MARKED BY LEGACY

Chapter 2

What decision did he settle for? None of them. His captors had expected a fight, based on all they knew about the Crofts, yet he sat there on the stool by the bed, so relaxedly. Even though the numbers were against him, he decided to either go down like a man or hear them out. It didn't take him too long to find out that they kept him alive because they had to tell him something and bandaged him because they needed him.

Dad was a bold man, an attribute the man who looked like the leader of his captors noted.

"You are either really crazy or really powerful."

He said.

"So tell me which it is."

He added.

Regardless, Dad stayed silent. His silence annoyed a guard, who took a gun and rushed to him, pointing it at him, demanding David show their leader the respect he deserved. Ah, it was then he could tell where he was, at the Diablo Mafia's turf, before their leader, Baron El Dominique Diablo. Dad wasn't one to bow to anyone, but finally recognizing this man made him bow, much to the surprise of everyone present.

The Baron wasn't expecting him to submit so easily, but because he did, he sat down with Dad.

"You were much smaller back then."

He declared with a stern look on his face, but Dad refused to look up.

To get him to look up, he said,

"If we are going to have a conversation young man, look me in the eye."

When Dad looked up, he took a deep breath before telling him everything from the start. From the part where he knew my great-grandfather, Darnell Croft and worked with my Grandfather, Damian at a point. He even explained why the Diablo Mafia and Snake Eye never had any clashes, blaming it on a treaty they made when the original Snake Eye split and he left to establish the Diablo Mafia.

As he spoke, Dad listened attentively, saying nothing at all, something everyone present noticed. They all knew that although the Big Man had given a lad a history lesson, he hadn't told him why he was at their base. They believed Diablo wasn't going to spill, only for him to get up, amidst their conversation.

"Come with me kid, let's go for a walk."

He ordered and Dad obeyed.

Unlike Granddaddy, Diablo wasn't light-skinned, he looked Mexican, with curly long hair that rested on his shoulders and a scar on his left brown eye. He moved like death itself and was known by many names, but the one he liked the most was El Negra Homocida, Black Death. Watching this man during their walk, he knew that his old man was older than him and stood no chance against the legend.

"You observe me like a hawk, still you say nothing, David?"

The Baron asked.

"I felt we would have a conversation; maybe about the seed you planted in the womb of one of my own?"

He added and finally got a reaction from Dad.

Yes! I'm about to come into this story, finally! But the world I'm going to meet, was about to be decided.

All Dad wanted was to keep me safe and he felt that was what led to him losing Quin, but the Baron had a different tale to tell.

"You see, we had an agreement, Snake Eye stayed out of Diablo's business and the Diablos stayed out of Snake Eye's business. But someone had to break the code and fish in waters that weren't his own." He declared in a serious tone.

"So you're saying Quin died because I fell in love with a girl from the wrong part of town?" Dad asked, with next to no emotion, to hide how hurt and guilty he felt.

Their walk had led them to the rooftop balcony, with a view that was second to none. Then the Baron rested on the balcony, observing the view, before he replied to my dad.

"Wow... For a man as smart as you, I never foresaw you looking at the little picture."

Was his reply, opening Dad's eyes to the realization that he wasn't here because he made a mistake, he was here because someone else did. Now the big question was,

"Who could it be?"

"I see why Diana fell in love with you, you don't talk much, you are a man of mystery." He pointed out.

"But sometimes it's best to say your mind, young blood."

Somehow, his words managed to get to David, prompting him to ask the question he really needed an answer to,

"Who brought this upon me?"

"It was the Yellow fox." He replied.

"After all, the man calls himself a fox." He added.

"Why would he?"

"What did he do?"

"Isn't he supposed to be my father's right-hand man?"

These and many other questions flooded Dad's mind, yet he could answer none of them. So The Baron did it for him.

"The man got greedy..." He started.

"He tried to cut a deal with us to get your father out of the picture and since we disagreed, he sent Quin to burn down some of our businesses. It was a foolish mistake he made and Quin didn't know what he had gotten himself into."

Suddenly, he paused and turned to Dad, staring at him like he expected him to understand everything by now; he did.

"You're saying you killed Quin because you had to and the Yellow Fox did what he did so you'd retaliate and the next Mafia War would ensue?" Dad guessed.

"But haven't you played into his hand by killing Quin?"

"No, I haven't." The Baron responded.

"You see, the accident you were involved in, doesn't lead back to me or my organization in any way, meaning your man, the Fox, would have to find another way to start the war."

For someone who didn't want a war, Baron Dominique sure sounded like he was getting ready for it. To Dad, that meant only one thing, he was keeping him alive to be one of his soldiers.

"What makes you feel I'll betray Snake Eye?"

Dad asked the Baron, who smiled at him, standing upright to answer his question.

"I'm not asking you to betray Snake Eye, I'm asking you to save your father; to save the Croft Dynasty."

"I'm also offering you a chance to save your lady and her unborn child."

This was what he used to conclude his speech on how he managed to convince my dad to switch sides.

What can I say? Every Croft is cursed to choose family, instead of their needs. A little detail I didn't know on time.

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"Lisa!! Lisa!!"

Aunt Becky yelled to me.

I know you're probably wondering why I brought myself into this story so soon, but it's my story, I'm late for school and I promise I'll come back to the other details later on.

So, let's talk about me. My name is Lisa Croft, the only child of David and Diana Croft and heir to what's left of the Croft Dynasty. I was forced to leave my mom when the Third Mafia War broke out, to come to Tulum, Mexico, where she felt it'd be safe for me.

I haven't heard from her since I got here, but I'm sure she's doing alright. At the moment, I'm crashing with my lovely aunt, an old lady who used to live on her own, until I waltzed into her life.

Anyway, I'm in my final year in high school, living my best life, with an amazing boyfriend named Jeff and a chill group of friends, who love me. Everything is perfect, sadly it'll all come to an end sooner than I expect, and I'm going to forget about all this joy and happiness I'm experiencing at the moment.

I'm about to find out that the choices my grandfather made are going to come back to haunt me, like literally come back to haunt me.