I roll my eyes. Both SUVs around us open and three men exit each vehicle. Two men go the Guille's side and open the door. My brother gives me a reluctant look but I smile and he allows the men to help him out and onto a wheelchair they somehow produced out of thin air. The other men help Eva out of the back seat with gentle probing and tugging. I allow the men to open the door and take an outstretched hand to get out.

"Thank you," I thank them.

"Yes, thank you," Eva tells them as they hand her purse over to her.

"Your welcome ma'am," the oldest of the group nods his head.

I smile and pull Eva along by her hand followed by Guille being pushed by one of the men. As I reach the front doors, the open and reveal the Valdes maids.

"Señorita Valentina," Emilia gasps waving us in, "Come in! Come in! Oh dear."

"Panchito is in the medical room, Eduardo," Teresa says, "Take Mr. Carvajal there, quickly."

The gangster, Eduardo, nods and pushes the wheelchair in the direction of the kitchen and barracks. Eva pulls away from my hand and steps forward but I pull her back. She looks at me worried but I smile reassuringly.

Teresa reads our exchange and speaks up, "Would you like something to eat? I'm sure all the excitement has you all tired and peckish."

Eva glances at me then looks at the older woman, "If it isn't much trouble…"

"Not at all, mija," Emilia smiles, "Come on then. You can eat and wait for Panchito to call for you."

I watch happily as Eva follows Emilia to the kitchen.

Teresa turns to me then, "Miss Juliana is in her room. She came in with her back cut up and her car littered with bullet holes. Miss Lupe scolded her and she should be sleeping right now."

I sigh, "I'm guessing Lupe is going to scold me next."

The woman smirks, "The price of having an overprotective suegra I'm afraid."

I giggle and shake my head, "Wish me luck."

"You're going to need more than luck," Teresa says with a knowing look, "Miss Juliana was distraught when I went to go leave some snacks for her."

I bite my lip in guilt. "I had to, Teresa. If I hadn't she wouldn't have found Armenta."

"I know mija. You just have to put those pretty eyes to good use," the woman says with a playful smile, "You know she can't say no to those puppy eyes of yours."

I giggle and nod, "Thank you for the advice, Teresa."

The woman nods and takes leave to go help Emilia in the kitchen. I turn back to the grand staircase and let out a sigh.

"Here goes nothing," I tell myself.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19186732/chapters/47272927

#juliantina #fanfiction #amaramuerte #julianavaldes #valentinacarvajal #amar a muerte #fanfic #juliana valdes #valentina carvajal

[mystblbk]

La Hija--Chapter 6(part1)

PRESENT: MEXICO, MEXICO CITY

Valentina POV

The sounds of sirens don’t accompany the lights of the patrol cars outside but what does is the sound of one detective interviewing my family. I look up from the trail of glass we managed to bring to the kitchen to my sister and stepmother arguing with the man. My eyes narrow on their own as I take in Lucia. A feeling of great rage shakes my core but my feelings are contained when I remember the sole purpose for this whole ‘accident.’ I stand up from my seat next to a slumped over Guillermo, and walk determinately up to the three arguing adults. I can feel Guille stare at me as I reach them and take a stance I had learned from Juliana. Feet shoulder-width apart. Chin tilted upward. Stare down not at. Arms crossed.

“Detective,” I cut in with a neutral tone, “Is there something wrong?”

The man, Montilla, looks to me with surprise but answers, “Nothing that should concern you, Miss Valentina.”

My eyes narrow, “This is my home, Detective.”

“Y--yes, it is,” the man stutters back.

“And because this is my home, I have the right to know what is happening. Don’t you think that’s fair?”

The man looks taken aback at my tone. I can see from my peripheral vision that it also shocks Lucia and Eva. Their attitude doesn't surprise me. Ever since the search for my father's assassin I usually commented from afar or gave a line for or against something to help keep the peace.

This wasn’t a time to keep the peace.

This was a time to protect my girlfriend and simultaneously make a statement.

I look into his shocked eyes while pulling at the chain around my neck. A smirk slowly tugs at my lips as I see him follow the chain to La Muerte hanging down my fingertips. Three things happened then.

One: Montilla’s eyes widen in fear and he stumbles back into the counter behind him.

Two: Lucia’s face pales and she stares at the figure with fear.

Three: Eva’s posture stiffens and I can see her fingernails dig into her palm from her fist.

“T--that’s-”

“Armenta is a man that your force and all of Mexico has been searching for for over ten years,” I cut in, “I’m sure your boss, Director Ramirez, is more interested about parading his new treasure then how he got it. Am I correct?”

Montilla stares at me. His eyes don’t move and I challenge his stare. The whole room is quiet. No sound can be heard other than our breathing or the creaking of Guille in his chair. The Detective opens his mouth but quickly shuts it when his phone starts ringing. I raise an eyebrow and glance down to his pocket. The man seems to become even more scared as he swipes on the screen and answers the phone.

“Yes, sir?”

I look away and stare at the double fridge, effectively ignoring all the eyes on me.

“But sir--”

I look down at my nails and inspect my manicure.

“But the interloper--”

I walk past the man and open the fridge. A quick search ends with me pulling out a cold bottle of water. I look up from my now open bottle and see Montilla pacing with a hand on his forehead. He seems to feel me staring and looks up at me. His eyes are frustrated and angry.

“Yes. No one else was involved,” the grunts out forcefully.

His tone is angry, most likely due to being denied further involvement. I suppose I can’t blame him. Corruption is a pesky problem in the Mexican police force.

“Of course, sir,” the man almost growls, “We are heading out right now. Yes, of course.”

I tilt my head to the side and wait for him to hang up. When he does I take a sip of water and walk up to him. Thanks to my heeled boots, he is almost the same size as me. This makes it easier to burn my gaze into his. He tries his best to return the stare but I see his eye glance down to my necklace.

Never take it off. It will help you when you least expect it, mi amor.

“I heard that Flores Co. will be giving a large gift to the police force for Dia Del Soldado,” I tell him with fake surprise, “Something about, giving out free packages for stays at their resorts. Isn’t it nice how generous the Valdes family is? Especially to the police force?”

Montilla begins to shake with anger. His face becomes as red as an angry bull’s. My eyes don’t move from his as his fit of rage escalates with my next words.

“Know your place,” I sneer, “Or it will be shown to you.”

The man’s eyes narrow but he points them to his shoes. I smirk, happy that La Familia's slogan has hit home, and walk around him. I make sure to shove him with my shoulder as I pass by him. He allows the action but with fists at his sides.

“Have a nice day,” I taunt over my shoulder, “Officer.”

I ignore everyone around me and walk up to Guille who is slumped in his chair with a few paramedics around him. As I approach, the closest responder looks up at me with reluctance. I nod at him and look over Guille.

“How is he,” I say with a commanding voice to the responder.

“He,” the man wets his lips, “He has bruised ribs, the lower two. He has a few gashes, not deep, across his abdomen. His muscles will be very bruised but being looked over at the hospital should give a wider verdict.”

I nod, “Do you need to take him or am I allowed to take him myself?”

The man looks shocked but from a glance over my shoulder, most likely to look at Montilla, he responds.

“You can take him,” he nods, “Just sign some paperwork to assure you chose the option so there will be no--”

“Done.”

The man, shocked again, turns to his assistant and is handed a few pieces of paper. Before I can take and sign them, Eva and Lucia snap back into the moment and run up to me.

“What are you doing,” Eva demands, “He has to go. Let them take him!”

I look at my sister with a raised eyebrow, “I’m taking him to a doctor I know. She’s more than enough capable and discreet. We don’t need any more press following us.”

Eva snaps her jaw shut then shakes her head, “What doctor?”

I sigh and start signing the papers, “You can come with if you’d like. I just don’t think Guille is up for more chaos today.”

Lucia opens her mouth to speak but I look up at her and glare, daring her to speak. The woman closes her mouth again and looks away. I keep glaring at her for a second then look at Eva. I hold her stare for a few seconds then glance at Lucia and give Eva a nod. My sister’s deep blue eyes widen and then she snaps her head to our stepmother. I see fury bubble under the surface of Eva’s skin. I tap her hand and she looks back at me. With a measured look, I tilt my head to my necklace. Eva sighs angrily but nods.

“Okay,” she says, “I’ll go with you then.”

“Good,” I nod.

I hand the paramedics their papers and wait for all the responders to vacate the area. Once it’s just my family and a few of the house employees I turn to Lucia and take the same stance as before. The older woman stays silent but crosses her arms and faces me. I take her in, slightly enjoying the shaken look she has. Footsteps approach the kitchen and I’m greeted by the other half of my anger. Johnny walks in, a neutral face plastered on, and then stops when he catches sight of us.

“What--”

“Zip it egghead,” I sneer at him.

Johnny gasps, offended, “Excuse m--”

“You have one month,” I direct to Lucia and ignore Johnny, “One month to decide who's side you're on or I will decide for you.”

“Who’s side,” Lucia asks, her face showing her confusion.

I nod, “One month.”

She blinks at me then glances over at Johnny. I grit my teeth but say nothing. She catches my glare and we stay in a deadlock until she nods and excuses herself. Johnny leaves the kitchen and I wait for their footsteps to leave the floor entirely before turning to Silvina and her husband.

“I need you both to keep me updated on Lucia and Johnny when they are here,” I tell them, “They are to be watched at all times, understood?”

Silvina looks taken back but nods, “Si, mi niña.”

“Okay,” I turn to our security director, “I need you to tighten the security around the house and also add details to the other house in el Valle. You need to set it up in case we need an extra place for emergencies. I also need you to add tighter security at the company so you will need to contact the security team there to make arrangements. Understood?”

“That is a lot of work,” Fabrizio tells me with concern, “I’m afraid we don’t have enough--”

“I have people coming in to help you,” I cut him off, “Don’t worry about the numbers. Just set up a schedule and your new men will follow your orders. I will give you all a raise and give all of you another week in vacation time once everything is settled.”

Fabrizio stays silent then nods, “Of course, ma’am. I’ll get right on it.”

“Thank you,” I tell him, “If you could please help me get Guille in my car?”

The man nods and between him and one of his men, Guille is placed in the passenger seat of my Camaro. I bid my goodbyes to the others as Eva climbs into the back and waits for me to turn on the engine. As I drive out of the family property I glance over my rearview mirror and catch my sister staring out the car window. I look back forward and my eye catches the small picture I have of Juliana and myself taped to the dashboard. I smile thinking about its twin taped onto Juliana’s dashboard.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19186732/chapters/47272927

#juliantina #fanfiction #amaramuerte #julianavaldes #valentinacarvajal #juliana valdes #valentina carvajal #fanfic #amar a muerte

[mystblbk]

Chavela Valdes--Chapter 7

Valentina POV

The sounds of pens scratching on paper echoes in my new office. The wood paneling and hard chairs make no resistance to the echoing of my breathing or the tapping of my foot on the tile floor. My mind drifts off to long days in packed classroom and for once I wish to be inside one of those stuffy rooms than this bare office. I hear my office door open so I eagerly look up to my distraction. My hopes are broken when I see Renata comes in carrying another stack of papers in her hands. I roll my eyes as she comes to stop in front of my new desk with an encouraging and apologetic smile.

“Sorry, Miss Valentina. Mr. Guillermo asked me to bring you the final plans for next month’s meetings with the shareholders. He said he needs them ready and approved today so he can send them to Miss Eva for approval,” she explains with a shrug.

I nod and give her a forced small smile, “Thank you, Renata.”

“If it makes you feel any better, “ she smiles at me with a little shrug, “Miss Lucia kept up with her work fairly often so you have little else to do except review these papers.”

I smile at that, “Yeah. I feel bad for Mateo, he got the short end of the stick.”

Renata covers her mouth as she tries to hold in a laugh. Just as she moves her hand to speak, my desk phone rings and I look at it with a confused look. I glance at the secretary and with an encouraging look from her I pick up the phone with a little confidence.

“Bueno?”

"Hola hermanita. I have someone heading to my office in a few minutes. I’d like you to come with me to my meeting with them. They will be working with us for the foreseeable future and I’m sure you'll get along well."

I furrow my brows at my sister’s request but nod, “Sure. I’ll be there in a few minutes after I finish some reports.”

“Alright. Just walk in when you’re here."

With that, the call ends and I end up staring down at the phone in my hand with confusion. Eva rarely is ominous, she’s the type to burst into any situation with intentions on full display.

This could mean one of two things:

One: Something bad happened.

Two: She’s up to something and I’m at the end of it.

Two it is.

“Weird,” I mumble.

“Who was it,” Renata asks.

“Eva. She has a meeting right now that she wants me present for," I answer while hanging up the phone.

I look up to catch the older woman’s wide eyes filled with both annoyance and fear.

Renata shudders, “Good luck with that.”

I snort and start reading the new papers with a smirk, “I’ll take them to Guille myself, Renata. You get back to work so you can get out early for lunch."

“With your brother,” the secretary snorts herself, “I wish.”

I laugh as she walks out with a roll of her eyes. As I turn to the new papers my eyes catch the list of traditional Mexican cuisine the caterers would be setting up for the meeting. This leads me into a rabbit hole as my mind turns to a certain guitarist. I feel my heart speed up at the memory of her voice and sultry stare as she sang. The butterflies in my stomach suddenly die as I remember her anger and despair as she ran away after briefly meeting my family.

I sigh and try to focus on the task at hand, something that has been difficult all day as I have ended up think about Juliana in this same manner all morning. Luckily for me, my mind clears enough for me to work twenty minutes straight without disturbance. About five minutes later, I’m done reviewing signing the long drafts of guest lists and catering plans. With my hands full of papers, I walk out of my office and into the long hallway of executive offices.

“Miss Valentina?”’

I look at my secretary, Patricia, and just smile while waving the stack of papers in my hand. She looks at the papers then turns to the small sign next to my door. She flips the ‘In’ to ‘Out’ then continues her work. I take the small walk outside Guille’s office to Renata’s desk and hand her the papers. She thanks me and takes them, making sure to check that each signature is accounted. Once she’s checked, she places the appropriate stamps and I leave her to her work. I turn on my heel and walk through the long hallway, greeting back the secretaries and attorneys that I see on the way and make it to Eva’s office.

From outside the frosted glass door, I can see three figures inside. I furrow my brows and walk inside as directed. The second I step into the office I freeze as warm dark eyes look at me with apologies swirling in their depths. I'm too preoccupied with the young woman staring at me that I don't register my sister and stepmother sitting across from her.

—————————————————————.

Juliana POV

My eyes look up from my coffee cup to see the intruder to my chat with the Carvajal women. A tall slim figure dressed in a slim pencil skirt and flowing baby blue blouse stands by the door with wide azure eyes trained on me. I stare back at her. Our stare-down continues for an eternity until Miss Lucia coughs and Val walks in composing herself in a matter of seconds. I watch as the young woman turns around to close the door behind her, my eyes looking her over until they stop at…

"Juliana, I hope you don't mind my other guest."

I force myself to look away from the youngest Carvajal, attempting and failing at keeping a furious blush from appearing on my tan cheeks. My eyes connect with Miss Eva and I can see the mirth in her dark blue eyes. I desperately look away only to see that Miss Lucia is smirking into her cup of tea but also looking at me with the exact same look. I shift around in my seat and ignore three pairs of gorgeous eyes staring at me with various degrees of amusement.

I cough, choking on my spit, then shakily take my paper cup into my hands again. As Valentina comes to sit across from me and in between her two family members on the long leather couch, I drink the last ounces of coffee desperately in an attempt to not answer. But with the amount of sparkly gorgeous eyes trained at me, I force myself to answer.

"N-no. No probl--lem," I wince at my high pitch and then scold myself for answering in English.

Well, Juliana, at least now you know why you freeze up when pretty girls stare at you.

Nice job! Stand out even more, why don't ya?

SAY SOMETHING!

I stare down at my shoes until I sigh and look up at the three women. Their confusion and amusement is evident as I look at each of them. Their expressions change as I speak up again, this time full of regret and confidence. My eyes pass over each of them, connecting my eyes with theirs until I connect my stare with Valentina.

"I apologize for my behavior last week," I speak purposefully, "I’ve had a difficult time during these past months and I should not have allowed myself to take it out on your family. I’m usually good at keeping things to myself but--"

"Juls," Val cuts me off, "You don't have to apologize."

I blink.

I shake my head, "No. I do. I was rude. I ran off and did not explain myself. I--"

"Am an eighteen-year-old that suddenly has to provide for her family after a tragic accident," Miss Lucia cuts me off, "It’s alright, Juliana. What matters now is, are you alright?"

I continue to stare at the woman for a long moment. Finally, after receiving no answer, Miss Lucia reaches over and takes my hand gently. I feel my eyes water as her hazel eyes look at me with soft concern. My head whips away from them so I can try to compose myself.

"Fine," I whisper, "I’m fine now."

Someone sighs but I can't tell who. A second later, slim arms pull me into a warm hug and soft hair tickles my neck as their head takes the space between my neck and shoulder. The scent of wildflowers and chlorine hits my nose as I turn my head and see Val holding me in a warm embrace. Her crystal eyes stare up at me with warmth and kindness. I feel my blush come back as she smiles. A soft buzz of electricity passes through me as the embrace both excites me and soothes me. My eyes go to Val’s lips as she speaks and I force myself to listen to her speak. Luckily, I hear the tail end of her speech and hold onto that.

"If you need to talk. Lucia is a really good listener,” Val says with a bright smile.

I smile back, "What about you? Are you not a good listener?"

Miss Eva lets out a laugh and we all turn to look at her.

"Val? A good listener? A good talker, perhaps," the older sister chortles.

Val pouts and Lucia lets out a giggle. Val pulls away but takes my hand in hers as Miss Lucia and Miss Eva stand up to bring large binders over to us. A few minutes later, the coffee table at the center of the small sitting area is filled with binders and magazines. Val’s hand is warm and doesn't leave mine as the older women explain the photoshoot Miss Eva will be in. I nod along and write in the small notebook I brought with me as we talk about color pallets and clothing shapes. Before long, Val is involved by pointing out her sister's taste in dresses and shoes but also pestering her by giving her goofy looks and sticking her tongue out at her at odd intervals.

The one-hour meeting turns into two as the women start telling me stories of Mr. Carvajal and his tendencies to buy them the same clothes they posed in after their shoots. I smile as Val’s eyes sparkle as she describes her father with detail and clarity. Miss Eva and Miss Lucia grin and give small details along the way. I take note of their sad but happy expressions as well as their use of describing the mogul in the present, not the past. My heart squeezes and a sense of bitterness and longing taints my good mood.

I wish I had that.

I become quiet and stare at nothing. Thoughts of my ‘father’ and my past come to my mind and my hands turn into fists with each memory that resurfaces. I've pulled away from these thoughts as all three women read my mood and come to an agreement to end the meeting. Miss Eva stands and makes her way to her desk. A few buttons later and she’s chatting with her husband about lunch plans. Meanwhile, Miss Lucia looks between us then smiles warmly.

“You need food in you,” Miss Lucia says with a clap of her hands, “How about treating Juliana to lunch, Valentina?”

The youngest heiress pauses then eagerly nods to her stepmother. Bright hopefull blue eyes turn to me and freeze me in my spot.

“Do you want to come to lunch with me? I have to pick up some things for class this afternoon first. I don’t want you to be late for anything.”

I shake my head in a valiant attempt to wake up from her trance and answer, “No, Val. Today’s my off day. My mom is working at the restaurant though, so I do have to go home by ten or she’ll go Godzilla Mom on me.”

Val’s smile widens and she stands up abruptly, almost knocking off the binder in front of her, before leaning over to pull me up to my feet. I feel two pairs of eyes on me when Val directs me out of the sitting area and to stand by Miss Eva’s desk. I look over and see Miss Eva smile secretly before handing me a few papers. Without hanging up on Mister Mateo she speaks to me.

“Here is the schedule for the photoshoot and prep days. I have the interview two days before the photo shoot so you will need a week off. Is that okay?”

I look down at the schedule and count the number of days I won’t be working. I feel as if ice-cold water is being thrown onto me at the thought of letting my brothers down but remember Sal’s encouragement yesterday. With a small smile, I look up and nod.

“I’ll be fine ma’am,” I tell her, “No conflict whatsoever.”

Miss Eva smiles then turns pulls out a white key card and hands it to me, “This is the card for the media floor which is in the basement. I’ll meet you there on those days at exactly 7 a.m. Understood?”

I nod, “Yes ma’am.”

Miss Eva smirks at me then makes a ‘shoo’ motion, “Now then, go get lunch, children. Us real adults have work to do.”

Valentina’s response is to stick out her tongue at Miss Eva before pulling me along after her. As the door closes behind me, I see Miss Eva and Miss Lucia share a triumphant and knowing look. I have little time to process the exchange as Val is tugging me down the gaudy hallway and into another office, this one guarded by an older secretary. The woman looks to be close to her early forties. Her hair is mostly black but there are small strands of soft gray mixed in.

“Patricia,” Val calls out to the woman.

The woman looks up from her computer screen and smiles the Val.

“Yes, Miss Valentina?”

“This is Juliana,” Val says as she still holds onto my hand, “She’s allowed to enter my office any time she wants. Is that clear?”

The secretary looks at her boss with an odd look but nods, “Of course. I’ll make a note of it so security will allow her here.”

“Thanks,” Val says and she pulls me into her office.

“Thank you, Miss Patricia,” I call out as I’m pulled by sunshine personified.

The woman waves with an amused but confused smile until the office door prevents me from seeing her. I shake my head and turn back to the puppy-like girl running around her office. A small smile appears on my face until it grows into a large grin. Val’s constant chatter barely reaches my ears as I’m too busy watching her move around the clutter on her desk. She constantly glances at me as she goes about picking up her mess while picking up the things she’s going to take.

“I’m sorry Juls,” she sighs, “I’ve just started and this place is already a mess.”

I can’t help but laugh, “Well at least you admit it.”

Val narrows her eyes at me but the smile on her lips tells me its with humor. Seeing that Valentina needs help, I walk over to her and help her arrange the papers and folders thrown around her desk. The woman gives me a thankful push on the shoulder and I push her back playfully in response. Her soft laughter fills the baren office and I’m frozen in place as the sound somehow makes the muscles of my stomach twitch with glee. I make a mental note to make her laugh often so I can experience this feeling again.

Her laughter trails off and she suddenly becomes serious, “Are you sure you want to go get lunch together? I know Eva and Lucia said I should take you, but I don’t want to make you think you're obligated to.”

I stare at her for a second then speak up, “Oh? Uhm, yeah. I was actually going to invite you until Miss Lucia spoke up.”

This time Val blinks, “Invite me?”

I bite my lip and look down at my shoes. The image of Shia LeBeouf screaming to ‘Just do it’ plays in my head. My mind takes me to earlier this morning when Salvador called me. His words of wisdom and encouragement tip the scale in that direction. I breathe out forcefully then look up to meet Valentina's eyes. I feel my pulse still in fear but I force my mouth open to speak.

“Yes. I wanted to invite you. But not to lunch,” I take a deep breath, “I wanted to ask you out on a date, Valentina.”

The room is enveloped in silence as Val stares at me with wide eyes. I force myself to stare back in an attempt to read her emotions. I see surprise then excitement and finally giddiness as her plump lips from a barely held back smile.

“A date,” she bites her lip with upturned corners, “As in a date date?”

I can’t help but smirk and her adorableness, “Yes. A datedate.”

“Are you sure,” her brows furrow this time in hesitance.

I look into her eyes and Salvador’s words of wisdom echo in my ears:

“Carla gave her your number. Anita and the other servers said she had googly eyes all throughout our performance. Dios mío, Juliana! She came here Saturday to see if you were performing! Take a hint, hermana!”

“I like you,” I explain while reaching out to take her hands in mine, “Like a lot. Which I know is odd since we just met but I honestly can’t stop thinking about you. I’ll understand if you don’t feel the same but I wanted to ask you out anyway. I hope you don’t mind.”

She shakes her head and her expression changes from hesitant to relieved, “I like you too Juls.”

I blink.

“You-you do?”

Val smiles and nods her head. My face contorts to a large grin that I can feel my dimples appear. Valentina giggles and leans forward to press her forehead against mine. My eyes don’t close as she opens her mouth to speak.

“I’d love to go out with you, Juliana.”

A thrill fills my soul, “Really?”

She nods again.

“Good.”

“Good.”

“Perfect.”

“Perfect.”

We stare at each other until we break apart and the sound of laughter fills the baren office again. Still shaking from laughter, the older girl pushes my shoulder again and I grab onto her wrist before she can move away again. Val takes this as an invitation and ends up hugging me again as before on the couch, the difference now is the non-existent distance between our bodies. Her hands are now grabbing onto the edge of my jacket while my left-hand ends up at the small of her back. My other hand moves on its own to run my fingers through her soft locks. This gets her attention and my breath catches. Her clear eyes, now staring into mine, are now clearer to me than ever before. I count the shades of blue and white, the color reminding me of ocean waves and blue Texas skies.

“Estas hermosa.”

The words slip out of my lips without thought but I don’t regret it as Val’s soft peach skin turns pink with a blush. The girl then hides her face in the space between my neck and shoulder. I grin at the action and mentally fist pump at getting her flustered. I close my eyes and bask in our closeness. A rumbling against my chest makes me pull away to hear her speak. My eyes connect with her’s and she answers with a deeper blush appearing on her face.

“No como tu.”

“I thought you were rich,” I whisper.

Val looks at me with confusion and I grin at her.

“If you were so rich like all the magazines claim, you would own a mirror and see that you’re clearly the pretty one out of us two.”

My sweet talking is rewarded with a kiss on my chin and a deep blush that reaches the tip of my ears. The impact is so severe that I completely don’t see Val grabbing her things and pulling me towards the door. I finally wake up when the elevator doors close in front of us and Val is talking again.

“What are you craving, Romeo?”

I blink then smirk at her. Val raises an expectant brow and I answer with a stereotypical Texan accent.

“That’s Chavela Valdes to you, Miss Carvajal."

#amaramuerte #juliana valdes #juliantina #valentina carvajal #fanfiction

[mystblbk]

La Hija--Chapter 5(part 2)

NINE MONTHS AGO: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

The room is stuffy with the elite and my coat feels just a bit too tight because of it. I shift again and hear my mother huff next to me.

“You need to stop that,” she tells me with her patented look.

“Stop what,” I feign confusion.

She rolls her eyes, “If I didn’t know you better I would assume you’re nervous.”

My eyes narrow and I growl under my breath at her. My mother simply smirks at me. I shake my head and sip the wine I have in my hands.

“So,” my mom whispers, “Why are we really here for?”

I bit my lip, “I need an ‘in’ with León. His new wife needs to be charmed and this is a perfect way to get them both on my side.”

“Why not wait for the wedding,” my mom asks.

“Too many people,” I shrug, “I need a spread for the new resort I have and I really don’t want to shed too many pesos for it. I think a nice honeymoon might get me it for free.”

My mom rolls her eyes, “Shrewd businesswoman.”

I laugh and she follows along. We share a fond look then my mother takes my offered arm. I walk us into the next room with a nod to a few of my business partners on my way out. The engagement party is in full swing tonight and very little space of the rented mansion is quiet so I’m not surprised as we turn into the next gallery it’s full with chattering and happiness. My mother talks to me about her cooking classes and her girl dates with her friends. I can’t help but smile as she speaks, there was a time where she wouldn’t even leave the house after my father’s murder and seeing her like this makes me happy.

My mom suddenly shuts up and I look over at her. She’s staring across the room and I follow her eyesight. A young woman with dark brown hair, almost black, stands next to a handsome man.

Eva Carvajal and her new husband Mateo Luna.

“What,” I ask.

“Nothing,” my mom mumbles.

I furrow my brows as mom looks away to the painting next to us while taking a full swing of wine. I keep staring at mom while glancing over to the oldest Carvajal heir.

My mother shakes her head, “Women change like the wind, mi niña. Never forget that.”

I stare after her with a confused look but before I can ask about my mom’s attitude, Barabara Soto calls for my mom. Mamá smiles at her friend and then kisses my cheek before running off to her gang of misfits. I watch as her and the other three ladies kiss each other’s cheeks before walking off to who knows where.

“Change like the wind indeed,” I murmur.

“If someone sees you speaking to yourself, they might think you have gone mad.”

My small frown changes to a happy smile. I look back to my right and see the man of the hour with his fiance on his arm. León and Lucía look happy and content as they approach me. I grin at them and take my friend’s hand with an excited shake. After releasing Leon’s hand, Lucía leans over and exchanges cheek kisses with me When she pulls away, her hand automatically starts rubbing the spot of lipstick she leaves on me. I chuckle at the smirk León gives me as his woman grasps his hand again.

