Chapter 12

Lilly

Mythic’s place is in Tahoe, California. And it has to be one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. The past few days, I’ve had a lot of time to wander the lake and little town here while Mythic has been holed away in what she calls her command center.

At first, I thought she was joking, but that room is no laughing matter. I thought Snoopy’s lair was extreme, but it’s got nothing on Mythic’s. She has at least six different monitors and more tech equipment than I’ve ever seen. I tried to sit in there with her my first day here but got bored as hell.

She tried to explain what she could to me about what she was doing, but I could tell she was starting to get irritated when I kept looking at her like a deer caught in headlights. Really, I just wanted to keep her talking about her past. I learned a lot on the seventeen-hour drive here, but she’s still only given me bits and pieces about herself.

I know she lives off of more Red Bull than can possibly be healthy for any one person to consume. She loves underground hip-hop and will try her damnedest to sing along. She’s thirty-four years old and has no living family. Anytime I tried to ask more about her past she suddenly became incredibly interested in whatever song was playing and the subject was quickly changed.

I want to know what it is that happened to her to turn her into the person she's become. From what I can tell, when she’s not playing babysitter to me, she’s here all by herself. Other hackers are her only relationships. I don’t know why, but that makes my heart hurt for her. It had to have been something really awful to make her not trust the outside world.

Sighing as I take one more look at the lake, I head inside. I’m hoping maybe today's the day she’ll open up. Tell me something more than just she plans to make Enterrador and the cartel pay for what they’ve done.

“Oh, hi,” I exclaim. “I wasn't expecting you to be here,” I tell Mythic as I almost run into her as I walk into the kitchen.

With a snort, she replies, “I do live here, Lilly.”

Laughing, I say, “I meant that you barely come out of your command center is all.”

“Well, I figured today I’d beat you to the punch.”

“Huh?”

Chuckling, she heads to the fridge and pulls out everything she needs for a turkey sandwich. “Everyday, you make me lunch and bring it to me as a way to try to get me to talk to you.”

“That transparent huh?” I say, taking a seat at the island.

Nodding, “Yup. Look, talking about my past is something I haven’t had to do in a very long time. Something I never wanted to do ever, but I get why you want to know. It took me a little bit, but I found something I want you to watch.”

“Okay,” I tell her, standing from my stool.

Grabbing my arm, she tells me, “After lunch, Lilly.”

Looking down, I can see the way her hand shakes when she pulls away from me. Whatever this is, it must be big…

Nodding, I sit and watch as she makes us each a sandwich, letting her come to terms with what she's about to show me. Without a word, she picks up her sandwich and takes her time with each bite. I know what it's like trying to keep your past hidden.

No one in nursing school knew anything about my family or their less than legal biker ways. Well, at least not until Gunner started following me around campus anyway. I can’t help the sigh that escapes thinking about Gunner. The sound draws Mythic out of her head.

“What's up?” she asks.

“Nothing, just thinking about home,” I tell her with a shrug while staring at the countertop.

“Uh-uh, that face isn’t one a chick makes when she’s just thinking about home. Spill it.”

“Gunner… I was thinking about Gunner.”

“Ah, the chocolate hotness. Or Mr. Arms as I call him,” she says with a nod.

I can't help the laughter that bursts out of me. “Mr. Arms?” I ask her.

“Girl, don’t play like you haven’t looked. He has some amazing arms. Add the tattoos and it’s just yummy.”

At the mention of Gunners tattoos, I freeze. “How do you know about Gunner’s tattoos? Or that he has nice arms? I thought you only worked with Snoopy?” I ask, glaring at her with brows drawn.

“Calm down, Lilly. I know about all of the Sons. Have pictures too,” she tells me like that’s a normal thing.

I bristle at that. Why would she have pictures of us? I stand from my seat taking a step away from her, needing some distance. Was I wrong to trust her?

“Lil,” she says looking hurt by the movement. “I had to make sure they were deserving of my help. I'm taking a very big chance of being discovered by helping Snoopy. Not everyone knows the things I do. If I’m not careful, sooner or later they’ll start putting the pieces together and my life as I know it now will be over.”

