1. Indi #2
Felix leaned back in his chair, lighting up a cigarette. “Well, I guess there was a simple way of saying that,” he muttered to himself. Dream watched us all closely, still trying to piece it all together. Felix noticed her expression. “I know…it’s a lot—”
Haze shot to his feet, kicking his chair back as it scraped along the floor.
He marched towards Spider, moving so fast I could barely blink before he was gripping the man by the collar of his shirt.
“I don’t fucking know what the hell is going on, or why the fuck you’re here, but I do know one thing for sure! ”
Spider grimaced at my twin. “Oh yeah? And what’s that?” He slammed his forehead into Haze’s as the two glared at one another.
Haze clenched his jaw and snarled. “You’re just a drugged-up skater who fucked with Indi.” He gripped the man’s collar, tugging tight. “And no one messes with my little sis.” He reeled his arm back and readied to swing as Felix shot to his feet, slamming his hands against the table.
I noticed as Dream flinched and softly covered her ears, visibly reliving some sort of trauma. Felix followed my gaze and noticed as well, stepping back to comfort her before scolding the two grown men. “Enough, you two,” he growled. “Haze…back off.”
My twin glared back at our older brother, stubborn as hell.
Felix looked over the brim of his glasses as a dark shadow cast across his face, one I’d witnessed him wear when he worked. “Now.”
Haze’s nostrils flared as he struggled at the idea of being told what to do. He’d mentioned before how much he despised being commanded around. Though he never was good with authority.
Typical Taurus.
Felix remained locked on Haze, the two having some sort of silent argument of dominance when Spider finally spoke up.
“Easy, tiger. I’d listen to your older brother if I were you.
” Haze peeled his eyes away and looked back at the man, still in his grasp.
“But you never did like being told what to do, did you?”
He was obviously taunting him.
Despite knowing Haze’s temper, Spider remained cool and collected, completely unbothered by the situation he was in.
Felix reluctantly left Dream’s side and approached the two men, pulling Haze back before pushing him into my grasp. He stood between the two men, ready to keep them apart. “Hermano,” he said, looking at my twin.
Haze clenched his jaw tighter and adjusted his jacket, leaning into me. “I’m fine,” he snapped. “Just keep that pothead away from me.”
“Pothead? Really?” Spider fixed his shirt and crossed his arms. “Have you met yourself?”
Haze’s eyes shot to Felix, the two looking more like twins than brothers at that moment. “You get that fucking piece of shit out of here! Now!”
Felix stepped towards Haze, daring him. “Even if I wanted to, I can’t,” he growled. “Spider called this meeting…and as the head of Charlotte’s Web, he’s in charge. Not men.” I could sense a bit of bitterness in his voice as he spoke those final words. They felt personal.
Haze’s eyes burned with such rage as they looked past our brother at my ex-boyfriend.
So it’s true…Spider is in charge of Charlotte’s Web. Which means…my ex-boyfriend is my fucking boss.
“How?” I asked.
Felix waited until Haze picked up his chair and sat down before returning to his own seat.
He sighed, picking his cigarette back up, obviously worn out by everything.
“In basic terms, Spider is the current ruling head of Charlotte’s Web.
Which means he’s in charge. Of everything.
” His sage-colored irises burned through the cloud of smoke surrounding his face, sending a chill down my spine.
And for a moment, I saw the man everyone had grown to fear.
No wonder he was named the Green-Eyed Devil.
Haze looked over at Spider, who was back to wearing his usual smug look. “No. No…it can’t be.” He scoffed. “No…our father—Ignacio—was the heir to the Osvaldo family mafia. Not our cousin, Kief, and especially not this little fucker.”
Hearing our father’s name made me flinch.
“He formed Charlotte’s Web when he came here…Ignacio. Not Spider! How could this—” he looked at Spider. “This washed-up drug addict be in charge of anything?”
“Ouch,” Spider mocked.
Haze glared at him before looking back to our older brother. “It makes no fucking sense, hermano. You should be the head of this whole fucking thing. Not this little prick.”
Felix didn’t speak.
“Hermano, please.” Haze leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. “Tell me this is all some sick fucking joke. It can’t be true.”
Felix waited a bit, toying with a strand of Dream’s hair.