“Congratulations bud,” I say in English, “When were you going to tell me”

Leon rolls his eyes, “It just happened. This was supposed to be for the presentation of my book. Someone hijacked it.”

I share a fond look with Lucía, “And it pains you to share the spotlight, we all know this.”

The two laugh at my joke but smile at me with kindness.

“Thank you, Juliana,” Lucía cuts in, “Finally someone can say it to his face that isn’t me.”

We chat for a few minutes, exchanging stories about work and our families until I look down at my watch. They should be getting along with the other guests so I turn to my friend with a serious look. Lucía takes the hint and kisses me one final time before walking away. Leòn waits for me to speak so I do.

“I need your help,” I whisper.

“With?”

“I received a tip,” I explain, “A source has told me that Armenta is in the city again. I need someone who can confirm this.”

Leòn stares at me, “You’re looking for revenge that I can’t help you deal. Not any more. We talked about this.”

I shake my head, “I just need your informants to confirm. Nothing more. I have all I need in my own hands. I just need to know if it will be a walk in the park or one in Iran.”

He swirls his wine glass and thinks. I don’t say a word, this man had been a good ally since my take over and I value him as a friend as well.

Leòn finally takes his last sip, emptying his glass then turns to me, “Alright. But that is all I can do. I won’t endanger my people or my family, especially now.”

“That’s all I need,” I nod, “I’m repaying you for it.”

“You don—”

“For everything,” I cut him off, “For being a good friend and for being a wonderful ally, but mostly because you deserve some time off. I have a new resort in the Bahamas I’m promoting next year. The installation is ready and I want you to be the first to be there before the crews show up. It’s on a private beach and has connections to nearby towns to enjoy. Think of it as a honeymoon present for you and your new wife.”

León stares at me, knowing full well my family’s reward to loyalty, and then nods, “Okay. Thank you, Juliana.”

I wink at him, “Don’t break my suite, old man.”

He laughs and nods. I smile as he hugs me tightly then leaves me to find his fiance. I sip the remnants of my own glass then look for a server nearby. A full glass of red is pressed into my empty hand as the other is taken from me by a server. I turn to the person out of uniform and smile with a racing pulse.

“Valentina.”

“Hello again, stranger.”

The girl smiles down at me and I try to hold back a blush at the wink she gives me. Somehow I don’t do a good job because the heiress grins with stars in her eyes. I shake my head and allow a small laugh to leave my lips

“How ya been,” I drawl out.

Her smile twitches at my accent but she responds, “Good. Lucho has left me completely alone and I have more time to focus on my internship now that he isn’t breathing down my neck anymore.”

I narrow my eyes, “Do I need to—”

“It's fine now,” she speaks up while placing taking my other hand, “Don’t concern yourself on annoying men.”

I roll my eyes, “It’s a force of habit.”

“I suppose I can’t sue you for that then,” she winks again.

I shake my head and look away as she laughs. I get a whiff of her perfume as she bumps me softly with her shoulder. The scent makes my mouth water so I take a sip of the wine before speaking up again.

“Did my uncle save you again? You’re starting to make this ‘tardy’ thing a habit, you know. The purpose of an internship is to show how much of an adult you are. How adult are you if you keep showing up late for your afternoon classes?”

“I don’t do it on purpose,” she gasps, “You know I’m still upset about that. It’s been a few months and a ton of lunch dates and you have yet to explain yourself, Valdes.”

“It’s a lot to go through and I haven't had the time to sit down for that talk,” I whisper apologetically but also in relief.

“Too busy to see me,” she asks.

Her stare is coy and playful as she bites her lip. My breath hitches as she stares at me with her doe eyes. I bit my lip and look away. My heart stutters as I try to find a way to explain the broken promise of lunch dates. We had been in contact for the past few months through text but had not been able to get together.

“I have too much work on my hands,” I murmur.

“Can’t find help,” she asks.

“Can’t find trust,” I answer.

We share a look, hers of understanding and mine of appreciation. I force a smile then speak up again.

“Speaking of your internship, your dad has been singing praises.”

“Oh?”

I nod, “He says you’re a natural and will probably get the open spot they have without his input.”

Valentina bites her lip and looks down. I watch as she plays with the long chain of her necklace for a second then looks back up at me.

“Yeah,” she whispers, “I actually took some advice I received a while ago during the opening of a new wing to the museum downtown.”

“Oh,” I smirk.

She nods and giggles, “Some kid said I should embrace my position instead of fighting it.”

“Sounds like a smart kid,” I chuckle.

Valentina rolls her eyes but then turns to me with a serious look. I raise a brow and wait for her to speak.

“I actually needed to see you.”

I smile with a rush going through my bones, “Oh?”

She nods, “Dad said you know some good guards. I need a new bodyguard.”

The rush I feel shits to concern and protectiveness, “What’s wrong?”

She bites her lip again before saying, “I’ve been receiving odd gifts lately.”

Realization hits me and I laugh with relief. Valentina joins in while placing a hand on my forearm.

“I should be offended,” I cough out, “I chose those myself.”

Val smirks, “How much did you spend exactly?”

I roll my eyes, “Act like you don’t like the shoes but I can see you’re wearing a pair.”

Val smiles happily at me and I grin back. A sound of shuffling nearby catches my attention and I look up, hand positions over my concealed gun. My attention is taken away from me when she grabs onto the corner of my jacket. My eyes meet hers and we stay staring at each other until a cough comes from nearby, most likely the owner of the shuffling from earlier. We turn to the noise and I see Guillermo Carvajal standing near us with a blank face. Though his face is neutral, his eyes show fear, worry, and protectiveness. I sigh and turn back to the other woman.

“It was nice seeing you again Valentina,” I nod to her, “I’ll try to make some time to have that talk I promised you.”

I don’t say another word or look at her again, as I walk out of the gallery.

My ears hear a distinct voice saying: “Be careful of her Val,” as I walk away.

--------------------------------------------

EIGHT MONTHS AGO: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

I sigh and sip on my sweet tea. The heat is sweltering but I ignore it in an effort to keep my jacket on and my weapons hidden. I sigh again and tilt my head up to look at the skylights above. Suddenly a large ‘smack’ hits the table and I try not to jump as a flurry pink blouse and chinos move about in the seat in front of me. I smirk as the girl starts babbling, hearing very little but enjoying the sight.

“And then Eva has the nerve to tell her off! I mean, I get it. She’s not our mother, but that doesn't mean she can't eat breakfast with us. I mean sure she’s young but she’s so smart and pretty and dad’s happy so…”

I sigh, this time in content, and place my chin in my hand like while watching the girl move talk with her hands moving to open her salad. I look down at my burger and fries before pushing the whole plate over to my companion without a thought. Val seems to get the hint and smiles at me with a delicate blush. I hold back a laugh as she starts munching on the fries while still talking in between bites.

It’s been like this ever since our first lunch date a few months ago. Every other week Val and I would meet at the mall that is between both our jobs to eat together instead of hiding in my office. She would usually bring in a salad, accompanied by a whole morning of texts about how it wouldn’t fill her ravenous appetite. Once Val got to the table I picked, late, as usual, I would push half of my food to her since she would ultimately eat it anyway whenever I wasn’t looking. Usually she would show up happy or pensive from writing an article for five hours, but lately, she shows up angry and distressed from dealing with Eva’s anger for her dad’s fiance.

Just like right now.

Valentina continues to rant about her sister, small bits of hair coming loose from her bun, and my eyes don’t leave her face. I can’t help but tuck a small strand behind her ear as her head bobs from side to side with a crease in between her brows. A few seconds later, she lets out a big breath before smiling apologetically at me. I smirk again and shake my head.

“It's okay,” I chuckle, “You’re cute when you do that.”

Val blushes, like she always does at my compliments, then pulls out her newest book out of her leather bag. I take the book and look through the pages, making sure to take note of the small words she writes at the margins, then close it and hand it back to her.

“You read slow,” I smirk.

“Superhuman demon,” Val scoffs back.

I wince but smile anyway, “That hurt.”

Val smiles cheekily but I can see a little concern from my reaction. I shake my head and look away. A second later, a small hand cups my cheek and tilts my head back to the owner.

“How has your day been, boss,” she smiles trying to change the subject.

I scoff but grin, “It was boring.”

“Was?”

I stare into her baby blues for a second then nuzzle into the had that is still cupping my cheek. I feel nervous as I place a kiss into the palm then pull away. Val still has her hand held up but is staring at me with a warm gaze.

“You liven things up a lot,” I whisper.

I look down at Val’s untouched salad and the remains of my lunch with a fond look. Valentina stays quiet as I stand up and kiss her cheek. Without a word I walk to the closest stand and order a random meal. I can’t help but glance back at our table and see Val playing with her food while deep in thought. Once I receive my food, I walk back silently and reach the table. I keep looking away from Val as I sit down until she looks up at me with a strange look in her eyes.

“Do you want to go out,” she asks seriously.

I blink, “Out? Like, hang out or…”

“Like a date,” she answers.

I stare at her until she looks away with a hot blush burning her skin. I see her lips move but don’t register the words she’s saying. I’m too busy trying to figure out what I should do. I sigh and finally stop her backtracking.

“Are you sure Val,” I ask once she has her eyes on me, “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, my family, my work—”

“All I know is that I like you,” she cuts me off with a strong look, “I know we’ve known each other for a short time, but I do. I like you as a person. You’re sweet and kind and protective. I don’t care about ‘business’ Juliana. I just want to go out with you and forget about everything about our families and work and everything else. I just want us to focus on us without complicating things.”

My eyes don’t leave her as I let her speech sink in. Her eyes are honest and open, something that many people I surround myself are lacking. I finally speak.

“Things always will end up complicated in the end, Val. We’re public figures, ” I smile sadly, “And like I said, there are many things that you don—”

“I don’t care,” she shakes her head, “I want to enjoy my time with you. If things come up, we talk about them then.”

I nod slowly, “Okay.”

Valentina grins and pulls my hands from my tray. I bit my lip as she kisses my knuckles with a happy smile.

“You know what this means right,” she giggles, “I get to pick what we do.”

Air is slammed out at me as she winks coyly at me. I sigh and resign myself to the gorgeous woman in front of me, I wouldn't be able to go against her wishes anyway.

“I knew you were a troublemaker when I first met you,” I shake my head.

Valentina’s laugh echoes around us, causing the people near to look over at our table. I don’t pay them any attention. My attention is stuck on the giggling princess laughing across from me.

______________________________________________________.

VALENTINA’S POV

SEVEN MONTHS AGO: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

The bullpen is full to the brim of journalists running to and fro. I watch from my small desk as Mateo and Eva get into another spat leading to the offices nearby. When my sister looks up towards me, I busy myself with the work in front of me. I read and re-read the article in front of me in the hope that inspiration hits me. Finally, I look up again and see Eva gracefully walk away from a fuming Mateo.

With a sigh, I wait for my brother-in-law to look at me so I can signal for him to approach. As I wait for Mateo to come near, a buzzing from my phone asks for my attention. I glance down and see a new message notification on my screen. I smile down but force it down to look up at Mateo as he sits in the empty chair next to me. He gives me a sad smile and I lean over to pat his hands, another buzz reaches my ears. Mateo glances over at my phone but I shake my head.

He’s my priority right now and Juliana can wait.

“Work or home,” I ask.

He shakes his head, “Work. She doesn't want me to publish an article on the new tip we got.”

I furrow my eyebrows, “The one about El Sur or—”

“La Familia, Valentina.”

I sigh, “Why not? They’re notorious. They’re practically outside our doors every day—”

“It's against your father’s wishes,” Mateo whispers with a roll of his eyes, “Eva says if we even hint at them, your father will have our necks. This seems too fishy. I wouldn’t be surprised if your father knew exactly who is at the top of their gang.”

I furrow my brows, “You think so? I honestly don’t think my dad would be involved in those kinds of things. He’s too kind.”

Mateo nods and opens his mouth when another reporter, Luiza, walks up to us. The woman is short and round. She has been at the head of the daily news division since my father worked down here in the company's early years. Her dark eyes sparkle as she looks at us with an amused stare. She comes to stop near us with a stack of prints in her hands.

“What’s the gossip,” she smirks at us.

Mateo looks at her and simply says, “La Familia.”

Luiza pales, “Why?”

“Eva won’t let me publish their recent present to El Sur.”

Luiza turns to Mateo then to me and shakes her head, “Don’t stick your nose there, kids.”

I furrow my brows, “Why?”

Luiza looks around, everyone is too far away and working hard on their stories to care, then bends down to whisper to us.

“Our informants always get the best crime stories for a reason, Valentina,” Luiza whispers.

I stare at the older woman but nod my head, still confused. The older journalist takes her leave but not before giving us both a warning glare. I look at Mateo and he gives me a look that screams ‘see?’ I roll my eyes and he gets up to go to his office. The morning goes by, leaving me with a half-assed article on the opening of refurbished buildings downtown. The only shining light of the whole day is my conversation with Juliana, one filled with teasing and playful banter. It lasts very little though because she notifies me of her leaving the city for work reasons and wouldn't be able to meet me for lunch or our usual Saturday date this coming week.

Having no distraction on my ride home, Juliana was already boarding a plane to make it to San Antonio quickly, my mind constantly goes back to the way Luiza acted this morning and what Mateo had suggested. I stop at a red light and bite my lip. A sudden urge to research hits me, so when the light changes I drive to my favorite book store. I make it to the store before closing and manage to convince the owner to help me pick out a few books. She helps me pick out a few along with a few biographies of retired politicians and public servants.

Once at home, I lock myself into my room and pour my attention to the large books. There are a few on the corruption of the political realm, a few on crime lords and even more on key historical events that could be explained on criminal activity. By the time Silvina is calling me to dinner, I have read a large chunk out of a biography from a former police chief.

I stand up slowly from my spot on my desk and stretch my aching muscles. My eyes catch the bouquet made out of daisies and roses that I had received a few hours after getting home. I smile and take the small folded card that is still attached to the plastic holder. My hands slowly open the card and two letters drawn in red ink greet me. I trace the note then sigh before placing the card back and making my way downstairs.

Don’t cause too much trouble while I’m gone.

-------------------------------------------- SIX MONTHS AGO: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

“Nice! Very nice!”

We move from our spots as the photographers look through their shots. I smile at Guille and he grins right back. I look over to Eva and see that her grumpy mood has contaminated only Mateo, which is not odd, and am happy to see she is being somewhat docile today. Finally, I look over to papá. His grey suit makes his eyes sparkle even more as he stares at Lucía, my new stepmother.

The atmosphere is happy and excited even after the exchange of vows over two hours ago. The whole hall is filled with family friends and business partners and family so it explains why so many smiles are being exchanged. My eyes look over the partygoers until a table near the dance floor catches my eyes.

At the head of the table is a Juliana in a three-piece suit and hair in a bun on top of her head. To her right an older woman, Juliana’s mother Lupe, and to her left a man with slick back hair and a thick mustache that is wearing a similar suit as hers, Alvaro or how Juliana calls him: Alacran. Next to Lupe is a tall lanky man with a thick mustache in his own three-piece suit that I recognize right away, Dr. Beltran Flores. Next to the Dean is his wife in a red dress petting their young son’s hair into place while looking over his crooked tie, Alicia and Javier Flores.

On each side of the small family are men in pitch black suits and long gold chains with loose-fitting jackets, Juliana’s personal guards. I could recognize a few of them from the times they would trail behind Juliana and me during our dates. My eyes trail back to Juliana and stay there. My girlfriend somehow feels my gaze and discreetly winks at me before turning to her godfather to talk.

“I wasn’t expecting them.”

I turn around to look at Eva as she comes to stand next to Guille and I.

“Why,” Guille asks, “The Valdés family gifted dad his honeymoon. Or did you forget?”

Eva shakes her head, “It's not them I’m talking about.”

I furrow my brow, “What?”

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

The crowd yells in terror and everyone as a whole ducks down or falls to the ground. I feel Guille pull me and Eva under him as we all look to see where the noise comes from. A server runs off with a gun in his hand and a smirk on his lips. My eyes follow where he comes from and I feel my whole being freeze. My dad lays on his back grabbing onto his chest with a bloody hand. Johnny stares down to him with wide eyes and a hand covering his mouth.

“¡LEÓN!”

“¡Mi AMOR!”

Guille forces himself up and runs toward my fallen father, Lucía hot on his heels. Eva and I stand up together and run towards the group surrounding my father. My knees hit to floor as I crouch next to my brother and stepmother. My dad’s eyes focus in and out as his head lays in my stepmother’s lap.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

We all look to the sound with fear. My jaw drops as I take in the figure standing over the waiter’s slumped form.

Juliana, suit now splattered with drops of stray blood, stands over the dead assassin with a drawn out black pistol and deadly stare. Her eyes stay staring at the man as the group of men from her table jump into action and close all the doors of the ballroom. Her godfather is now on the phone behind her family clutching his own silver pistol.

Our family’s security detail suddenly burst into action around us. My eyes keep moving from Juliana until she looks at me with an unexplained look. The first encounter I had with her echoes in my mind with clarity.

Finally, someone who understands my pain.

There’s a lot you don’t know about me.

My eyes begin to water and I look away to hide my distress. I stare at my father as he struggles to breathe. With a tear rolling down my eye, I take the hand he has at his side and kiss his palm. His eyes look away from Lucía to stare at me. I smile painfully and speak with a soft voice that he usually only spoke to me with.

“Estas bien papá,” I tell him, “Vamos estar bien.”

My dad hiccups and closes his eyes. Everyone around me yells in panic and the room spirals into chaos further. A group of paramedics rush into the ballroom and to us on the floor. We are pushed away as they tend to my father. I look over to where Juliana was but furrow my brows when I see that she and her family are all gone.

“LET’S MOVE!”

The man’s voice sounds urgent and I look over to the paramedics strapping my father down and now running out of the room. Lucía follows them, heels kicked off and blood on her hands. Guille runs after them along with the head of security, obviously taking over. The party planner and host takes over calming everyone down as much as she can and Johnny helps her.

“Let’s go,” Mateo says taking Eva’s hand and my own, “We can reach the hospital if we go now.”

Eva nods and we follow her husband out of the ballroom. The drive to the private hospital is swift but not swift enough. We rush into the emergency room with guards breathing down our necks only to come up with the sight of Lucía sitting in the closest seat being held by my brother. Eva ignores them and runs to the closest attendant while Guille signals me to come forward. I feel my feet fly over the tiled floor and then fall to my knees in front of them.

I stare at Lucía and she catches my stare. Her hazel eyes burn into mine and I understand what she’s telling me. I look up to Guille to confirm and see him bite his lip as an attempt to hold back tears.

“He’s gone.”

I close my eyes tightly as Eva puts her hands over my shoulder as she delivers the news audibly. Lucía pets my head as I lay it on her lap, making sure to run her fingers through my hair. I feel my whole body shake as sobs burst through me. Guille’s hand grasps my fist and he holds it between his hands, soft yet bristly kisses are placed on it to comfort me.

We stay at the hospital for an hour for the paperwork to be processed and confirmations of funeral preparations. By the time we reach the exit of the hospital, the streets surrounding both the hospital and now our home is filled with paparazzi and journalists and onlookers. This has left us all hiding in a closed off waiting room with our guards scrambling ways to get us out in an effective manner.

I look down at my hands as Eva and Lucía somehow end up calling a small truce to figure out what to do. I close my eyes and try to remember my father’s happy laughter or smirking face but can only come up with his bloody body and frightened stare. I feel tears fall down my cheeks when a pair of small hands are placed over my shoulders. I furrow my brows as the smell of familiar spice and neutral perfume hits my nose. I open my eyes and look up.

“I’m sorry.”

I stare up at Juliana and somehow my sorrow ebbs and I feel comfort by her presence. I nod and she smiles softly at me before letting go of my shoulders to walk further into the room. My heart wishes that she could comfort me as Mateo did with Eva but I know this is not the time or place for my family to find out who’s been overflowing my office with flowers for the past months.

My sister and stepmother look up from their deliberation as Juliana walks toward them. Lucía looks at the young Valdés then allow her to be pulled into a hug. They stay that way for a while until Juliana pulls away. The girl turns to our head of security and signals for him to come to her. She looks over at me and Guille so we do the same. Once all of my family and Diego are around her she sighs and looks at Eva then Lucía.

“I’ve sent my personal guards to clear the area out around the mansion along with a police detail,” she explains with an authoritative tone, “I have an entourage ready to follow you out of here and to arrive there. I called in some favors and have one of the highest ranked homicide detectives on the case. They will be taking him for the night and doing their job thoroughly so you won’t have to worry about them keeping him for too long.

I have a gag order placed on all media outlets to allow Grupo Carvajal full coverage on what is happening and allow you to dictate what news is allowed to leak. I have a team that will help cover you while the police figure out what level of security you might need after this.”

Lucía stares at her with relief and pain in her eyes, “Thank you, Juliana. I know you don’t have to-“

“He has been a good friend to me,” Juliana cuts her off, “I’m afraid I can’t offer much more without…”

Lucía nods, “It’s more than enough. Thank you.”

Juliana nods then pulls Lucía into another hug. I see my stepmother shake as she lets go of a sob into the younger woman’s jacket. They pull away and Juliana turns to Eva.

“I have my godfather on the scene at the ballroom,” she says, “He will contact you if anything changes.”

Eva shifts from one foot to the other then glances over at Mateo who is on the phone by the exit. Finally, she turns back to Juliana and nods hesitantly. Juliana somehow isn’t offended by this action like and nods to her before nodding to Guille then me before walking out of the waiting room. My eyes follow her as she reaches a group of tall men in suits. She speaks to them briefly before they walk into the room and she turns the corner out of sight.

The rest of the day seems like a bad dream. Juliana’s guards help ours leave the hospital and get us home. When we do get there, Johnny is waiting with a slew of detectives and police officers. I leave them all with my older siblings and stepmother to process what has occurred. I walk up the flight of stairs to my room and stop short when I see the door to my room cracked open. I gulp and slowly walk towards the door. I push open the door slowly and feel relief flood through me when my eyes recognize the figure standing by my window.

“Juliana.”

The girl turns around, phone still near her ear, and gives me a ‘hush’ motion before turning back to speak in hushed tones. I watch with curiosity, mostly for why she’s here in my room, then proceed to grab a change of clothes. Juliana turns back, still on the phone, and watches me as I grab my pajamas and walk into my bathroom to change. I sigh and lean against the door when I make it inside.

My eyes close and I see visions of my father, Juliana from across the room, Guille and Lucía in the waiting room, and finally the drive back. I feel numb as they repeat in my head. I shake my head and undress, not caring where my dress and undergarments fall, then turn on the hot water. I don’t test the temperature, I simply hop in and hope that the heat warms me up from the ice cold that has surrounded me since grabbing my father’s hand. I stay standing there under the hot water, hugging myself while pressing my forehead against the once cool tiles.

I don’t know how long I’m in there but it must have been long because when I look down at my feet I can see my whole body colored in a shade of tomato red. Tears fill my eyes as I go through the motion of washing up. It finally dawns on me that Juliana is outside waiting so I turn the water off once I’m done and quickly get dressed. My hair is limp over my shoulders but I don’t pay any mind to it, I was going to bed anyway and have little strength in me left.

Juliana is still standing in front of the open window when I re-enter my room. Her hands are on her waist and she’s staring out of the window in deep thought, or so I thought.

“We need to talk.”

A new wave of panic rushes through me as Juliana turns around with a serious face, one that she reserves for scolding her detail. Juliana sees my fear and sighs before coming to stand in front of me.

“I think I know what happened to your dad,” she tells me.

“What! What do you mean—”

“Shush,” she says covering my mouth, “No one knows I’m here, amor.”

I mumble and she moves her hand for me to speak, “How did you get here then?”

Juliana smirks, “Babe. Have you met me?”

I smile but sober up and sigh, “How do you know? How do you even have an idea?”

My girlfriend looks away. I can see memories swirl in the dark chocolate depths. Finally, Juliana turns back to me.

“What did your supervisor tell you a few months ago,” Juliana asks, eyes not leaving mine, “You called me the next day to tell me about it. I left my meeting in San Antonio early and you called worried about your dad…”

I bite my lip and Juliana shakes her head.

“I can’t help you understand unless you answer,” she whispers.

I look down at my clenched fists, “Our informants get good information for a reason.”

“And what did Mateo tell you before that?”

I stare at my hands then look up. Dark eyes stare at me with a patient look. A long month of research and poking at work finally connects in my brain. My eyes widen and I feel my heart race and my breathing hitch in fear.

Juliana nods, “He’s right. Your dad knows the leader of La Familia. He’s known for a long time. He was friends with him. They had a business relationship.”

“How do you know,” I stupidly ask again.

“I think you already know,” she sighs, “You’re a smart girl, Val.”

“When I asked you out on our first date, you said there’s a lot I don’t know about you,” I mumble.

Juliana sighs and moves to stand on her knees in front of me, “And one of those things can be incredibly dangerous for you to know.”

I look up at the caramel eyes I’ve grown attached to, I read reluctance and that fierce protectiveness I’ve loved since I saw them.

“What are you trying to tell me, Juliana?”

She takes my hands in hers while still staring into my eyes, “You can choose to know. All of it. About your dad. About me. About anything I know. Or, you can choose to not know, and we can end this now. We’ll go our separate ways. I’ll only see you in passing and I’ll be respectful towards you and your family.”

“And if I want to know,” I ask her.

The woman bites her lip then answers, “If you know, you’ll have a huge cross to bare. This information is not for the faint of heart, amor. I don’t want to be the cause of you thinking differently about your father. I don’t want you to think differently of me either. But if you want to know, I will tell you. I trust you, Valentina. I have since day one. I have no problem telling you about me and what I know about your father, but I just want to know if you want to know and are willing to know.”

Knowing about my dad means I know about Juliana. Knowing about Julian means consequences if I don’t keep the information to myself. How bad is this information? Why do very few people know about it? Will I be able to keep this information to myself? What if we break up? Will I be able to keep it then?

I look back up to Juliana. My eyes don’t move from her face. I read her expression but it’s still reluctant and protective. In the few months I’ve been near her, dated her, I have seen almost all sides to her. I have seen her at work mode, hovering over papers with a crease between her brows. I have seen her romantic side, deliveries of flowers to my desk had almost become a daily routine. I have seen her jealous side and her protective side. To think that I’m a small handful of few that have gained her trust is staggering. She’s known me for a few short months yet trusts me to tell her secrets and even those of my father’s.

I breathe in heavily then nod slowly.

“Tell me.”

Juliana’s dark eyes focus on me. The air around us is heavy with tension. Juliana opens her mouth and speaks.

“My grandfather was the creator and leader of La Mafia de Mexico. My father took over until his death. And right now, I’m the leader of La Familia.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19186732/chapters/46216516

#amar a muerte #juliantina #valentina carvajal #juliana valdes #fanfic

[mystblbk]

La Hija--Chapter 5(part1)

1 YEAR AGO: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

“Over there Juliana,” my mother’s brother tells me.

“Alright,” I respond with a grunt.

I drop the large box I’m carrying next to the large bookcases inside the office. I turn around and rub my hands against each other, my callous hands make a scratching sound as I do. I look over at my uncle and see him looking out of the office windows with an awed look.

“So, just in case I didn’t say this before,” I smirk to my uncle as he turns to me, “Congrats, Dr. Flores. You earned it.”

The man gin’s at me, “Gracias mi niña.”

I grin and allow him to pull me into a hug. We stay embraced for a moment until he pulls away with a pat on my back. I watch as he moves about his new office, arranging his décor and papers. I take this queue and do as he does. Like twisted fate, I open a box with picture frames. I pull out the top one and see that it’s the family portrait from before my father’s passing. I sigh and trace my father’s figure. The sound of footsteps comes up behind me and I look up and see Tio Beltran watching me with sad eyes. He smiles sadly and speaks up.

“He was what I always wanted for Lupe,” Tio points to the picture.

I raise my eyebrows and he lets out a laugh.

“I know. I’m always the first to say that he was smart but stupid,” he winks at me and I giggle, “But you know what? He kept her on her toes. He could follow through with everything my father wanted me to do. He was a replacement of sorts but also the most perfect brother I could have asked for. He was ready for a night of watching the game but also for taking down anyone threatening our family. He was hard but soft when needed. I can see it in you too.”

