Chapter 13: Al Silencio

Rene is lying on her stomach on her bed and flipping through the Instagram tape. Maru, her only friend, sits next to her. Rene became close with Maru this year after the girls were put together as groupmates for a school project. Maru's father is a distant relative of Chan and runs a building supplies store two blocks away. Inna hangs out with Maru's mum, and their house is the only one in the area where Rene is allowed to spend the night. It's true, not a single night was successful because Axel, unlike their parents, mentioning the lack of security at their house, did not allow Rene.

This was the first time they had a fight. Axel drove over to Maru's in the middle of the night, slung an angry Rene over his shoulder, and took her home.

"It's from Grandpa too?" Maru delightedly examines Rene's cardigan lying on the chair. Rene nods without looking up. "Damn, how many gifts does he buy for you? I'm even jealous!" Maru mutters. Rene smiles.

"Why does he never come home when I'm here?" Maru whines, looking out the window at the sound of every passing car.

"Maybe you should stop sticking to my man," Rene pokes jokingly.

"I prefer to think he's your brother," Maru corrects her bangs.

"He's my man. I'll scratch out your eyes," Rene hisses.

"It would be better if you do that to the people he sleeps with," Maru chuckles.

"Do you know something?" Rene tosses her phone aside.

"Well, in uncle's pub, he sat with a woman on his lap and left with her."

"I'll kill him," Rene slides to the floor in frustration. "And I need to grow up quickly."

***

Rene, seeing Axel's SUV parked in the courtyard from the window, walks down to dinner with tinted eyes. Inna immediately sends her back to wash the makeup off. Axel, saying that he needs cigarettes, slips into the bathroom after Rene.

"You're the most beautiful woman in the universe anyway," Axel slides the door shut behind him.

"So that's the reason you do out with others." Bending over the sink, Rene wipes the pencil from her eyes with a cotton swab.

"I don't go out with anyone," Axel replies.

"I can't even say hello to the other men while you have women sitting on your lap," Rene turns to him and turns her head to the side as Axel bends down to her lips.

"These are old acquaintances; our evening ended there," Axel doesn't pull away.

"You didn't leave alone." Rene's neck went stiff, but if she turns around, Axel will kiss her. She feels his hot breath on her cheek but doesn't give up.

"Where did you get your spies?"

"You answer first."

"Yes, the evening was over in my car," Axel says and pulls her by the waist.

"Go and kiss her," Rene tries to get out, but Axel wraps his fingers around her chin and kisses her hungrily for a long time. Rene clings to his shoulders, rubs against the muscles tightened in a gray T-shirt feeling like her toes are not touching the round anymore.

"Okay, no more women, I promise," Axel whispers against her lips. "I will find another way to distract."

"How?"

"By killing."

"Hey!" Rene frowns.

"Just kidding!"

He is not joking.

***

On Sunday night, Chan's boys come back with some merchandise. Axel, Aken, Leo, and Dev listen to the beasts' tales while drinking beer.

"And then I realized that hell had opened its gates," 20-year-old Rico, who has been in the gang for five years, excitedly tells about the collision. Rico was brought into the cartel by Leo, who enlisted him. The ginger kid, nicknamed "the siren" for not speaking quietly, quickly won the men's trust. "After the start of the firefight, we already fired anywhere; there was no time to aim."

Leo slaps him on the shoulder and treats him to beer again. After drinking several glasses of draft beer, the guys go home.

The day goes by busy as always. Axel doesn't have time to run to school and sends his guys out for Rene. In the evening, after meeting Chan, Axel decides to stop by for a couple of minutes and, after seeing Rene, go to Aken's.

Driving down the street in his car, the man notices children swarming around the trash can and stops the vehicle. The boys immediately run to the man and, pointing to the tank, vying with each other, tell about the terrible find. Axel sends the kids away and walks over to the tank to look inside. It takes him a couple of seconds to recognize the one whose hand is lying at the bottom of the tank by the tattoos. He takes the ringing mobile from his pocket and answers the call.

"Aken ..." Axel starts.

"His head is in the park by the pub," Aken doesn't let him finish.

"Don't do anything. Tell me where you are, and I'll come."

"I'm on my way to Chan's," Axel drops the call and, emptying the bag full of potato peels, takes the hand.

Axel visits Chan at the same time as Aken. The elder does not try to stop him and follows him into the courtyard of the mansion. For a couple of minutes, the guys stomp at the door while the boss allows them to enter.

"What's the matter? We recently parted," straightening the hem of his robe, Chan sinks into his chair. Do sits in the next chair and looks at his son with a frown.

"In this." Axel tosses a bag onto the table in front of him, a hand sticking out. The man's guard leans forward, but Chan stops them with a glance and grimaces at hand.

"I have a daughter here. Don't you dare to trudge into my house with such a burden anymore!" The head of the cartel says through clenched teeth.