He finally let out a heavy sigh and ashed his cigarette.
“Technically, had our father not formed the remnants of those few loyal family members with Charlotte’s Web, then yes, I would be the head of this network.
” He looked up at us, wearing a sullen expression. “But alas, that’s not what happened.”
Is it not?
“You see,” Felix cleared his throat. “Our family was weakened by the betrayal of Ignanico’s sister, our aunt Zolina…
Kief’s mother. Kief’s father, Ramon, led her astray with a greedy desire for more power and control, tainting her loyalty to our grandfather.
It’s a complicated story, but our family didn’t begin as a mafia family.
What our grandfather formed originally was meant to be a resistance of the people, by the people, against Cuba’s communism.
He intended to create this sense of unity and power to stand against the corrupt government of Cuba.
But as that power grew, so did the purpose of our family.
We rose to be one of the most formidable organizations in Cuba, and a real thorn in the government’s side.
But during that time, members began to stray from the paths formed for them, becoming just as greedy and corrupt as our aunt.
And soon, drugs, trafficking, and betrayal became what we were known for.
Our grandfather was sickened by what his hard work had become, and asked Ignacio, as his heir and most trusted ally, to travel to the states with my mother to the states and establish a new foothold here through his connections.
One that he could use to force the family back to its original glory.
But in the midst of our father’s mission, our grandfather experienced the worst of our family’s betrayal, dying at the hands of his son-in-law, Kief’s father, establishing himself as the new head of the network we now call Northern Lights. ”
So Northern Lights is the original network our grandfather created…and our cousin’s hatred for our family really does branch from deeper within the family roots.
“Despite of all his attempts to fight back the betrayal of his sister, our father was backed into a desperate situation. Ignacio needed to form alliances. And fast. That’s why, after grieving my mother, he finally decided to marry your mother, Dulce.
” Felix pointed at me and Haze. “The sister of the reigning head of Charlotte’s Web. ”
“Our mother…was a part of Charlotte’s Web?
” I asked quietly. Felix nodded. “But…that doesn’t make any sense.
” I looked at my equally confused twin. “We–we were never a part of this world. Our lives were normal growing up. And Ignacio—” I choked on my father’s name.
“He was nothing more than an abusive drunk…a man who used few words and ruled with his anger. Our mother was no better, letting him behave as he saw fit.” My body slumped forward, still fearing my dead father.
“I can accept Ignacio’s part in all of this…
but not our mother’s. There’s no way she would’ve been in a world like this. Not willingly.”
She was too weak.
Our older brother nodded. “I know it’s hard to imagine, but it’s true, baby sis.
Ignacio and Dulce wanted to keep that part of their lives separate.
Secret. And as for our father’s temper and heavy hand.
” He lit up a second cigarette. “I know it all too well. Ignacio was always driven by his anger, but what fueled that flaw in him was the betrayal his sister committed. He became consumed with the idea of getting revenge, the concept of restoring our family to its original purpose. And in the very same desire to set things right, he fucked everything up. He was a shitty father, and I’ll never forgive him for how he treated us.
All of us. But—” he paused. “I can’t condemn him.
And for the majority of what he did, I would’ve done it too. ”
I scoffed at his words. “You would’ve beaten your own kids and hidden all of this from them?” I asked, triggered by such painful memories.
Felix shook his head. “No.” His eyes rose and locked with mine. “I would’ve done worse.” And for a brief moment, his face wasn’t his own, but our father’s. And seeing it terrified me.
Haze finally spoke up. “But why? Why hide this from us and not you?” He seemed almost offended by the fact. “Why did you get to know everything while we were raised in the dark, unaware of who we even were?”
Felix shrugged, returning to his usual demeanor.
“Becasue, I was born and raised in this world, bred with the sole purpose of being an ultimate weapon. It was decided that once all was corrected, I would take my seat as the new head of the family and lead us all to what was always meant to be.” He stopped, lowering his voice.
“And that was the plan, set in stone, until my mother’s death.
” His expression darkened as we listened.
“Something you two never knew was that my mother was murdered…by Kief’s family. ”
Felix had opened up to us about his mother, but he only ever told us enough to appease our curiosity.