CHAPTER 36: THE KING STEPS OUT

Xitllali

I stared at Guillermo in horror. He was clearly not okay; he leaned so heavily against the dirt wall that I wondered if it was the only thing keeping him on his feet.

"You can't do this," I whispered, my voice shaking.

I stepped closer and reached for his arm with trembling hands.

"Guillermo, look at yourself. Those men will tear you apart."

He didn't pull away from my touch, but his eyes remained cold. They were the eyes of El Crotalo. Hard, calculating, and without a trace of fear.

"I've walked through worse than this, Xitllali," he said. His voice was low and rough.

"Not while you're bleeding to death!" I cried, tears filling my eyes already. "Please. Please don't do this. Not for me."

He reached out with his hand and grabbed the back of my neck. His fingers were warm, and his grip was firm but surprisingly gentle. He pulled me closer until I had no choice but to look into his eyes.

"I'm not doing this just for you," he murmured, his breath brushing against my cheek. "I'm doing this because I'm a selfish man, and if that old woman or any of your neighbors dies, you'll spend the rest of our lives looking at me and seeing her blood on my hands. You'll never look at me without hating me. And I refuse to live like that."

He released me before I could answer. The sudden absence of his touch left my skin freezing cold.

With a swift, practiced motion, he slid the loaded pistol into the back waistband of his trousers. He let the heavy, dark fabric of his coat fall down over it, hiding the weapon completely.

"Valdo," Guillermo commanded, his chest heaving as he forced himself to stand straighter. "You and I go up first. We slip out the back alley door and circle around to the main street. Mateo, you stay down here with her. If the shop is breached, you shoot anything that comes down that ladder. Do you understand?”

"Yes, Boss," Mateo replied, swallowing hard as he tightened his grip on his rifle.

Valdo didn't waste any time. He slung his weapon over his back and climbed the ladder. He pushed the heavy door open just a little and checked the room above before opening it fully.

The rusty hinges let out a soft creak.

Morning light filled the place. Along with it came the bitter smell of smoke, burnt wood, and broken glass.

"Clear," Valdo whispered from above.

Guillermo moved toward the ladder. Every step seemed painful. He grabbed a wooden rung with his right hand, his knuckles turning white as he pulled himself up.

I watched the muscles in his back tighten. He could barely move his left arm, yet he kept climbing until he disappeared into the room above.

A few seconds later, I heard the soft, heavy click of the back alley door shutting. They were gone.

I couldn't stay in the dark. I couldn't sit in a hole while people died for me. I took a quick step toward the ladder.

Mateo immediately moved in front of me, blocking my way with his large body. He didn't point his rifle at me, but he planted his boots firmly in the dirt.

"Señora, please," he whispered. His voice was tense, but he wasn't going to move. "The Boss gave me a direct order. You can't go up there."

"Move, Mateo," I ordered.

My voice shook, but I lifted my chin and forced myself to sound firm.

"I can't do that. He'll kill me if anything happens to you."

"And what do you think he'll do if you put your hands on me to stop me?" I asked, looking him straight in the eye.

He froze. He knew I was right. In the cartel, disobeying an order could get you killed. But putting your hands on El Crotalo's wife to stop her from doing something would almost certainly get you executed.

For one brief second, he hesitated. That was all I needed.

I pushed past his shoulder, grabbed the wooden rung, and hurried up the ladder.

"Señora, wait!" Mateo whispered desperately from below.

A moment later, I heard his heavy boots on the rungs behind me. He was terrified of what Guillermo would do if he let me go unprotected, so I knew he wouldn't stay behind.

I pulled myself onto the cold floor of my ruined storage room. Ash covered everything. I stayed low, crawling through the burnt debris until I reached the charred remains of my front counter, then I hid behind it.

Mateo practically threw himself out of the door. He scrambled through the ash and immediately dropped his large body over mine, forcing me against the dirty floor.

He was using himself as a shield, keeping his head down and his rifle ready.

From my position pinned against the floor, I could see through the broken front window.

The street outside was covered in thick, cold mist.

And right in the middle of the cobblestone road was Doña Carmen. My breath caught in my throat.

She was kneeling on the street, her thin shoulders shaking. She wore her old knitted sweater, and her gray hair was messy and damp from the morning dew.

Four men in dark tactical gear stood around her. They carried heavy black rifles and looked angry, impatient, and completely heartless.

"I'm going to say this one last time!" the man closest to Doña Carmen shouted through a megaphone.

"Bring out the woman who runs the flower shop! If you don't bring her out in exactly sixty seconds, I'll blow this old woman's head off, and then we'll move to the next house!"

To make sure everyone understood that he was serious, he pulled a handgun from his belt. He walked behind Doña Carmen and pressed the cold barrel against the back of her head.

Doña Carmen let out a terrified cry. She squeezed her eyes shut and started crying loudly.

"No," I choked out.

A sob escaped my throat, and tears filled my eyes. I couldn't let this happen.

I pressed my hands against the dirty floor and tried to push myself up. I was going to stand. I was going to surrender if that was what it took to save her.

"Señora, stay down!" Mateo whispered sharply. His large hand closed around my upper arm, pulling me back toward the floor.

I fought against him, ready to scream I surrender through the broken window, when a tall shadow stepped out from the thick mist at the far end of the street.

Guillermo.

He and Valdo had circled all the way through the back alley. Valdo was nowhere to be seen. He was probably hiding in the fog with his rifle ready. But Guillermo walked straight onto the cobblestone street, leaving himself completely exposed.

He didn't rush. He walked slowly, his dark coat moving in the cold wind. His face was pale and his left arm hung stiffly at his side, but he kept his head high. His shoulders were broad, and he stood straight. He looked exactly like what he was: a dark king walking among peasants.

"Let her go."

He didn't speak loudly, but his voice cut through the morning air like a sharp knife. It was deep, dangerous, and steady.

Every man on the street froze.

The man with the megaphone slowly lowered it. He turned and looked through the mist at the tall, broad-shouldered man standing in the street.

For a moment, nobody moved. The only sounds were the cold wind and Doña Carmen's quiet sobs.

Slowly, Guillermo raised his right hand, showing his empty palm. He kept his injured left arm close to his body but raised that hand slightly too, showing that he had no weapon.

He was completely exposed. No cover. No guards. He was an easy target.

I pressed both hands over my mouth to stop myself from screaming. My heart was beating so hard that I thought my ribs might break. Mateo's heavy arm was still across my back, holding me down as we watched.

The leader stared at Guillermo. He blinked once, then again, as the mist cleared enough for him to see Guillermo's sharp jaw and cold eyes.

The man's mouth fell open in shock. He recognized him. Everyone in the underworld knew that face.

"El Crotalo," the man whispered. Fear was clear in his voice.

But his fear lasted only a second. It was quickly replaced by a greedy smile. He had just found the man Severo wanted, standing alone in the street, badly injured, and with no visible weapon.

"Well, well, well," the leader laughed as he stepped away from Doña Carmen. He raised his handgun and pointed it straight at Guillermo.

"Looks like we've caught a very big fish today, boys."

All around the street, the sound of weapons echoed in the morning air.

About four other men turned away from their position and pointed their rifles straight at Guillermo.