A deal with the devil: from revenge to love

Nina

"What's this?"

"What's what?" Rosa asked, raising another spoonful of cereal to her mouth.

"What the hell is this, Rosa?" I snapped.

My tone was sharp enough to slice through the quiet morning. Her head shot up, eyes widening when she saw what I held. In an instant, she was on her feet-anger flaring hot in her eyes.

"Were you in my room? Who gave you permission to go through my stuff? You have no right!"

I rolled my eyes. "I have every right to know why there's blood money under my roof."

"Your roof? Seriously?" she scoffed.

My fingers curled into a fist at my side as I tossed the bundle of cash onto the worn kitchen table.

"Yes, Rosa. My roof. You haven't contributed a dime to rent, utilities, or even the damn groceries in months."

"If you're just going to rub it in my face, then I'll leave," she snarled, snatching up the cash and turning for the door.

I stepped in front of her. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me where you got that money. That's over ten thousand dollars in crisp notes."

She crossed her arms over her chest, eyes rolling toward the ceiling. "My boyfriend gave it to me. Happy?"

"What boyfriend? Simon?" I huffed. "How the hell did Simon get this kind of money? Last I checked, he was a deadbeat leeching off you."

"He wasn't a damn leech." She stepped closer, her teeth bared in fury. "And it wasn't Simon. It's my new boyfriend, Manuel."

My mind raced. Then it clicked.

"Manuel? As in one of those cartel thugs? First it was the bikers, now it's the goddamn cartel. Are you crazy, Rosa? You're going to get yourself killed rolling with that SOB!"

"Don't insult him! He loves me, and I love him too. He's going to marry me and get me out of this dreary life," she shot back. "I'm sick of living like this-this tiny, shitty apartment, eating instant noodles and stale cereal. I'm sick of wearing two-dollar pants and cutting my own hair. Manuel is going to-"

"Manuel isn't going to do shit but get you killed." I jabbed a finger into her chest. "If you're sick of anything, it should be the men who keep promising to save you. Open your eyes, Rosa. The only person who can save you is yourself. And if you want to do that, you'll have to get off your ass and work."

She threw her head back and laughed. "You've been working all these years. What's that gotten you?"

"A life."

She glanced around our cramped apartment with a sneer. "You call this a life? You're pathetic."

My heart hammered as she brushed past me toward the door.

"If you walk out that door, Rosa, we're done," I said, my voice trembling despite my best effort to sound firm. "My life is already hard enough without having to drop everything to save you again."

The words hit the air like a gunshot. My chest rose and fell quickly, tears burning at the back of my eyes.

I hadn't wanted it to come to this, but I couldn't keep enabling her. Every time my phone rang, it was Rosa-needing help, needing rescue. I loved her, but I resented her too.

"Are you serious right now?" she whispered.

"Dead serious," I said quietly. "Don't call me when you get in trouble this time. You want Manuel? Fine. But it's either that life or this one-there's no in-between."

For a moment, her gaze softened. For a heartbeat, I thought she might stay. But then her jaw set hard.

"Fine. I'll come get my things later. Fuck you, Nina."

"Where are you even going?"

"To Ortega!" she snapped.

"Rosa-" I called, but the door slammed before I could finish. The sound made me flinch.

Sighing, I grabbed my bag and coat and rushed out. By the time I got downstairs, she'd already jumped into a cab and disappeared down the street. Going after her wasn't an option-I was already late for my shift.

I turned the other way and hurried toward the restaurant.

Six hours later, my phone lit up with Rosa's name. I rolled my eyes, ignored the call, and went back to cleaning the table.

"Who keeps calling you?" my coworker and friend Katy asked as she passed. "Do you have an admirer I don't know about?"

I laughed. "Just my sister. We had a fight earlier, and I don't want to talk to her right now. She's always so stubborn and unreasonable."

"Family can be a pain in the ass," she said, grimacing. "By the way, did you hear?"

I glanced up curiously. "Hear what?"

Lowering her voice, she tugged me toward the corner where no one could overhear. "You know how things have been tense lately-with all the cartel movement?"

"Yeah?"

"You know that new guy I've been seeing? He works at the bathhouse, and he overheard some cartel guys talking." Her eyes were wide, a mix of excitement and fear. "There's going to be a drug trade tonight at that new club-and it's going to get messy. Like, a bloodbath."

"What new club?" I asked.

"Uh... what's it called again? Yeah-Ortega."

Something prickled at the back of my mind.

Where had I heard that name before?

"That's the club where Manuel and his lackeys-"

The rest of her words faded as realization struck like a knife.

Rosa was in danger.

Nina

"Nina, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." Katy said.

I spun around without a word and grabbed my phone from the counter, dialing my sister's number.

Please pick. Please pick.

The sound of her voice message made my heart drop into my stomach. I grabbed my coat and purse immediately.

