VIPER ♱ b. o'conner

16 : the aftermath

April 3, 2009
Rio de Janeiro

Vince made his way down the broken concrete steps of the favela in a hurry. His feet led him to another small homestead with a metal sheet as a door. The quick rapping of his fist on the metal made the occupant open it with a gun aimed in his face.

"Easy. It's just me." He rasped out in a low tone, his eyes staring down the barrel in front of him.

The gun lowered slowly to the man's side. "What are you doing here, Vince?" He blocked the doorway with his body not allowing him to see inside the small room behind him.

"I got her here, Leon. Move." He bumped shoulders with the man to get past him. His eyes scanned the room, landing on a small bed that held Lala on top of it.

She was awake but resting, her body was badly cut up and bruised with her arm in a cast. She turned her head over and saw the man standing with his arms crossed. "Hey, asshole."

"Mrs. Buster." He poked light-heartedly and walked over slowly, "Mia called me a little bit ago."

Lala shifted herself up more on the bed. "Did Letty call her?"

"I'm sorry, kid. She didn't make it. Mia called every hospital trying to find Letty but nobody had her in their systems. Then the cops called her...Letty was declared deceased on the 30th." Vince explained everything to Lala and it felt as though her entire world flipped on its axis. "That's not all, though."

She didn't even bother asking what else there was. Nothing else mattered in her mind other than the fact that Letty was dead. Her older sister, her support system, her everything. She was gone and Lala was here, without her. It wasn't fucking fair. Why did she get to survive? How would she survive in this lifetime without her?

Leon sighed and set the gun down on the side table. "What else is there, V?"

"You were also declared dead. That's how I found out about everything after I got you here. Mia was making phone calls to let Dom and us know about the two of you." Vince rubbed his hands together.

"I'm dead? I-I mean everybody else thinks that I am?" She questioned and leaned back against her pillows. "Maybe...maybe this is a good thing."

Vince looked up from his hands while Leon came over and crossed his arms. "How exactly is this good?"

"If they think I'm dead then that man from the hospital won't search for me. I lay low for a few months, a year even, then I can go back home. There's no doubt in my mind that Dominic will be going back there, if he's not back already. Brian will most likely get put on leave while the FBI has the Braga case." Lala told the two men that watched her with wary eyes.

"We should get in touch with the Buster, let him know you're safe." Vince voiced and Lala shook her head quickly.

"No. It's not safe for him to know until Braga is taken down. Once he's dead or behind bars we can call him. It's too risky until then." She sighed and set her hand on her stomach, her eyes welling up with tears of mourning. "I already lost one child and my sister because of Braga, I'm not losing them too."

The two men watched her, not knowing what to say to bring her any comfort then looked at each other. They shared a silent exchange through their eyes and nodded.