Chapter Nine
They all went back to the tables in the main room.
Ironman had retied the sister and brother’s wrists to be in front of them. He planned to release the bindings as soon as he spoke to his Prez. He needed to talk to him and Bouncer about setting them loose.
Titus went over to Jep’s table to see the laptop. He then raised his cell and texted Hot Rod, then looked up at everyone. “Ruby’s in place.”
“Ruby?” Canto asked. “What is this Ruby?”
“She is a crack shot and a badass,” Ironman replied. Looking over at Lily, he added, “A lot like your sister here. Only Lily is...”
Lily just stared at him. “Is...?”
Jep raised his head and smirked at Ironman. “Yeah, Iron...Lily here might take exception to be compared to—”
Ironman raised his hand to stop him from speaking. “I think she might like the comparison, we shall see.”
They heard a gasp and turned to see what it was about.
Nita stood there with Airelle. The two girls stared at Lily and Canto.
“Why are these two killers sitting here?” Nita asked in a barely there voice.
Ironman looked back and forth at the women as he never realized this meeting might be disastrous.
“Lirio De Vello,” Nita whispered fearfully.
“Lily Of The Veil...” Arielle nodded as she too looked spooked.
Both girls slowly backed away.
Lily stood from her seat with her wrists still ziptied in front of her. “Detener!” Stop!
The two women stopped immediately.
“You are Gabe’s daughter, si?” Lily nodded her head at Nita.
With round eyes, Nita slowly nodded back.
“You did not miss out on anything after he would not accept you.” Lily scoffed. “He was a horrible person and unfit to be any kind of father.”
“I know...” Nita nodded.
“And they are gone, so we are all free now,” Lily added.
Cantos nodded though he remained silent.
“Free?” Airelle asked her as she still looked nervous.
“Eduardo is gone. Along with Riccardo, Gabriel, Ricco and most of the cousins.” Lily cocked her head at her. “You were named after my mother, si? I wish you would have known her.”
Nita looked confused. “Why would I want to know her?”
Lily stared at her. “She was a Godly woman, she was kind and she worked hard. She took good care of us, until Eduardo...” Lilly paused then shook her head and said quietly, “She was a good person.”
“Good?” Nita replied. “In what way? I had heard differently. She was mean to you, wasn’t she?”
Lily sighed and shook her head. “That was something Eduardo put out there. No, she was a good mother until she died.”
Nita still looked perplexed. “Eduardo, you mean your father?”
Lily stared at her. “I never asked for that. For him to be my father. I never wanted to be this Lirio De Vello. Eduardo built that legend as he wanted people to fear me. Just like he wanted people to hate my mother, Bonita. Nothing is as it seems.”
Nita scoffed. “Well, some things are as they SEEM! Gabriel Sanchez named me after his mother. He put Bonita Sanchez on my birth certificate and believe me when I say that I did not want that either. And in fact, neither did my mother. He took one look at her and decided she would do for a night or two. She was young and virginal, according to her sister. He dragged her off and even while she fought him with all her might, he took her anyway. He came back to use her over and over. Then months later, he arrived and found her pregnant with me. He beat her up for that like it had been all her fault. The night I was born, he came in and filled out my birth certificate. I do not know why he did that. Then when I was five years old, the state went after him for child support. My mom had nothing to do with that either. She was too afraid of him to draw his attention like that. He was the one who named himself as my father on that certificate. Then Gabriel...he never even let her talk...he just busted in, killed her with his bare hands and left. My mom’s sister, Mary, took me home with her.
She raised me and told me the truth about what happened. ”
Lily’s eyes and her expression looked blank again like they did when she first arrived as she whispered, “I am not surprised as this sounds like Gabe for sure. I can see why you hate us. Hated the Sanchez family. But one thing you do not know is I hate them too.”
Both Nita and Airelle looked confused.
Areille shook her head. “I still don’t trust anyone from that family and none of you should either.
” She looked around at the men in the room.
“You saw it for yourselves. Ricco’s army was forced to serve him and he was small-time when compared to his...
sister.” She raised her head and looked right at Lily.
“I’m not sure you should trust either of them. ”
“I hate to interrupt this sort of not family...Family reunion, but the sun just dipped,” Jep spoke up. “Lily said that was when Tomas would attack.”
Airelle and Nita looked over at him, then at Titus.
“You’re trusting what she tells you?” Nita asked Titus.
He gave her a nod. “We believe that she is telling the truth.”
Both Nita and Airelle shook their heads as they looked very afraid.
“Shots fired!” Ulysses called out. “North end and south.”
“And you will have the same at the back of your compound,” Lily added. “Tomas will cover each area.”
“Your Uncle Tomas?” Nita asked as she looked shocked.
Lily nodded. “And just so you know, he is also here to kill me and Canto.”
The bullets were flying now, hitting the windows and the outside walls.
Nita and Airelle turned and rushed down the hallway.
“I see that they believe that I am a brujah. A witch...you know? I suppose that I cannot blame them.” Lily shook her head.
“They will see what I do,” Ironman told her. “It will just take them a while.”
She looked up at him. “And what do you see?”
Ironman sighed and explained, “Someone who wants and needs a new life. To leave all that in the rear view. Live life the way you want to live it. Believe me, I know how that feels.” He stood to take Lily’s arm.
“Where am I going?” she asked him.
“To the saferoom where the ladies have been staying. Crank, I mean Nolan is there with Ursula and his daughter, Reno.”
She stepped back. “No, I wish to see this battle. I have to stay here.”
“Me too. I need to stay with my sister,” Canto added. “This is our future at stake here too.”
Ironman looked over at Titus.
He nodded at him.
Ironman moved Lily back to where she could sit and see the video feed on Jep’s monitor. Turning, he picked up his rifle and headed toward the door.
“Where are you going?” Lily called to him.
“To see if I can get an actual bead on this Tomas. I can maybe get you started on that new life.”
Lily stared at him as tears filled her eyes.
Canto stared at her in surprise.
Lily looked away and studied the monitor. Her eyes widened as she gasped. Shooting up from her chair, she ran as fast as she could to where Ironman was opening the door.
With a leap, she slammed into him, pushing him to the side just as a loud crack rent the air.
Ironman looked confused as his large body hit the door. He turned to see Lily slide to the floor, blood covering her chest.
“Nooo!” Canto shouted.