Sweet Temptation

Chapter 8

Ricardo

"Boss, you taking your car?" Juan asked as he put his thick fingers on the door handle. His questions were always direct, to the point, emotionless. Sometimes, I wondered if boxing had made him that way or something else.

"Yeah," I sighed, scratching my head. Normally, I would have him drive, sit at the back and cool down before facing my enemy. Today I needed to drive to clear my mind a little before my next encounter. He looked uncertain and I continued. "Don't worry about it. I'll be alright."

He hesitated and then his stutter appeared out of nowhere, which had started in his boxing days.

"O... ok!"

One doctor said he was hit in the head so f*****g hard everything would be rusty for the next couple of years. Five years ago, he wanted the championship like his uncle, and had the physique for it. He towered over me at six foot five with his dark eyes and bald head, and had a way of scaring everyone who came into contact with him. I considered him to be a gentle giant deep down. Back then, he hated the mob life, he wanted nothing to do with it. Somehow kicking someone's ass in the ring and getting paid for it, with thousands of people cheering you, was more acceptable. I never understood the logic when it came to being part of the mob. Then again, it was all about tradition and loyalty. He didn't want to be part of it, but after being told he couldn't perform anymore, he ended up in it, anyway.

Nothing else.

"You looked pretty messed up in there. You sure you're all right?"

I was about to nod and lie when I realized there was no point in lying. We didn't talk much, not the kind of way two brothers or even cousins talked about their lives. There was no point in having those types of conversations, they were wasted energy. He could tell by my body language exactly how I was feeling; he just wanted confirmation.

"I miss him, and I feel useless about not finding out who took him away from me."

He sighed, "We all missed him. But you know you need some rest. Trying to catch the killer is tiring you out, jefe."

This hit had nothing to do with someone treading on our toes, but it had revenge written all over it. No one was talking because we were looking in all the wrong places. I remember asking Pa if after he wiped out the family which killed Ma, it made him feel better. His answer was clear. "No. It won't bring her back."

Finding out the truth wasn't going to bring Pa back but it would make me feel a lot better. The smug look on the detective's face when he showed up at the scene, made me feel sick. Pa was in bed, but underneath the covers, he'd been butchered. The coroner said he'd been alive for the best part of it.

Someone had wanted to torture Pa, and I pondered as I put the key in to start the car, if it was one of the many broken hearts he'd created over the years. Pa wasn't good at relationships, especially after Ma. Juan begged me at one point to tell him to hire a girl. Have her and make her fulfill his every need, I talked to Pa about it, he wouldn't have it. In some f****d up way, he wanted them to suffer the pain he had due to Ma not being around, and I wondered if one of them had decided to do the same to him. They wanted to teach him the meaning of pain. I nodded to Juan as I spun the car out of the car park. I didn't know if he could see me, but I hated my thoughts even nearly as much as I hated everyone right now.