Even in death, Spencer Forbes manages to fuck me sideways. Though I'm not an idiot — he didn't have anything to do with this. Asiel has someone either looking out for him or wanting to strip him down. I'm not sure which it is yet. But the secret is out. The great, bad Mictlantecuhtli is a girl. My time is limited.

Out of everything in the box, the emblem on the documents caught my attention — a skull with a crown on its head. It brought me back to my drug mule days when the surrounding members were branded with that mark. Just so happens that Officer Mendez is marked too. It's not on his neck like the others — that would expose him to the academy. But that doesn't matter. What matters is he has the answers I'm looking for because I know for a fact that the skull has something to do with the bounty on Asiel's head.

"Earth to Mika," Diablo says, waving his hand in my face.

I blink, returning to reality. "Sorry. I was envisioning what it would feel like to be fucked in space."

His face scrunches with disgust. "That's really random. Even for you."

My finger drums on his desk as I watch him signing multiple sheets of paper. "How did you get me out of the drug den? You know, the one I was in as a kid."

"You mean your boyfriend's familia?" He scoffs, flipping over the paper. "It's been ten years, Mika. Why are you asking now?"

With narrowed eyes, I dig my heel into his ribs for my own amusement. "It's just at that time-- I was so thankful to be taken out of that horrible place that I didn't think anything of it."

Diablo arches a brow with a sly smirk on his lips. "So you don't feel thankful anymore? That's why you're asking?"

"No, you dumbass." I smack his shoulder.

He clicks his tongue. "Whatever."

"Of course I still am." I lean over to fix the crooked black and white tie hanging around Diablo's neck. "I'm just curious. It was a drug den. You weren't the person you're today-- you were starting out. Why did they let me go so easily when I could've easily gotten immunity from the cops?"

It's true.

Even with our strained, complicated relationship, I definitely felt some sort of gratitude for Diablo. It was irritating because I had to wait so many years for freedom. Without Diablo, I probably wouldn't have built this life for myself. Yeah, I'm entangled with a bunch of shit, but I'm with my primary source of happiness because of the path I was forced up.

His lips fold in. "But you didn't, Mika."

I sigh, wondering where my life could've gone if I had spoken up. "Yeah, because I'll probably end up in juvenile prison myself. Besides, I wasn't alone. I had you."

Diablo grips his chest as his lips protrude to a pout. "Sweet. Nice try, but flirting gets you nowhere with me."

I groan, clutching onto the cuff of his sleeves. "Tell me. Pretty please, with a cherry on top."

He removes his thick-rimmed glasses and intertwines our hands, playing with my fingertips. It doesn't feel like anything to me. Just a pair of rough hands gripping onto mine.

"I signed a contract. A mutually beneficial contract, of course," Diablo explains as he licks his lips. "I don't let anyone take advantage of me. Expect you. Though I didn't exactly have a choice- you're my exception. You know I like it when you dominate me."

I gag. "God, you're a terrible flirt. A decade together, and you still haven't gotten better." I shake my head with disappointment. "No wonder you never had a girlfriend. Anyways what kind of contract?"

Diablo narrows his eyes. "Hmm, why should I tell you? What do I get out of it?"

I laugh humorlessly. "Well, for one, it was my life in question, and two, you put a big smile on my face."

He blows out a deep breath. "Whatever. I had my plans for Diablo's Paraiso and invited The Mictlan for a partnership. In exchange for you. I assured them that it was a partnership that would bring them success, and it did. I mentioned this before, but they sold us their drugs."

Confusion stirs in my brain. "Drugs? But The Diaz familia supplied our drugs."

Diablo nods. "Yeah, after The Mictlan fell off. We did business with Mictlan first."

A mar forms between my eyebrows as I connect everything into one complete puzzle. "But that means the Morterero familia was our supplier."

"Exactly. The leader of the Morterero familia is The Mictlan," Diablo reveals as if it wasn't anything serious and could change the course of everything.

