My dad stomps in. “Who the fuck are you?” He barks with agitation evident in his stance.

“Daddy, this is Mr. Delatorre.” I interject watching my dad’s reaction intently. My dad is a master at reading people.

“You may be a Delatorre, but you’re not Oscar Delatorre. He’s the only Delatorre I’ll meet with. I’ll ask you one more time, as my patience is non-existent. Who. The. Fuck. Are. You?”

“Felix Delatorre, I’m Oscar Delatorre’s son. He’s become ill and I’ve taken over the business dealings.”

“In my office, Delatorre.” My dad replies, pointing in the direction of his private door.

He begins to guide Amy in front of him. My dad raises his hand in a stopping gesture.

“She stays out here. No women in my office. This business does not relate to them, Delatorre.”

He seems to want to argue for a moment, but stops himself. The cold stare he leaves Amy with is a harsh reminder to keep her mouth shut, act a certain way, of what exactly I’m not so sure. The look on my dad’s face lets me know this isn’t a welcomed guest. Amy sits down in the chair that faces my desk. Head bowed, she looks defeated, broken, and lost.

“Can I get you anything, Amy?”

For a long moment, she sits there, unmoving and not speaking. Then with a raspy, trembling voice, she speaks up.

“Help me.” That’s all she says.

Hearing a noise behind me, I look up. Before I can respond, the office door opens and the men walk out. Studying Amy, her body becomes rigid at Felix’s presence. Looking more closely, her face seems to have some underlying bruising that is still healing but clearly covered up by makeup. Why did I not notice this before?

Grabbing a business card, I scribble my cell phone number down while trying not to be seen. Walking over to Amy, I extend my hand to her.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Amy.” She shakes my hand and I feel her trembling as I pass her the business card. I don’t know what exactly I can do for her, but I can’t miss this one opportunity I have to help her.

Felix and Amy leave. My dad seems more annoyed than usual. I sense something big is going on. My instincts are confirmed when my dad calls a sermon in the cave for the Hellions. My heart is heavy with worry for our boys.

6

One Mistake

Women’s intuition. That sixth sense. We often ignore it, and make excuses for the nagging feeling of dread, danger, or doom. Sass and I are out at Booties, a nightclub here on Emerald Isle, not far from our condo. She’s determined to meet a regular guy. I want to cut loose, have fun, and not have a Hellion tagalong. Bad idea this was.

There aren’t many nightclubs on the island, as it’s called, or even in town if we were to venture back over the bridge. Now having a few drinks in us, we’re both feeling comfortable and ready to mingle. We hit the dance floor. After a song or two, we are joined by two pretty boys. Sass seems to really enjoy dancing and chatting with her new friend, Nick, leaving me stuck entertaining Alton, Nick’s friend.