I smile and look back down only for my smile to turn sad. In the picture is all of us Flores-Valdés family members except for Javier who would be born a year later.

“They tell me I’m like him,” I trail off.

“You are in some ways,” my uncle nods, “But some things I can see are pure ‘Juliana.’”

I raise a brow at him, “Like what?”

“Well for one,” he snorts, “You’re a genius.”

I roll my eyes, “Just because I can memorize things at first glance, doesn't mean I’m a genius—”

“You graduated from this university at the same time you graduated high school,” my uncle cuts me off, “It's more than photographic memory, mija.”

I sigh and nod, “It didn’t help much though.”

“What do you mean,” he frowns at me.

“Well,” I huff, “It was a couple of rough months at the company after dad died.”

“That’s mostly their faults,” my uncle says referring to the shareholders, “They love you now.”

I laugh, “Oh yeah, they do! Tripling stock numbers every quarter does that to people!”

My tio laughs and looks like he’s about to speak but is cut off from his secretary.

“Señor Flores,” Maria pops in with a small smile, “I just received some papers for you to go over and there are three interviews about for replacement…”

My uncle snaps his fingers, “That’s right. I had them scheduled for right now.”

I watch as my uncle turns to me with a sorry look. I shake my head.

“It’s okay,” I raise a hand, “I’ve got to get going anyway. I’ll see you at dinner this Friday?”

My uncle nods and pats my back as I turn to leave. I kiss Maria’s cheek as I pass by and exit the office. The lobby to the administration hall is empty except for the few offices of secretaries that are outside each room. I smile to the women and men on my way out, most of them have known me from a young age and others had even met me during my time going to school here.

The administration hall is all the way in the front of the building but the parking area is all the way in the back, so I take a scenic route passing the art and history hallways. I stop at a few of my favorite spots: a mural of a coastal town and one of Frida Kalo, as well as a section of ancient artifacts from Brazil Professor Jimenez, brought back from a school trip on year. My eyes read over the small plaques next to the new donated pieces that had been received when the bell of class to end rings high and loud through the buildings.

I stay standing there with my hands in my jacket pockets. I pay no mind to the curious looks I receive as well as ones of recognition. There are a few professors that pass by and smile or nod at me, I repay them in kind politely. The five minutes for class exchange passes and I continue walking the history hall and turn into the art hallway. There are a few pictures from the journalism classrooms that make me stop, their pictures are always the most mobile and dynamic. The one that had stopped me was a picture of a riot outside a government building, a group of peaceful protesters turned angry due to no answers and little interest to their problems outside the community.

“Lucho, let me get to class!”

I blink and furrow my brows. The woman’s voice sounds distressed and annoyed, close to hysterics but mostly out of annoyance then danger. I raise a brow and look around, seeing a small hidden corner nearby. I walk towards it while making sure to not make noise as I do. The voice of this ‘Lucho’ reaches me and upon hearing his whiny voice my eyes narrow in distaste.

“Come on Valentina! You promised me you’d come with us this time!”

“I did but afterschool! How am I going to explain to my papá the reason for not going to class? He’s already on my ass because you had me sneak out last Saturday,” the girl huffs back, an angry stomp can be heard.

I smirk as they go back and forth. The girl seems to be unmoving for her decision if her constant pushing harshly against the taller young adult’s chest has anything to tell about it. I bite my lip and try to hold back a smirk at the girl’s fiery attitude. I finally reach the small closed off section and my eyes widen for a second before hardening into a glare.

In front of me stood a tall imposing young man and a gorgeous young woman. The young man has his hands clenched and has his shoulders squared in a way to look bigger. The woman, however, seems unfazed. Her lips were pursed and her curelian eyes narrowed in an annoyed and fed up expression, one they somehow reminded me of an angry kitten.

“If you don’t come with us,” the guy growls down to her, “We won’t hang out with you anymore!”

"That sounds perfect," I say with an icy voice.

My response makes both of them jump and they turn around to look at me. I stay standing at the entrance of the small corner with my hands in my pockets, I can feel my mother’s presents strapped to my sides and am comforted that I have them with me as the guy’s face shifts to one of anger and danger.

“Who the hell are you,” the guy huffs.

I roll my eyes, “If I had ten pesos.”

“Juliana,” the girl asks with confused eyes, “How…”

I smile at her, “I’ll tell you later. How about you get to class?”

The girl looks at me then to the giant next to us. She bites her lip and makes a decision. Valentina slowly walks around Lucho and towards me. Just as she’s passing him, he grabs her wrist tightly enough to make Val gasp with pain. I growl and walk a few steps forward to him until the tip of my shoes are touching his.

“Let her go.”

“NO! We’re having—”

He shuts up as I move my jacket off my shoulders. My twin guns are visible, two Desert Eagles with gold triggers and two gold Santa Muertes stamped onto the guns’ butt end. The kid’s eyes widen and he lets go of Val to shuffle back while breathing heavily. I smirk as he stares at the small figures on my guns with fear. I walk forward a few paces. For each step I take, he would take two back. A tugging on my jacket forces me to stop and I follow the silent plea I have the boy just where I want him: back against the wall with his books and messenger back tossed to the floor and hands held out in front of him.

“Well,” I chuckle, “It looks like you do know me.”

“Wait—please—”

“What’s your name,” I press, “I bet it’s much more interesting than mine.”

“I—I—”

“Cut your stupid stuttering,” I growl at him, “You were such a tough guy before? Why the change of attitude?”

The guy simply shakes his head, the color in his face turning much more pale at my suggestion. I step forward one more step with steal in my glare before I feel another small tug at the end of my jacket makes me stop.

“Juliana?”

The voice is scared and small. I grit my teeth, knowing full well it's directed at me and most likely will result of me never seeing the girl behind me again. My protectiveness is stronger than my fear of seeing her expression, so I still look over my shoulder to give her my attention. What I see shocks me enough to release my glare. Valentina’s soulful eyes look at me in concern but in a protective way. Her hands grip onto my jacket as if to stop me from doing anything further then scaring her classmate. Her stare shifts into one that for some reason reminds me of my mother, a scolding but amused stare.

I sigh in relief but understand her plea. I turn back to the boy who is practically pissing in his pants across from us.

“Leave,” I scoff, “If I hear or see you with her again…”

He nods furiously and pushes past us to run out of the hidden corner, caring little to pick up his fallen things. I smirk as I hear the sounds of retreating sneakers quiet down as they retreat. With a shake of my head, I turn around to face Valentina again. I give her the stink eye but the girl smiles back at me.

“I hope you’re happy,” I huff.

She smirks, “I didn’t want you doing something you might regret.”

I raise a brow, “Him? No, I wouldn’t have. I never regret getting rid of men like him, especially when they act like that towards a lady.”

I try to hold back a grin as the girl blushes deeply and looks away. I watch her for a moment and then take her hand that is still clutching my jacket. The action gains her attention and so she watches me. I flip her hand over and allow myself a moment to trace the path of deep lines on her palm. With a smirk, I look up at her surprised eyes.

“You need to go to class,” I whisper, “Tell your professor you were with the dean.”

“The dean,” she asks, “Why him?”

“He owes me a favor,” I smirk.

“What?”

I sigh, “He’s my uncle. But you really do have to go. You’ll get in trouble.”

“Fine,” she huffs, “But you have to tell me exactly what that was all about. Lucho doesn't just run off like that, he’s too much of a macho man.”

I bite my lip and shake my head in an attempt not to look at her. Val narrows her eyes at me and forces me to look at her by tugging my jacket again. I can’t help but chuckle at her action. I raise the small hand I’m holding and kiss the reddened wrist. With a quick decision, I drop her hand and pull a pen and notebook from the scattered remains around us. I quickly scribble down my number at the top of an empty page then rip it out and hand it to Valentina with a charming smile.

“There. Now get to class,” I wink at her, “I’ll see you later.”

“When,” she whispers, glancing down at the spot I kissed.

“We’ll talk about it,” I promise, “I’m a busy woman, Miss Carvajal.”

With that I drop her hand and walk out of the small hallway. I hear taps of boots against the floor that don’t belong to me. I smile to myself and don’t turn around as Valentina watches me walk out of the building.

-----------------------------------------------

ELEVEN MONTHS AGO: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

“Miss Valdes. Your visitor is here and inside the elevator. Should I let her go through when she arrives?”

I look up from the papers on my desk and pull off my glasses, “Yes. Santos. You may go out to lunch as well.”

My secretary nods and quickly walks out of my office. I quickly stand and run over to the bathroom I have in my office. I look over my clothes, a crisp white button up, slim black slacks and black heeled boots, and sigh with relief to find everything in order. I quickly brush of teeth and combing my hair before looking at the reflection of myself. I take a deep breath and let it out with a gasp.

“It's just lunch, Juls,” I tell myself, “Just lunch. With a pretty girl. Just...lunch...”

I growl and force myself to leave the room. I hear talking behind my door along with ‘clicks’ of high heels. In a panic, I half-jog back to my desk and make myself look busy. The sound of stilettos stop near my door then become louder as my door opens. I look up, feigning surprise, and stare as my lunch date walks in.

My eyes trail her form and my teeth automatically hold onto my bottom lip, the sight is a beautiful one after all. The tall blue-eyed woman’s neck is on full display from the tight bun on top of her head. My eyes trail down to the two spiky earrings that sway back and forth as she walks in with a sway of her hips. The flower imprinted blouse Val is wearing fits perfectly on her frame and matches perfectly with the black skirt she has on. My eyes finally reach the deep navy blue stilettos on her feet as they ‘click’ on the marble flooring. I slowly trail my eyes back up to turquoise eyes and feel a deep blush run through my cheeks as a coy smile shines at me.

“I’m here for my appointment, Miss Valdes,” the woman winks at me.

I shake my head, nervous and gitty energy flowing through me as I stand up to meet her at the center of the room. I feel Val’s eyes look me over so I walk with a little more swagger than needed. This causes Val to giggle once I'm standing in front of her. I grin back at her and take her black purse while signaling her to follow me to my private meeting room. Her hand falls automatically over my arm as we walk to the room. I place her bag near the middle of the table and pull out her chair for her.

“Quite the gentleman,” Val teases.

I grin but don’t respond. Instead, I grab the two bags of food I had ordered a while ago and unpack what’s inside.

“Pick whatever you want,” I tell her, “If you want to take some with you, go ahead.”

Val grins in thanks as I hand her a plate and utensils. I take my seat and we each grab a sealed meal to eat. We sit in silence for a moment until Val turns to me.

“I know I told you that I eat a lot, Juls,” she smirks, “But I’m a little offended you ordered so much!”

I laugh, “I just wanted you to have enough to pick from.”

Her expression turns serious, “I did.”

The tension builds as we watch each other inside the quiet room. Val finally concedes and starts eating the food in front of her, avoiding my gaze. I can’t help but feel like I lost something for the rest of our lunch and the feeling turns into helpless as she leaves me in my office.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19186732/chapters/46216516

#amar a muerte #juliantina #valentina carvajal #juliana valdes #fanfic

[mystblbk]

#mexicanfood #breakfast

[mystblbk]

La Hija--Chapter 4

5 YEARS AGO: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

This has never happened before.

“¡MACARIO!”

“¡Mi AMOR!”

The sound my tio and mother make as they run to my father’s body echo in my ears with just a strong of strength as the sound of recently fired bullets. My eyes remain unseeing toward the entrance of our house. The figures run out with laughter and patting each other on their backs. I watch as the door slams behind them as if in a trance. My chest feels like it burns and I gasp and instantly feel relief.

I wasn’t breathing.

I hadn’t taken one breath since the three men came bursting through the door, each dressed in blood and carrying heavy artillery in their arms.

The sound of my mother’s uncontrollable sobs snaps me back to the present. I look behind me and see my mother on her knees with my father hugged tightly to her chest. My Tio Beltran was hovering over them with pain and anger and confusion while Tia Alicia crouches next to mamá. Tio Alacran grits his teeth and holds onto the wound he had on his shoulder. A few of the men left standing move quickly to create a perimeter around the room with the few handguns they still have.

The vision is like a painting, one of those created to show the carnage of battle. My heart pulses in despair and uncertainty. I finally force myself to see the center of this picture: my father.

In my mother’s arms, he appears to be fighting. The color in his tan face is slowly leaving but his fists clutch at the front of his shirt where the bullet wound is. I can see his eyebrow twitch and his shoulders move slowly as he trys to speak in desperation. I count the seconds pass between each breath and I feel ice fill my heart with the time difference that changes. Somehow papá finds the strength to look at me from across the room. His steel blue eyes pin me and I stay frozen.

A second passes and I read confidence in his gaze. His lips form a small smile and with his last ounce of strength places his head directly over my mother’s heart. His eyes close and the whole room turns silent. I count the time that passes by.

One.

Two.

Three.

After three minutes, he doesn't move and chaos erupts inside our home. I stay frozen and everything around me disappears. All I can see are is the confident gaze my father gave me.

I trust you.

I take the last words he gives me and I lock them tightly in my soul. Another minute passes by and I force myself to stand from the spot I was thrown onto. The heel of my leather boots 'click' as I stand. The others suddenly shut up. I ignore them all and continue to stare at my father. With dull ‘clicks’ I walk the marble floor and end up standing above my mother and father. My mom stares at me once I’m in front of them.

I crouch down and move around my mother's hands to pull the two guns my father has strapped onto his vest. Mom opens her mouth to protest but I look up at her and she closes her mouth again. I check the guns over to see if they are loaded and nod when I see that they are. I put one gun on the space between my spine and the waistband of my jeans. As I reach for the second weapon, a glimpse of gold catches my eye. The figure hanging on my father’s necklace, once polished to perfection with its ruby red eyes, was now splattered with blood. With gritted teeth, I carefully pull it over his head and wrap it around my right hand then grab the weapon with the same hand. Before I stand, I kiss my father’s cheek then my mother’s forehead.

“Juls,” my mom whispers with pain.

I shake my head and stand up. I stare at my parents for another moment then force my face into a cold deadly expression. I don’t turn as I speak for fear of lashing out to anyone around me.

“Alacran,” I call out, “Follow me. Everyone else, remain here and guard them. Call Santos.”

With those instructions, I turn around and walk in the direction of the garage. I grip my personal weapon with my left hand to center myself at the moment, no mistakes can be made now, then I release it.

“Juli! Where are you going,” Tio Beltran shouts.

“To leave a message,” I call back with a calm voice, “I won’t be long.”

I don’t listen to anything anyone else says, I simply jog down the stairs and into the twelve vehicle garage. I feel Alacran follow me as I approach one of the black Jeeps, this one has no doors and is built bulletproof. I grab the car’s key and a leather vest then I jump into the driver's side to start the car.

Alacran climbs right in, not bothering to put on his belt. He watches me as I put on the leather vest and place each of my father’s guns into each holster. The solid black Desert Eagles weigh even more than the ones I typically would have, most likely because I know that they're gold triggers instead of my usual blood red. Once I’m finished getting ready, I peel out of the garage with such speed that my godfather almost falls out of the front seat.

I click the button for the front gates and barely make it past them as they are slow to open. The wind blows into the car from the absence of the doors but I pay no mind, they are an asset now. Alacran pulls out his gun and I shake my head.

“On three you take over,” I say to him, “You will follow behind. When I point up, you will drive to the other side. Understand?”

My godfather stares at me with wide eyes but then nods. With a huff, I press on the gas even more. The few cars I encounter freeze up when I pass them, clearly unsure of what is happening. In less then five minutes I’m following the black truck that I was searching for. I glare at the truck as it speeds up.

Cowards.

A few streets pass by as I speed up to even the Jeep with the truck’s bed. I glance over at the distance and nod to myself. The gold chain still wrapped around my hand glints at me as if encouraging me. I nod down to it then speak to Alacran again.

“Okay,” I sigh, “I’m going to let go now. Okay?”

Alacran nods with fear but places his hands around mine on the steering wheel.

“One.”

I remove my foot from the gas.

“Two.”

Alacran stomps his foot over the gas peddle.

“Three.”

At ‘three’ I jump and Alacran jumps into the seat I vacate. My leap is big enough for me to land on the truck’s bed without hitting myself on something. I pull out my father’s guns and flip them to their butts, the gold chain ‘clicks’ as I do. With a forceful swing, I knock out the back windows. The five men look back with shock and I flip the guns back to point at them. I don’t speak as I shoot the three men in the back in one swift arc, all three men on the spot are dead and have their heada turned to the broken window. The man in the passenger seat pulls out his gun and turns around but is too slow. I shoot him at his forehead and he slumps forward so his chest falls on the lap of the man in the middle seat of the second row.

“What—”

The driver’s sentence isn’t completed as I shoot him directly between the eyes. The truck lurches at the pressure relieved on the gas pedal. I growl under my breath and quickly toss my father’s necklace toward the dashboard, it catches onto the wiper switch and turns the water mechanism on. The windshield is dosed in water and the dead passengers cannot be seen from the front.

I stare at my father’s dangling necklace for a second before taking my leave. I stand up and sprint down the bed like an airplane over a landing strip, the truck slowly coming to a stop. With another strong leap that is aided by the moving truck, I jump over the truck bed’s door like track and field barricades. I land on my forearms but quickly turn so my back is directly on the windshield. I draw my father’s guns out and shoot them at the truck as both it and the Jeep come to a stop in front of a large cathedral.

Both vehicles stop in the middle of the street, I can hear yells and gasp from the church so I force myself to ignore my pain and move. I groan as Alacran knocks on the windshield. The man stares at me with shock as I jump into the passenger seat through the open top of the jeep as if I hadn’t been hurt.

“Home,” I tell him.

His only response is to shift into reverse and hit the gas pedal. As he flips the car around and takes the closest turn away, I catch a final glimpse of my handiwork. The truck bed’s door is decorated with a message made out of bullet holes:

LA HIJA

A satisfied smirk crawls onto my face and a sense of dangerous promise shines in my eyes. I can only hope Armenta’s anger and woe is as strong as mine when he sees my present. I close my eyes and listen to the sounds of sirens entering the area as we leave it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

1 WEEK LATER: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

The sun is shining, almost as if to taunt the event. I can’t help but glare at the ground as the priest goes through the motions of blessing the casket in the center of our large circle. As the man throws holy water one final time over the hole and the casket, the mass of people around the grave begins to stir in many ways. Some cry out. Some shout praises. Others clap. Some give a prayer or send a holy cross.

Then things change again. This time a man wearing a black suit makes his way around the casket and opens it one last time. The mass of people reacts again as the suited man signals to my family. I see my mother walk forward with Tio Beltran holding her hand. Tia Alicia pulls little Javier by his hand right behind her husband.

I don’t move.

I stay standing there.

I ignore the sobs and the hiccups.

I move away from the hands that try to touch me.

I don’t even register my mother’s wails as she hovers over the glass.

Instead, I stare at the ground then slowly follow the trail of dirt that leads to the deep hole that will be filled in a few moments. My eyes betray my wishes and I follow the dirt back to the metal rods of the stand that holds the dark casket near the hole. Finally, my feet move and I approach it. My mother moves, as do Tio Beltran and Tia Alicia and Javier. They move away but close enough to touch my back.

My feet stop directly in front of the left side of the casket where it’s open. I stare at the clothing interior of the front door. On it is a picture of our family, every one of us standing next to him right now. I look over at the small Santa Muerte pin that is attached to the cloth. My eyes then catch the tassel from my college graduation that is pinned there as well. I grit my teeth then look down.

He’s pale.

He’s unmoving.

His face is peaceful.

He’s wearing his favorite suit, the blue one that made his eyes sparkle when he smiled.

He’s wearing my necklace, a silver chain and Muerte with ruby eyes.

I can make out bulge around his ribs: his guns back where they should be.

The image finally hits me, and I let out a cry that only a wounded animal could make. I feel myself shake in my jacket. My hands turn into fists as I clutch the sides of the casket. I place my head over the glass and cry directly over it. The tears collect over the even surface and begin to steam it as well. My eyes water so much that I have to blink rapidly so I can engrave the image of my father one last time.

I don’t know how long I stand there wailing but soon enough two rough hands take purchase over my shoulders. I feel the strong hands massage them in a calming motion.

“It’s father’s day,” I sob out, “It’s father’s day!”

“I know,” my godfather whispers in my ear, “I know. Let it all out, mi niña.”

I cry for another eternity then finally pull myself together. With a sob, I kiss the glass then place the white rose mom pinned onto my lapel next to her’s.

“I promise,” I whisper to him with all the strength my fifteen-year-old body could muster, “I promise to protect her. To protect mom. I promise to keep Tio safe. To keep Tio and Tia and Javier safe. I promise to lead the company with all I have and all you’ve taught me. I promise to take care of everything you left me and everyone, just like you taught me…I promise papí.”

My desperate promise sets off my mother again. I hear her howl and scream and cry and weep. I grit my teeth and force myself away. I turn my back to my father and push away my godfather’s hands from me. I push my way through the mass of people, happy that no one stops me.

I keep walking as I hear the sounds of rope snap over metal. I walk farther and barely catch the sound of metal hitting the concrete. My ears don’t hear the sound of concrete slaps being placed over the concealed concrete box. By the time I stand under the solitary tree of the graveyard’s section, I don’t hear the sounds of dirt covering the concrete box containing my father’s body.

I stay staring out into the sky as the mourners behind me continue to pray and weep and clap and stare. With a shuddered breath I pull a chain from my inner breast pocket. I let the chain dangle off my fingertips for a moment while I study the hooded figure on my palm. The bony woman carries a scythe in her left hand and in her right a set of balance scales. Her eyes are ruby red and her little halo is decorated by little gems at the tips. The whole piece is made out of thick gold, made carefully and purposefully.

It’s a sign that goes back to my grandfather.

A sign to signify power.

The sign of the boss of La Famila.

My grandfather’s sign.

My father’s sign.

My sign.

I slowly pull the chain over my head and adjust the figure over my chest. My hand moves to my breast pocket again and I pull out the thick cigar I have hidden there. I slowly pull out a lighter and light the tip. I take a deep drag then glance over my shoulder. The mass has mostly gone except for my family and a few stragglers that stay watching me. I look past them and see the pile of dirt and flower and wreaths. I release the smoke in my lungs then I turn around and walk in the direction of my Mustang.

I will never give you anything I know you can’t handle.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

2 YEARS LATER: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

The door is opened by valet once Mario reaches the museum's steps. I sigh and look forward to my driver, Mario gives me an encouraging smile. I sigh and force myself to exit the limo. Flashes of light from all my sides attempt to blind me from behind the sunglasses I’m wearing.

I knew this would happen so I had planned ahead for this, it’s been many years since a Valdés or Flores attended a public event. Though it may have been several years since any one of us had attended a red carpet event, I knew exactly what to do. I slowly remove my Ray Bans and focus on staring forward to keep myself from being blinded. Flashes surround me and yelling from both sides call my name but I ignore them all. I would not be walking the carpet so this would be their only opportunity to catch a glimpse of the Valdés’ heir.

I suppose another reason that they had turned into crazed inhuman beings was my appearance. Unlike all the women that had shown up, the typical ballgown or tight dress that the women would wear, I was wearing one of my suits that I usually wore at work or out on a job. The dark grey suit clung to me like a second skin over my black longneck sweater and matched my sockless black Oxford shoes, the whole outfit was very typical but for a man attending the event, not a woman. I try not to roll my eyes or give my attention to the media people now yelling at me questions that have nothing to do with the gala happening tonight.

The attendants notice my annoyance and quickly lead me to the hidden entrance behind the tall paper walls or the red carpet. I thank them as they leave me to follow the pathway into the museum. Once I reach the entrance I’m stopped by two large men with automatic pistols. I raise an eyebrow at the hand that one of them put up.

“We need to search you, ma’am,” the man explains, “There are politicians along with many famous and influential people in there. We can’t risk anyone inside with firearms that aren’t authorized to.”

I look at the man then look at his companion. With a sigh I pull out my wallet, the men stay quiet as I pull out twin American bills and hold them up.

“I’m sure you searched enough,” I say with my authoritative voice.

The men look at each other than look to me. I roll my eyes and go back to my wallet to pull out another two bills to hold up.

“This enough,” I ask with a raised brow.

The first man nods and takes his share then hands the other share to his companion.

“Have a nice night ma’am,” he tells me as I pass by them to enter the museum

“I sure will,” I tell them with a nod.

The second I enter the building a young man carrying trays of champagne and wine comes up to hand me one, obviously recognizing who I was. I shake my head and point to the bar set up near the sculpture display in the center of the large room. The young man bows his head and allows me to walk past him. The room is filled with modern art but form visiting the museum many times before, I know that there are different wings dedicated to different ages of art. I sigh as I look around and notice all the people mingling, some I recognize through social media or from business deals.

There are a few good eggs but those that I know are rotten keep me interested, there are always things to keep for future reference. I keep tabs on the political and businessmen as I pass by, something that I had been taught to do, and reach the bar. With a wave, one of the men attending the bar approaches me.

“Two shots, dark tequila. Rum on the rocks,” I tell him.

The man furrows his brows.

I guess I’m leaving this party at least a thousand dollars short.

I roll my eyes and pull out another set of bills and hand them to him. The man looks down at the bills and then looks up at me with wide eyes. I narrow my eyes and he jumps into action to get my order.

“Most people get a fake ID.”

The voice is soft and female but also filled with awe and amusement. I smooth out my face to a cold expression and look to my left to the woman that spoke. My eyes widen and I feel my cold expression shift to one of pure shock.

“Are you okay?”

My eyes don’t move or blink as I take in the specimen standing in front of me. A gorgeous young woman in a pure white dress with cherry blossoms sewn to the skirt stands in front of me with confused and worried cerulean eyes.

“Aqui esta, señorita.”

The sound of glasses hitting the counter next to my hands wakes me up from my daze. I cough and turn to my drinks, ignoring the girl still staring at me. I quickly take both shots and put them upside down on the counter. The action allows me a chance to process my emotions and decide what to do, the problem is I still don’t know what to do and the girl is now taking the seat next to me and ordering her own drink.

“Can I get a cup of mezcal please?”

I glance over at the goddess next to me and then back to my rum.

Do something!

“When you’re rich there's no point for fake IDs,” I try to say smoothly.

“So, you do speak,” the girl snorts.

I turn to her as the man places her drink in front of her. She tips the cup toward me and I do the same.

“Salud,” she says with an award-winning smile.

“Salud,” I echo.

She takes a long sip that surprises me enough to raise a brow while I take my own sip. She doesn't wince or cough as she pulls the cup away from her lips.

“What,” she asks when she catches me staring.

“Done this before,” I ask with a smirk.

“I could ask you the same thing,” she scoffs with a smile.

The response shocks me to the point of making me laugh. I’ve gotten too used to older men in suits or shady men in leather gun holders so this girl's playfulness had caught me off-guard. The girl smiles as I slowly quiet down. I shake my head and grin back at her, I can’t help but notice the shiver that runs up her shoulders as I do.

“Juliana,” I say extending a hand to her, I make sure to grin this time.

“Valentina,” she says as she shakes my hand, a small blush forming on her cheeks.

There is electricity that forms between us and amplifies through our handshake. The electricity continues to flow through my body as we both let go. I can’t help but stare into her eyes as she gives me a coy smile through her eyes.

“So, why were you invited,” she asks me.

I sigh and take a swing of my rum, “I haven’t made a public appearance and a lot of crazy rumors are floating around. I needed to leave my cave to save face before it affected my family’s business.”

“Family business?”

I nod to her, “Yeah. Casinos, resorts, real estate and the like.”

“You’re Valdés,” she murmurs with recognition.

I blink and stare at her, “Ugh, yeah. Juliana Valdés.”

The girl then grins at me, leaving me breathless

“Finally, someone who understands my pain,” she laughs throwing her hands up, “My dad is Léon Carvajal.”

“The media mogul,” I ask with raised brows.

“That’s the one,” she waves her finger.

“Small world,” I murmur.

“Small world,” she agrees.

We stay there for a moment, sipping on our drinks until Valentina speaks up again.

“You know, I don’t think I ever saw you at one of these events before,” she says slowly.

I catch onto her hidden question, “Yeah, that’s the reason for the rumors.”

“They're pushing for you to be in a psych ward or rehab,” she guesses.

I laugh, “No. They think I skipped town and left someone more ‘capable’ in my place, which is ridiculous. I’ve been the CEO for two years now.”

Valentina blinks, “Really?”

“Yeah,” I nod, “I’ve got the plaque to prove it.”

