The Mafia and Her ✔

Chapter 13 - Izan

Izan

After we got over our initial shock when we heard Zulimar for the first time in forever, Verena became really close friends with my men, except Carlos. I couldn't blame him for not feeling comfortable around her, seeing as she was a stranger, but hating her right off the bat was a bit too extreme, even for me.

Other Mafia members came and introduced themselves to Verena once they heard she made Zulimar talk, except she didn't do anything special besides being her talkative bubbly self. 

She impressed them, partially me too, because she wasn't afraid around big men and guns. I couldn't decide if she was fearless or reckless. 

Our meeting went smoothly as I explained the translation job to her while she ate Juan's meal. He didn't make us any.

Cheap son of a bitch.

A week had passed since the meeting with my mafia, and Alvaro insisted he visit Verena but promised not to sleep at my house. I didn't want another broken finger on my watch. 

"Izan, I love Verena so much! She plays with me, she protects me from bad boys, and she fixes my hair. I love it when people touch my hair!" Alvaro ranted in my arms, and I just listened.

Having a four-year-old brother at the age of thirty was not easy, but I wouldn't change it for anything. He was so precious.

"And she's not afraid of you!" he added, and I scowled at that. Even children knew how much adults were weary of me.

I sighed. "Why would she be afraid of me?" I asked to test the waters. He didn't know about the mafia, but I felt that he suspected something. His intelligence was uncanny at times. 

I placed him in his seat in the back of my car and buckled him up, but he grabbed my ear before I could close the door, dragging me closer to his face. "Alvaro," I warned in a low tone, but he didn't back down.

"You kill people," his answer didn't surprise me, nor his composed face. This boy would get far in life. I just wanted him to have a very normal, uneventful childhood.

There was no beating around the bush with him, so I said, "I kill bad people," and closed the door. I hopped into the driver's seat and drove to my house. 

He didn't say anything the whole ride, and I appreciated the silence because the moment I open the door, Verena would eat my ear off with her constant chattering.

"You are a good man, Izan," Alvaro commented like an old soul when I parked in my driveway and opened his door to get him out of his seat.

I smiled at him, ruffled his curls, and said, "You are a good boy, Alvaro." He kissed my nose, then jumped from my grip and dashed to the front door.

"Come on! Open the door. I want to see Verena so badly. I might die if I don't see her right now!" I rolled my eyes at his dramatic ass but opened the door per his request.

"Alvaro, knock before you enter her room!" I instructed, but he was running upstairs and most likely didn't hear me, so I dashed to stop him before startling her, but damn, he was fast. His little legs were good for marathons. 

"Alvaro," I called again, trying to stop him. However, he burst into her room without warning, and I heard her scream.

I knew it.

"Alvaro! I told you to knoc-" I began scolding him the moment I stepped into her room but froze at the sight before me.

What the actual fuck?

She was facing the window, with only a towel wrapped around her body and her hair in a messy bun. However, I could not fathom what I was seeing, and she was in too much of a shock to move a muscle. 

Her back was filled with deep old and new scars. Some were healing, and others were fading, and my wrath was rising with every breath I took as I counted how many were there.

Too many.

"Are you hurt, Veve?" Alvaro's question broke the intense silence, and she quickly let down her hair and covered her body tightly with the towel. She turned her body and faced him with the widest smile I had ever seen her in, and at that moment, I knew that most of her smiles were to cover up her pain and past.

I feel like an asshole.

"No, buddy. I'm just clumsy and fall on my back a lot. You have to watch where you step at all times!" She lied to my little brother so effortlessly. He seemed to believe her. 

At that point, I believed Alvaro would jump off a cliff if she told him.  

"I need to get dressed, Alvaro. Can you wait for me in the living room?" She looked at the both of us when she said that, but I wasn't going anywhere. Alvaro nodded, gave her a quick hug, and ran downstairs.

I couldn't get the image of the whipping scars out of my mind.

I can't.

A belt most likely caused it, and I got more irritated with each passing second while stuck in my overthinking mind. I was in overdrive. She never indicated she was being abused, but then again, I never paid enough attention to her babbling. I could have read between the lines if I did.

"Izan..."

"Who did this to you?"

"No one," she was quick to answer, and I stepped closer. I looked right into her eyes and resisted the urge to grab her waist. I counted in my head and prayed that whoever did this to her would be alive.

I want to end them.

"Name, ahora," I demanded calmly, but I was far from being calm. [Now.]

She smiled, ticking me off even more. "It's already been done, and I'm alive. Forget it," she replied as if she was done with life, and it was weird seeing her like this. I didn't recognize this tone of hers. 

It felt so... numb.

I refrained from ripping the towel off her body to inspect her back carefully. I didn't want her to think I was a pervert. "Vera, I need a name," I repeated, but she shook her head, terror reflecting in her eyes. She was probably having flashbacks, and I didn't want that. 

"Overthinking can fuck you up," I commented, and she chuckled ever so gently and sat on her bed. I sat on the chair before her.

"You called me Vera."

"Don't change the subject," I said, and she rolled her eyes. " Do you need medicine? Cream? A hospital?" she shook her head. 

"Was it Dexter?"

"No. It would ruin his precious image," she answered, and I wanted to kill him regardless. I thought about who might have hurt her, and one name stood out.

"Then it's Heath," I stated confidently, and her shoulders tensed, giving me the answer I needed.

I nodded and left her room, already thinking of what to do. I pulled out my phone and dialed Papa's number.

"Hola, hijo!" He sounded happy, and I hated ruining his mood, but it had to be done.

"Papa, Heath Hemlock must be found."

He scoffed over the phone. "Por supuesto, he kidnapped Alvaro and Verena." [Of course.]

"Not just that..."

"What did the motherfucker do?"

"He abused Verena. Her back is filled with scars, and I need him alive to give him a very painful and slow death."

"Este hijo de puta..."

~~~ 

3.01.2024 

I present to you: protective Izan and the famous line, "Who did this to you?" 

I giggled so hard at this! 

I hope you liked this chapter :)