My brows pull tight. "Wait, the leader at the time was Ander. Why would he put a bounty on his own head? It doesn't make any sense. Who did you make the deal with?

Diablo rolls his eyes, releasing a harsh sigh. "There are things you don't need to know, Mika, and this is one of them. Why don't you go put that sexy ass to work? Bring papa the bacon."

My hands grip my throat, dramatically gagging at his comment. "Just for that, I'm going to lower your payment for the week." I laugh, stomping onto the floor and wandering towards the door, holding on to the frame. "Eugene, tell me. I just want to know who I got involved with."

The little smile on his lips drops and if I didn't know better, I'd say a bit of annoyance flashes in those brown irises. "Bullshit, Mika. It didn't bother you until you got involved with the Morterero kid. You just want to save him from dying, and you can't. If you don't do it, someone else will. Rip it off like a bandaid."

I raise my acrylic middle finger. "Fuck you. Not everything I do is related to him."

He clicks his tongue. "Could've fooled me." The chair scrapes against the floor as he gets up, stepping toward me.

His body hovers over me like a cloud, cradling my chin in his fingertips to meet his hardened gaze. Diablo's fingers lightly dance over the seam of my lips. "You know what will happen if you look further. We will lose everything. All our blood, sweat, and tears wasted for a boy. You wouldn't be that stupid, right, Mika?"

I gulp, feeling like a pebble instead of a fucking diamond. "I have shit to do."

Is losing your mind a side-effect of falling in love? Lately, I'm an entirely different person. I'm reacting in ways that I shouldn't. Shuddering like a running Bambi in my worst frenemies' hand. He knows I'm going to do whatever is in my power to save Asiel, even if I have to sacrifice Diablo's Paraiso.

It used to be my home, but it's nothing to me now.

Asiel is my home.

This entire atmosphere isn't good for me. It's drowning in moments of my darkest memories. They're spread all over the walls like a child scribbling with crayons on the walls. The memories revert me to the person I was trained to be-- not want to be. An emotionless soul, teetering through life with the purpose of destroying others to feel something-- anything. Now, my nerves are overworking, sending signals throughout my body.

Everything is entangled in a pretty pink bow. Diablo's Paraiso, Mictlan, me. If I don't play my chess piece right-- I'll expose my part in this grand plan. Asiel would never forgive me for killing his brother and steering his life in an entirely different direction. It weighs on my mind. How I stole everything with one simple kill?

He could've been in art school working on an exhibit to display his talents. Maybe run into a nice, sweet girl in a coffee shop, and spend months re-acting the perfect way to ask her out. He's nervous like that. She would probably make the first step and ask him out on a date. It would be something like a museum or a park-- they wouldn't be a superficial couple. Fireworks explode in their chests all night.

It would be perfect.

A perfect romance for the perfect man in his perfect life.

Instead, we're in a universe that is ripping at the seams. It's far from perfect. But maybe that's what makes everything extraordinary? Two people with a purpose for something bigger than their love for each other. Asiel achieved his destiny. It's my turn to pay him back for all my perjures. 

Officer Griffin is here. He's strolling through the crowd with his buddies in his indigo mask. Griffin lifts his hand as a gesture, causing his sleeve to fall, revealing the skull on his wrist. Bingo. He's stumbling in the darkness, making his friends carry most of his weight. Perfect. It will be way easier to fool him if he's intemperate.

I don't need Diablo to talk.

I always have a backup plan.

Kicking the shorts off my waist, I strut through the strip in a skimpy lace set with my makeup dolled to the max. My hair cascades down my back in tight curls. Officer Griffin cheers with his friends, throwing hundred-dollar bills at the Angele on stage. They make it fucking rain. I grab a champagne glass from one of the servers and chug it in one go. Ready to have motherfuckers crave me like the last candy bar in the store.