This information catches her off guard as Valentina ends up staring at her half empty glass. I leave her to her thoughts, my position in the company always leaves people in shock. After a long stretch of not talking I sigh and accept this is the only conversation she would give me. I point to my cup and the bartender makes me a fresh one. I tip him another bill and stand up to leave. I’m turning back to the floor when I feel a tug at the back of my jacket. I turn around and see Valentina staring at me with sparkly eyes.

“Do you want to walk the floor with me,” she says biting her bottom lip, “I lost my sister a while ago and I liked talking to you.”

I furrow my brows, “Are you sure? You kinda ghosted me there…”

“NO,” she burst out, “I just started thinking about my own family. It’s odd to see someone take their roll so effortlessly and at such a young age.”

I blink and then nod slowly, “Okay, sure. Do you want to start in the portrait gallery or the impressionist wing?”

This response kicks the woman into gear as she asks for a fresh drink. I watch in amusement as she grabs her clutch and her drink before standing next to me. I look at her full hands and remember my father’s words about ladies and being a gentleman. I smile at her and place my drink back at the bar before taking her clutch and slipping it into my breast pocket and next to one of my concealed guns.

Valentina gives me a shocked but impressed look as I turn back to her and offer my arm. The girl is taller than me due to her high heels, but takes my hand and allows me to guide her deeper into the museum.

I didn’t notice that I forgot my drink at the bar until I help her find her ride later that night.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19186732/chapters/45918625#main

#amar a muerte #juliantina #valentina carvajal #Juliana valdes #fanfic

[mystblbk]

Chavela Valdes--Chapter 6

JULIANA POV

I try not to show my nerves as I walk Valentina to the table and also try to ignore the staring from the clientele. I do this by staring at Val or at the floor, anywhere else is dangerous. At one point I pass the table of the girl from this morning and catch her conversation with her friends, but how could I not with them basically whisper yelling at each other.

“Who is that?”

“I don’t know but she looks familiar!”

“Familiar? Is she famous or something?”

“Guys that’s Valentina Carvajal! The model!”

“What the hell is she doing with—”

A tap on my shoulder gains my attention. I look over to Valentina and see her smiling patiently at me. A smile blooms on my face as she rolls her eyes in a dismissive fashion.

“Don’t worry about them, I’m used to people like that,” she tells me, “You’re not put off by all this though?”

I shake my head, “No. I was at first, I'm not going to lie, but I figured I met the real you on that bench.”

Valentina stares at me then looks away with a blush to her cheeks. I smile softly as I watch her process and come up with something to say. The walk to her table is long enough for her to take a few seconds to think.

“You did,” she mumbles, “It really helped me put things into perspective.”

“I’m glad,” I tell her with a grin, “Sometimes it's people on the outside that see something you can’t see.”

Val nods, “Your words helped me keep my spirits up for the past month. Eva and Lúcia came up with this sudden truce. It was like you predicted it would happen!”

I blink then giggle, “I’m no bruja but I know that family is all you have, and it just has to be enough sometimes. It’s just me and my mom now. There are things I don’t agree with her and others that tick me off, but I love her. She is all I have. We have to rely on each other.”

Val abruptly stops, making me stumble into her, and I look over at her. She’s a few inches taller than me with her heels on but my boots even things out enough so we're only two inches in difference. I stare at the girl and wait for her to speak.

“That’s what my dad told me,” Valentina says, “After our mother died he told us we had to rely on each other, my siblings and I.”

“He sounds like a smart man,” I whisper with a smudge of jealousy.

“He was,” Val answers.

Val stares at me and I let her read my thoughts through my eyes. Somehow, she reads me because she moves her hand down from my elbow to my hand to hold. She rubs small circles on the area where my thumb and pointer finger meet. The action soothes me somehow and my anger dissipates to sadness. Val smiles kindly at me and then turns around to pull me by my hand to her table.

My eyes don’t leave her as she pulls me through the maze of tables and people. I’m mesmerized as her long hair sways from left to right like a metronome’s arm. I feel a warmth spread through me, similar to the safety I feel when my mother holds me but also very different. A song makes its way into my mind as she looks over her should for a second to smile at me. I can practically hear the strums of two guitars as she looks back forward.

Salías de un templo un día llorona

Cuando al pasar yo te ví

Salías de un templo un día llorona

Cuando al pasar yo te ví

Hermoso huipil llevabas llorona

Que la virgen te creí

Hermoso huipil llevabas llorona

Que la virgen te creí

The lyrics pull on my heartstrings and a thought comes to me.

I like her.

I could even come to love her.

And I just met her.

Ay, de mi llorona, llorona, llorona

De un campo lirio

Ay, de mi llorona, llorona, llorona

De un campo lirio

El que no sabe de amores llorona

No sabe lo que es martirio

El que no sabe de amores llorona

No sabe lo que es martirio

“So, when he came to my house I told him to go to hell and to find himself a new girlfriend,” Val says, “I mean who leaves their girlfriend outside of church?”

I don’t know how long she has been speaking as I have been entrapped in a daze staring at her from behind. I do understand what she’s saying but my mind processes it in the background as the song plays in my mind.

No sé que tienen las flores llorona

Las flores de un camposanto

No sé que tienen las flores llorona

Las flores de un camposanto

Que cuando las mueve el viento llorona

Parece que está llorando

Que cuando las mueve el viento llorona

Parece que está llorando

“Oh, and there’s my brother Guillermo that you have to meet. He’s standoffish but so kind and wonderful,” Val prattles on, “I think you two will be good friends!”

Ay de mi llorona, llorona, llorona

Llévame al río

Ay de mi llorona, llorona, llorona

Llévame al río

Tápame con tu rebozo llorona porque

Me muero de frío

Tápame con tu rebozo llorona porque

Me muero de frío

“And so Guille ended up late again! So obviously he has a girlfriend! I mean how dose one person that only live for work show up late to work with his clothes inside-out,” the girl laughs.

Dos besos llevo en el alma Llorona

Que no se apartan de mí

Dos besos llevo en el alma Llorona

Que no se apartan de mí

El último de mi madre Llorona

Y el primero que te di

El último de mi madre Llorona

Y el primero que te di

“Juliana?”

I blink twice and shake my head with my eys closed. Finally dragging my mind away from the song, I look up at Val and am greeted with a curious and humorous look in her eye.

“I know I talk really fast, but I didn’t know I was boring you that much,” the girl giggles.

“Oh no,” quickly speak up to assure her, “I just remembered a song I heard once. It sort of…reminded me of you…”

Valentina’s expression changes to a surprised and fond look, “Well that means you have to play it for me.”

I blush and nod. The other girl grins and leads me the last few feet to her family. I feel nervous as we reach the table, Eva’s laser-sharp stare pinning me down like a messenger pigeon. I straighten up just another millimeter under her gaze, determined to look at least a little bit decent under the woman’s gaze. We come to a stop at behind the sixth chair that was unused, I look over at Val and she reads my mood in an instant. The girl squeezes my hand then smiles and introduces me to them.

“So, you already know my sister Eva and stepmother Lúcia,” Valentina says as she points to the women.

The brunette’s eyes stay staring at me then she offers me her hand to shake. The blonde smirks at her stepdaughter’s actions before turning to me with a sparkle in her eye. I slowly remove my hat again and place it under my left arm. With a small bow of my head, I shake both women’s hand with a respectful smile.

“Nice to see you here again, Miss Lúcia. Miss Eva,” I bow to them, “I hope you enjoyed the show. This time I was trying.”

Miss Lúcia laughs, “We could tell, Juliana. It was amazing.”

Miss Eva nods with a small smile, “Yes it was quite something. I’m supprised you manage to stay up on your feet after all of that dancing and jumping during the first number.”

I blush and rub the back of my neck, “Oh, it’s nothing really. Salvador and I made sure that the number was impactful but not too much of a strain on my voice. We’ve only been doing it for the past two weeks so I’m still messing up towards the end.”

“Wait,” one of the men speak up, “You and the leader planed the choreography and the set-list?”

I nod slowly, ignoring the proud and amazed look that Val and Miss Lucia were giving me. The man lets out a ‘huff’ and shakes his head.

“Well then it is even more impressive,” he extends his hand with a smile, “Nice to meet you, Juliana. My name is Mateo Luna, Eva’s husband.”

I smile back at him and shake his hand with a firm shake. He looks impressed and turns to the other man across from him. The younger man sighs and turns to me with a calm expression. He offers me his own hand and I take it firmly.

“Guillermo,” he introduces himself, “It was a fine show. I also enjoyed the food very much.”

At this comment, I grin, “That’s good to hear. My mother is working in the kitchen.”

“Your mother,” Eva asks with surprise.

“Yes,” I nod with a sad smile, “She had to change jobs. There was a man that tried to come onto her at the bar she worked at. I managed to convince her to come work here. Salvador’s grandma, Doña Perita, gave her a kitchen job.”

The Carvajal clan looks at one another before Eva speaks up for them.

“You’ve been through a lot,” the woman says with furrowed brows.

I shrug, “It's much better than from when we started.”

This catches Mis Lúcia’s attention.

“Oh,” she gapes, “Is it something you can tell us about?”

I bite my lip and look out to the stage. My guitar sits on the stand near Sal’s guitar. The instrument is my most valuable possession and my heart aches at that thought.

I furrow my brows and let my memories spill from my lips, “We ran away to get here. My dad was a gangster. And I found that out a few months ago when the leader of the gang showed up to…”

I grit my teeth forcefully and feel anger boil under my skin; I can feel an angry blush fill my cheeks. My nose flares and I shake my head before continuing.

“My mom and I ran down here to stay safe. She thinks he’s still out there, but I honestly don’t care if he was,” I growl, “We ended up looking for my mom’s friend, Panchito, and we’re staying with his aunt for now. So it’s safe to say that even though we’re in a place unknown and strange with only a few changes of clothes, we’re safe and thriving.”

I continue to stare at my guitar then look back to the family. They all have a look of surprise and empathy. For some reason it makes my chest hurt even more so I smile to them and bow my head again. I swiftly put my hat back on and almost pry my hand out of Val’s.

“If you excuse me,” I mumble out, “I have to change and go see if the servers need help cleaning up.”

I quickly spin on the heel of my boot and walk away not looking back. I pass table filled with families and friends, each filled with joy and happiness at this luxurious outing. A stab feeling makes me grab the spot under my tie directly over my heart. I hiss and ignore it but also make note of it. This wasn’t the first time that this has happened. I’ve had this feeling come back during stressful moments like mom’s run-in with Alacran a week ago. It makes me want to cry to know that something is wrong with me on top of all that is happening.

I reach my group’s room and lock the door behind me. Eyes tightly closed, tears begin to stream down my cheeks and onto my vest. I make no noise as I cry, I’ve had to learn how to, and stay in the dark room until I collect myself again.

“No point in crying,” I hiccup, “It won’t change anything, Juliana.”

I glare at the wall and turn to face the door. I punch the hardwood then push myself away.

“No point,” I whisper.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

VALENTINA POV

“Juliana,” I shout out as the girl walks away, “Ju—”

“Leave her be, mija,” Lúcia says while leaning over to take my hand, “She probably hadn't spoken about it to anyone and had all her feelings bottled up. I’m sure if you leave her to her thoughts she will be fine. Perhaps wait a few days and come look for her then?”

I look over to my stepmother and she sighs upon seeing my discouraged face. The woman smiles sadly and stands up. I watch as she comes to stand in front of me. Lúcia’s hands come up to cup my face. I look into her green eyes and find comfort and understanding that only a mother could give.

“She’s at odds with her mother, Val. She hasn’t had anyone to vent her feelings to. Just give her space for a moment,” Lúcia explains, “I’ve been in her shoes. Things are changing too fast for her to process. Just be a friend to her and you’ll see that I was right.”

I huff out with a bittersweet smile, “Mom’s know?”

“Always do,” she winks then signals to my seat, “Go finish eating so we can leave to rest. We have a long week ahead of us.”

I nod and kiss her cheek in gratitude. I quickly finish eating but not before looking around for signs of Juliana. Before I know it at least half an hour passes by and we’re leaving. After Lucia leaves Anita her number to give to Juliana and after Mateo and Guille leave her and the band a large tip, we’re on our way out.

I’m following behind my family as they chat about work when my phone starts ringing. I sigh and take it out of my purse. The second I see Lucho’s name on the screen I growl and force it into my bag again.

“Excuse me?”

I jump and look up embarrassed at being caught. The girl in front of me smiley smiles and ignores my actions. Instead, she pulls out a folded over piece of paper. I look at the paper with a curious look as she hands it to me. I look up and she shrugs.

“Juliana’s number,” she explains, “I figured you wanted it. Sal asked me to keep an eye on her and I noticed she left you in a hurry. I’ll talk to her if you—”

“No,” I raise my hand with relief, “Thank you for the offer though…and her number. I’ll try to talk to her after giving her some space.”

The girl nods, “Yeah that seems like the best thing. She’s a quiet one so its hard to tell when she’s upset until she lashes out. I’m Carla by the way, Salvador’s cousin.”

I smile and shake the offered hand, “Thank you, Carla.”

The young woman smiles and waves to me as she leaves to continue her work. I watch her leave then look down at the folded paper. Nine neatly printed numbers are written in between the lines of the server’s paper. I trace my finger over them for a moment then fold it carefully to place in my bag.

A shout from my brother gets me to leave the building but now with a hopeful smile on my face.

_________________________________________________________

JULIANA POV

The Monday sun shines on me as I pace back and forth. I bump into a few people but ignore their remarks, I’m too focused on my nerves to say anything back to them. Finally, I stop and look up and see the giant skyscraper shine from direct sunlight.

“Okay,” I sigh, “You’re here on business matters. That’s it.”

I nod to myself on finally time and force myself to walk up the stairs and into the building’s lobby. As I push open the glass doors I start to feel like a child compared to the upscale décor. Two women and a burly security guard look up at me with suspicions eyes from their seats behind the long counter. I push my fear down deep inside and square up my shoulders as I walk up to them. Under their gazes, my worn leather jacket and t-shirt, jean combo feels dirty and underwhelming.

I come to a stop at the counter and pull out my wallet. I slowly pull out my Texas ID and place it on the counter.

“Holla,” I struggle out, “Miss Lúcia asked me to come see her today?”

The women look at each other then the lighter haired one turns to her phone and dials a number.

“Name,” the darker haired of the two asks.

“Juliana Valdes,” I answer, “Here is my ID, Miss.”

The woman raises a brow and takes the plastic card. I look around the lobby as a way to ignore the security guard and gain some nerve.

“Yes, she is down here now.”

My brows furrow but I don’t look over until the woman with my ID tells me to take it. I turn to her and take the card and slide it into my wallet again. The man then opens a drawer but the light-haired woman stops him, the phone still held up to her ear.

“I’ll have her fill them out before sending her up,” the woman says to the speaker, “Yes ma’am. Have a nice day.”

The woman then hangs up and sighs. I stay still as she turns to me and looks me over. After a long pause, she moves some papers on her desk and then walks to the door behind the counter. I watch as she disappears for a moment then return with a stack of papers.

“Can I have your ID again,” she asks, “Also, please fill these out.”

My eyes widen and I stumble to do as she says. After handing her my ID again I take the papers and pen. The security guard points to the coffee table and chairs of the lobby and I take the hint. I try not to trip as I take a seat and fill in the papers. To my surprise, the papers are in English. I internally sigh in relief as I start filling out the papers. It takes me about five minutes to fill all ten papers up but I finish and walk back to the counter.

“Thank you,” the woman says and takes the stack, “Now if you could follow Jaime please?”

I look at the guard as he stands and signals for me to follow. I do as he says and we walk down a long hallway and into a large office filled with machines and files.

“Stand there and wait,” he says while pointing to a white wall.

I nod and stand where he points. He comes back pushing a large rolling cart with what looks like a printer on top. He moves over the machines and then nods. The tall man pulls out a camera and stands in front of me.

“Alright,” he sighs, “This is for your badge. You now have mid-level clearance now, so you can go almost everywhere. The only places you can’t go without an escort are anything to do with security or housekeeping. If you lose it, you have to let us know so we can get you a new one and disconnect the old one. Understand?”

“Yes sir,” I mumble with shock.

He nods and points the camera at me, “Smile."

#amar a muerte #juliantina #valentina carvajal #juliana valdes #fanfic

[mystblbk]

Chavela Valdes--Chapter 5

VALENTINA POV

“Wait,” Guille half-shouts over Eva and Lúcia’s chatter, “You’re telling us you both are now in good graces with one another and have decided to work together because Johnny is possibly the one behind dad's murder?”

“Sí.”

“Sí.”

I stare at my sister and step-mother nod at the same time with serious looks. With a glance over at Guille’s shocked but relieved expression, I grin and take both women into my arms in a tight embrace.

I laugh, “At least now we’re on the same page.”

Both women laugh and hug me back as tightly. A few seconds pass and then I feel Guille towering over us to join in on our hug from behind me. I feel warmth flood my heart as I feel all last three members of my family together and happy at this moment. My brain reminds me of encouraging words from a girl I met a month ago and my smile grows just a bit bigger.

You were right Juliana.

The moment is broken when Eva pulls away with a chuckle and gives Lúcia a smile before turning to Guille and I.

“So Lúcia and I need to talk to you seriously for a moment,” Eva says, her face turning hard again, “This has now become a family situation that we all have to deal with okay?”

With concern I nod, “Okay, but if Johnny is up to this then we need to be more careful when we talk. Where do we go?”

“Dad’s room,” Eva sighs, “It’s the only place we’ll be safe for this talk.”

I frown, “We don’t even know where dad’s room is.”

Lúcia smiles innocently, “You three don’t but I do. It’s the last place he showed me before the wedding.”

Eva’s face contorts to disgust as dose Guille. I feel a blush go up to my cheeks in embarrassment at heading this as well as grossed out. Lúcia sees our reactions and coughs with burning red cheeks.

“No,” she mumbles with a blush, “I mean he showed it to me because that’s where he keeps all his papers and security cameras. He also wanted me to know where to go in case we needed to hide in an emergency.”

My siblings and I share a relieved sigh then laugh awkwardly. Lúcia sighs and guides us out of the living room and into the winding hallways of our home. We pass the wine cellar and dinner table then stopping directly in front of three large shelves filled with dad’s possessions. Most of the items were from his trips abroad, a gold lamp from Dubi here and a pot of spices from Turkey there. My siblings and I watch as Lúcia opens a small box open then moves her hand inside the box. A small ‘click’ sounds can be heard and the middle shelves push forward to reveal a hidden room.

“Wow,” Guille gasp as we enter the room.

The room is definitely dad’s as I take it in. The walls are forest green with warm mahogany trims. There's a wall filled with books of all kinds across from the door’s opening; a few leather chairs and seats decorate the area along with two wood tables and tasteful table lamps. Further in is a hallway leading into a separate room. From where I can see, this sperate room is the security camera room. There are many monitors, I count ten that are visible, each split screened to separate areas of the house and Groupo Carvajal offices.

“Right then, let’s talk,” Lúcia sighs as she takes a seat on one of the leather chairs.

“Right,” Eva nods, “Guille, Val. This is important for all of us.”

I blink at the two women, each sitting across from the empty couch. Mateo, always the gentleman, stands behind my sister with a hand on her shoulder. Guille pulls my elbow and we take our place across from the two matriarchs of our family. Lúcia looks determined but wary while Eva looks cold and calculating. Mateo on his part look serious and angry, something odd on his usually happy face.

“Lúcia asked me to look into Johnny because he’s been very forward on his attraction to her along with a few off-handed comments she has caught during his advances since papá’s funeral,” Eva beings, “She told me that perhaps he’s the one behind papá’s death. I was skeptical of her but after she told me about him sending Mateo’s group on an interview for a few of Jonny’s friends, I figured it wouldn’t hurt. So, Mateo and I watched him for anything odd while my secretary looked through our bank records from top to bottom."

“And,” Guille pushes, “What did you find?”

“He took out half a million dollars from the company using dad’s name and deposited it into a ghost account,” Mateo says with a frown, “The bank could only get a location for it, as it was only used for withdrawals on a pre-paid debit card. The location was in Mexico City, but in the lower district banks.”

“He hired someone,” I gasp.

Lúcia nods, “That’s what I suspected. I looked through Léon’s files and saw other amounts taken and sent to different accounts but with the same trace number. I just needed Eva and Mateo to confirm I’m wasn’t going crazy.”

“And it looks like this has been going on for some time,” Mateo sighs, “The total amount of transactions equal to five million U.S. dollars.”

Guille let’s out a growl under his breath next to me as I look from Lúcia then to Eva. They stare at me with serious looks until I can’t stand the heaviness of it. I look down to my fisted hands, my green dress crinkling in my grasp.

Papá…

“What do we do then,” Guille growls out, “Call the cops?”

“I already contacted the Detective,” Lúcia says, my eyes still frozen on my hands, “He said he will need further evidence. He will be playing Johnny as his help into looking for what he needs, as a way of tricking him into slipping up.”

“That’s it,” I finally say looking up again, “That will take months! Johnny is not an idiot! He’ll figure something out!”

Eva raises her hand to stop me from shrieking, “We know. That’s why we’re here. Lúcia has a plan, but it requires all of us for it to work.”

I furrow my brows and wait for Lúcia to speak. The oldest woman is looking at the portrait my father had made of all of us, including my mother, that hangs above the couch Guille and I are sitting on. She then sighs again and looks from Eva to Mateo then to Guille and finally to me.

“We have to out him,” she says slowly as she turns to Mateo, “I will have Mateo promoted so he will take over as CIO so he will keep eye on what information is being given and sent between all our sources. Our previous chief has decided to step down as he has been offered a new job in the States.”

Mateo blinks then nods, “Sí, of course.”

Lucia looks to Eva then, “Eva will be placed as CFO, Don Emanuel is due to step down as he does not feel comfortable now that Léon is gone. This way she will be able to keep tabs on all finance matters.” the most

Eva’s expression becomes frozen then she nods slowly, “Okay.”

Lucia turns to Guille next, “Guillermo, you will have to be placed as COO. Mr. Rivera is starting to sway in Johnny’s favor. If I use the dirt on him that I have, he will jump and will allow you to take over. I know you're comfortable just dealing with the paper and not ready to take over all of our branches, but you have to step up. Okay?”

Guille’s face contorts into something unpleasant. It’s as if he tasted something bad and can’t get the taste out of his mouth but still has to look polite. Lúcia then stands and crouches down to her knees in front of him.

“I know,” she says softly, “It’s a lot. You want to be free. You want to explore and see something outside of what your father wanted you to do.”

“How would you know,” Guille huffs angrily, “You don’t know how much pressure—”

“I do,” Lúcia cuts him off, “Léon told me. He was always so proud of you. You are his pride and joy, his little prince that would follow his steps to protect your sisters. His mini-me that shared his love of art and travel. I know it’s a big role, Guille. I know it’s not something you could have wanted but something you were forced into.

"You need to understand that this is bigger than all of us. What your father has built has been under attack by an enemy we never would have guessed. All I ask of you is to help us push this man out and then we can see to moving things along after that. If you enjoy the position then you can keep it. If you don’t, you choose who takes it. Okay?”

Our stepmother’s words seem to sooth my brother as he sighs and nods, “Okay. I understand.”

Lúcia stands with a small smile and takes Guille into a hug as he remains sitting. I watch as my father’s wife kissed Guille on the top of his head tenderly as only a mother would do. As she pulls away I see my brother rub his eyes with his hands with a soft ‘thank you.’

Lúcia then does the same to me, crouched on her knees in front of me with a patient face.

“Val,” she says, “We need your help too, mija.”

I feel dread build in my chest as her clear green eyes hold mine in an encouraging stare.

“You will have to take my position as I will take over Léon’s,” she tells me while reaching out to take my fists in her hands, “I know you’re not ready, mija. I know you have over a year until you graduate. I know you’re the youngest of us and the one with the least amount of life lived. I know you’re our wild mustang but right now I need you to channel that power here. Can you do that?”

I keep staring at Lúcia then look over at Guille then to Mateo and finally to Eva. They all look strong and encouraging, just as the woman in front of me does. I feel a weight on my shoulders as if my father’s hands are on them for comfort. I sigh and nod.

“Okay,” I murmur, “I’ll take over as the Administrative Officer.”

Lúcia smiles and hugs me just as she did with Guille, “I’ll help you, Val. I know you have the heart to take care of people so this will be a great fit.”

“What about school,” I mumble ask.

“We’ll have you take the course online in the evening if you’d like,” Eva speaks up once Lúcia pulls away, “It’s only for a few months until we can get that snake out of here. The same thing as Guille applies to you. If you want to keep the job then you can. If you don’t, I’m sure you’ll help us find a replacement.”

“Okay,” Guille huffs, “But won’t it look odd that the majority of our board will be filled with family?”

“No one bats an eye when its any other company,” Eva smirks, “It will simply read as dad’s last wishes.”

“And it sort of is,” Lúcia says as she turns to one of the books shelves.

We watch as she pulls a thick black book from the center shelf’s center spot. She walks to the coffee table in the center of the room and turns to the middle. There sitting in the pages, is a thick file. She carefully pulls the two tabs off the file and pulls out the papers.

“This is Léon’s will,” Lúcia whispers into the quiet room, “It states that the exact positions I gave all of you be given once to you once he is no longer here. Well, he is no longer here but as the owner, CEO, and Chairman of Grupo Carvajal his word is law. His lawyer has set an appointment with all of the board and majority shareholders for this Friday. He will read it to us all and make it official.”

“So this was going to happen anyway,” I ask with anger, “You played us?”

“No, never,” Lúcia sighs, “It is directed for me or his next in line to give the positions when appropriate. All the shareholders and board members have signed acknowledgment clauses in their contracts, they know its there but don’t know I will act on it.”

“So dad’s word allows you to take over and put us in those positions,” Guille reasons, “We have a claim on the chairs already and you wanted us to accept and not force us into them?”

“Yes,” Eva nods, “Eva and I spoke of this on the way here.”

I nod slowly and allow Eva and Lúcia to explain to us the plan. In two days time, on Friday to be exact, Papá’s personal attorney will read his will in the presence of all the shareholders and board members as well as the family. This will allow Lúcia and him to go forward with setting us all up in our new positions by the end of the day so we can start working officially the following Monday.

Two weeks from then the monthly board meeting with be occurring and Eva will pull a motion to kick Johnny out of his position and give it over to another senior member that had worked hard under Eva and Mateo’s leadership. This man, Enrique Villalobos, has had a wonderful streak of working hard under the Marketing branch for the past five years and is likely to follow direction under my sister and her husband.

The whole situation seems shady to me but desperate times beg for drastic measures. It makes my heart feel heavy at the thought of pulling backhanded shadow deals to take back my father’s company from Johnny. I completely understand what is happening but it doesn't mean I have to like it, especially with the implications of Johnny being the one behind Papá’s murder. The thought of dragging Johnny by his stiff collar to jail is the only reason as to why I’m following with this plan, something that I’m happy Eva and Lúcia both understand.

“Val?”

The soft voice startles me and I look up from my dress to the sound. Eva looks concerned as I stare at her.

“Sí,” I ask.

“I was saying that Lúcia took me to a restaurant she worked at when she met Papá,” she speaks gently, “I liked the food and thought that maybe we should have a Family Dinner?”

I can feel my eyes sparkle as my frown shifts into a grin, “Really? Family Dinner?”

Eva nods with a soft smile, “Sí, all of us. We have to stick together now and what way to start this new beginning then a nice peaceful night out before the typhoon hits?”

My stomach bottoms out at the last bit of her explanation but I don’t allow it to dampen my mood. I smile happily at Eva then at Lúcia.

“Okay,” I nod, “Where?”

“It’s a nice restaurant hidden in the middle of the Mercado,” my stepmother says, “It has traditional Mexican food. Tonight they have a Mariachi band playing.”

“Really,” Guille asks, sharing a look with Mateo, “You think you ladies can keep the peace that long?”

“Yes,” Lúcia chuckles, “Eva and I have come to an understanding. Besides, this is Eva’s idea.”

“Eva’s idea,” Guille, Mateo and I say at the same time with wide eyes pointed at my sister.

Eva scoffs, “Yes it is. It's not out of this world that I want a nice family dinner with all of us.”

The men and I share a look then shrug hesitantly. Lúcia calmly starts talking about the restaurant, how she worked there and how she would take dad after work. I smile as she describes how enamored with the food dad was that he would even ask for catering from there. Lúcia and I spend the day like this after everyone leaves for work, talking about dad’s hidden love for the simpler things.