"Where are you going to? Nina, our shift isn't over." Katy barked. "You can't leave now. If the manager comes out the back and doesn't see you here, you'll lose your job. He's already warned you twice this month."

"Katy, I have to go. This is about my sister. She might be in real danger." I told her desperately.

Without waiting for her response, I rushed out. Out on the street, the sound of cars honking filled the air. The street was packed with cars stuck in a terrible traffic jam that didn't look like it was clearing up anytime soon. I couldn't afford to waste any time.

I took to my heels running. Sweat poured down my face and back as I pushed past passerbys, knocking some over. I yelled out an apology as I ran, but I never stopped.

By the time I got to the club, my legs were burning, heart pounding furiously in my chest. Police vehicles and ambulances were already outside the club, and I spotted a bloody body being carried out.

I tried to rush forward, but one of the cops held me back. "You can't go in there. There's an active shooting going on in there."

"You don't understand!" I roared. "My sister is inside."

"If your sister is in there, there's nothing you can do for her. If you go in there, you'll most likely catch a bullet kid." His voice was full of irritation.

"I'm not a kid!" I snarled. Even though I had only turned eighteen four months ago, I had felt like an adult for far too many years. Growing up in an orphanage and then having to fend for yourself would age anybody quickly.

Just then, I spotted a familiar face. I had seen her hanging with my sister a few times in the past. The blonde girl was standing a small distance away, sobbing. There was blood on the side of her head.

"You!" I snapped, heading toward her.

Her eyes immediately went wide as she saw me. "Rosa! You're alive!"

"I'm Nina, not Rosa." I corrected immediately. Even though Rosa and I were perfectly identical twins, we were completely different people. She had always been the wild one, while I was the responsible one, the one that dreamed of growing up to be a veterinary doctor while she wanted to be a popstar.

"Oh." The blonde girl said, then dissolved into more tears.

"Where's my sister? She came here earlier. Is she still in there? Where is Manuel?" I fired question after question at her.

When she took too long to respond, too busy sobbing, I grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Damn it, answer me!"

"Nina, I_" she whimpered. "Manuel lied to her. That bastard."

"Is she in there?" I asked impatiently

She nodded. "But it's not safe. Those guys want to kill Manuel. He scammed them of millions of dollars of product and was trying to resell the product he stole from them. That's why they showed up tonight. Everything has been a mess, and I_"

I didn't have time to listen to her sob story. I knew Manuel was bad news and I tried to warn Rosa. I just hoped after she got out of this, she'd begin to listen to me. In fact, it was for the best if we left Chicago altogether and started afresh somewhere else.

Without a second thought, I slipped to the back of the building, searching for an entrance through the cloud of smoke. I could hear screams and gunshots ringing out from inside the building, but it my sister was in there, I had to take the chance.

I just hoped I wasn't too late.

Finally spotting a side door, I rushed into the building, my eyes immediately watering as the acrid smoke hit me. I coughed as the smoke got to my lungs, fighting through the terror and heat to search for my sister.

My stomach turned as I spotted dead bodies littered around. Relief filled me as I didn't spot Rosa among any of them. The sound of a gunshot made me jerk, and I immediately followed the sound coming from the top level of the club.

I got there just in time to see a tall man fire at Manuel before disappearing down the hall. Manuel dropped to the floor with a groan of pain, and I immediately dropped down to my knees before him.

"Where is she? Where's Rosa?!" I barked at him. "Tell me you bastard."

"Th-they took her."

"Who took her?"

His blank gaze told me that he was dead already. The screech of tires drew my attention, and I immediately leaped for the window. A van was driving into the parking lot and another masked man was dragging some girls toward the approaching vehicle.

As soon as I spotted my sister, I jumped into action, racing downstair as fast as I could.

"Hey, you stop!" One of the cops called as I zoomed past him, going around the club building to where my sister and the other girls were being loaded onto the van.

"Rosa! Rosa!" I cried.

My sister turned, eyes going wide as she spotted me. "Nina! Nina no. No!"

Determination and terror for my sister was the fuel that kept me going even when I wasn't sure what I would do when I got to her. I increased my pace, lungs burning as I ran faster than I had ever run in my life.

I didn't see the masked man raising his gun until it was too late.

"Nina!" My sister screeched just as the sound of a gunshot echoed.

Pain exploded through my thighs as the bullet ripped through my leg. I immediately collapsed to the ground, screaming. I watched helplessly as the man holding my sister tossed her into the back of the van and shut the door.

I started to crawl, tears of frustration and defeat running down my face. By the time I heard the sound of boots running toward us, the van had already screeched away from the parking lot.

"Call an ambulance!" I heard one of the cops yelling. Someone was asking me something, but all I could do was stare at the now empty space where my sister had stood a minute ago.

