Chapter 5 The Devil's Bargain

• The gun trembled in Valentina’s grip, its cold weight a stark contrast to the fire raging inside her. Dante stood motionless, his chest pressed against the barrel, eyes unflinching. Dawn bled into the sky, casting long shadows over the smoldering ruins of the hacienda. Ash drifted like snow, settling on Dante’s blood-streaked shirt and Valentina’s tangled hair.
• “Did you know he killed her?” she repeated, her voice raw. “Answer me!”
• Dante’s jaw tightened. “Yes.”
• The word hung between them, sharp as a blade. Valentina’s finger twitched on the trigger. “All this time… you let me believe she died protecting me. You lied.”
• “I spared you,” he said quietly. “The truth would have destroyed you.”
• “You don’t get to decide that!” She shoved the gun harder, her tears blurring his face. “You stood by while he turned her into a ghost. Was anything real? Or was I just another pawn?”
• Dante’s mask cracked a flicker of pain. “You think I wanted this?” He stepped closer, the barrel digging into his sternum. “Your father owned me. My debts, my loyalty he bought them all. But Isabel… she was the only good thing in this hell.”
• Flashback: A Fractured Bond
• Ten years earlier
• The scent of orange blossoms clung to the courtyard as Dante knelt beside Isabel, bandaging her bleeding knuckles. At sixteen, she’d already mastered the art of breaking noses and hearts. “You can’t keep picking fights with Papa’s men,” he chided, though pride warmed his voice.
• Isabel grinned, wild and bright. “Someone’s got to keep them in line.”
• “They’ll kill you one day.”
• Her smile faded. “Then promise me you’ll protect Valentina. Promise you’ll get her out.”
• He hesitated. “You know what he’ll do to me if I betray him.”
• She gripped his hand, her eyes fierce. “Swear it, Dante. Swear on Mamá’s grave.”
• He swore. Two weeks later, she was dead.
• Valentina’s breath hitched. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
• “Your father had eyes everywhere. One wrong word, and he’d have buried us both.” Dante’s voice softened. “But I kept my promise. I kept you safe.”
• “Safe?” She gestured to the ruins. “Look where your protection led us!”
• A muscle twitched in his jaw. “You think I wanted this? To watch you become another casualty?” His hand closed over hers, steadying the gun. “I tried to walk away. But every time I looked at you… I saw her. Her courage. Her stubbornness. Her damnable hope.”
• Valentina flinched. “Don’t.”
• “It’s the truth.” His thumb brushed her wrist, a whisper of contact. “You’re the only thing left worth saving.”
• Before she could respond, engines roared. A black SUV skidded into the courtyard, tires screeching. Lucia stepped out, her crimson gown replaced by tactical gear, the Zapatos serpent coiled around her throat. A shotgun gleamed in her hands.
• “Hello, cousin,” she purred. “Did you miss me?”
• Valentina froze. “Lucia… why?”
• “Why?” Lucia laughed, cold and brittle. “Your father promised me to the Zapatos when I was twelve. A peace offering.” She jerked her sleeve up, revealing a jagged scar. “They don’t treat wives kindly. But now?” Her smile turned feral. “I’m the one holding the leash.”
• Dante shifted subtly, positioning himself between Valentina and the shotgun. “You’re wasting time, Lucia. The feds will be here soon.”
• “Let them come.” She gestured to her men, who fanned out with rifles raised. “But first… the Reyes heir dies. Poetic, no?”
• Valentina’s mind raced. The thumb drive. She’d hidden it in her boot—Isabel’s files, the only leverage left. “You want the cartel? It’s yours. Just let us go.”
• “Us?” Lucia’s gaze darted to Dante. “How sweet. But Diablo here has debts to pay.” She raised the shotgun. “Starting with his heart.”
• Dante lunged, tackling Valentina as the blast tore through the air. Pellets shredded the wall behind them. He rolled, pulling her behind a collapsed pillar.