______________________________________________________________

JULIANA POV

“Okay, so you’re telling us that the girl you went to flirt with is the daughter of one of the richest families in Mexico. You met her stepmom and her sister. You helped her stepmom get some new clothes and now the oldest sister wants you to do the same for her,” Franky asks with furrowed brows, “What kind of novela did you walk into, Texas?”

I roll my eyes as Ray and Ricardo laugh at my annoyance.

“I didn’t flirt—”

“Well you kind of did,” Raùl speaks up with a smirk, “None of us go up to girls and offer them a drink and to listen to their personal problems with no hidden intentions.”

“Oh god,” I grunt in English.

The other boys start laughing as I rub my forehead with the palm of my hand, far away from the pin cushion I have strapped to my fingers. I decide to ignore them and continue fixing up the teal vest I have in my hands. As the silence draws out I get a tap on my shoulder. Hesitantly, I look up to Axel and see him smile at me.

“You’ve done amazing work so far,” he says, “I think you deserve a break now Chavela. Those suits don’t have to be ready until two weeks from now.”

I sigh, “Yeah I know. I just want them done so I can see how they fit on us and fix what I need to.”

Sal grins, “It's fine. Leave them for now. We want to talk about your girlfriend more before show time.”

I glare at him, “She’s not my girlfriend.”

“You act like she is,” Ray and Ricardo speak up.

I blush as the boys share a smile and raised brows, “No i—”

“Juliana,” Franky speaks up again, “You have a notebook full of sketches of eyes. Blue eyes.”

“And you go to that park every day,” Axel nods along.

“And when she is not there,” Raul smirks, “She’s at my tio’s place walking amongst the dead looking for Doña Lúcia.”

“Its okay Juls,” Sal sighs, “You like her. Big deal! The point is, what are you going to do when you see her later tonight?”

I look down at the table I’m working on. The teal cloth is bright and cheery in my hands, completely far left form what I’ve been feeling since Miss Lúcia and Miss Eva left this morning.

“No sé,” I huff, “I honestly don’t. What if she thinks I’m trying to suck up to her sister and stepmom so I can hang out with her? I act like a creep already!”

“No Juliana, you don’t,” Sal sighs, “You act like someone that has a crush. And as I said before, it’s okay. Just be friends with her and then let things happen.”

I roll my eyes again, “Nothing will happen. She has a boyfriend.”

“Maybe not,” Raúl laughs, “You said she practically threw him across the street. Maybe they’re not together anymore?”

The twins grin and nod soon followed by the others. I smile at the memory too. That idiot’s face looked crush at the implication of being tossed around by a woman smaller than him. It sometimes flashes in my mind and I have to hold back a laugh. I shake my head and think seriously about Sal’s question.

“I guess I’ll be respectful but kind to her,” I reason, “As for Miss Eva and Miss Lúcia, I guess I can act professionally with them until I get a feel for how I should act.”

Raúl nods, “That’s good. I think that’s a sound decision.”

“And when you need someone to give you pointers on how to get the girl,” Axel grins then points at himself, “You’ve got the best teacher here.”

I guffaw, “What? You're stupid. Last week Carla threw a whole tray of aguas frescas at you after you came onto her!”

The other men laugh at the memory while Axel frowns.

“Yeah that’s true,” Franky chuckles, “Besides, I don’t think our little sister needs your help. She’s got her own fan club remember?”

I groan loudly through the men’s laughing.

“Oh yeah,” Sal smirks, “How could we forget Alejandra?”

“Or Isabell,” Raúl laughs.

“How about Isadora,” The twins guffaw.

“The list goes on and on,” Franky laughs, “I swear you have the whole colonia after you, Chavela!”

The men continue to laugh, this time Axel joining in, while I try to ignore them.

“Remember when Alejandra threw herself into Jul’s arms and ended up on the floor,” Axel shrieks with glee, “Poor girl thought Juli would catch her, but no Juls is too thick headed to catch a hint.”

“Oh yeah,” Ray laughs, “It took us a whole weekend of chamba to convince her that she has a fan club in the first place.”

“Okay,” I huff, “Stop.”

“Nope!”

I groan, “Look! I already told you! I never actually had someone actually like me back in Tejas! If this were a normal occurrence, then I would have known that those girls weren't being just friendly.”

Another round of laughing.

“At least I do now,” I grumble and cross my arms.

“Oh, you do,” Axel asks, “Do tell!”

I roll my eyes, “This girl this morning was hitting on me. I don’t think I made it obvious enough—”

“Is it the pretty brunette from last week,” Sal asks.

I blush and the men laugh again.

“You need to cool off Romeo,” Franky smirks, “We need women too, you know!”

“Don’t worry too much,” Raúl sighs, “She’s just been waiting for her princess to show up again. Lucky for us, she’s showing up tonight.”

“Which means we can have all the broken hearted girls Juls leaves,” Ricardo shouts, “That’s perfect!”

I groan again and start packing away my work. A quick look out the door and I can see that the crowd has begun to take over the restaurant. With a look over at all the band outfits, I decide to go with the classic white and gold combo. I quickly start pulling down hats and outfit sets from their places and hand them to the chattering men. They each approach me and take their things. I smile as they pull the curtain separating half of the room so they can start dressing behind it.

As I pull down my own form the shelves and lay the outfit on the table, I feel electric energy surge through me. Thoughts of brilliant blue eyes and puppy-like smiles make my heart skip with excitement. The giddiness goes away when I remember who is accompanying Valentina.

I glup and mumble under my breath, “A little help here, Santa?”

At my request I feel cold hands on my shoulders for a second. The ghostly action makes me braver instead of hysterical. I nod thanks to La Santa and start undressing from my civilian clothes to get dressed in my performance clothes.

“Alright boys,” Sal speaks up from the other side of the curtain, “We need a good show tonight. Our girl needs to impress her cuñados and suegratonight!”

“And her princessa,” shouts, “We need to impress her the most!”

I grin and listen to my bandmates and brothers hype each other up for ‘Jul’s first impression.’

__________________________________________________________

VALENTINA POV

After a long afternoon of shadowing Lúcia, I finally make my way up to my room to get ready. Eva had told us to dress nice but casual, so I stick to one of my favorite red dresses. After a walk into my closet, I pick my favorite black boots to match my denim jacket and black purse. I smile as I get dressed and do my usual light make up. The motions of getting ready to calm me down and before long I’m done and walking out of my room.

“You look nice,” Guille smiles as I reach the living room, “Trying to impress someone?”

I grin back at him and take in his casual white button up and dark jeans, “I could say the same about you. I don’t know. I’m single again remember?”

Guille laughs, “Thank God! That boy was annoying as hell!”

I giggle with him, “He wasn’t all that bad.”

My brother gives me a look but before he can answer Eva and Mateo come through the front doors. Eva is wearing a nice blouse and jeans combo, in her usual black and white, while Mateo wears his favorite lime green button-up with little pink umbrellas over his tan pants. I smile as my moody sister comes to a stop with her child-like husband next to her, their differences complementing one another.

I wish…

“Well, are we ready,” Eva asks with a soft smile, “I don’t want to be late getting there.”

“We just need—”

“Ready,” Lúcia says as she enters through the kitchen area, “I’m sorry for being a bit late. I was interviewing a new security guard.”

“A new one,” Eva says with narrowed eyes.

“Yes. His name is Jacobo. Camilo’s friend who needs a new job,” Eva nods, “He seems decent enough. I would like you to speak with him first, Eva. God knows Guille will just nod and let him pick a locker.”

Guille huffs and roll his eyes playfully while Eva tilts her head up as if to boast. I smirk and stand up.

“Let’s go then,” I tell them.

A round of nods and we are all walking to the two SUVs waiting outside. Alirio and Juan wait for us next to the vehicles along with a few men. The doors are open and we spit up. Lúcia, Guille and I take the first car while Eva and Mateo take the second. A few minutes later and we’re driving through the streets of our private neighborhood and into the streets of the city. My brother and stepmother talk about business, giving me a few explanations and engaging me when appropriate. I listen and nod, trying my best to catch up with the company’s current state.

The idea of becoming part of the company’s board with my family by my side makes me see the situation I’m now seeing in a new light. The more they talk, the more engrossed I become. In the chair I would be placed in, I would be in charge of the public perspective of the company and also the interworkings of the company with employees. The thought of taking care of all departments' social aspects seems doable to me as I did have a knack of talking to people and getting into good graces. Dad always said I was a charmer like mom, it’s nice to know there someplace I can apply it to.

Before long Lúcia tells me about stories that Dad told her, the humble beginnings of his journalism career and how his dream became a reality. Imagining my father running around with a raggedy notebook and pen over his ear makes me smile with pride for my father. The stories of my dad struggling to fit in after reaching notoriety keep me laughing as its difficult to place my charming and commanding father stumbling through galas and balls.

It's in that moment that I can understand the pride and fierce protectiveness over Grupo Carvajal that the rest of my family feel. Just thinking of how my father’s work over the years had built a media empire, comparable to any other across the world, makes me want to add my own achievements to help the company continue to grow. I become so engrossed with the stories of my dad that I don’t notice that we have arrived until Arilio is opening the car door on my side.

“Aqui estamos,” the guard smiles at me.

I smile back at him and allow him to help me out of the car. I wait nearby and watch as Lúcia follows after me, still wearing her gold-yellow dress, and my brother. I glance over to the other vehicle and see Eva with Mateo quickly approaching us.

“Alright,” Eva nods, “Come on then.”

I follow my family as they walk up the steps of the brick building. The placement of being surrounded by closed up mercado shops reassures anyone that it would have the freshest food anywhere. I look over the area and finally take notice of the large church on the other side of the street. I make a mental note to come back with my camera to take pictures of this hidden place sometime during the day, the colors contrasting in the bright Mexican sun would look amazing on film.

“Yes, all of us please,” I hear Eva tell a waiter once we reach the entrance.

“Well you see I don’t know if I have a spot,” this catches my attention and I look forward and see the young man dressed in white clothes, “You came in a little bit late. Most people show up early to get good seats.”

Eva looks angry but before she can say anything someone taps on the waiter’s shoulder to get his attention. The waiter turns and we can see who is grabbing his attention. A young man, no older than mid-20s, stands there in imposing stature. He’s about the size of Lucho but much more handsome. His tan skin contrast with his white outfit: a white mariachi uniform with gold trim and red tie. His dark eyes stare unwaveringly at the waiter and his patient smile calms the air around us.

“Salvador,” the waiter sighs, “Thank god you—”

“These are special guests Manny,” the young man says with a musically deep voice, “I already told my uncle to save them a good spot. They’re taking the one on the floor—the center table that’s reserved.

The waiter blinks rapidly, obviously confused, but nods slowly then turns to Eva.

“If you can please follow me, Miss,” he says slowly, “I’ll show you to your table.”

Eva stares at him shocked and then turns to the other man, Salvador, “Special guests?”

Salvador smiles, “Yes. Chavela let us know you might come by. I told my uncle to set that table aside for you, Señorita Carvajal.”

“Chavela,” Lúcia asks.

Salvador simply smiles, “I hope you enjoy yourselves.”

With that the mariachi leaves us all stunned as he turns on his spurred boot and walks deep into the restaurant. From my position still half-inside the lobby, I can see the top of his sombrero until he enters a sperate room by the bar area. We stay there standing until Manny the waiter asks us to follow him. We do as he asks and allow him to guide us into the restaurant.

The place is packed with people, mostly women, and a few men. I can’t help but notice that a few give me a vibe I had never gotten before. It’s not an odd or bad feeling, just different. It's as if I know them but not really. I try to put my finger on it until I see a handsome bearded man pull out a fan. With a flick and in one motion it opens, the move is graceful and distinctly womanly as he fans himself with a playfully aloof smile. Next, to the man a few women giggle and start chatting with him about the performers.

I look above the bar as we pass and see two flags hanging over the topmost shelves of liquor. A flag of Mexico is pinned by the topmost points and is connected by the red tip to the left corner of a rainbow flag.

Ah…that explains something I guess…

My siblings and I share a look when Manny leads us to the front of the room towards the stage. The table is large enough to fit us all and one person more. Its place was directly next to the stage, center stage as Salvador said.

“This is yours,” Manny nods to us, “I will get you your waitress. The show begins in ten minutes. Also, the restrooms are over there.”

The waiter points to two doors at the wall opposite the bar then smiles to us softy before leaving us.

“Well this is unexpected,” Lúcia chuckles.

“You don’t know what happened either,” Mateo asks as he pulls Eva’s chair out for her.

Lúcia shakes her head in the negative as Guille pushes her chair towards the table, “No. I have no idea who this Chavela could be.”

“Well it can’t be Chavela Vargas,” Eva scoffs, “She’s been dead for years and I’m sure we’ve never met her.”

I giggle and share a smile with Guille as he takes his seat next to me and across from Mateo. I look over at us and notice with sadness that the seat across from Lúcia would normally be where Dad would sit. My brother seems to understand this as he takes my hand in his and squeezes it softly. I smile at him again and he grins back.

“Buenas noches,” a woman says as she approaches the table.

The woman is a bit older then the other staff we saw on the way in. Her hair is pulled up in a bun with wisps of silver hair sticking out for it. Her kind eyes show a motherly aura to us as she hands us each a menu. As she moves about setting our utensils, I also can’t help but notice she’s not wearing a traditional costume like the other staff, instead of the large colorful folkloriko dresses the other women are wearing, she’s wearing a simpler white one with embroidered flowers on the hemline of her dress’ skirt.

“My name is Anita,” she says, “I’ll be taking care of you. Can I get you all something to drink?”

We each nod and give her our orders. Just as she’s turning to leave us Eva stops her.

“Anita, do you know who this Chavela person is,” my sister asks, “They got us this spot for us. I would like to know who it is.”

The old woman smiles and turns her head to the direction of the stage. I follow her stare and see that the stage now has the group of mariachi on it. A group of five young men stand in the center of the space each wearing white suits with golden accents and ret ties, just like Salvador who is standing in the middle. There are two trumpets, two violins, a guitarist and a guitarrón. The group seems small but from a look around the building, the sound will echo nicely inside the brick structure. The room slowly becomes silent as the lights begin to dim and spotlights are shined onto the group. Anita quickly makes her exit as the men look up at the audience with a smirk and take their positions.

With a united strum, one of the violinists starts playing followed by the other and the others quickly join in. The sound is crisp and joyful, I can’t help smile as they play in unison then abruptly stop. In a swift move, they all part and in the center is a lone figure. The man is slightly smaller than the rest of the men, around my size, and has his head turned down the floor as to not show his face.

De Altamira Tamaulipas

Traigo esta alegre canción

Y al son del viejo violín

Y jarana canto yo

Para las mujeres bonitas

Que son de mi adoración

De Altamira Tamaulipas

Traigo esta alegre cancion

With that last verse the person looks up and I can’t stop my jaw from dropping as I realize its not a man who’s singing.

Juliana!?

My eyes blink rapidly trying to make sense at what I’m seeing while the girl struts to center stage as the musicians start to play again. Just as I’m accepting what I’m seeing, the waiters and waitresses run onto the stage and make a pose surrounding her. The women on stage are in full folkloricooutfits, different color dresses with large arm length skirts and flower pinned hair clips. The men are wearing white shirts and pants with bandana’s for belts and hard leather tap shoes on their feet, they each have their hands behind them but I can see handles of machetes poking out of their hands. Juliana tips her hat forward and I feel heat rise up in my cheeks as she grins with dimples full on display.

When the band picks back up from their pause, they all start dancing around Juliana—Juliana?!—paired up inequally with one man for two women. The sound of their tap shoes hitting hard stone floor resonates beautifully in the space as they all move as a whole. As the song slows downs lightly until its just down beats, Juliana—Juliana?!—joins the dancers tap to the downbeats. The move is well practiced but what catches us all of our attention is how when Juliana—Juliana?!—taps her own foot, the spurs on her boots hit the floor as well and creates a spark that lights up the space like a firework against a dark sky.

The music starts back up as Juliana—I finally accept it's her and not my imagination conjuring her up because of the couple shots I took while in my room—starts singing again. As she does she walks forward with her arms stretched out to her sides until she’s a few feet away from the imaginary stage line. She taps the beat with the strumming of the instruments, sparks flying.

Si la vida es un jardín

Las mujeres son las flores

El hombre es el jardinero

Que corta de las mejores

Yo no tengo preferencia

Por ninguna de las flores

Me gusta cortar de todas

Me gusta ser mil amores

As she sings the first verse, Juliana turns to the dancers behind her and bows lowly. The women playfully bow back followed by the men. As she starts the second verse, another spark from her spurs surprises me. She turns back to the audience and slides her hands down her vest with a charming smirk, all the while her band partners jeering and shouting behind all of them.

The dancers, as well as Juliana, then start dancing, Juliana following the traditional men’s way with her hand behind her back as she follows the choreography, as the woman's skirts flutter around them. First, they tap with the violins' solo then slowly sperate into pairs, allowing Juliana a girl wearing a red dress in the center spotlight. A foreign but familiar feeling of jealousy bubbles up in my chest but I pin it down at the ease of Juliana's dance moves. After all, It seems as if she was born for this because she’s grinning cheekily while not losing her breath and shouting along with the jeering the men do.

The group then slowly separates until Juliana and the men from a group to the right and the women a group to the left. In their separate groups, they face each other and dance in place then slowly go back to their space. At some point, Juliana must have been handed her own machetes because she and the men pull them out and start hitting the blades together under each leg then above their heads. The metal sound goes amazingly well with the metal strumming of the mariachi. With one last run through of her machete routine, Juliana stops center stage again to sing.

Dichoso aquel que se casa

Y sigue la vacilada

Siempre anda jugando contras

A escondidas de su amada

Pero más dichoso yo

Que no me hare falta nada

Tengo viudas why solteras

Why una que otra casada

The dancers continue around Juliana as she goes through her verses and quickly leave the stage and into the darkness as if they were never there. Juliana sings the last note at the top of her lungs with all her strength, the sound and longevity of the notes resonate in my ears. With one last tap, this time with the band as a whole, Juliana bows and the audience around me goes wild.

I’m in too much shock to clap and cheer along. My eyes are stuck on Juliana as she graces everyone with a thankful dimpled grin, one so similar to the one she gave me when I first met her. I watch as she bows again and tilts her sombrero forward. The action is very vaquero and I finally move from my shocked state to grin like a love-struck school girl. I bite my lip and blush as Juliana catches my eye and winks at me before turning back to her band to start up the next song.

“I’m guessing that’s Chavela,” Guille chuckles next to me.

“Her name is Juliana, Guille,” I tell him.

This catches my step mother’s and sister’s attention as she turns away from the stage to look at me.

“You know Juliana,” Eva asks.

I blink, “You know Juliana, Eva?”

Lúcia shocks me even more as she nods, “I met her at the graveyard. I was visiting Léon and saw her playing. I called her and asked her to help me pick out my wardrobe. I liked her style and introduced her to Eva this morning when we ran into each other here.”

My eyes widen at the revelation. I quickly look up to the stage and see Juls singing while plucking on a guitar that somehow magically appeared on her. I stare at her for a while until she seems to feel my stare and she looks over at me. She continues singing but sends me confused looks. I shake my head and give her a comforting smile, one that she answers with a slight nod before looking away again.

“How did you meet her, Val,” Mateo asks in an effort to fill in the confused pause.

I sigh, “I met her a month ago. It was during one of Lucho’s fights actually.”

“Fights,” Guille growls, “What?”

“Lucho was being impossible after dad’s funeral,” I quickly try to explain, “He kept going on about not paying attention to him and we ended up fighting as we left mass that day.”

My brother and Mateo give me expressions of anger. I glance over the other two women and see their concern. I shake my head and continue.

“He told me to get lost and left me there in the middle of the street. It hurt and I didn’t want to bring my problems home so I went to the park nearby and walked around. I ended up sitting on a bench and crying,” I say with a far off look as I remember that day.

Somehow my eyes catch Juliana again and stay there. Her strong presence is comforting as I continue.

“Suddenly some girl stops in front of me then sits next to me,” I let out a grateful laugh, “She asks me if I’m okay and I practically tell her to f’ off. She apologizes and starts to leave. I sort of snap back into reality and call her back.”

I look back to my family and see them all giving me the same look: shocked for my rudeness but happy at my nostalgic tone.

“She ended up making me laugh,” this gains me surprised looks as they recall how num I was following dad’s funeral, “Anyway, we ended up walking around the park and I tell her about everything. She talked me through it until I felt bad about dragging her into my problems and I sort of just left her there.”

My smile is sad and regretfull now.

I hope she didn’t take it in a bad way.

A glance over at the singer and I’m reassured as she catches my stare and gives me another wink. I feel my cheeks heat up as she looks away again.

Wow…

“See Eva,” Guille speaks up and getting my attention, “Silvian was right.”

I frown in confusion as Guille and Mateo start laughing. Eva rolls her eyes and Lúcia just smiles.

“Well at least you came to your senses and left that boy,” Eva huffs annoyed.

“Well I for one approve,” my stepmother speaks up.

My siblings turn to her with shocked faces. I furrow my brows and try to figure out what she means. I don’t get a response as they all turn to me and share a knowing smile.

“¿Que?”

“Nothing Val,” Guille smirks.

_______________________________________________

JULIANA POV

Sal’s ideas goes well if Val’s shocked expression is anything to go by. The boys even let me know throughout our one hour how when she would stare at me. It makes me smile through the whole time we play, a natural one and not the usual forced one. The difference in my attitude is apparent as I strut around the stage and even mingle between the first rows of tables. I try not to linger too much on one table, the last time I did this I had a ton of girls and a few men ask for me after the dinner service was over.

Something I do follow through on more of bashfulness then by a decision is not go near the Carvajal table. I try to ignore them, sending them a smile here or a bow there but not really approaching them. I knew that if I was near them I would either freak out with Miss Eva’s penetrating gaze on me, or I would be too smiley to Val and end up getting a restraining order placed on me.

The later thought seems more of my dramatic thought process as I would find myself looking over at Valentina. Our gazes would meet and I could feel an electric jolt flow through me. Those jade eyes made my heart pound in my ears with excitement at getting her attention. This would make me wink at her or give her a full out grin. I couldn’t help but pray that when she looked away with her bottom lip between her teeth it was with shyness at my forwardness. Her blush basically confirmed it when I caught it a few times she didn’t look away.

By the time we finished, I didn’t feel drained as I normally would but much more energized. I was practically preening when we took our final bow and I could hear Val clap and shout my name from her seat. As I left the stage with my band I look over at her again and see her smiling at me with what I hoped were proud eyes. My heart continues to flutter as I step into our dressing room.

I sigh and lean against the wall with a huge smile and closed eyes. Behind my closed eyelids I relive Valentina’s expressions through the performance.

“Maybe we should change your name to Romero.”

I chuckle and open my eyes to see Raúl smirking at me, his jacket now gone as he unbuttons his vest.

“Sí, sí,” Richardo laughs, “She was practily singing to her princessa all night.

“I wasn’t,” I roll my eyes still smiling.

“But you wanted to,” Ray laughs.

I shrug and they all laugh. Sal pats my back as he passes by.

“We’re going to change, Juls,” nods toward the door again, “Maybe you should go find your Julieta?”

I stare at him then look at the other men. The all greet me with thumbs up and goofy expressions. I laugh and nod.

“Bien,” I agree, “But if that woman somehow finds me—”

“We’ll keep her away Juls,” Franky smiles, “We’ll take care of all of them, but I don’t think it matters much when they see how lovestruck you are with your güerita.”

I laugh again, this time because Franky is using slang about my ‘white girl’ when he’s more white then even I am. I shake my head and walk over to the mirror. I look myself over to see if I’m still looking sharp. A few stray hairs peek out of my tied hair but overall I’m good to go.

“Hey wait,” Axel says as he taps my shoulder.

I turn and see him pull out a gold chain from his pocket.

“This is from us,” he explains, “We got it for you. Everyone in the band has one.”

He hands me the chain and I examine it. The chain is thin and long, enough to dangle right above my belly button, and has La Santa Muerte on the small medallion hanging on it. I grin as I remember the one I had pawned on our way down from San Antonio. I had wanted to get another one and had my thoughts expressed around my friends a few days ago.

“You guys didn’t have to,” I mumble.

“We did,” Axel says, “We each have one. It has the band initials on the back. We hope it keeps you safe.”

My eyes water as I tun the medallion and look at the back, a letter ‘M’ and a letter ‘H’ are perfectly engraved on the back.

“We might be Mariachi los Hermanos,” Sal speaks up again, “But you’re our hermana, Juliana. One we didn’t know we needed.”

I give them a water laugh and move forward to hug Axel then Salvador. The other guys come forward to hug me too. As I pull away from Franky, Sal tilts his head in the direction of the door.

“Good luck,” he smiles.

I nod and give them a final grin before putting on my new necklace. With a final tip of my hat, I walk out the room and head over to the table I had asked to be reserved a few hours ago.

__________________________________________________________

VALENTIAN POV

The constant stare and shared looks my family has during our dinner after my revelation puts me on edge. I quickly find an excuse in the form of using the restroom to get out of there. I sigh as I get to the stalls and lean against the wall. The room is empty as I try to relax now that I’m alone. I walk up to the long mirror and stare at my expression. My pupils are larger than normal as I try to take in all that has happened today.

First, Lucho trys to force me into taking him back during classes. I decide to go home early only to find out I have to take over an executive position at twenty-two years of age. Then I find out that my revenge ridden sister is finally on good terms with our stepmother. Guille suddenly has a girl he’s into and now….

Maybe I do too?

I shake my head and turn on the water. I take a paper towel and let the water wet it for a moment. I pat the wet paper on my forehead then on my cheeks, the heat that had been boiling just under my skin’s surface lingers under my fingertips. My thoughts turn back to Juliana in the white and gold mariachi suit and the heat I’m trying to force away returns.

This is what they were talking about. They could see it so clearly on your face.

“Ay, Valentina,” I huff putting my hands on the countertop, “What is going on with you?”

I shake my head and apply my lipgloss on again before looking myself over and waking out of the restrooms. The small hall leading out to the restaurant was dim and empty when I entered earlier but as I exit a figure dressed in white leaning against the wall makes me jump.

“Did I startle you,” she says pushing herself off the wall and directly in front of me, “I’m sorry.”

I blush as I look at her, “N—no, well yes but it's okay.”

Juliana grins sheepishly at me and I watch as if in slow motion, she tilts her hat forward again in acknowledgment. She then pulls the hat completely off her and I can see her face fully without the hat being in the way. Her hair under her hat is in a bun with silver pins keeping stray strands in their place. She looks so handsome yet feminine that I feel a little jealous at her natural beauty. The feeling goes away as she walks closer to me and grins at me with her dimples on full display. My heart flutters again, this time I finally recognize the feeling.

“So do I get an apology from you now,” she asks.

I blink, “For what?”

“For not telling me how much I actually lost out on that day,” she smirks.

I blink again then laughter bubbles up in my chest. The implication of her loosing out on not mugging me when we met makes me laugh full heartedly. She obviously now knows who I am and who my family is, but her teasing tells me she could care less. By the time I settle down, she’s close enough to touch. I can’t help but reach over and tug at her jacket. The fabric is soft and so unlike the stiffness, it looks to be. I look down at my hand as I start tracing the patterns on her jacket then I look up through my lashes.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, “I shouldn't have left you there without an explaining but I just had a rough day and…I’m sorry. And thank you…for helping me think through all of it. I’m pretty sure I would still be moping around with Lucho attached to me if you hadn’t talked to me that day.”

Juliana’s tan cheeks darken with red as she smiles at me, “Don’t worry about it. We’ve all had days like that. I’m more upset because I didn’t know if you were alright or not.”

My heart squeezes at her words, swooning at how selfless she is.

“Well, I’m better,” I smile.

“So you say,” she sighs, “Something’s up.”

I furrow my brows, “What?”

“I can see you’re concerned, conflicted,” she points out, “Happy to see me of course. But something’s up.”

I scoff at her playfully but nod anyway, “Things have been crazy lately.”

“And I bet that boyfriend isn’t too helpful than,” she mumbles and looks away.

My eyes widen and I look at her expression. It's annoyed and resentful, it makes me sad but also excited as I speak up.

“No boyfriend,” I try to say nonchalantly, “No boyfriend for some time actually.”

Juliana bites her cheek, most likely to keep her from girning, then turns to me.

“Alright, then I guess I’ll sacrifice myself and listen to your problems,” Juls sighs sadly.

I scoff again, “Sure. Sacrifice.”

