Page 72 of Cartel Prince

“What are they doing here? How could you bring these men to my home?”

“Mamá, can we sit down? There’s a lot to tell you.”

“No. No Diaz man is welcome here. I want them gone.”

“Mamá—”

Luis interrupts me. “Magdalena, Alejandro and I will wait in the car, but you need to speak to my son. It’s the only way to ensure your daughter is safe.”

It’s weird to hear Luis call my mother by her first name. It shouldn’t surprise me they know each other, but it does. I don’t know how they do, but I guess once upon a time, they floated in similar social circles. That or he knew my father cheated on his sister with my mother.

“Why would I ever trust a Diaz with my daughter’s safety?”

“Because no one means more to my son than Florencia.”

Mamá’seyes widen before she scowls at me. Her gaze darts to Pablo, and I step in front of him as though I could protect him. Perhaps fromMamáI can, but he’s a shield at my back for everything else.

“No, I refuse to hear any of this. Florencia, come inside. Tell them to leave.”

“Mamá, I won’t do that. Luis is right. You need to hear what Pablo and I have to say. It’s not safe for me here, but I couldn’t leave without seeing you.”

“You couldn’t leave?” She crosses her arms and cants her head to the side.

“Yes, I can’t leave without seeing you.”

“But you already did. You left Bogotá and went somewhere without telling me where. Your grandfather had to tell me you’d run away with a Diaz, and now you show up with his family on my front doorstep. How could you betray our family like that?”

“Mamá, please let us come inside and have this conversation in private. Your guards don’t need to hear all of this.”

“They need to hear me when I tell them to kick out Luis Diaz.”

“Magdalena, always a pleasure to see you.”

I watch Luis nudge Alejandro as I glance back over my shoulder. The men turn around and walk down the steps. No onespeaks until they’re in the SUV. The vehicle doesn’t go anywhere, but now, with the windows so tinted, Luis and Alejandro are out of sight. I step farther into the entryway.Mamátries to stand her ground, but I shift to the right and make room for Pablo to come inside. He reaches for the door and shuts it softly.

“No, I didn’t say he’s welcome here, Florencia. Whatever is going on ends right now. Send him away.”

“Mamá, the only person who’s kept me alive for the past two and a half weeks is Pablo. He’s the only one who’s risked his life to make sure I’m okay. It certainly wasn’tAbuelo. He’s the reason I needed Pablo’s help in the first place.”

“He’s just manipulating you,niña. That’s what his family does.”

“While ours murders.”

The words fly from my lips before I realize what I’m going to say. My mother’s expression darkens, and her laugh crackles in the air, so shrill and brittle.

“Los Diazhave murdered more people than you and I could ever imagine. That’s how they maintain control. They kill anybody who looks in their direction.”

“They defend their own. Why did Enrique and Luis come down here all those years ago? It was because their uncle murdered their father. They were reacting. Why did my father die? Because he tried to hurt Luciana. Esteban was only reacting. Why did Luciana do what she did after Esteban’s death? Because she was reacting to his murder. Why did Pablo take me away from the city? Because Humberto put a hit on me, andAbuelodid nothing to stop it. He was just reacting. It’s easy to blamelos Diazfor everything because they have so much power. ButMamá, you and I both know our family isn’t innocent in this. That our family instigated everything. You and I are lucky we even have family left after the way ours has hurt Pablo’s. That mygrandparents are alive is nothing short of a miracle, perhaps an act of God.”

“Yes, because that’s how Enrique Diaz sees himself. He is God, and everyone else must bow to him.”

“Mamá, I’d be dead right now if Enrique Diaz said Pablo couldn’t help me.”

I glance over at Pablo, and I know without a doubt, Pablo would’ve defied his uncle—would’ve defied anybody in his family—to help me. But that’s not the point I want to make right now. I wantMamáto see Pablo’s family is on my side.

“You ran away when yourAbuelocould’ve helped you. He could’ve protected you.”

I fist my hands as I control my temper. I don’t want to blurt anything else out.