“Who will? Enterrador?”

“Or Diablo. Come on. I think you’ll understand a lot more shortly.”

With that, I follow her to her command center. She leans against the door frame, not coming any farther into the room. “I can’t watch this. I already know what happened, but when you're finished I’ll be on the deck. The remote is in front of the screen. Just push play. You can fast forward if you need to, and…” She pauses taking a deep breath. “And make sure you watch it ‘til the end,” she says quietly.

With that, she leaves me to watch what has to be the most gruesome thing I’ve ever watched The video is actually surveillance of a home I’ve never seen. There is no sound. But there’s no mistaking the figure on the screen.

Enterrador is much younger. It’s apparent in his features. He’s emotionless as he moves through a house that’s obviously not his. Horror fills me as I bear witness to his actions. This man who wants me is slaughtering an entire family without any sign of remorse. He slit what must be the wife and daughter’s throats quickly. I’m not certain without any commentary, but from what I learned from Snoopy, I’m guessing the bound man in the video is the one who killed Enterrador’s wife. When Enterrador moves to the man's son, I can’t even watch. As soon as he starts cutting off fingers, I fast forward it. Even in double time, I have to see as he works his way through each finger and toe before moving on to the son’s arms. I can only assume the boy’s gone into shock before Enterrador slices his throat too.

Last left in the room is a man tied to a chair, forced to watch as his entire family was annihilated right before his eyes. Having to witness the destruction of his family isn’t painful enough to satisfy the sadistic monster wielding the knife. The bound man is tortured too, starting with the removal of his tongue. It’s probably to keep him quiet. Thank God there’s no sound on the video. My finger pushes fast forward again, not needing to know every minute of misery the man endures before he’s killed. When Enterrador is finally finished and the family is gone from this world, he lays them together on the floor, cleans his knives, and leaves.

With a press of a button, I pause the video. Four hours of footage remains. But the family is already dead? What’s left on the tape?

Letting it fast forward to the end takes a bit of time, but there has to be a reason Mythic told me to watch to the end. With less than ten minutes left, I find out what she wanted me to see.

A girl walks into the home. She can’t be older than I am right now. Watching as her face changes to one of pure horror as she finds the family is heartbreaking. I can’t bear to watch her cry as she holds the little girl to her chest. I don’t need to know more. That young woman has the same face as the blue-haired beauty waiting for me on the deck.

Walking out to find Mythic, my feet feel like lead. She told me her family was gone, but I never would’ve imagined she was an Armijo. I don’t know what it’s taken for her to hide this long. Enterrador has hunted that family line for years. Eliminating every one he found, until the last living member was dead, or so I thought.

As I reach for the door to the deck, I peek out and see Mythic. She sits on the swing slowly swaying with tears coating her cheeks. I can’t believe she's been all alone for so long. My heart aches for her. When she sees me at the door, she looks away, wiping her face as she does.

Stepping on to the deck, I have no words. What the hell does someone say after learning that?

“You saw the end?” she whispers.

With a tiny nod, I join her on the swing. I do the only thing that feels right. Putting my arm around her shoulder, I just hold her. She leans her head against me and silently cries.

I don’t know how long it takes before she finally stops crying. It’s longer still that we sit there in silence. The sun is now setting, and the air begins to chill. The lake is a mirror of purples and pinks in a sunset more beautiful than I’ve ever seen before.

“You’re an Armijo. You’re worried Enterrador will put the pieces together.”

With a shake of her head, she replies “No, my daughter was an Armijo.”

With a gasp, I cover my mouth with my hand. “The little girl?”

She nods against my shoulder as more tears fall, dampening my shirt. “Jesús was her uncle. He was the only father figure I’d ever really known. He didn’t hurt Alex. He would never have done that. His death, their deaths, are on my shoulders.”

“Alex?”

“Enterrador’s wife. Jesús was set up, because of me. He would’ve never hurt a pregnant woman. Never.”

“What? Why would he have been set up because of you?”

Shaking her head, she vehemently says, “Now, you know why I’ll never let Enterrador hurt you. My baby, my family—he’s already taken too much.”