Our gazes meet for a second then we laugh. Juliana then straightens up and offers her arm. I raise an eyebrow and place my hand on her offered arm. Juls grins and leads me back out to the restaurant. If a smirk somehow appeared on my face as a few of the customer’s faces shifted from eager to upset when they looked from Juls to me, then so be it.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18497122/chapters/45518905

#juliantina #amar a muerte #valentina carvajal #juliana valdes #fanfic

[mystblbk]

Chavela Valdes--Chapter 4

JULIANA POV

I’m still shocked as I unlock the door locks to the house. I feel the sharp edges of the green bill press onto my skin with each step I take into the house. Once inside, I can hear my mom cooking dinner while Milagros chats with her or I suppose grills her as she has taken to do now that Panchito visited twice since our arrival.

“Juli,” my mom gasps in relief as she sees me, “Thank god! I told you not to leave alone! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine mom,” I roll my eyes and kiss her cheek, “It went well, I even went around and got some extra money.”

At the sound of money, Milagros opens her mouth with a half-glare. I raise my hand to shut her up and turn to the pocket of my guitar case. The bulge looks bigger than it did before I met Lucia, so I cautiously open it.

“What,” my mom gapes.

Out of the pocket comes out a pair of new Chucks. The fabric’s color is black and has a multitude of colorful stars decorating the surface. I take out the Chucks and examine them with wide eyes.

Miss Lucia…

A grin forms on my face as I look inside to see the tag.

Size nine.

The simple act of holding the shoes triggers the tears that had been boiling in my eyes since the woman guided me to her SUV. I can feel hot tears spill and run down my cheeks as I let out a happy laugh. After a moment of basking in this simple gesture, I wipe the tears off my face and look up at the two shocked women. I simply smile at them and put the shoes in an empty chair.

“Where did you get those,” my mom says gently.

“I met this very kind woman,” I tell them, “She had me accompany her on her shopping trip. She paid me and must have snuck the shoes in my bag. Anyway, I have some of the money Doña Milagros.”

My left hand uncurls, and the hundred-dollar bill appears. I put the bill on the table and slowly pull out the rest of the money I earned during the day. I pull out the two hundred pesos Salvador gave me for the day followed by the almost five hundred I gained from playing at the three cemeteries I went to. Next, I count out the tips from playing inside the buses I took and the shops I played along the way.

“I think I have most of it,” I mumble as I start counting again, “If I keep at it tomorrow after practice, I’ll get you a little more than half by Sunday afternoon, Doña Milagros.”

The woman stays quiet as I hand her one-third of the rent, making sure to keep some for tomorrow’s journey. The woman takes the money and then quietly stares at it. I watch patiently for a moment until she looks back up.

“You remind me of Panchito,” she sighs, “That boy worked hard to help his mother and sisters. If he hadn’t gotten a job during high school, my sister would have lived on the streets with all her children.”

For some reason being compared to the kind, man makes my chest tighten. It's a bittersweet feeling to be compared to such a kind man and not my father. I nod with a polite smile and look back at my mother.

“I’ll pay this month’s rent, okay? This way you can buy some new clothes and food,” I tell her, “Next month we’ll pay half each so we can have leftovers for whatever we need.”

My mom stares, her eyes shining bright with an emotion I can’t really decode just yet. She walks around the table to me and pulls me into a hug and kissing my cheek.

“My strong girl,” she whispers in my ear, “What did I do to deserve you, Mija?”

I sigh and let her hug me for a moment. As I bask in my mother’s affection, Milagros looks to have changed her mood as she stands quietly and continues cooking what mom started. Once mom is ready, she lets go and tells me to go wash up. I grin at her and take my shoes with me. I can’t stop staring at the new Chucks, completely touched that a woman I only met had bought them for me. I put the shoes and my guitar on my side of the room before heading to the bathroom.

Good day today.

Almost as good as yesterday…

The night goes by mostly quietly and quickly. I practice some more before going to bed early for the night. My mother doesn’t bring up the shoes neither the money, she just hugs me and tells me she’ll be home later the next morning. She turns off the light as she goes to work as I close my eyes to allow myself to rest for the night.

_______________________________________________________.

LÚCIA POV

I sit staring at the mural by the long bar area, a group of gallant mariachis playing underneath a window and a sea of stars. The sounds of chattering are dispersed among the other customers as I wait for my stepdaughter to show up. The young waitress attending to me, Carla, walks up with a plate in hand and smiles kindly at me.

“Another refill, ma'am,” the waitress asks as she places a new dish filled with pan dulce.

“Yes, ple—”

“Traffic.”

I look over Carla's shoulder and see Eva standing there with a scowl on her beautiful face. I smile kindly at her as Carla moves and rushes over to get Eva situated. A few minutes pass as the other two women discuss Eva's order then the waitress leaves us alone. Eva remains quiet, piercing blue eye staring at me. She finally sighs audibly and nods reluctantly. I feel the dared I kept behind closed doors shine through with a frown. With that nod I am confirmed what I have feared for the past month—Johnny is definitely involved with Léon’s murder.

“You're right,” she sneers, “As much as I hate to say it, you’re right. He’s been doing transactions using the company name, large transactions. He’s also now acting like he owns the company; he’s forcing our reporters to follow certain companies and public figures that he knows. Mateo said he’s pushing for his friends’ shining image instead of their truth and even scolded him and his co-workers after they wrote a piece on one of his friends. We need to work together. But, what do we do now? Can we do anything?”

I take a sip of my coffee and sigh, “We have a few choices. One is to let him think he won. I’ll flirt with that man, while you and Guille openly oppose him.”

Eva's jaw tightness, obviously displeased by this, “And the other choices?”

I look up and stare into her eyes, “We add Valentina to the board, she, after all, is of age and can take my place while I move up to take Léon's. All four of us will have enough leverage to have him kicked off the board. The only other way is to buy him out and to be honest, I don’t want to give him any more of your father’s money.”

Eva's jaw moves from left to right, grinding her teeth in anger and thought. I leave her to her thoughts as Carla bring Eva's drink and our food. I peer up to the other woman and feel a sharp pull at watching my husband’s actions mirrored in his oldest. I sigh and take a bite of my eggs then clear my voice.

“I promised your father I would care for all three of you when I agreed to marry him,” I speak up, gaining Eva’s attention, “I promised to keep you safe and happy that day. I love all three of you, no matter how much you showered me your anger. I want to keep you three safe, but at your decision and direction. Tell me what to do Eva. I have the most pull as his wife—but I won’t make a move until you allow me to and direct me to.”

The brunette stares at me for a second then sighs heavily. It’s as if all the weight of the world leaves her at that moment. Her eyes lighten and her shoulders sag a little. I watch as the tight expression melts and her face relaxes into a sad smile.

“I’m sorry,” Eva murmurs.

I open my mouth, but she raises a hand for me to stop.

“I spent too long fighting with you instead of enjoying my father’s happiness after so many years of sadness,” Eva sighs again, “I'm not your biggest fan yet Lucia, but I'll give you this chance and the benefit of the doubt. I don’t want to further rift us all apart, Johnny is doing that well enough by himself. I do see how much you care for my siblings and I’m truly grateful for the care you have had for Val and Guille. I, however, will take more time to come around.”

I smile, “I understand Eva. I just don’t want what your father has built to be destroyed by a man who called himself Léon's closest friend.”

Eva nods, “Agreed.”

We remain quiet while we each eat the food that Carla brings us. I let out a small moan of satisfaction as I chew my food, content with eating my breakfast. A chuckle directs me to my stepdaughter, her smirk is playful for once, so I smile back.

“It’s really good,” Eva smiles, “How’d you find this place?”

A memory comes to my mind as I smile sadly to Eva, “I was a waitress part time here. After I got off at Grupo Carvajal I would come work here in the evenings.”

Eva raises an eyebrow, “You worked here? How long?”

I shake my head, “Until your father had me promoted. I brought him here once too. He enjoyed the chiles rellenos.”

Eva smiles then looks down to her plate. I slowly take one of her hands and squeeze it with understanding. Eva looks up and nods at me. We stay there communicating though stares when the sound of guitar strings echoes through the restaurant. I let go of Eva’s hand and turn to the open space in the middle of the room.

Sitting on a metal stool is a young woman with her back turned to us. I furrow my eyebrows as she continues to play a few scales then finally turns around and sits on the metal stool that is placed near a microphone.

“Juliana,” I gasp.

“Do you know her,” Eva asks next to me.

I blink then turn to Eva with a confused nod. I tell Eva how I met the young woman. How I met her at Léon's grave playing for tips at the graveyard. Eva’s expression changes from surprise to sadness than to understanding. The woman in front of me glances over at Juliana as I tell her about the other woman’s struggles.

“So, her father was working with the wrong crowd. He got into a bad business deal and as a consequence, she and her mother ended up here to avoid getting involved,” Eva summarized, “That’s terrible. At least you were able to help her in some way. She looks to be in better spirits, from what I can guess she was before.”

I look over to Juliana. The girl is still skinny and scrappy but not as bad as a few weeks ago when I first met her. As I look over what she’s wearing a smile grows on my face, she’s wearing the shoes bought for her. Today she’s wearing a checkered shirt that was in a multitude of orange shades. Her jeans were a bit faded, but it works well with the shirt. I watch with a smile as Juliana goes through a riff then begins playing a familiar song in an acoustic form. Her smooth voice starts singing after a beautiful little rift and commands the attention of all the other customers in the room.

Yo quiero luz de luna para mi noche triste

Para cantar divina la ilusión que me trajiste

Para sentirte mía, mía tú como ninguna

Pues desde que te fuiste no he tenido luz de luna

“Wow,” I hear next to me, “She’s really good Lúcia.”

I give Eva a grin and nod, “I know, but to be honest I think her calling is elsewhere.”

“Oh,” Eva asks with a raised eyebrow.

I nod again, “Do you remember the red dress I wore last week at the art gallery?”

She nods.

“I took Juliana shopping with me that day, to carry my bags so I could have an excuse to give her money,” I explain, “Well, I asked her to help me pick a dress when we went to Paloma's shop.”

Eva's eyebrows raise high as she speaks up, “You mean she picked out that outfit for you?”

I nod happily, “She’s got quite a few talents that girl.”

Eva's mystified look goes to Juliana then to me. I try to hold back a laugh as Eva examines the young woman from afar. I could understand Eva's confusion but at the same time, I knew that Juliana is a young girl with good tastes influenced by social media and the like.

“Maybe…”

I gaze at Eva as she mumbles again this time inaudible.

“Maybe she could help me,” Eva speaks up, “I have a photo shoot coming up during my meeting with a media company from the States.”

“You want to hire her,” I ask bewildered.

“Well you just gave her a sparkling review,” Eva smiles, “Besides, a young woman should be out enjoying her youth or going to school and not worrying about having a roof over her head. I think this will help her along and even give her a little push in the right direction.”

A warmth spreads in my chest at Eva’s words, Léon’s voice echoes in my ears as it does.

She’s kind. Much more then you would think, Lucia.

Eva and I continue eating as Juliana sings with her guitar. The songs she chose were popular songs but in acoustic form. It seems that in the past month her skills have developed fairly quickly as I notice how easily she went through each song, so easily that she even added small solos to the pieces with flair. As our entertainer’s set dwindled to the last song, I turn to Eva and raise an expectant eyebrow. My stepdaughter nods back at me once. Satisfied with her answer, I turn back to the guitarist as she sings the last phrases of the song.

________________________________________________________.

JULIANA POV

The last song echoes in the restaurant as I pluck the last measures. I smile to myself with the satisfaction of another good performance. With a happy sigh, I look up from my fingerboard and grin out at my audience. My smile freezes as my eyes catch a familiar figure applauding with the others.

Miss Lúcia.

I try not to let my surprise and confusion appear on my face as I turn to the microphone and thank my audience for their attention. I slowly stand and pull my guitar over my back and clean up my area. As I work I can feel two pairs of eyes bore onto my back, one heavy and the other kind.

I glance over my shoulder and subtly look at the woman next to Miss Lúcia. She’s around the same height as me with dark brown hair that looked almost black. Her face is beautiful with bright blue eyes that could only compare with another pair I had seen a month ago. Her expression is neutral but I could see small frown lines at the edges of her eyes and mouth, showing she’s clearly not one for smiling as much.

Who is that woman that’s with her?

She looks familiar, somehow?

A tap on my shoulder derails my train of thought and I’m forced to turn to address the person. A pretty woman that looked to be in her late twenties stands in front of me wearing a bright floral pink dress. Her brights mile is patient but a sparkle in her eye puts me on edge somehow. I suddenly recognize her as a regular here at the restaurant, she tends to come every morning with another woman and a pair of men. I wait for the brunette to speak trying to calm myself enough to follow along with her rapid Spanish.

“Hola,” the woman says smiling at me, “I really enjoyed your music today.”

“Hola,” I smile back politely, “Si, gracias. I’m happy you enjoyed it.”

“Well I have something for your hard work,” the woman says as she pushes something into my hand.

I try to process what the woman says but the weight of the two-hundred peso bill sitting heavily in my hand confuses me as she usually only gives me twenty. I shake my head and look up with surprise, the woman simply smiles with a sparkle in her eye.

I blink slowly, “Uhm, thank you, ma’am.”

“No problem,” the woman grins, “I looked forward to seeing you tonight with your band. Some of my friends from out of state are here and are excited to see why my girlfriends and I are crazy about coming to eat here.”

I blink, “Oh? You and your girlfriends? Is that so? Well, I’m not really much…”

The woman smiles, “Actually—you have this air about you... it's rather magnetic. You leave us all speechless every time…"

The woman then looks me over slowly, from head to toe then back up again. The action causes me to stand up straighter with my shoulders broad, a posture I have taken to fall into when playing in front of a crowd. Over her shoulder, I see the other three women that accompany here watching our interactions with knowing smiles and raised eyebrows. I quickly look back at the woman in front of me and see a seductive smirk-eyebrow-combo directed at me.

With a cough, I force out a response, “Well, I’m sure most entertainers have to have a type of magnetic energy.”

“Well, yours is special,” the girl says with another charming smile.

I nod trying and try not to blush at the attention I’m receiving, “Well thank you, ma’am, for the compliment and the tip. I hope you and your friends have a good day.”

“Seeing how it started,” she tilts her head to the side with burning eyes, “I’m sure it will be.”

I stare wide-eyed as she turns around and walks back to her table. As she reaches it the other three girls embrace her and start chatting while glancing over at me. They speak for a few seconds then as one they all leave with a few glances back at me.

I blush while watching the group of women leave with comments about the ‘sexy guitarist’. I stay staring at the exit until a few other people walk up and compliment me and give me a tip. I thank them and tell them about the nightly performances I participate in at as they each leave as well. Once the majority of the people have left, I look down at the cup of bills I had received with a small smile. A quick look though tells me that I have another large chunk for my half of the rent for next month, a blessing as my mother had to leave her first job after running into Alacran’s goons a few nights ago. I sigh and think about all that has happened to us until a tap on my shoulder brakes my sulking.

“You did well.”

I turn around and see Miss Lúcia smiling at me. Her hair is up in an elegant bun making her look younger and she’s wearing a familiar sundress like the other woman, this one a golden yellow. Her deep red lipstick makes her bright hazel eyes pop even more. In less than a second, I’m back into our playful banter from a month ago.

“Nice dress,” I respond with a smirk, “You’ve got good taste.”

The older woman laughs, “Yes, well my stylist does actually.”

“Ah,” I playfully roll my eyes, “Of course you rich people can afford stylists.”

Lúcia laughs again but this time pulls me in for a careful hug as to not make me drop my tip cup. Her warm embrace soothes me just like my mother’s do. I allow the woman to hug me for a while then let go. I smile at the blonde, happy to see her again.

“Will you please join me,” the widow asks, “I have someone you have to meet.”

I look over the woman’s shoulder and see the brunette patiently waiting at the table Lúcia left a moment ago. I nod slowly and turn quickly around to place my earning inside my guitar’s pocket. Once my money is secure, I take my guitar and allow Lúcia to direct me to her table. The other woman seems to sit just a bit straighter, her posture almost painful to look at, and watch as we approach.

“Eva, this is Juliana,” Miss Lucia says with a wave towards me, “Juliana this is Eva, my step-daughter. She works at her father’s company.”

I smile politely and offer my hand for her to shake, “It’s a pleasure, Miss Eva. I hope you enjoyed the food and my attempt at entertainment.”

Eva’s harsh expression shifts to a soft one as she looks me over and finally takes my hand to shake. Her hand is soft against my calloused one but she says nothing and I bow my head down as a sign of respect. This small gesture catches her off guard for a second and it shows on her face until she schools her features again.

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you, Juliana,” Eva nods while letting go of my hand, “You are actually quite talented. Lúcia says you helped sort out her wardrobe?”

I blush and glance over at the older woman. Lúcia smiles encouragingly and I turn back to Eva.

“Yes, ma’am. I helped her and she was kind enough to pay me for my suggestions,” I turn to the blonde, “Thank you so much for the help, again. I wish I could pay you back in a better way than just saying ‘thank you.’”

Lúcia smiles and shakes her head, “No, Juliana. It's alright, don’t worry. God’s blessing towards me and my family is more than enough of a repayment.”

I nod, completely not understanding the Catholic saying as my mother and Chino had only practiced faith in La Muerte, but still happy that she sees this as an act of karma.

“Well, Juliana,” Eva calls to me so I turn to her, “I was hoping you could help me as well? I have a photo shoot in a few days and need a stylist to help pick my clothes for the day, someone to keep theirs on their toes. I have many things to concentrate on and my secretary can only do so much. Do you think you can help me?”

I stare at the brunette, “But I’m not a professional stylist or anything…”

“You picked Lúcia’s dress, this yellow one and a red one correct,” Eva asks.

“Yes—”

“Then I have faith in you,” Eva nods.

I look between both women then look back at Eva, “If you’re sure ma’am. I’ll be happy to help.”

Eva smiles then, a soft but satisfied one, “Good. How does tonight sound?”

I furrow my eyebrows, “I'm sorry. I can’t tonight.”

The women share a look.

“Why not Juliana,” Lúcia asks kindly.

“Well,” I sigh, “I play tonight actually. I can do tomorrow since it’s my day off.”

“You play tonight,” Eva asks while pointing at the table, “Here?”

I nod, “Yes ma’am, for dinner service. I play every other day here, in the morning and evening. The weekends are mostly free unless we get a gig, those are usually weddings or quinceñeras.”

Eva looks at Lúcia again then turns back to me, “Well alright, I can do tomorrow. Actually, do we need reservations for dinner?”

Lúcia gives Eva a surprised look but makes no audible comment as I shake my head.

“Alright then,” Eva nods, “I’ll be seeing you tonight. I really want to bring the others here. A family dinner.”

Lúcia’s expression looks misty as she gives Eva a smile, “A family dinner. That sounds lovely.”

Eva nods to the woman then speaks to me again, “Alright then. Tonight I’ll be bringing you my schedule, so you can schedule that day off. Okay?”

“Yes ma’am,” I nod excitedly, “I’ll be ready when you are.”

“Good. Let’s go then Lúcia, we need to speak to Guille quickly,” Eva says standing up now.

Both women shake my hand, Lúcia sliding another hundred dollar bill in my hand as she does, and exit the restaurant. I stay standing near the table and watch as both women walk out gracefully.

“Damn. You hit the jackpot kid.”

Confused, I turn to look at Carla who is now cleaning the table, “What?”

“You’re telling me you don’t know who those women were,” Carla says with a surprised look.

“Well, I know their first names,” I shrug.

“That’s what you get for being a Gringa.” Carla huffs with a frown, “That’s Lúcia and Eva Carvajal. The widow and first daughter of Léon Carvajal. They own Grupo Carvajal and El Centro. They also own a few magazines and media outlets.”

I blink slowly, “You mean they own that news channel on TV and the national newspaper?"

Carla gives me a ‘duh’ expression before taking all the plates that now lay on her tray. I stare at the hundred dollar bill in my hand until the cover of last month's Cosmopolitan comes to my mind. My eyes widen as I remember the pictures of Valentina with her brother and a brunette woman with striking blue eyes.

Wait.

Does that mean…

I gasp, “What the hell?”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18497122/chapters/45214468

#AmarAMuerte #Juliantina #ValentinaCarvajal #JulianaValdes #Fanfiction

[mystblbk]

La Hija--Chapter 3

30 YEARS AGO: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

Lupe’s life had been a complicated one. She was born to a wealthy family, one that rubbed elbows with the world’s most notable wealthy. Her father Paulo Flores had created his empire out of hard work, or that’s what he would tell the many interviewers that flocked to him. The truth was that though the casino and resort business in Mexico was a booming one, the life of a crime lord was even more booming.

This is why the fifteen-year-old was here, hidden behind large packages of drugs in the barracks of La Familia’s house. After Alacran had spoken to her father to notify him of his group’s return, Lupe followed the young man down to the basement as quietly as she could. Her goal was to find El Chino, as she did every time Alacran's group went out, to check if his recklessness had done him in. Her concern was unfound as the tall teenager was fine and cheery as he polished his gun. Lupe’s eyes still look him over for sign of injuries but just as she’s finishing she jumps from the sound of the boy’s voice.

“Are you done?”

Lupe stands to her full height behind the packages, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

El Chino looks at her with a blank stare, “I’m sure you believe that.”

Lupe’s cheeks darken with a blush and she turns around with a huff. El Chino watches as the younger teenager walks in the direction of the entrance before rolling his eyes and calling out to her.

“I’m sorry for downplaying your concern, Princessa Guadalupe.”

Lupe stops mid-step. El Chino watches with a grin as she shakes with anger then flips him the bird and leaves. The eighteen-year-old boy laughs at her antics and shakes his head, still polishing his freshly used gun. The boy's expression turns love-stuck as he remembers the girl's face when he first saw her.

“Eres una niña traviesa, Princessa Lupe.”

------------------------------------------------ 18 YEARS AGO: SAN ANTONIO, UNITED STATES

Macario ‘El Chino’ Valdes had never thought he would fall in love, let alone get married or have children. Yet here he was sitting next to his tired wife of five years cradling a bundle of white and yellow blankets in his arms. He looks up to his wife and thanks her push to keep trying for a child after he had lost faith. He looks back down to the small baby and smiles with tears in his eyes.

“I’m going to have you so spoilt, mija,” he whispers to his baby, “I’m sure your tios and tias will do the same too.”

The baby does not stir as El Chino continues to coo to her. Lupe slowly opens her eyes and catches her assassin cuddling their daughter. A peaceful and humor-filled smile forms on her lips as he starts telling his story of meeting Alacran and being enlisted for his training. The heiress stays quietly watching until her husband tells the child about his run-in with the mafia lord, Paulo. It all seemed plausible until he described her father standing tall at the end of La Familia’s barracks with a thick Cuban cigar dangling from his fingertips.

“My papá never smoked cigars or cigarettes,” the woman mumbles half-asleep.

El Chino glances over at his wife and smiles, “He did in my mind at the time.”

The woman guffaws, her husband had always been dramatic. Her father was always the fit type that always works out, there is no possible way he would smoke like one of those tv show crime lords did. El Chino simply gins at his wife, content where this dangerous life had led him. Unbenosted to the new parents, Juliana had opened her eyes and was currently staring at the curious fit man and boney woman that are standing over her with appreciative eyes.

---------------------------------------- 12 YEARS AGO: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

Alacran has been friends with El Chino for many years, almost twenty, and in all those years he had seen him angry countless times. He had seen him kill men almost three times his age and three times his size. He has seen him tear into anyone who had crossed him, and with this experience, he hopes his comradeship spares him from the mafia boss’ anger.

“Juliana,” the man shout-whispers, “Juli?”

Alacran sighs and stands up again from crouching under the barn’s table. As he huffs from standing up, he is no longer the spry twenty-five-year-old Sicario he once stared as, his eyes catch a blur of teal run out of the stable’s exit. The man quickly dashes off and follows the blur. As he reaches the open space near the stables, he sees a little girl with long hair run to the barn carrying something in her little hands.

“Damn it, Juliana,” he shouts, “You’re going to get hurt!”

The man runs to the barn and throws open the doors as he reaches it. He freezes in place stares with wide eyes at the scene in front of him.

Juliana, his six-year-old goddaughter, stood across from him in front of the makeshift shooting targets he and Chino would use every morning. The girl points at the targets and from the movement of her little shoulder, pretends she is shooting the weapon. It's an adorable yet terrifying sight, so Alacran tries his best to walk slowly up to the girl. Juliana’s eyes narrow as she hears the crunch of boots on dry hay.

Mi tio.

“What are you up to niña?”

Juliana looks up and sees her godfather looking down at her with frightened but patient eyes. Juliana looks away, scared at what would happen now that she was caught playing with her godfather’s gun. Alacran sighs and puts his hands over the girls head.

“If you wanted one, I could have gotten you one, tiny,” he mumbles.

Juliana looks up with shock, “For real?”

Alacran nods and carefully takes the gun out of the girl’s hand, “Sí, but only if you promise not to touch the real ones.”

Juliana looks down with a little blush on her chubby cheeks, “Sí tio.”

Alacran smirks as he puts his gun securely into its holder. As he looks up he catches the look in the little girl’s eyes as she turns to stare at the targets.

It’s determined.

It’s wild.

It’s fearless.

It the same look Chino would get whenever Paulo gave him a job to do.

Alacran chuckles, “I’ll teach you too.”

The little girl gasps and turns back around, “For real?”

“But no touching the real thing,” the man repeats with a wave of his finger.

The little girl nods eagerly with a smile, “Okay.”

The middle-aged mand shakes his head and breathes out:

“Traviesa.”

--------------------------------------- 6 YEARS AGO: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

“I swear if something happened to her—”

“If something happened to her, I’ll kill them all myself and then I’ll take myself out!”

El Chino fumes back at Lupe, both concerned over their twelve-year-old daughter. The woman glares at her husband, not enjoying this ‘I-told-you-so’ moment one bit. Alacran along with Amie Perez had convinced El Chino that Juliana was ready to take to the streets. After six years of hidden training under the Sicario, Alacran could see the potential that Julian was. It was easy to convince Perez after having the young heiress run circles around the men she was training.

They had gotten together and sat down with El Chino and La Mujer to talk about the girl. After an hour of scolding for teaching the pre-teen all about the world of crime, El Chino’s interest was peaked and he wished to see his daughter in action. After witnessing his little girl run through the obstacle course with two fully stocked pistols and an AK-47 strapped to her nimble body, he reluctantly agreed to let the girl go on one trip with his drug trafficking squad.

That’s how they ended up in a screaming match in La Familia’s dining room—AKA La Familia’s meeting room. The two hot-headed parents stay glaring at each other then turn to glare at Alacran and Perez. This dance occurred many times in the span of two hours they had not heard from their daughter or the group leader.

“I’m not kidding Chino,” Lupe growls, “If my baby girl ends up hurt or—”

The woman’s sentence is cut off as the two heavy doors leading up to the room slam open and the subject of the whole room’s concern enters. Twelve-year-old Juliana enters dressed in full police uniform, a name of an officer attached to the name tag reads ‘Montilla’ and shines just as brightly as the badge above it. Over each arm is a duffle bag, so full that their forms are extended to the point of ripping at the seams.

“Holla,” Juliana greets with a wave, “Sorry, I got lost.”

The room remains quiet as the girl throws off the two duffle bags she has over her shoulder and onto the table. Juliana, in one quick motion, opens up one bag to reveal thousands of U.S. dollars bundled up inside. The other is treated the same way but this one contains the packages of drugs that were meant to be delivered. The young teen looks up and sees the room full of criminals staring at her with wide eyes and unhinged jaws. With a roll of her eyes, she begins to recount the event that happened earlier.

“The deal went bad, so they started a shoot-out,” she explains as she leans over to take Hernandez’s undrunk soda, “So when they weren’t looking, I ducked over and took both bags and ran. Somebody called the cops and a whole bunch of them showed up. I’m guessing the guys that made it out ended up in handcuffs.

“I honestly don’t know because I ran far enough to be caught by this stupid beat cop around the mall of El Este. He had me held up until he searched me and found all the stuff. Anyway, before he could call me in, I kicked his ass and knocked him out. I kind of had to dress up as him ‘cuz I stole his patrol car to get here, it’s outside so you’re going to have to do something about that papá.”

The girl then shoots them a dimpled smile before walking out of the dining room with a small but noticeable limp. The room remains quiet until Alacran starts laughing with both shock and amazement. The other leaders in the room share looks of concern while glancing over at their leader. El Chino just continues to stare at the door, his eyes unseeing. Finally, through his booming voice, Alacran speaks.