The Angele's set comes to a close as the red curtains fall over the stage. The audience whistles, screams, and throws their money at nothing. Eventually, the crowd simmers out as they diverge into separate paths. Officer Griffin doesn't get far-- the perfect opportunity for me to accidentally bump into him.

"Sorry, Sir," I reply, flashing a genuine smile, walking away, pretending to not recognize him.

"Mika!" He calls out, laughing, and lowers his mask. "You don't remember me? It's OctoPussy... aka Griffin."

I cock my head to the side. "Seems familiar. Maybe I need something to jog my memory."

Griffin widens his eyes, cautiously glancing in both directions before whispering, "I had you dick me down a few months back. The night ended with you fisting my ass."

It takes all my strength to hide my disgust as the memories from that night flash in my eyes like a black-and-white movie. I don't normally judge a person for their sexual preference, but I didn't like my fist smelling like his asshole. Why didn't he wash his ass before coming here?

Remember, this is for Asiel. 

"Oh, yeah," I giggle, twirling my hair like a clueless doll. "How could I forget? What's up? You haven't brought another night with me. Did I stretch your ass too wide?"

His cheeks burn hot pink as he scratches the nape of his neck. "Lower your voice, please. I don't want my buddies to overhear."

I pout, taking a step closer as I wrap my hand around his tie. "Why? Are you embarrassed, big boy? You don't want your friends knowing we spent nights together? Here, I thought I was a treasure."

His eyes go wide with panic. "You are, darling. It's just emasculating to have a girl fuck my ass. Some things stay in the bedroom. But..." He grabs onto my waist, turning me around to have my ass pressing onto his dick. "I wouldn't mind doing the night over, right here with you. What's your bid starting at?"

I gnaw at my lip. "Three million."

He coughs. "Oh, shit."

Using my fingers, I gesture for him to lower his head and whisper, "What if I tell you, I'll give you the night of your life-- free of charge? What do you say?"

Griffin's brown irises light up like a Christmas tree. "How can I refuse?"

"That's what I thought." I giggle, licking my lips. "Why don't you meet me in my private room in five minutes? We can start our night of fun with a dildo up your ass."

He hums. "Mmm, I love it when you talk dirty to me."

"I'll be waiting, okay," I reply, giving him an air kiss as I walk out of the strip.

The elevator opens as I press a black card on the screen and select my floor. Everything is pretty much all set up. The torture devices, the cleaning supplies, and the soundproof walls make my room the perfect place for a crime. I don't plan to murder Griffin unless he makes things difficult. The ball is in his court.

Grabbing a metal baseball bat, I lean my body on the wall beside the door as I wait for him to arrive. I don't need to channel Mictlantecuhtli for his adventure-- Asiel's life up in the air is enough to fuel me for incentive. My hands grip the handle as footsteps pound louder and louder with every step.

"Mika," he hums in a musical tone as he swings the door open, and I take this factor to get the upper hand, sending an assertive blow with the bat against his head. Griffin's body hits the floor with a -thud-, and I drop my bat.

Time for step two.

With his head swaying over his frame, I crouch in front of him, clanking the knife in my palm. Griffin's entire body was tied to the chair with intricate navy knots I learned from Diablo. For extra assurance, I wrapped duct tape around his body. Also, because it will hurt like a bitch when I have to rip the grim material off his skin.

He squints his eyes, groaning as he moves his head upward. I smirk, watching him fight against the resistance before realizing what he got himself sucked into. He swallows hard, surrendering his shitty fight in seconds. I don't want to have another life under my belt, but I need to sacrifice my sanity for Asiel. If my hands needed to be drenched in blood in order to save Asiel, then I'll do it in a heartbeat.

"What the fuck, Mika?" he curses, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"I'm not Mika tonight. I'm the Mictlantecuhtli."

Upon hearing my confession, Griffin's eyes widen with fear in his irises, and his skin pales. He laughs, half in disbelief and fear, fervently shaking his head. "No, no, that can't be true. What the fuck do you want with me?"