"They took my sister." I whispered. "Who were they?"

"That was the black smoke gang, led by Rafael Santiago." One of the cops informed me. "Don't worry kid, we will get your sister back. We promise."

They never did keep that promise.

Nina

Eight years later.

"Sir, I have some intel about the Black Smoke gang and-"

"What did I tell you about putting your nose where it doesn't belong, Agent Torres?" Chief Keef shot me a withering glare.

I stayed undeterred. "Sir, this time the information is good."

"Really?" He stopped and turned, one eyebrow arching. "Okay then, agent. Who's your source?"

"That doesn't matter. What matters is this is usable-something we can use to nail them once and for all. Those bastards keep slipping through our fingers."

He raised a hand to cut me off. "So what makes you think you can finally catch guys who've been evading our best agents for years? There's a reason nobody's put them away, Torres-there's no admissible evidence."

I scoffed. "Oh, come on, chief. We all know the Black Smoke gang are the worst scum."

He shrugged. "We all know it, yes. But common sense isn't what you bring to a courtroom. Rafael Santiago-the man suspected of leading them-presents to the world as a philanthropic billionaire. He's got dozens of businesses that may or may not be money-laundering fronts."

"Chief-" I started, but he'd already turned and continued down the hallway toward his office. Gritting my teeth, I sped up to catch him. "I don't even need the rest of the team. I just need your permission to check this intel. If it's a bust, I'll drop it. If it isn't-"

He halted, sighed, and spun to look me in the eye. "Agent Torres, you're a damn good agent."

Pride swelled. I'd kicked my own ass through college and the Academy to become an FBI agent. I'd pursued leads and paperwork and late nights-and for years I'd been trying to find Rosa.

Deep down I believed she was still out there, and that bastard Rafael Santiago knew where. If I could tie him to that night, I could save her.

"But you're too damn fixated on the Black Smoke gang," he finished. The words deflated me. "I don't know what this obsession is-"

"They're evil and notorious, and the longer we let them roam, the worse this city gets. If we want to-"

"Cleaning up the city isn't our job." He cut me off with a hard look. "Leave this alone. Stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong before you get hurt. Leave the Black Smoke gang to the big boys."

My fists clenched at my sides. By "big boys" he meant Richard Greer and Matthew Mullock-the two alpha agents who treated the job like a trophy hunt. They wanted glory and press releases; they didn't give a damn about the victims.

"It's been months since they had a lead," I protested.

He shrugged. "Why don't you hand your so-called intel to them? They'll check it out."

There was no way I'd trust those assholes with what I'd dug up through blood, sweat, and tears.

"But-"

"Enough, Torres." He snapped. "This discussion is over. And one more thing-if you disobey me and pursue this on your own, you'll be in big trouble. Understood?"

I forced a nod. "Understood, sir."

"Good. Now go get me my damn coffee from that nice place down the street." He turned to walk away, then glanced over his shoulder. "And the paperwork from the Colby case was supposed to be on my desk two days ago. If you don't want this job, Torres, I know a hundred people eager to take your place."

"The file will be on your desk before the day ends, sir," I said.

"Don't fail me." His voice carried a warning. "And while you're at it-throw in some donuts with the coffee."

Damn it.

One year on the job and I was still stuck doing paperwork and coffee runs. If it weren't for capability, I was capable-but this was the reality of being a woman in a male-dominated field. I was treated like a secretary more than an agent, and I was sick of it.

I marched out and headed down the street for Chief Keef's coffee and donut. As I paid, my phone buzzed. The caller ID flashed. I answered.

"Hey."

"You know that cute lawyer from the other day? He thinks you're perfect and he's interested," Katy squealed into the phone.

"I'm not interested, Katy. I've told you a million times-I'm not dating right now." I sighed.

"But, Nina!" she whined. "You always say no. Don't you think he's cute?"

"I do-" My words trailed off as someone bumped into me. I nearly spilled the coffee. "Hey, watch it!"

"Are you even listening, Nina?" Katy snapped. "You never hang out, you never go on dates. All you do is work."

I rolled my eyes, tired of the same lecture. "Can we talk later?"

"No-we're talking now!" she insisted.

Across the road, a dark-haired man shook hands with another man and slid into a black Mercedes. I caught my breath when I realized who it was.

"You spend every waking moment digging into the Black Smoke gang and talking about-"

"Rafael Santiago," I muttered.

"Yeah, him," she hissed.

"No, I mean-he's right across the road." I blurted. "I have to go."

"Nina, don't do anything stupid. Do not confront the big, bad, deadly gang leader. Please tell me you're not that crazy."

I winced, ended the call, and climbed into a waiting cab. Maybe I was a little crazy. But I had to find Rosa. Time was running out.

"Where to, ma'am?" the driver asked.

"Follow that black Mercedes. Now."