• “The tunnel,” he hissed, pressing a key into her palm. “Go!”
• “Not without you!”
• “Stubborn as your mother,” he muttered, but his eyes betrayed relief. “Stay close.”
• They sprinted through gunfire, Dante shielding her body with his own. A bullet grazed his shoulder; he didn’t flinch. The chapel loomed ahead, its once-gilded doors hanging crooked.
• Inside, Dante wrenched open a hidden panel beneath the altar. Dank air rushed up. “Down. Now.”
• Valentina hesitated. “What about you?”
• “I’ll hold them off.” He cupped her face, his touch startlingly gentle. “Find Hector. He’ll keep you safe.”
• “Dante”
• A grenade shattered the chapel doors.
• “GO!” He shoved her into the darkness.
• She fell, the world narrowing to the sound of his gunfire and Lucia’s enraged screams.
• The tunnel stank of mildew and blood. Valentina crawled for what felt like hours, the key biting into her palm. When she emerged, dawn had broken over the city. Hector waited at the safehouse, his face grim.
• “He’s gone, isn’t he?” she whispered.
• Hector nodded. “But his fight isn’t.” He handed her a burner phone. On the screen: security footage of Dante in a Zapatos compound, beaten but alive.
• “They’ll torture him,” she said, her voice breaking.
• “Then we make them regret it.” Hector laid out weapons—Isabel’s old rifle, Dante’s switchblade, a map marked with red Xs. “Your mother’s legacy. Your choice.”
• Valentina picked up the rifle, its weight familiar. “We burn it all.”
• The screen flickered. A live feed appeared: Dante, chained to a chair, his face battered but defiant. Lucia’s voice hissed through the speakers: “Come home, little Reyes. Let’s end this where it began.”
• Valentina’s hands clenched into fists as she stared at the screen. Dante’s face was bruised and bloodied, but his eyes burned with defiance. Lucia’s voice echoed in the room, taunting and cold.
• “We don’t have much time,” Hector said, his voice urgent. “If we’re going to save him, we need to move now.”
• Valentina nodded, her mind racing. She couldn’t let Dante die, not after everything he had done for her. But she also couldn’t walk into Lucia’s trap blindly.
• “We need a plan,” she said, her voice steady despite the fear clawing at her chest. “We can’t just storm in there.”
• Hector nodded, his eyes narrowing as he studied the map. “The compound is heavily guarded, but there’s a weak spot here.” He pointed to a spot on the map. “If we can get in through the old drainage system, we might be able to get close without being detected.”
• Valentina’s eyes flicked to the screen, where Dante’s image flickered. “What about Lucia? She’ll be expecting us.”
• “Let her,” Hector said, a grim smile on his face. “We’ll give her a surprise she won’t forget.”
• The plan was risky, but it was the only chance they had. Valentina and Hector moved quickly, gathering supplies and preparing for the assault. The safehouse was filled with tension, the air thick with the weight of what was to come.
• As they prepared to leave, Valentina paused, her eyes lingering on the rifle in her hands. It was her mother’s, a relic of a past she had never fully understood. But now, it was a symbol of the fight she had to finish.
• “We’ll get him back,” Hector said, his voice firm. “And we’ll make them pay for what they’ve done.”
• Valentina nodded, her resolve hardening. “Let’s go.”
• The compound loomed in the distance, a fortress of concrete and steel. Valentina and Hector moved silently through the shadows, their breaths shallow as they approached the drainage system. The air was thick with the scent of decay, the ground slick with moisture.
• “This is it,” Hector whispered, his voice barely audible. “Once we’re inside, there’s no turning back.”
• Valentina nodded, her heart pounding in her chest. She could feel the weight of the rifle on her back, the cold metal of the switchblade in her pocket. She was ready.
• They slipped into the drainage system, the darkness swallowing them whole. The tunnel was narrow and damp, the walls slick with moisture. They moved quickly, their footsteps silent on the wet stone.
