Prologue - The Black Sheep
After years of putting up with my father Miguel Rivera's obnoxious behavior towards me, accusing me of being my mother's murderer for bringing me into the world, he looks at me with contempt for having ruined his life and leaving a big hole in it. As a result, I've become a sadistic person who collects injuries. Taciturn by nature, I'm intransigent when disappointed. They call me "El Diablo", which means the devil.
My name is Santiago and I'm 30 years old. Calculating and observant, I exude an aura both Mephistophelian and domineering. With the help of my two long-time allies, Alvaro and Luis, we're wreaking havoc in the region, and I love it. When you think of gangster names, what comes to mind? Perhaps the suave swagger of classic mobsters, or the audacity of street legends. Whatever you think of them, the power of gangsters is as plain as a pikestaff!
As I'm a "Rivera", the son of one of the most powerful Mexican leaders of the Beltrán cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking networks in the world, I'm untouchable. With his strict character, he raised me in an environment where weakness and failure have no place.
But after a while, my father remarried a certain Mercedes, a bourgeois twit, who gave him a son, Andrés. Fortunately, we get along well despite our differences.
In the guise for the women who relieve my cravings, they don't have a say, they either obey me to the letter or end up six feet under. It's as simple as that. As you can see, no one has the right to upset me or impose their will on me.
With this dreary weather, the atmosphere is biting like marble, perfectly describing my mood. I'm currently at my villa's gym, letting off steam on the punching bag. The fact that my father's stabbing words are echoing in my thoughts gives me an adrenaline rush to hit even harder.
Suddenly pausing to answer the phone, the lightning begins to crystallize and the sky is accompanied by a terrifying noise. It's raining so hard it's almost impossible to hear Alvaro on the other end of the line.
All sweaty, I decided to send him a message instead.
[ What about the code S? ]
I associate the word code with the initials of the people who have irritated my ego. This prevents me from revealing the names of my victims over the phone to avoid suspicion, let alone my own identity. Code S concerns a chick called Suzanna, who wanted to stand up to me by taking the risk of going to bed with a guy other than me, even though I'd expressly forbidden it. Taking this for empty words, I had to take drastic measures. Maybe she thought she could fool me with her beauty.
Too bad, I liked her, but she had it coming. And yes, I'm possessive and silent like the anaconda. I fascinate as much as I frighten. I crawl along quietly and kill my prey in total silence, suffocating them. In other words, my victims disappear without a trace.
It's my two companions who do the dirty work, carrying out my orders. They're also very well paid and know fully well that the slightest betrayal or error on their part would be a direct flight to hell.
[ It's done, boss. She's in one of the cornfields, hanging from a tree, looking like a suicide.]
[ I don't have to remind you that everything has to be done without a hitch ]
[ No boss, everything is under control ]
[ Perfect. See you tomorrow for code M ]
[ Okay boss ]
"There goes one less job," I whisper, wiping my face with the towel over my shoulder.
I live with my father and his small family in Colonial Providencia, a town northwest of Guadalajara, Mexico. It's a quiet, safe residential neighborhood. Far from the city center, we're particularly interested in being away from prying eyes. What's more, it's close to Bosque Colomos, the city's largest park, so I go there from time to time to take my mind off things.
It's almost two o'clock in the afternoon and I ask Petra, the housekeeper who was also my nanny when I was a kid, to prepare me an enchiladas, which is simply a tortilla stuffed with minced meat or cheese, baked in a chilli sauce with tomato and onions.
Petra is the only person who cares about me. She told me she knew my mother and when I was in her womb, she said she was the luckiest one to have me. It melts my heart to have to endure this atrocity of life, losing her forever without having seen her even once.
"Just thinking about it makes my mouth water and while she's busy in the kitchen, I'm off for a shower”. I mumbled as I headed for the bathroom.
The next day
Captured by this breathtaking view of nature, you'll want to explore the most popular forest hikes near the estate with hand-prepared trail maps and driving directions. Or perhaps with detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers. But then, I'm not here to be a tour guide. I currently find myself in the heart of Los Colomos, one of the forests located in Guadalajara, for a settlement of accounts for the Code M affair. Accompanied by my two accomplices, at least for the moment, we approached a man tied to a tree and gagged. He looks very frightened, but with a piercing gaze. A mixture of distrust and tension. Only the sound of birdsong or tree branches shaken by a gentle breeze can be heard.
However, my gaze hardens and I feel my blood boil as I watch that cock squirm like a cockroach turning in on itself. I clench my fists and step forward a little, showing him I'm not here for a joke.
"So, Manuel! It seems you thought you were smarter than me. Where did you hide the wheat?", I claim, taking off my hat.
"Well, to give you a little summary, I went in person to make sure what I learned about you was true. However, much to my surprise, instead of putting the dough in the fucking till, you threw it in the bloody gully!", I sent back, smacking him in the face.
Manuel was in charge of recovering the money from the opposite clan, but it turns out that I've learned that he was planning to steal it, or rather to protect someone.
"Luis, untie his mouth so I can hear what he has to say to defend himself," I ordered angrily.
"I..I'm sorry, but I'd no choice and someone warned them.."
"Who? Did you get paid to play Judas, you bastard?", I threw out in a harsh tone, pulling my gun out of my back jeans pocket.
"No..no sir, I swear by what I have dearest.." he whines like a sissy.
"Shut up! Who contacted you before the operation? And don't even try to lie, we had you followed.", I said with a more than black look in my eyes.
The guy remains silent for a few seconds and finally spills the name of the bastard who screwed it all up.
"It's..José.."
"WHAT?! I retorted angrily.
José is the right-hand man of my father's sworn enemy and this money was the merchandise delivered by one of the operations carried out to secretly land in the neighbouring district. But with the mafia, nothing is certain, and distrust must always be the rule, especially with informers. Vultures who, at the slightest opportunity, snatch everything out of your hands.
"I beg you, please! Have mercy ! I swear I didn't betray you. It was one of the informers who caught us off guard once we were in the field to collect the money..", Manuel begs with tears in his eyes.
"You think that's going to bring back the lost money, you moron! You'd have thought about the consequences of your actions before you came crying like a shit. Because you had to know that sooner or later we'd find you!"
"The money is always in the gully, nobody knows that it's well hidden under a big rock, near a big fir tree."
"And how do you know that?", I threw back in bewilderment.
"The man who was with me had confided in me before he was shot in the chest."
So all is not lost and this idiot is trying to confess everything to save his skin. But once I've been betrayed, I never go back. That's my motto.
Like my father, we may hate each other, but the blood of pride runs through our veins.
Before he's even had time to recover, with a sudden gesture, reminding me that weakening has never been my strong suit, I shoot him in the forehead and die with his eyes wide open like the windows of an airplane.