"I don't care who you have here; it's the hand of my man, my friend. Parts of his body are scattered throughout the city. Do you have something to tell us?" Axel growls, the Spirit ready to rip and toss, despite the Spirits of the six men showing fangs against him.

"You know, in theory, I should order you, like a puppy, to be thrown out of my house. I am not obliged to report anything to you, but you are now very upset, and I understand your feelings," Chan lights up a cigar. "You've lost a friend. I lost my man. Do you think I did it?"

"I think that you are not able to protect your people. That your security system is so lame that someone can chop your man to pieces in broad daylight, who came back with some merchandise yesterday. And now you sit and sip whiskey here." Axel can feel Aken trying to calm him down.

"Axel!" Do interjects. "Behave yourself."

"I'm not talking to you, father," the man does not even look at him. "How many more of my guys have to die for you to take action?" he turns to Chan.

"I'm warning you one last time," Chan turns purple. "These are my guys! And you are mine! I am the one who gives you bread, and you must obey me. "

"And the one who lets me be hacked to pieces," Axel says calmly, feeling that even Chan's security is on his side in this matter.

"I understand your feelings, but I promise I will find those who did it," Chan says more quietly.

"You better do it," Aken grabs the bag. The guys head out.

"Did Leo call? I'm afraid for him." Aken walks to his car and freezes halfway, staring at the fiery glow in the distance.

"What the fuck?" Axel sniffs and sees Chan running out onto the street.

"The laboratory is on fire!" Chan shouts and orders his men to move out. One by one, the cartel vehicles leave the courtyard of the mansion.

"Leo is a fucking madman," Aken spits as the two SUVs pull out after Chan's motorcade.

On the site of the laboratory, there are only walls, over which thick black smoke rises. All the goods prepared for sale burned down. Chan tears up. People have been sent to all borders, and a survey of those living nearby is being conducted. Aken continues to call Leo, but his phone is off. Realizing that there is nothing more to do here, the men leave Dev to monitor the situation while they go to Leo. Driving past the cemetery, they spot Leo's Mercedes by the road. The guys immediately go to the lone figure in the middle of the cemetery. Leo unresponsively digs a grave in the light of the burning candles nearby.

"Leo," Axel comes closer, but the man doesn't answer, sticks the shovel into the ground, and deepens the hole. "Leo," Axel repeats, and without getting a reaction, he forcefully takes the shovel away and continues digging himself. Leo sinks onto the rocks behind him and lifts a cigarette to his lips with trembling fingers.

"Have you brought the head and hand?" Leo puffs, and Aken nods. Lee clears his throat, "I found the rest, spread it all over the area."

"Let's bury. In the morning, I'll order a sign: "Rico Sirena Diles, twenty years old. Great friend, great man, father of unborn children.""

Axel tosses the shovel aside and, sitting next to his friends, lights a cigarette too.

"You saw him off with fireworks," Aken grins.

"Yeah," Leo nods, "but it didn't get any better."

"Why didn't you wait for us?" Axel asks.

"I cannot do that. I saw a hand, that's all. Talking, discussing, looking for someone to blame, I don't know those things," Leo speaks with bitterness and hits himself on the chest. "It hurts here as if I swallowed a hedgehog. I can't stand it!" He frowns, coping with another wave of pain. "I brought him to the cartel. I was responsible for him. Yesterday he was so happy, and then they chopped him down. I also want to chop down those who did it, but I can't yet."

"It is Chan," Axel says quietly. "Aken's people have confirmed. Let him take up the remains of his goods for now; this will hurt him more than if the whole cartel was chopped. He loves money more than people."

"Found two corpses at the site of the arson," Aken gets to his feet and walks toward the bags.

"Land them ashes," Leo says calmly. "I asked them to run, but they chose to die for Chan."

"We'll spend the night at your place," Axel helps Leo. "I'm cramped, and you're not ten years old." After making sure all body parts are in the grave, Leo begins to fill it with the earth.

"Let's lie on the floor like the good old days," Axel smiles, lighting an extinguished candle.

"And if they come? Leo pauses. "How about brothers?"

"You are our brother too."

"The Mad is my hero," Dev stumbles to the grave and, only thanks to Aken, who catches him, does not fall face down in the not yet buried grave.

"Shut up, little one," Axel hisses.

"Give me more. How is it there?"

"They think it's yesterday's revenge," Dev tries to catch his breath.

The guys come to Lea, soiled in earth and ash. The woman takes them one by one to the bathroom, giving out towels, and then sits in the kitchen and silently drinks mint tea. Lea, along with Dev, places candles on the doorstep and sets them on fire so that Rico's soul can find its way to them and spend the last night with his friends.

"Mum, I'm sorry, I couldn't do otherwise," Leo lies on the couch with his head in his mother's lap.

"You did everything right," Lea kisses him on the forehead.

* The title of the chapter is "Silence." (Spanish: Al Silencio.)