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Motherfucker. The guy who’d been watching guard over my brother and father was suddenly beside me. ‘Walk,’ he said, pushing the tip of his gun into my ribs. I recoiled from the gun, hurrying quickly behind Emilio and the Suit.
    ‘I’ll be okay, Mama,’ I called out in a shaky voice that teetered on hysteria.
    I didn’t look at my mother as I left the house I had grown up in. The house where I had spent almost my entire life. I couldn’t look her in the eye, because if I did, I would have reneged on the deal, ran to her, and let her hold me in her arms as bullets ripped us all apart.
    I looked at the floor instead, and tried feverishly to ignore her sobbing, the protests of my sister, the muttered swearing of my father. I pushed it all away, focusing only on the bright tiles on the floor.
    The Suit appeared in front of me, looking excited as he held a black piece of hessian material in his hands.
    A bag. And I knew exactly where he was going to put it.
    ‘We’re going to have so much fun,’ he said, grinning.
    My hurt blossomed into a steadily increasing rage as he seemed to feast upon my family’s misery. I longed to strike out, to channel my rage physically with a fist to his face, pushing my nails into his eyes until I heard two meaty pops, but I pushed it down, delayed it. Later. Use it later. Instead, I hung my head, and waited as the black bag went over my face. The world turned dark as the thick material covered my eyes, and I struggled to contain my rising panic as ropes at the bottom of the bag were pulled tight around my neck, making it hard to breathe. A firm prod to my back with the gun, and I walked from the only home I had ever known, the last sounds to reach my ears being my mother screaming my name, and my father cursing the cartel.

CHAPTER SIX
Mariana
    It was entirely disconcerting to be wearing a hood over my head in the back of a car, with no idea where I was going. Even worse, I wasn’t sure who was with me. I guessed the Suit was in the car, but I couldn’t be sure who else was in there. My legs stretched out in front of me without end, suggesting we were in some kind of a limousine. The car drove for what seemed like hours before anyone spoke.
    ‘Excited?’ the Suit asked, sarcasm dripping from his words. I jerked upright at the sudden noise, muffled as it was through the bag on my head. He was somewhere in front of me. We had to be in a limousine. I imagined the fuck-you grin he was sporting, and pushed away thoughts of launching out of my seat and flying at him. I wasn’t even entirely sure if he was sitting opposite me or further away. And even though I was regretting my rash move to offer myself up, I still didn’t want a bullet in my head.
    So instead of biting back at him I remained silent, chewing on my lip to try and distract myself.
    ‘Not in a talking mood, huh?’ he attempted casually. I chewed harder, not wanting to give him anything.
    Cold fingers touched my bare knee and I jumped. He chuckled, but kept his hand there, squeezing my leg.
    ‘You’ve got a pretty face, Ana,’ he said, and my name from his mouth sounded wrong. But not as wrong as what he said next.
    ‘I liked watching you come before,’ he whispered, squeezing my knee hard for effect.
    ‘What?’ I replied sharply, playing right into his game. Damn.
    ‘In the alleyway,’ he drawled, dragging his hand higher up my leg. I clenched my thighs together as tight as I could to stop him from going any higher. I remembered how Este had pushed me up against the wall behind a shop selling tacky tourist souvenirs and fucked me — made love to me — hard and fast, the fireworks in that alley as bright as the fireworks in the night sky. Tears burned at my eyes as I realised that it had only been a few hours ago that he had been alive, warm as his arms held me tightly, and now he was dead.
    ‘You weren’t there,’ I scoffed, my eyes burning, my heart thudding wildly. ‘You were already at the house when I