Gangster in Love - Camren

Prologue

The mailbox hinge squeaks open as I dig inside. Bumping his head against my hip, my dog Thunder gets tangled up in his leash. He's still fired up after his afternoon walk, snuffling around for interesting scents.

"Let's see...Bills, bills, junk mail...Oh!"

A large postcard stands out among the rest of the usual, addresses to me. I head inside and lock the door behind me. Tossing everything else aside, I take a closer look at the postcard.

"Aw, look, Thunder! It's from Mom and Dad."

I bend down and show my dog. He sniffs it curiously before sneezing.

"Dear Camila. Having loads of fun on our vacation. Hope you stay safe, and remember to always keep your chin up!"                                                                                                                        

"Hmm?" I check the back of the postcard. "That's it?"

Well, if I were on vacation, I wouldn't put too much effort into writing either. Putting the postcard in my pocket, I hum tunelessly to myself and start making dinner. For the rest of the few days, I've been house-sitting for my parents while they're away.

"any requests, Thunder?" he yawns once and curls up in his favorite spot under the kitchen table. "All right, pasta it is."

---

It's far to quiet here by myself, so I flick on the TV and set the volume on full blast. One of my favorite talk shows is on. Today it looks like they have a quest from the FBI.

"So Mr. Estrada—" the interviewer says.                            

"Please, call me Mateo." He gives the interviewer a winning smile, and he laughs. (I don't blame her. I wonder if all feds are this handsome?)

"So Mateo, could you please tell us more about the situation with the gangs in our city?" The interviewer asks the quest.

"Gang activity has been on the rise lately, but the authorities are doing everything they can do to keep everyone safe." Mateo tells the interviewer "The best thing for our lovely viewers to remember is to be aware of their surroundings." He adds.

"I'm sure our viewers are relieved to know that we have people like you protecting us!"

"I'm more than happy to be of service."

(yikes, gang activity! I can't even imagine how terrifying that might be to get caught up in all that!) as the interviewer starts to ask more questions, I hear the water begin to boil on the stove. And glass, shattering in the living room!

Startled, I turn off the TV and freeze in place, listening for anything else. Something heavy drops onto the carpet. Footsteps. (oh my god!)

"Sweep the house. Leave no stone unturned" I hear an unknown voice say.

Am I being robbed?! Blind in panic, I turn to try and escape out of the back door only to see it wide open, and a man standing squarely in the center of the frame.

"Ahhh!" I yell

"Hey, don't move!" he unholders a gun, pointing it directly at me. "Boss, we found somebody over here!"

There's a steady drumbeat of footsteps, multiple people filling into the kitchen.

"The daughter looks like. She might know something." The leader says.

Know something? About what? My mouth is dry, my whole body trembling. But if I don't find a way out of this, I'm dead meat. if I know what they're after, maybe we can negotiate?