• After what felt like an eternity, they reached a grate that led into the compound. Hector pried it open, the metal groaning in protest. They slipped through, emerging into a dimly lit corridor.
• “This way,” Hector whispered, gesturing down the hall.
• They moved quickly, their footsteps silent on the concrete floor. The compound was eerily quiet, the only sound the distant hum of machinery.
• “Where is everyone?” Valentina whispered, her voice barely audible.
• “They’re waiting for us,” Hector said, his voice grim. “Stay close.”
• They turned a corner, and Valentina’s heart stopped. Dante was there, chained to a chair in the middle of the room. His face was battered and bruised, but his eyes burned with defiance.
• “Dante!” Valentina whispered, her voice breaking.
• He looked up, his eyes widening in shock. “Valentina? What are you doing here?”
• “Saving you,” she said, her voice firm.
• Before she could move, a voice echoed through the room.
• “How touching.”
• Lucia stepped out of the shadows, a cold smile on her lips. “I knew you’d come.”
• Valentina’s heart pounded as she raised the rifle, her finger tightening on the trigger. “Let him go.”
• Lucia laughed, a harsh, mocking sound. “You really think you can win? You’re outnumbered, outgunned, and out of time.”
• “We’ll see about that,” Hector said, his voice cold.
• The room erupted into chaos. Gunfire echoed through the air, the sound deafening. Valentina moved quickly, her instincts taking over. She fired at the shadows, her aim true.
• Dante struggled against his chains, his eyes locked on Valentina. “Get out of here!” he shouted, his voice raw.
• “Not without you!” she shouted back, her voice firm.
• She moved closer, her heart pounding in her chest. She could see the desperation in Dante’s eyes, the fear. She couldn’t let him die, not after everything he had done for her.
• “Valentina, look out!” Dante’s voice was a raw scream, cutting through the chaos like a knife.
• She spun around, her heart lurching as she saw Lucia raising her shotgun, the barrel aimed directly at her chest. Time seemed to slow, the world narrowing to the cold glint of metal and Lucia’s twisted smile.
• “Goodbye, cousin,” Lucia sneered, her finger tightening on the trigger.
• But before she could fire, a shot rang out. Lucia’s eyes widened in shock as a bullet tore through her shoulder, the force sending her stumbling backward. The shotgun clattered to the ground, and Valentina turned to see Hector standing behind her, his rifle smoking.
• “Move!” Hector barked, his voice cutting through the chaos.
• Valentina didn’t hesitate. She lunged forward, grabbing the keys from Lucia’s belt and rushing to Dante’s side. Her hands trembled as she fumbled with the locks, the sound of gunfire and shouting filling the air.
• “You shouldn’t have come,” Dante said, his voice hoarse.
• “Shut up,” Valentina snapped, her voice breaking. “I’m not leaving you.”
• The chains fell away, and Dante stumbled to his feet, his body battered but unbroken. He grabbed a fallen pistol from the ground, his eyes locking with Valentina’s.
• “Let’s finish this,” he said, his voice firm.
• Together, they fought their way through the compound, their movements synchronized as if they had been fighting side by side for years. Hector covered their retreat, his rifle picking off their enemies with deadly precision.
• As they reached the exit, the compound erupted in flames, the fire consuming everything in its path. They stumbled into the night, the cool air a stark contrast to the heat of the battle they had just survived.
• “We need to keep moving,” Hector said, his voice urgent. “They’ll be after us.”
• Valentina nodded, her heart pounding in her chest. She could feel the weight of the rifle on her back, the cold metal of the switchblade in her pocket. She was ready.
• But as they disappeared into the night, one thought lingered in her mind: this was far from over.
• As they disappeared into the night, a figure emerged from the shadows, watching them go. Lucia’s cold smile returned as she whispered, “You can run, cousin. But you can’t hide.