“I told you not to worry about that troublemaker!”

------------------------------------- 4 YEARS AGO: HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS

The sun glows down El Chino’s back as he stares out to the land that makes up his ranch. The horse under him digs his hoofs into the ground, impatient at remaining in one place for so long. The mafia lord looks to his right and catches his only child staring out to the property as well. The man blinks before turning back forward. He finally sighs and beings to speak after two hours of riding through the Texas wood.

“The day before I married your mother and a few months before your grandfather died, he took me on a ride like this one today.”

Juliana looks over to her father with confusion, “Papá?”

“He told me about his struggles to become the man that we was. He told me about his time in prison. He told me how he gained a dealer’s trust and then slowly another ten. He told me how they started working out of a small house and ended up in a warehouse outside of Piedras Negras. He told me about putting his life at risk to give everything he could to his wife and then to your mother. He told me about his near-death experiences, his successful deals, the rise of his casino business and expansion into resorts. He told me everything he thought I needed to know as his daughter’s husband.”

El Chino stops and looks at his daughter. Juliana stares at him with confusion.

The father sighs, “I’ve seen you grow up like a weed between two slabs of concrete, wild and free. I’ve seen you take down cartels with bullet wounds all over your body. I’ve seen you give orders and run operations like you were born to do it. You have defeated leaders and helped gown others. And to top it all off you have tackled Flores Co. with just that amount of intellect and determination. I want you to start taking over.”

“What,” Juliana gasps, “But I’m just a kid!”

Chino laughs, “That’s what your mother and I would say to your tio, but you know what? You’re not just a kid. You’re my kid.”

Juliana furrows her brows and stays silent, so Chino continues.

“You are my kid. My child. My daughter. Mi hija. You are wild. You are determined. You are intelligent. You are all of me and all of your mother, but you are also you,” Chino speaks with the seriousness of a man passing the torch to his child, “I believe in you. Your mother does too. That is all you need. You will surpass all that I have accomplished and will make a name for yourself. You will be your own person and fill the world with that narrative.

“But, how? I mean I’m a kid, and yeah you both believe in me,” Juliana half-yells, “What about everyone else? How do I get the mafia on my side? How do I get all those know-it-all men in suits to allow me to lead a multimillion dollar company? I’m fourteen!”

“You were born for this,” El Chino says with assurance, “You walk into a room and all eyes are on you. You command the space that you enter and demand submission. You outrun everyone and then some. You were born to shine in these circumstances just as I was born to do it too. I have faith in you because you are just like me.”

Juliana stares at her father, “Just like you?”

“You are me,” El Chino smiles, “But also your mother. And also, yourself. Which is why I have faith in you. I won’t give it all to you just yet, you’re barely turning fifteen in the summer, but I will give you parts until I see that you’re ready. I will never give you something I know you can't handle.”

Juliana looks down at her hands clutching her saddle. Her mind races of worse case scenarios until a thought commands her attention.

I will never give you something I know you can't handle.

Juliana looks up and catches her father’s hazel eyes. Between them, a whole lifetime of conversations passes through their connected stare. Finally, Juliana nods.

“Sí papá,” she says with a scared but decided voice, “I’ll take over.”

The man smiles as tears form in his eyes, “I knew you would, mi traviesa.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19186732/chapters/45739531

#amar a muerte #juliantina #valentina carvajal #juliana valdes #fanfic

[mystblbk]

Chavela Valdes--Chapter 3

After shopping for necessities, mom manages to get a job at a local cantina and had convinced the owner to have her start right away. Panchito gets us back home in an hour, just in time for Milagros to growl at us about how she wanted half the rent by the end of the weekend. I would have yelled at her if it were not for my mom grabbing my bicep to calm me down. I stay in our room long after mom left for her new job, as a means to keep the landlord alive and to practice.

I cradle the instrument in my lap while slowly sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. The roughly tiled floor rubbed against the skin of my thigh harshly, but I have no other place to practice seeing that the Evil Witch from the South was currently in the living room a few paces away.

Right then, let’s get started.

With the silencer covering my guitar’s sound hole, I practice some of the old ballads my guitar teacher had taught me. It became our ritual to teach me a new song every day, especially after the first week of class. No one truly wanted to learn how to play the guitar, they were just there for the easy grade, so having me actually wanting to learn was a godsend to the young teacher. Mr. Peña had been a kind person to me and even allowed me to take one of his practice guitars home after he noticed how I took to each lesson with ease. He must have seen something in me because after that he had me permanently placed into his class for the next three years of high school.

I wish I could have said goodbye.

I go through a few finger placement exercises until the sadness dies out, but the songs don’t. By the time I look down at my iPod and see that its almost 4’oclock in the morning my fingers have deep creases on the tips from the steel strings. I cradle my left hand and inspect the red digits. The worn skin has small cuts from being used again, but there was no pain to be felt. I sigh and close my eyes, hands instinctively playing a new song.

“I forgot how good you were.”

My mom’s voice shocks me and my hand makes a thumping sound as it hits my instrument. Mom gives me a sheepish look when I give her an empty glare from across the room. She smiles softly as she goes through the motions of getting ready for bed. Her long shiny hair is let down, and her clothes are exchanged with pajamas. Once she’s done, she comes to sit next to me. She cuddles into my side, reminding me of how I would when I was younger.

“You know I hate being startled,” I mumble, once we’re both settled in.

“Sorry, mija,” she grins, “Come on, play something for me?”

I look down at my mother’s hazel eyes and nod slowly, “What song?”

“Surprise me,” she smiles.

I nod again and quickly roll through the songs I have memorized in my head. My mother watches as I think then moves to sit across from me and against the bed. Finally, I start strumming the cocky and sassy song. Making sure my voice is clear, I start to sing with a grin directed at my mother.

Esas tus miradas de fulgor extraño Esa tu sonrisa de color de rosa Siempre me facinan aunque me hacen daño Porque eres muy linda pero desdeñosa

My grin starts to hurt as I see mom trying to hold back a laugh. My mood is cheery as I continue along, making sure to bop my head to the quick plucking I do.

Esas tus miradas de fulgor extraño Esa tu sonrisa de color de rosa Siempre me facinan aunque me hacen daño Porque eres muy linda pero desdeñosa

Mom coughs a laugh this time, her tan cheeks a little red for holding back her cheer. I try not to giggle as an effort to complete the song completely with no breaks.

Brindame el encanto de tus bellos ojos El sensual embrujo que en ti se adivina Para que en mi vida tan llena de abrojos Seas como una estrella que a mi alma ilumina

By now mom is covering her mouth with both hands, mirth bright as the sun rising behind us. My heart soars to see her happy, to bring some happiness in the midst of all this terror we’re going through. It’ the same feeling I had with Valentina in the afternoon, a painful need to see a beautiful woman smile at me instead of frown.

Brindame el encanto de tus bellos ojos El sensual embrujo que en ti se adivina Para que en mi vida tan llena de abrojos Seas como una estrella que a mi alma ilumina

As I go through the last fast-paced strumming, my mom’s giggles get the best of her once the song ends. I giggle along with her as she stands up from next to me. I place my guitar in its case on my side of the bed. My sleepiness night catches up with me as I set my phone’s alarm for later this morning, the volume only high enough for me to hear. With a huff, I settle myself next to my mother on our small bed. I glance over at the older woman and she smiles sadly at me before turning off our only light.

My mind continues to run long after my mom’s breathing deepens into a dreamless sleep. I stare at the ceiling, unused to the new sounds and feeling of the space I’m in. Annoyed, I quietly get up from the bed and make my way to the living room and into the kitchen. I pull a cup from the rack and fill it halfway. I sigh and drink slowly, trying to quiet down my thoughts. Once finished with my drink, I wash it quietly and place it back on the rack.

My footsteps are quiet on the neon pink tiles. I’m passing the coffee table when a familiar picture catches my eye. The latest issue of Cosmopolitan sits on the table with a dog-eared page. I raise an eyebrow and stare at the magazine for a second. Curiosity gets the best of me so I grab the paper book and flip to the page that is saved.

“No way,” I whisper gasp, “It can’t be.”

But it is.

Who else can it be?

Splattered across the page is a title to an article that should be in a National Enquirer instead of a Cosmo.

Léon Carvajal: El Ultimo Adios

Underneath the morbid title is pictures of a well-aged man in a fitted suit. His features are sharp but also aged just enough to show his age. His hair was multicolored, black fading into grey and then into white in spots. His smile was warm but strong as if to say he was the boss. Underneath the collage of pictures of his life throughout the years are pictures of his funeral form a few weeks prior. A strand of pictures is framed at the bottom but one, in particular, forces my attention on it.

In the center of the picture is a brunette with watery eyes wearing all black and sitting on a couch alone. Behind her are people lingering around a warm brown colored casket, a strike of platinum blonde surrounded by a group of brunettes. All seeming to be the immediate family. All not noticing what the lonely girl has in her hands: a silver flask.

“Valentina,” I whisper with a broken heart.

I read the article and get annoyed as they speak of my new friend and her family. The writer obviously using this man’s death as a way to sell copies of this month’s magazine. I sigh and close the book, making sure to place it where it once was so Milagros won’t see a difference. My feet still make no noise as I enter our room. Mom is still asleep as I get into bed next to her. I stare at the ceiling for a moment then close my eyes, one thought lingering in my mind.

Well, right now I don’t think it applies here.

“It will,” I mumble as I fall into the abys, “I’ll make sure of it…”

_________________________________________________.

The morning comes fast, almost as fast when we were on the run a few days ago. It blends into the day so well that the dream world isn’t even acknowledged to me as I wake up at 7’olock. I quickly get ready without waking mom up, knowing full well the hell I will have to pay for her not coming with me. I’m far too concerned with her getting her own rest then my own safety as I watch how peaceful she looks. The kitchen smells of food when I exit our room, but I ignore the woman cooking as my pride is too much for a pity breakfast from her. With a forced out ‘good-bye,’ I walk out of the house and into the sleepy streets of Mexico City. Pulling up the address on my phone, I pull the strap of my guitar case tighter as to not have it taken from me in a worst-case-scenario.

The way to my new job was a nice way to get used to the city as it goes through el centro and the marketplace it stands on. There are many streets filled with people selling form their homes or pop-up stalls, mostly of spices, fresh vegetables, and the occasional clothing or electronics. The scents of the pile of spices lined around my path tickle my nose in a way that reminds me of my empty stomach. I’m spared of this painful journey as I approach a large building sticking out of the mayhem as if it were a center point of the area. As I approach the restaurant I take not of its old Spanish style, the kind that was made to attract the tourist population: red brick with white trims and wide bay windows. My feet carry me up the flight of stairs and through the front arches leading inside to the second floor.

The fluorescent lights make my eyes hurt as I to adjust to my surroundings. I blink back the shadows and look around, taking notice of the large murals on each wall. Taking one side of the building is a large bar with two stainless steel doors that would lead to the kitchen. Decorating the counter behind the marble bar are figurines of Catrinas and Alembrijes on each shelf. There are artisanal wooden tables with matching chairs placed neatly in the space to make the best use of the size with paper floral centerpieces. It was a purely Mexican restaurant that one would see in a stock image photo.

“Juliana! Good morning!”

I look over to the sound of Salvador's voice and see him along with a group of five other young men that look to be around his age. Salvador stands in the center, a few inches shorter than the tallest man. To his right were two boys, twins actually, with light skin and eyes that matched their dirty blonde hair. Their round faces made them look young, a few years older than I am, and so did their smirks and bright hazel eyes.

On Salvador’s left were the other three young men, all three handsome and tall. The tallest, which stood directly next to Salvador, had black hair and dark eyes similar to Salvador except for the broody look on his face. On the broody guy’s left was a boy with dark skin, obviously from African descent, that hade burning green eyes to contrast the rest of him. This guy’s expression was kind and open, an expression that helped calm my nerves. Finally, the last young man had bright reddish hair and super pale skin. He looked like he belonged in the hills of Scotland, not the streets of humid Mexico.

As I approached the group, I pulled my shoulders back and stand straighter to make myself look taller. The second I was a foot away, the twins pulled me into a hug and started chattering into my ears. I stay frozen in place as the two boys tug me by my jacket.

“I can’t wait to hear—”

“No, you said we were—”

“No, Sal said we have to—”

“Sal said, more like you—”

“STOP!”

Salvador’s voice booms in the restaurant, shocking the twins to look back over at him.

“I’m sure you will have time to get to hear Juliana’s,” Salvador says as he drags them into submission, “Now, how about some food while we get to know each other?”

The twins quickly pull away and run to one of the long wooden tables nearby. I stare as they push each other back and forth like only siblings do. Sal brings me back to my current position as he claps me on the back softly and pushes me carefully to the table. We all take our seats and watch as two waitresses come and start serving us some traditional Mexican breakfast. My mouth drools as one waitress places a plate of huevos rancheros in front of me. I stare down at the food then look up and around me. The boys were all tucking into their own food, taking the liberty to take from the large dishes of sides on the table to place on their plates.

A tap from my right directs me to the dark-skinned boy, he smiles encouragingly and makes signals for me to eat in a polite manner. I glance at Salvador and he smiles back, so I sigh happily and eat along with them. The breakfast is good, the only downside is that I couldn’t eat more. I sigh and sip the rest of my agua de frutas while Salvador introduces the other boys.

The twins were named Raymundo and Ricardo, kids to a widowed father of a family of eight. The redheaded boy’s name was Francisco, or Franky, and was son to an American teacher and British painter. The darkest skinned young man was named Axel, had immigrated to Mexico City a few years ago with his parents from Argentina. Finally, the broody guy that looked very similar to Salvador was introduced to me as Raúl, Salvador’s cousin.

They were all kind, except Raúl who was still a bit cold and distant and talked to me about the city and such. The conversation came to a halt when Raúl reminded us of the two outfits that I had to try on. Salvador stood up and quickly went into the employees only room. The man comes back carrying two outfits covered by black coat bags.

“Sal huffed, “Thanks, Raúl. Juli, go try them on please.”

“Okay,” I sighed, taking the two bags, “be right back.”

Axel kindly points to the restrooms and I walk in the direction of them. I quickly go inside and let out a large breath I was keeping inside. Trying to calm my nerves, I carefully hang the two protected outfits on the stall door. A few minutes later I’m pulling on the tight black pants on, the pant legs are a bit longer than me but easily fixable. The soft white dress shirt is a bit too large but I tuck it into the pants before pulling on the black vest and finally the black jacket over that. The gold tie is tricky to get on, but after a minute of struggling I figure it out. The tan belt with obstaniously large belt buckle settles perfectly on my waist.

I open the door to the stall and step into the larger part of the restrooms. With a glance over the uniform, I turn to look at myself on the large floor-to-ceiling mirror. A gasp leaves me as I look over myself. The clothes are a bit too loose but I can see with a bit of a tweak here and there I can get it to look amazing on my small frame. I looked the part of a mariachi player, except for my loose hair and converse. With a small smile I use the band I keep on my wrist to pull my hair up in a bun.

“Better,” I sigh.

“Juli,” Sal asks with a knock on the door.

“Just a second,” I call back.

Taking one more look over myself, I turn and walk out. All five boys look up and take in how I look. Sal and Axel smile largely at me while the twins smirk and nod happily. Raúl walks from his position against the wall and walks around me, eyes rolling over me with a heavy stare. The boy comes to stand in front of me and stays there for a second. I hold my breath as he turns around to the table and takes the large traditional hat. Raúl slowly and gently places the hat on my head, positioning it to face forward correctly.

“You need dress shoes, maybe even boots,” the young man tells me, “What’s your size?”

I blink, “Uhm, nine.”

“Americans,” Raúl rolls his eyes but turns back to a bag he has next to the wall.

He pulls out a pair of black leather boots, “Put these on, they should fit. They belonged to my sister, but she doesn’t even wear them so…”

I stare at the man before sitting where he pointed me to. Raúl crouches down and pulls my tennis shoes off then replaces them with the boots, telling me to adjust the shoes as needed.

“Stand up,” he tells me, “I need to see that you don’t look like a fool next to us.”

I huff but do as he says by allowing him to look me over again. Once he is satisfied, Raúl nods at me then at the others.

“She’ll do,” he proclaims, “Just needs to get them both fitted, but she should be fine.”

Sal grins, “Good. Go take that off, except the boots so you can get them worn in and get back here so we can practice.”

“Okay,” I nod and turn to follow his orders.

I make it into the restroom and once again let out a large sigh of relief. Though I felt a bit on edge from having Raúl look me over, I understood his need to have me look good next to them. My mind kept traveling to the boys as I undressed and redressed, mostly thinking how easily we got along during our breakfast. By the time I had got the suit and hat into their proper places, I was ready for practice. The boys are now standing on the makeshift stage waiting for me as I approached them.

I look over the instrument they are holding as I pull my guitar out. Salvador, no surprise, is the other guitarist. Axel holds a shiny trumpet and is doing scales with Raúl who is the second trumpeter. The twins surprise me as they tune their violins, the shape, and color the instruments almost exact to reflect their owners. A grin pulls at my lips as approach my bandmates, ready to get to it.

“Alright,” Sal tells us, “You went through the setlist I gave you right?”

I nod to Salvador, “Yeah I went through it. I knew all of them already, so I’m fine.”

“Good,” Axel nods, “Let’s go through it and then decide which parts to add or correct.”

“Which brings up another thing,” Raúl huffs, “Do you know how to sing?”

I shift in place trying to ignore their stares, “A little.”

“Then we try that too,” Raúl nods, “Let’s start then.”

With that, we begin practicing for the day.

____________________________________________________.

The wind blows my hair out of my face as I stand in the sun. My eyes don’t leave to marble rock in front of me, newly placed onto of the grave of my husband of only a few hours. I stare at the rock for another minute before a tear is released from my eye and flows down to fall into the large field of grass.

“I wish you were here. The bed is too big without you. The house is too cold. And don’t get me started on the company,” I whisper to Léon, “I’m trying my best to pick up where you left off but Johnny is such a snake! Honestly, how didn’t you see how much of a backstabber he is? He’s off speaking with presidential hopefuls and big company CEOs—completley what you’ve always been against! To top it all off he’s been flirting with me, some adopted son you picked out Léon! I’m pretty sure he’s behind all this. His actions speak for him. I can’t get proof yet, but I really hope Eva can have a change of heart so she can help me at the paper. If I have her and Guille on my side, I’m sure I can catch him in the act.

“Eva is angry She thinks this is my fault. I suppose it is, you were killed at our wedding. Guille, well Guille is trying to be strong but I know he’s finding comfort with drinking his sorrows away when he’s not working. As for Valentina—she’s a mess, my love. I’m having the staff keep an eye on her, but I know she’s been sneaking alcohol into her room at night. I really hope she finds a way to get out before I have to call a family meeting on her.”

“I wish you were here,” I whisper with a sob, “We all do.”

As if answered, the wind blows again cooling the hot trail of tears on my cheek. I sigh and hold myself for another moment, thinking about my family and their individual struggles. Suddenly, the sound of guitars strumming catches my attention. I look up to my right and see an elderly couple standing next to each other as a young girl sings over the grave. Her dark hair is pulled up in a bun with a few strands falling over her cheeks allowing me to see how young she is. Perhaps Valentina’s age? Her clothes are worn and faded in color, reminding me of my time in the streets.

I watch as her soft voice carries lovingly through the cemetery and creates a strange peace that otherwise should be filled with a turmoil of the living. The girl finishes the song and allows the sound to bounce around the empty plain before turning to shake hands with the elderly couple. The old man dabs his eyes with a handkerchief and shakes her hand kindly. The older woman smiles as well and hands her a few bills in return for her service. The girl shakes her head but is forced the money into her had by the older woman. I smile as the humble girl goes through the motions of the Holy Cross then bows her head to the elderly’s dead before leaving them be.

I watch curiously as the girl counts the bills and does the Holy Cross again with the money in her hand, a sign of a thankful worker, before putting the money in her front pants pocket. I look down at Léon and remember how kind he was and willing to help me when I was in that young lady’s shoes.

“I suppose this is a sign,” I tell him then look over at the girl, “Hey! Young lady! Come here, please!”

The girl looks up and stares at me for a second before jogging up to me. I let her catch her breath for a second before speaking.

“What are you doing here,” I ask, “They normally don’t let anyone in here, it’s a private cemetery.”

“Oh,” she shrugs, “A friend’s uncle works here, and he told me I could come here to earn some money.”

My eyebrows furrow, “It’s really hot though. Can’t you find something better?”

“I can. I mean I do—have a job,” she sighs, “I play in a mariachi band and get a cut from what we earn, but I need more for the rent of the place I have. I don’t want my mom to work too hard, she’s been through enough this past year. I want to help her, so she won’t worry as much.”

“Past year,” I ask, “What happened?”

The girl sighs, “Well, my dad died during work. We had our house, well trailer, taken away and had to come here. We found a place but the landlord, well, she wants the rent for this whole month by this weekend.”

“What,” I gape, “That’s completely unfair! Most landlords give a week…”

“Yeah she did, originally,” the girl rolls her eyes, “But my mom could only get a job at a bar, so when she found out she gave us until Saturday. Something about being a streetwalker.”

“That’s just three days from now,” I whisper, outrage at this unknown landlord for acting this way to a recent widow.

“Yeah,” the girl nods, looking at her scuffed-up shoes, “That’s why I’m doing whatever I can right now.”

I watch as the girl shifts the guitar strapped over her shoulder from one place to the other. Seeing her up close made it even more clear how young she is. My heart tugged at her sad but determined look. With a sigh, I turn to my guard.

“Can you let home know I have another errand to do and might not get home on time,” I shout to Alirio.

“Yes, ma’am I’ll let them know,” he calls back.

I turn to the girl and pull my hand out for her to shake, “Lucía, and you are?”

The girl blinks back at me then shakes my hand politely, “Juliana.”

I grin and motion for her to follow me, “I have a job you can do for me. I need someone to come shopping with me. I need an honest opinion on what I’m wearing, I know these men won’t have a reliable opinion other than blank staring. You can also help me carry my bags to the car.”

Julian turns to me with wide confused eyes, “I—”

I cut off the girl, “Don’t worry. I’ll pay you for your time. I’m sure it will be more than the amount you’ll get here.”

“Why,” she whispers.

“I know how it feels,” I answer simply, “Now come on, I actually do need help deciding.”

Juliana stares at me for a second then grins, “Thank you, Ms. Lucia. You don’t even know me, but…”

I smile at the girl and pull her by her elbow. The door is opened by my guard and I enter the vehicle with Juliana. The young woman stays quiet as she stares out the window, enjoying the view as we reach the closest boutiques I like to go to. By the time we reach the stores, Juliana is a bit calmer and responds to the few questions I ask her.

The first store is filled with expensive ball gowns, a perfect place to find a dress for my meeting with the Spanish Ambassador in a few weeks. Juliana is in awe as we enter and a saleswoman quickly greets us with an overly bright smile. I let her down gently and once she’s gone I turn to my new companion.

“Alright, what should we start with,” I ask her.

Juliana pauses and looks me over quickly before looking around. I watch as something catches her eye from a nearby rack. The brunette scurries to a rack full of red and maroon dresses and quickly goes through them until she finds what she’s looking for. A bright red dress with a backless design and a long train is presented to me with excited and nervous eyes.

“Try this one,” Juliana mumbles, “I think it will suit you.”

I grin at the timid girl and take the dress with no complaints, leaving her shocked at my silence. I walk towards the dressing rooms and turn around with an encouraging look.

“Perhaps look for other ones,” I encourage her, “I’m always looking for good dresses for events.”

This seems to calm the girl as she smiles back at me and continues to look over the racks. The afternoon goes on like this. From store to store, my new stylist picks out clothes for me to try and I do as she says. By the time dinner time arrives, I have many new bags filled with clothes and accessories. I’m shocked that this little thing of a girl knows how to style clothes in just the right way and to fit my style. I’m sure she has a good future if she pursues a career in fashion. As I tell her this, she blushes brightly and scuffs up her shoe on the concrete paths.

“I’m not joking Juliana,” I pat her arm, “You could be a professional stylist or even a designer.”

“I’m flattered, but I’m more concerned with the food on the table,” she rolls her eyes like the teenager she is, “Maybe someday but not soon.”

I sigh, completely understanding her situation. I could help her but a strong woman like her, like me, would not like handouts. She wants to make things from her own strength, not the strength of others. I look down to her shoes and see that the worn Converse are really in need of replacement. The edges are almost all the way unsealed from the cloth of the shoe. The bottoms are worn out to the point that the grooves are almost gone.

I suppose I could help her with this at least.

“You know, my stepdaughter could use some new shoes,” I glance over at the girl, “I think you might have the same size as her. How about coming to help me find her a new pair before we drop you off at home? What’s your shoe size?”

Juliana stares down at her lap then looks up at me with a reluctant smile, “Oh, I’m a size nine, I don’t know about matching since I have a big foot….but I guess I can help…”

With a grin, I pull her with me to the closest shoe store. We walk through the long shelves of shoes until I find the Converse section and conveniently walk through the section. I watch as Juliana stops walking and stares at a pair with desire in her eyes. The pair was all black except for colorful stars dotting the fabric. The girl then shakes her head and continues on into the shop. I grin and pull out the correct size. With a signal to Alirio to take my credit card and pay for the pair. I grin as he walks back to the car, most likely to hide the pair in Juliana’s guitar case while I make sure the girl is not looking.

Through my show, I manage to find pairs for everyone. Before long I have new pairs of shoes for Valentina, Guille, and Eva along with a few heels for me and the girls. Juliana helps me carry the magnitude of shoes to the clerk and we quickly leave the store after that.

“Thank you, Juliana,” I tell the girl once we’re on our way again, “I really enjoyed your company.”

“I enjoyed it too,” the girl tells me, “You remind me of my mom, easy to talk to.”

“Well she raised a very kind woman,” I tell her, “I really hope things get better for you two.”

Juliana shrugs without looking at me, “So do I. I just hope this job gives me enough money so she won’t worry about the rent.”

“This job,” I start, “Is it in a band that goes to events, gets booked, or is it in a restaurant or…”

“Oh, both,” she nods, “It’s at a restaurant and sometimes we’ll go to parties and such. That’s what Salvador said anyway, I haven’t played once yet. I only just got the outfits today.”

“Wait, you mean you haven’t played anywhere yet,” I ask.

She nods, “Not yet, Friday is my first day. Today I met the band and practiced until an hour before I met you.”

I nod, “Well now I’m interested. You must be very good if they think you’d be ready in two days.”

Juliana turns to me and furrows her eyebrows, “I didn’t think of it like that. I just figured they needed cash too, you know for expenses and such.”

I smile, “I don’t think so. They must have a lot of faith in you after hearing you. I know I liked your singing from what I heard in the cemetery. I want to hear more from you. I’m sure you sound even more lovely with a full band to accompany you.”

Juliana’s tan cheeks turn rosy as she shifts in embarrassment, “Um yeah, thanks.”

“We’re here, Seńorita Lućia,” the driver calls to us from the driver’s seat.

I look out the window and see the humble streets lined with buildings decorated with chipping paint and cracked walls. Juliana sighs and tugs her guitar case over her shoulder. As she begins to open the car door, I take her left hand and squeeze it as a mother would do. This gets her attention and she waits for me to speak.

“Take care of yourself, okay,” I insist, “I know you’re tough but be careful.”

Juliana looks at my hand and then back up, “Okay, I promise.”

I smile and kiss the girl’s cheek, gaining another full-on blush, and tuck into her hand a crisp hundred-dollar bill. Juliana gapes at me and I simply smile back at her. Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, the girl leaves the car in a daze and makes her way into the small home. Once outside, she waves at the car and makes quick work of the many locks to get inside. The door closes with a large bang sound.

“Let’s go home,” I tell the driver once Juliana is inside.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18497122/chapters/44311702

#amar a muerte #juliantina #valentina carvajal #juliana valde #fanfic

[mystblbk]

La Hija--Chapter 2

BANG!

My hand is steady as I stay pointing at the young man that is now leaning against the bloodstained wall behind me. I roll my eyes and put my gun back in its place.

“Your kids suck at sneaking around Armenta,” I huff at the man, “You should have taken them out early as my father did to me. I mean look at me. Only eighteen and the leader of Mexico’s Mafia!”

I turn back around and see the man staring at me with pain and sorrow in his eyes. I watch as tears collect in his eyes then flow down his greasy cheeks. He then turns his eyes up to me and I see anger and revenge floating in the muddy orbs. I roll my eyes at his hypocrisy and turn back to the group huddled up in the corner.