I glance at my nails. "Unfortunately, it is." Throwing my hair into a ponytail, I slip on a pair of gloves and wheel in a tray full of tools. Everything sinks in for Griffin. He thrashes around his seat in alarm.

"I-I didn't do anything!" he chokes on his sobs, hiccupping out the next words. "What do you want from me?"

I trail the knife down the slope of his jawline, causing him to tremble in dread. "Information." Gripping his cheeks tight, I drill the tip of the knife into his skin. "It's up to you whether we use these tools or not."

He screams, using all his strength to jolt upward, but barely pushes the chair. As torture, I slowly move towards Griffin, who is quaking in fear because he is in the hands of the craziest bitch in town.

"Give up. You're not getting out of there."

His breaths grow labor. "What information do you want?"

"Hmm," I purse my lips to feed into his facade of me, thinking until I catch him by surprise, roughly pulling at his hair. He trembles as I grab his hand, shaking the sleeve down to expose his tattooed flesh. "You're part of the Mictlan, aren't you?"

He cries harder. "Y-Yes."

A dark grin slithers across my lips like a Cheshire cat. "I have a couple of questions. They're simple-- straight to the point and easy to answer. After that, we're done, alright?"

Tears spill down his cheeks. "What do you want?"

"Names."

A rumble of laughter slips between my lips, and I grab a hammer from the tray, playing with it by banging the head on my palm. He turns a scary shade of white and grips the armrest like it's his lifeline.

"Who is the leader of the Mictlan?"

Griffin's eyes widen like saucers and shake his head vigorously. "N-No. I can't tell you. I can't tell you that. Anything but that. They will kill me! I swore my loyalty to the Mictlan."

A sick grin spreads over my lips as I grab his hand, splitting his fingers apart as I align the hammer with his pointer finger. "Hmm... How many fingers does a person need? You have ten, right? I think you can survive with four or five left."

"Do it then!" He grits through his teeth. "I'm dead either way. Better I go as a hero than a fucking rat."

I nod. "Fine. Makes things easier for me."

A shudder of excitement slithers through me as I slam the hammer hard down onto his pointer finger, crushing it. He sobs out, but I didn't spare him a second of peace by smashing his middle finger right after.

"Who are they? Just give me their names, and we're done here. No need to give up your life for the cause."

"No!" he shouts, sweat beading down his forehead.

"Tell me who Mictlan is." My voice raises a few octaves. "They're the mastermind of everything. Tell me who it is. Give me a name, and I'll let you go."

Griffin is a sobbing mess. "I can't! I can't!" He pleads, squeezing his eyes shut. "Please."

"Whatever," I mumble under my breath, shattering another of his finger. "This is going to be a long night for you. I'm not going to stop when all your fingers are gone. No, I'm going to go after your toes next."

Diablo always said if a person didn't speak after losing their third or fourth finger-- they won't speak at all, sacrificing their life. But it seemed that I didn't need to reach the fifth finger before he leaks like a facet, "Fine! Fine! I'll tell you! Just leave me alone, okay?"

My eyes narrow. "Go on."

"The Mictlan is---."

The name throws my brain into a mind fuck blender, scrambling all my thoughts into one chaotic drink. I turn around, trying to shield the shock in my face as I silently gasp, muffling my sound with my palm. The bloody hammer falls from my grasp, and my stomach twists in knots. It's hard to focus on anything other than my heart beating like a war drum in my chest.

"Holy fuck."

Hehehe I'm just teasing you guys at this point... but looks the Mika found out the name of the person 🤭😂😭

Do you think Griffin would lie to save his own skin? Are you guys itching for the next chapter to find out the name? Who do you think Griffin works for 👀?

Don't worry you guys will find out soon 😝❤️

Thank you for supporting me and I can't wait to read your comments ❤️💜❤️

Love ya❤️