Directly behind Marcos is Valentina, staring at me with her big blue eyes. I raise a brow and she has the gall to look sheepish with her lips forming a small pout and eyes wide with a puppy like expression. I shake my head and walk over to her, ignoring how Eva trys to pull Val by her sleeve. Val simply pulls her sister’s hand off without looking and stands her ground. I make a ‘shoo’ motion to Marcos and the man moves over to allow me access to the heiress. I stop directly in front of the blue eyes beauty and glare at her.

Val’s expression turns from a sheepish to embarrassed. I sigh and pull out a chain from my pants pocket. A shiny gold chain dangles from my fingertips, a small hooded figure similar to the one hanging on mine sways back and forth from the end. I slowly untangle the gold figure from it and pull the jewelry over Valentina’s head. The golden figure with bright clear diamond eyes dangles a few inches below the neckline of her black blouse in the space between her breasts.

I look up at the girl and give her another harsh glare. In response, Val smiles with a shrug. I growl and lean forward and speak next to her ear.

“I told you not to forget it on your way out,” I growl, “Niña traviesa.”

Just as I suspect, instead of causing fear Val shivers and her breath hitches. She opens her mouth and a squeak comes out, more likely from me nipping at her jaw with a smirk on my lips than anything else. Val’s hands grasp onto my shirt with force as I nip her ear with love and annoyance at what my brat has caused me to do today. I know for a fact that the reason she has been causing more ruckus in her family’s paper now is from gaining my protection.

“Son lencahas?”

The outraged shout brakes my peaceful state, so in one quick motion, I take out my gun and shoot at the knees of the speaker—all without moving from my position near Val. Begrudgingly I pull away from the minx in my arms and look back to the kneeling mass of stupidity near Armenta. The man closest to the leader, his second in command, lays backward holding his thigh with bloodstained hands as the bullet hole I made bleeds out onto the marble floor.

“That was very disrespectful,” I snap, “And you really are not in the positions to say anything to upset me.”

The man is too much in pain to give a shit about what I’m saying, and even though I know this, it annoys me even more so I give a signal to my men. My boys give me twisted grins and force the pathetic man back into his position, making sure to kick his wounded thigh as they do. I smirk in thanks to them then look back to the other leader in the room.

“Well on the bright side,” I chuckle, “You know why I’m here now.”

Alacran answers for the pitiful man, “To protect the princess.”

I grin at my godfather, “One of the reasons.”

“One,” Armenta asks with furrowed brows.

I nod, “Sure, pretend you didn’t take out my old man. I have evidence in the form of many spies and your own handwritten note. Don’t be a coward and pretend you haven’t been hiding from me. I’ve been trying to track you down for months. Luckily for me, here you are served to me on a silver platter by my girl.”

Alacran laughs, “I’m sure if he had left well enough alone, he would be at home with his slut of a wife a and both of his kids. It’s not surprising to see this egotistical moron be played by two young women.”

I laugh, this time accompanied by my men. Realization of where I am hits me like a ton of bricks when the sound of sirens approaching the property can be heard. With a huff, I turn to Alacran.

“Scatter.”

Alacran and the other men nod and leave one by one through the back doors leading to the pool house. The whole procedure takes no more than fifteen minutes so by the time all of my men have left, the sound of sirens surrounds the house. I shake my head and start walking to the exit leading to the back of the property, a hand tugs at my shirt and I look up to Val. Her expression is worried, but I smile and lean forward to kiss the corner of her lips. I pull away and walk to stand in front of Armenta. To each of his sides are his ten men still kneeling in a line, visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

With a loud bang, the Carvajal’s guards burst in followed by the police. The commotion escalates as Eva and Lúcia start shouting to them where they are. I stay there and wait as Montilla and a group of heavily armed officers enter the living room. As they take in the scene, I catch a blur of red lights directs themselves onto their targets. With a smirk, I draw my gun and slowly turn around. I point my gun at the Detective and then use it in a ‘shush’ motion.

“Juliana,” Montilla gapes, “What—”

Before the Detective can finish his sentence, the glass windows explode as ten long range bullets break through and hit the ten sicarios in front of me, killing them simultaneously. Their blood sprays around me and the men fall forward from the force of the bullets. All around me, police officers and Carvajal family members cover their heads as the glass continues to fall around us. Through the chaos, I wink at Montilla and dash out of the building and jump into my waiting Camaro only a few feet away.

By the time they’ve noticed me, my Camero is peeling out of the property at full speed. I hear the shouts of angry men and feel as bullets rain over my car in a feeble attempt to stop my getaway, I have no injury except for the glass that had rained on me earlier. The wind flows through my hair as I speed out of the streets behind the mansion. I take back alleys and dirt roads, ones that I have memorized for this exact reason, and take an extra five minutes to reach my home.

Upon reaching my ebony gates, Marco looks over the guard post and then signals down to the other to open up. The gates open and I drive the two miles into my property. I sigh and look over to the small picture Val gave me that is taped on my dashboard. In the picture, she is grinning to the camera while I stare lovingly at her. My chest tightens at the thought of her recklessness but I can’t help but smile fondly at the thought of my troublemaker.

I shake my head and force myself to think in the present. A cartel boss is now in the custody of the Mexican authorities, my father’s murder to be exact, and I need to start making up a plan to keep Montilla’s mouth shut. Money doesn't work on men like him but if I can speak to his higher up, Director Ramirez, I’m sure I can force him to submission.

With a nod, I finally reach my home and park the car directly in front of the steps up to my residency. I toss my keys to Ernesto as I walk by him and walk up the steps and into my home. The house is mostly quiet except for the guards patrolling the place. I walk to the dining room and ignore the looks our maids give me. I know their concern is mostly due to how close I was to getting caught than for my safety, I was trained by the most skilled assassins of all North America so the possibility of injury is little to none, but when being ambushed by so many officers it still puts them on edge. Their alliance to me warms my heart, they had taken care of me since I was born and have a nanny type of role with me. Both women follow me, Emilia carrying a tray of sandwiches and snacks from the States that I enjoy while Teresa carries a tray of sweet tea and different types of soda.

As I reach the long table, now occupied by all the members of my gang, my two maids place their trays in front of me and in hush tones fuss over the state of me. I roll my eyes and give them a look so they hesitantly leave but not without making me promise to be checked out in my room later. I allow the women to leave before turning to the others.

“We need to contact Ramirez,” I tell them, “I need this peace offering to go smoothly and effectively. If the Detective doesn't shut his trap then we act, but not before his higher up deals with him first.”

The group leaders nod, all four pair of eyes full of understanding. I then sigh and pick out a sandwich then look up at Alacran. He takes the silent permission and speaks.

“The shipment to Cuerna Vacas has been sent,” he sighs, “The cartel has agreed and will keep an eye on who will take over El Sur. The new leader will be notified on our rules and if they disagree we will send a group to dispatch them.”

“Good,” I nod, making sure not to show the food in my mouth, “I don’t want any loose strings.”

Hernandez takes this opportunity to speak up, “We found a new opening in the Patrol.”

I pause and look up from my drink, “And?”

The man smiles, “A Director by the name Danvers has sympathy for the travelers and will turn a blind eye on the pass between Cali and Arizona. She wants an alliance in exchange.”

“Alliance,” I raise a brow, “On what terms?”

“Her sister-in-law has a company that builds machines and searches diseases,” Hernandez explains, “She wants a contribution to it and political pull to allow them access to hidden flies on Cancer and other diseases. She’ll in exchange allow us to use the pass and give us resources that we may need for our pueblos and members.”

I pause and think it over, “Okay. Make it a written contract and have them sign it. It’s a gain on both sides and above all else, gain on our society standards.”

Hernandez smiles and me with a nod. I look to Almendarez and see him shake his head. I frown, displeased.

“Nothing yet,” he sighs, “We suspect it may be someone in the company but we can’t go that far without causing suspicion. We’re working on it, boss. We’ll find your suegro’s killer quickly.”

I narrow my eyes but nod anyway. These things take time so there’s no point in beating up my men for something we can’t control. I finally turn to look at Perez. The woman grins at me.

“We recruited twenty new guys. They look promising but you know how it goes,” she explains, “The forty we had are ready to be sent out. I already have their placements so we’ll have new men on the table by the end of the month.”

“Excellent,” I sigh, “Now how about all of you eat and relax. The weekend is here and we all deserve some rest. Oh and Alacran?”

“Yes boss,” he answers.

“I got you a new friend in thanks,” I smile, “He’s in your room.”

Alacran grins, “Thank you.”

I nod and motion to the food before getting up and walking out. My steps come to a halt when I reach the staircase. A small figure with long brown hair and fierce green eyes glares at me from her place on the highest step of the first flight of stairs.

“Hola mama,” I sigh, “How are you?”

“How am I,” she huffs, “Pissed off! What were you thinking? What if they caught you? What if you ended up like El Jefe? What if you were hurt?”

I roll my eyes as I slowly go up the staircase, half hearing my mom’s rant and half thinking about another the other fierce woman that I allow to talk to me this way. Once I’m at the top of the stairs, my mother pulls me into her arms and starts cooing up a storm. I allow her to fuss over me, I’m the only person she has left. I don’t say a word as she dragges me up to the other flight of stairs and into my room at the end of the hall.

When we reach my room, my maids are patiently waiting with a truckload of medical supplies and even more food. I sit on the stool they placed in the middle of my seating area, and allow the three women to take my shirt off to clean my wounds. I eat silently as they fuss over me and scold me at the same time. A sad smile spreads on my lips at the thought of my father going through this whole affair. His angry hazel eyes would most likely be fed up but his expression would be lovingly annoyed, he always acted pissed at their antics but loved their care for him even more.

“Is Valentina alright,” my mom asks as she pulls my bra off to get the small pieces of glass off of me.

“Yeah,” I grin, “She’s alright. Her family was pretty confused though.”

Mom rolls her eyes, well I assume she doses as she’s patching up my back.

“I told you to tell them before something like this would happen,” she murmurs.

“It doesn't matter,” I sigh, “Eva will be Eva and she will be displeased anyway. Plus this way she knows not to force her thinking onto Val.”

My mom scoffs, “Sure, with the threat of being killed on the spot she won’t say a word.”

I laugh, “There you go.”

My mother and the maids finish their actions so I stand up and walk to my closet doors. I quickly pull out some sweat pants and a loose shirt. With the help of my mother, I change into the loose clothing and walk to my balcony. I can feel my mother follow me as the maids leave to tend to the house with relief. I stare out onto our property, catching our farm hands taking the horses out for a stroll. I look at the guard points and am pleased to see they have been changed, everyone needs a break.

“What are you thinking about.”

I blink and glance at mom, “Dad. Val. Her dad. Her family.”

“You think you’re becoming like him,” she says, speaking my thoughts, "You are also thinking that you're dagging Valentina into something that she may not want in the long run."

I nod.

“Well, you are like him,” she nods, “But you are also me.”

I grin and she returns it.

“And you are you,” she continues, “You are the best of us both. The worst of us both too. But you are you and that is what Valentina loves, the perfect mixture of all three. Just as I threw caution into the wind to love your father, so will she. Love is like that. She is crazy for you, mi amor. She’s finding her place in your world and that’s okay as long as you find yours in hers. It will take time, but you will find a balance. She loves you. I can see it when she looks at you. So I'm sure you aren't dragging her into something. She's not the kind of girl to be pushed around.”

I nod and pull my mom into a hug. The warmth of her motherly embrace clams my fears and builds my hope.

“You always know what to say,” I whisper.

She chuckles, “That’s because I’m your mother. Now go take a nap. I’ll let the boys know to allow Valentina up here when she arrives.”

I pull away and thank her. She nods and leaves me outside. I stay there, watching René pet my horse. My thoughts are heavy with worry about dragging Valentina into this world, but the love I saw in her eyes an hour ago calms me down. I sigh and go back into my room to take the nap mom directed me to take.

She’s one of two women I take direction from after all.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19186732/chapters/45646936#workskin

#amar a muerte #juliantina #valentina carvajal #juliana valdes #fanfic

[mystblbk]

Chavela Valdes--Chapter 2

Panchito shows up to our place—room, in the Milagro's house. Anyway, he shows up and makes me feel uncomfortable as he tries not to flirt with my mother in front of me. Not liking the way our live-in bruja is looking at the exchange, I sneak out the front door and back onto the street. As I’m turning back to the park, I pull out my hidden savings from the handful of babysitting jobs I had during the past year while looking out for anyone that might mug me.

“Let’s see,” I quietly tell myself while counting the money in my hand, “I think this should be enough for a guitar, not a top shelf one but a good one at least.”

I walk into the park again, satisfied with the amount I have, and decide to find out where the closest pawn shop is. My first attempt is to find Luis and ask him but after reaching the fountain I see that he has already left. I sigh and shrug. Deciding on looking for the first bus headed for the closest mall, I walk the other half of the path to the group of buses stationed across the street. The sun is bright, even now in the first days of February, and remind me of the Texas sun on my skin. I smile as I watch a monarch butterfly flutter about trying to find it’s flock. My eyes follow it until a familiar figure catches my eye.

The girl from before.

The girl, dressed in a white top and vest with jeans as bottoms, is sitting slumped over on a forest green bench. I stop and watch her, not sure what to do, when she pulls out a flask from her bag and proceeds to drink from it.

Isn’t that illegal? It sure as hell is in Texas!

I tilt my head and keep watching. The girl takes another sip, then another, then finally drowns the rest down like her answer is the bottom of the silver bottle.

That’s not good. Maybe…

My feet carry me to her like a string pulling forward and then stops right in front of the bench she is sitting on. I look down at her then as casually as I can—but like not really because now that I can see her up close my heart is beating so fast and like why is that even happening—sit next to her. I wait a few seconds to see what she does before speaking up.

“Are you okay,” I ask as softly as I can—but also as good in my crapy Spanish as I can because for some reason this girl’s opinion of me is important, “Need anything?”

The girl glances at me then looks away and gets rid of the tears collecting in her eyes. She sighs and huffs before speaking up without looking at me.

“To be alone, I need to be alone,” her voices starts strong but by the second half of her response I can hear sadness take over her tone.

“Oh, sorry. It’s just, I saw you before. You were fighting with your boyfriend, and well,” I pause then look over her one last time and sigh in defeat, “But, yeah you’re right.”

I stand up and pull my bag by the straps, walking back in the directions of the closest bus.

“Wait. Sorry.”

Did she just speak English?

Surprised, confused and a bit relieved I turn around and wait for her to continue.

“I think—I think I’m fine. Thank you,” she sighs as she looks up at me for the first time, “Thank you for asking.”

I frown and watch as she looks down to the ground again. Tears form thicker in her bright blue eyes, making them look even more shiny and bright. I sigh and walk the few steps back to the bench and sit down.

I turn to her, “Well then, what’s wrong?”

She shakes her head and covers her mouth with her left hand. She sighs again and lets out a humorless laugh, putting both hands on her knees.

“It’s just, I don’t understand dudes,” her voices turns sad to exasperated in one breath, “Like, I don’t know, I think men are from another planet, really. It sucks!”

Well I can’t help with that but, I know what usually makes mom feel better.

“Your clothes are really pretty,” I tell her, saying it in a nonchalant way.

One.

Two.

Th—

The girl looks up and stares at me for a second, connecting our eyes together with the stare. Her eyes look confused but surprised. Gone is the sadness and annoyance that were swirling in their depths earlier. I give her a small smile.

“Thanks,” she whispers as she and I continue to lock gazes.

She breaks the stare and looks over me. A shiver rolls down my back, probably from having a rich girl look at my lack of expansive clothes, and I try to hide my discomfort at being stared at by blue eyes.

Before she can say anything, I speak up with a scoff, “No, don’t even look at me. I just got hear and I don’t have cash to buy anything yet.”

The girl gives me a small smile and lets out a giggle.

“Well I think you look,” like you ran away from a group of hitmen in the middle of hurricane season, “Like you have a lot of style.”

What?

“Anyway, money is too overvalued really,” she finishes with a huff.

Her demeanor is back to the sad and upset mood it was before. She’s bent over her knees, biting her nail and staring off into space.

I stare at her, trying to gauge what my options are then I answer her, “You don’t care about cash?”

She shakes her head with a ‘No’ and bites her nail, looking away from me again.

I dig deep in myself and speak in Chino’s voice, “Well then give me everything you have.”

The girl snaps her head to look at me, ocean blue eyes filled with fear and surprise. Her shiny puppy eyes look so lost that I can’t help laughing my serious face away. Her expression changes to shock then understanding. By the time I have my chuckles in control, she’s laughing a watery laugh but a joyous one.

“Hey, it’s a joke. Calm down! No, no. Don’t cry,” she’s shaking with relief so I can’t help but pull her to me in a hug as I continue to calm her down, “No, it was just a joke.”

She’s laughing harder now and pulls away from me. I watch, happy that I got her into a better mood than before, as she laughs freely and pushes me softly in a joking manner. She slowly settles down and smiles at me.

“Valentina,” she tells me giving me her hand to shake.

I shake the soft hand with a smile, “Juliana.”

We share another laugh then settle down. It seems Valentina accepts my presences as she turns a bit towards me and sighs.

“Yeah, well,” Valentina’s mood changes back and I frown, “Lucho, my boyfriend, is really upset with me because I’m not giving his big ego attention. But like, really, I’m more interested in my own situation right now. Like, my dad died a few days ago and…”

“Yeah, I can imagine,” I speak up to giving her time to think, “It's something that needs time to understand and accept. Not to mention, I imagine, that it happened suddenly...”

“Yeah,” she sigs, “Suddenly…”

I watch her than for some reason take her right hand from her lap and hold it between mine. I try to soothe her with my touch, an action I have never performed for anyone besides my mother, watching as she slowly allows my soft caress to soothe her. My companion looks up again at me and smiles as a thank you. I pull her up by her hand and walk with her to a man who is selling drinks.

“What do you want,” I ask her.

“No, I’m fine—”

“I insist,” I cut her off trying to get her to sober up, “You probably have a bad taste in your mouth and I’m thirsty too. So?”

She smiles and points to the white sugary drink in a large barrel-shaped container. I grin and order two coconut flavored drinks before we start walking down the long path again. We sip our drinks for a while then Valentina speaks up.

“It’s just, I feel lonely right now. I feel depressed and…lost,” she tells me as we walk, “My dad was my direction, my confidant. He wasn’t perfect, obviously, but what time I did have with him he would be there for any problem I had. I just don’t know what to do anymore. And on top of that my siblings fighting with our stepmother just makes it worse. I wish we could all just move on and try to keep the peace; you know?”

“Well, that’s normal,” I reassure her, “I suppose it’s a good thing you feel something, instead of being a soulless monster. Right? And well, I’m sure your family is just feeling the tension of everything falling on them now. Things will work out, it’s a bit too early to just force them to calm down. And about your boyfriend, he’s just being an idiot boy. If he really cares about you he’ll snap out of it and see that he’s not helping the situation. I think you should let yourself feel and process and let them too. I’m sure you won’t feel depressed forever and things will work out.”

She smiles for some reason, “So you’re telling me that you believe in ‘happily ever after’ when this is all through?”

I blink feeling a bit stumped and try to understand what she means, “Well, yes. Sort of, I mean—realistically yeah. Like everyone else I suppose.”

“Well, right now I don’t think it applies here. Like everyone is just annoying me right now,” she huffs.

“Oh, well I guess I’ll just leave you then,” I joke and walk a little away from her as if to leave

Val laughs and pulls me by my arm, “No, no! Not you. Actually, you…you actually get on my good side.”

I laugh loudly at her cheeky grin, “Oh well that’s good!”

“Yeah, cool. No, but I mean, lately I feel like people aren’t real. You know,” she sighs but keeps turning to look at me.

I nod, remembering my mother, “Yeah, really. That I do agree with.”

“Totally, they prefer you lie to their faces instead of telling them the truth. My friends are all mad at me too, I’m too depressing for them right now. Come on,” she shakes her head with another huff of exasperation.

“No, well,” I sigh, “That’s totally inconsiderate on your friends’ part.”

Just as she’s about to say something we reach the food vendors stationed near the edge of the park. I look up, entranced by both the traditional Mexican food and street food being prepared. I glance back over to my new friend and we lock gazes. Val stares at me for a second then we both catch the tail end of a child begging his dad for a burger at one of the stalls. Valentina laughs and I furrow my eyebrows.

“What,” I ask her as I glance over to the burger stand.

“It’s just I just saw,” she giggle, “Do you want a burger?”

“What,” I gasp, “No, no”

She laughs again, “You started to, like, drool.”

I shake my head but a giggle escapes, “No, no. I didn’t.”

Valentina smirks and takes my hand, dragging me with her to the food, “No its fine, me too. Let’s go get one.”

Even though I’m trying to tell her no, I let her pull me to the stall. The girl still doesn’t listen, just gives me puppy smiles at me while ordering two burgers. I shake my head during the few minutes we wait for our food, completely thrown off by this girl’s kindness. We continue talking about little things to pass the time and before long we’re sitting down on one of the small tables to eat.

I take a bite and hum my approval of the food. Val laughs and I look up at her with confusion.

Valentina’s eyes shine brighter than before, “Its good right?”

I try to hold back a blush as I respond, “It’s delicious.”

The girl smirks then point to her cheek, “Right? You have—"

This time I do blush as I try to take off whatever she’s pointing at while she giggles, “There?’

“Yes, right there,” the girl nods with a smile then turns to place the dirty dish with the others, “I’m full.”

I watch Valentina deal with paying. She’s smiling kindly and taking with the young man at the stand when her whole body turns ridged. She’s staring into her bag, frozen, then suddenly snaps back and takes out a few bills and hands them to the young man.

“Everything okay,” I ask with worry as she looks shaken like before in the bench.

“Yes, um. I just remembered that I have to go,” she hastily stands up, almost pushing the table to me.

I try to come up with a reason for her change of mood and only come up with, “I can pay for my—”

She stops and looks up at me in the eyes “No, what? No, it’s okay. I’ll see you later.”

And with that she leans over and kisses my cheek, leaving me plenty confused, and runs off into the crowd. My eyes follow her until she mixes with the people leaving the church service across the street.

“Okay,” I mumble to myself in English, “See you soon.”

Not one to leave food on my plate, I quickly finish my meal and thank the workers.

I wonder what that was all about? Maybe she saw something that made her upset? I hope she feels better. She’s certainly a better daughter then I am though.

My thoughts stay thinking about the girl. I could tell she came from a well-off family by the way she dressed but something was off about her. It wasn’t her situation, which to be honest was all kinds of messed up. I mean, who could act to cold to their girlfriend when she’s going through something so sad. I may never have had a boyfriend but even I know it is messed up to act the way he did to Valentina earlier. And what’s even worse, he’s ganging up on her with their mutual friends.

Yeah, her situation is messed up but there was just something else that throws me off.

“I wonder what,” I whisper.

“Juli?”

I look up and see that I’m outside my place. Panchito and my mother are standing in front of me, obviously leaving and waiting for me to answer.

“Uh, yes,” I switch back to Spanish.

“Do you need something? I’m taking your mom to the store to buy some food,” he explains.

I glance at mom then turn back to her friend, “Yeah. I need to go buy a guitar, cheap obviously.”

“A guitar,” my mom asks, “For what? And where did you get enough money to buy one?”

“Money from babysitting for Cielo, mom. I got a job, playing in a band, so I need one,” I tell her, “I get paid for the events I work but it's good enough. I’m going to meet the leader later today.”

“Well, sure,” Panchito answers, “I’m sure there’s a pawn shop in the shopping mall.”

Mom looks at him then back at me, “Well, when you go meet him, I’m coming with you. Understand?”

I nod, “Yeah, sure.”

With I sigh, I let it go and let Panchito lead us to his car. The trip to the local shopping mall is mostly quiet except for whenever mom and Panchito would see a shop or spot they had once hanged out at, then they would laugh and remember their youth. Once we get to the shopping mall, Panchito leads me to the local pawn shop. The moment I step into the store I see a beautiful caramel colored guitar. I stare at it, my mind turning to the shade of the ends of Valentina’s ha—

What the hell?

Where did that come from?

I huff and walk to the counter, ignoring the way my mom and her friend watch me from the entrance.

“Hi, good afternoon,” I greet the owner, “That guitar, can I see it?”

The older man turns around and—

“Don Luis,” I smile, “What a coincidence.”

The old man smiles, “Hello Juliana, what a coincidence. Let’s see, this one, right?”

He turns around and points to the guitar. I hum in agreement and he pulls it down from the hook it’s hanging from. Before I take it, I make a signal for my mom to come inside. As I take the guitar, my mom and Panchito come to stand next to me.

“This is my mom, Lupe,” I introduce, “Mama, this is Don Luis. His son is the leader of the group I was telling you about.”

My mom shakes hands with the man, obviously confused but happy that he’s a gentleman and not some creep. They talk for a moment and I just ignore what they’re saying. I pluck the strings and inspect the inside for any cracks on the wood.

“You have a good eye, mija,” Luis tells me as I look back up at him, “I’ll give it to you for fifty dollars.”

“Fifty,” I ask, my eyes on the price behind him, “The price says a hundred.”

“No, mija,” he chuckles, “I’ll give it to you for that amount. I’m sure you’ll bring enough business for my son, so I think I won’t be missing those extra dollars.”

“No don’t want to inconvenience you,” I mumble, “I have the money…”

“Well then use it to buy you some more clothes, girl” Luis smiles, “You’re going to have a group of brothers dragging you everywhere now.”

I blink, “Okay, well thank you.”

I pull out the fifty dollars and hand them to Luis. The man pauses for a minute then turns around and calls out, “Mijo, I have someone I want you to meet.”

A moment passes by then a young man, no older than thirty, comes out from the hidden door from the behind the counter. His hair is slick back and very much in style. His jaw is squared which matches his tall and broad body. His look is complete with a soft tan on his skin that matches his dark brown eyes. Overall, he’s attractive looking.

“Si, papá,” the young man asks.

“This is the girl I was talking to you about,” Luis smiles and points to me with his chin, “Juliana.”

The young man smiles and walks up to me, eyes looking me over then nods once. He pulls out his hand for me to shake and I take it.

“I’m Salvador, it’s a pleasure,” he greets me, “My dad said you play amazingly and well we really need another guitarist. Do you know how to play racheras and ballads?”

“Um, yes I do,” I nod, “I might need some practice to get them right but learn pretty quick.”

Salvador nods, “Okay, well play something for me? If you do good, we can start tomorrow morning.”

I nod and put the strap of my new guitar over my shoulder, making sure it’s in the right place and distance from me. Once I’m ready to go I start strumming a song, the hardest song that I could remember learning. I seem to be doing good as I look over at Salvador and Luis, they both nod along with the music and glance over at each other. I try to ignore my mother’s gaping and continue on. As I reach the end all four adults clap.

“Good,” Salvador smiles, “You’re hired.”

I grin, “Thanks. I won’t let you down.”

“I believe you,” he laughs, “Well, we play at my uncle’s restaurant during the week and sometimes on the weekends if we don’t have an event to play at. Is that okay?”

“Sure,” I reassure him, “It’s not a problem. What do I have to wear? I don’t have much cash so..”

Salvador laughs, “Alberto left his suits with me. I think they might fit if you get them adjusted. You’re a bit shorter and obviously slimmer. Unless you want a skirt then—"

“No,” I scoff, “Pants are better.”

“Okay,” he says, “I’ll send you the address and we’ll see you there at around 9’oclock? I’ll bring the outfits so you can try them on. My aunt can help you tailor them if—"

“I think I can do it,” I cut him off, “I know how to sew a little, so I got it.”

Salvador raises his eyebrow impressed but nods, “Okay, well then we’re all set.”

I smile and shake his hand again and also Luis’. I start walking out of the shop, my mom and Panchito following after me, when Luis calls me back to him.

“You forgot the case and some extra stuff I have for it,” he laughs as I walk back to the counter.

I blush and watch as he fetches the guitar case and a small velvet bag.

“Here is a full set of strings if you need to replace them. A silencer, or muffler, however, you call it. And lastly, a tuning key so you won’t hurt your hand tuning it,” he says handing me the items.

I nod and put my guitar in the hard case, making sure the velvet bag is tied tight to the side.

“Thank you both. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I tell them and hang the strap over my shoulder.

With a wave, I make my way back out the store and following Panchito and my mom to the grocery store.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18497122/chapters/44032504#workskin

#amar a muerte #juliantina #valentina carvajal #juliana valdes #fanfic