Fated to be a Mafian Queen

Fire! Fire!

“Papa? Why is the man crying despite being so strong?” 5-year old Catalina asked her father as their little family watched their favorite evening show while nestled on the comfy sofa in their living room.

“Hahaha… Mija, even the strongest men cry. Crying does not mean weakness, Mija, always remember that” Antonio answered.

“Shush you both. Let’s enjoy the show,” Lucia said upset by the distractions from father and daughter.

Antonio was the leader of the Fuego cartel, it had been passed down to him by his father which made many upset as they believed that there were more qualified people to handle the business and it should not be treated like a family heritage. However, to the surprise of everyone and with the help of his father’s bodyguard, his chief adviser and his wife, Lucia, he recorded good success within months.

Although he was affluent, he had made many enemies within months because he had stopped some of the illegal operations of the cartel and there were plots to eliminate him. His wife Lucia had been a great support in ensuring he succeeded and wielded the power given to him wisely. Within a short time, they had become a prominent couple known for their affluence and influence but were surrounded by wolves in sheep's clothing and a long list of enemies.

The night was beautiful and peaceful that no one could have imagined the horror that awaited. As they enjoyed the evening show, they heard a loud thud outside the house but did not bother to look as the house was heavily guarded by Antonio’s security detail. Many of them served his father and were willing to die for him if need be.

“Aaaargh!” a voice yelled. Antonio reduced the volume of the television and told his wife to take Catalina upstairs while he checked out what the fuss was about. Lucia carries Catalina following the instructions of Antonio who opens the drawer to get his pistol before walking towards the door to see if everything was alright.

As Antonio approached the door, the body of a member of his security detail fell in front of the door. He froze for a moment before yelling,

“Run, Lucia! Take Catalina, go. Call Miguel!”

It was a late call. The assassins had gained entrance into the house while they were enjoying the show. A huge figure emerged from the door in front of Lucia who was dialling Miguel’s number. Miguel was the closest person to Antonio, but he had taken the night off because his wife was having their baby. Catalina screamed for Antonio. He turned to see that they were trapped, as he turned to the door, he was greeted by the sharp blade of one of the assassins through his stomach.

A gasp of agony escaped his lips, he turned to Lucia who dropped to the floor with Catalina in her arms out of shock. This was happening, it wasn’t a bad dream. How did this happen? The assassins had killed Antonio’s bodyguards with a chilling precision that he knew he had a mole, but that did not matter at this point. His family was in danger and he was wounded and helpless.

The assassins dragged all three of them to the center of the living room. Lucia placed Antonio’s head on her lap crying. With life slowly leaving Antonio, he managed to raise his head and mutter, “What do you want? Who sent you?” the response to this question was a through his throat.

Lucia screamed with a mixture of pain and anger in her voice, “Cowards! Show your faces like real men!” there was no answer, they were on a mission and had no time to exchange words. Then she turns to Antonio who was lying on her leg lifeless, “Mi Amor!”

“Mama!” Catalina cried holding onto her. She kissed Catalina in a bid to keep her calm. One of the assassins dragged Catalina from Lucia’s hold, both of them screaming. Lucia tries to reach out for Catalina, “Mija!” as she yelled, an assassin sliced her throat, right before little Catalina.

“Bring the gasoline in here!” the leader of the gang said. “What about the girl? Shall we kill her?” another asked. “Let her burn, my knife is not for children,” the leader answered.

Catalina continued crying holding, pushing her parents to wake up while the assassins set the house ablaze ignoring the cries of the frightened child left behind.

Amidst the growing flames, Catalina was choking on the thick smoke, her small body wracked with coughs. Her tiny hands reaching out desperately towards her parents, her cries muffled by a combination of grief and smoke. In that instant, it felt as though her entire world was collapsing, consumed by the flames and loss.

Life was leaving her slowly but it was not time for her to go because fate had other plans for her. Javier, a passerby had seen the flame and heard her cries and against all rational thoughts of protecting himself he rushed toward the house driven by an instinct to save a life.

His heart was pounding due to the adrenaline rush surging through his veins ad he plunged into the burning house, defying fear. He coughed quite hard due to the thick smoke which made his every breath a battle, Catalina’s cry was no longer as loud, but he could hear her weak coughs which served as a guide to where she was.

As he entered the living room, through the smoke and flames, he saw Catalina lying on the ground beside her parents. He noticed she had sustained a severe burn on her arm which tugged at his heartstrings and made him even more determined to save the child’s life against all odds. He carried her in his arms while battling the fire to gain passage to safety.

As they exited the building, there was a loud explosion and neighbours who had watched helplessly rushed to help Javier and Catalina. Despite being so weak, Catalina held onto Javier firmly as though he were her father. He looked at her and felt a deep need to protect her from the traumas of the night.

“Papa, Mama…” she muttered as she pointed at the house. Javier was moved with compassion as he told her, “They are in heaven now, Mija.”

Catalina loses consciousness and Javier puts her in his car and rushes her to the hospital which was about 5 minutes away from her home. The lovely family she knew had turned to ashes, their once happy home filled with joy and happiness now lay in ruins, and the walls were charred and collapsing.

Javier looked down at a helpless Catalina as she lay on the back seat and in that moment, he made a vow to protect her and save her from the evil that took her parents. She was now his responsibility and one he would gladly take on. As they arrived at the hospital Javier steps out of the car and carries her into the hospital running.

“Help! My daughter!” Javier yelled as the nurses rushed toward him to get the child from him.

“How did this happen, Sir? She has burns” the nurse inquired.

“I don’t know. She was in her room sleeping when the fire started,” Javier said shaking, although he was lying through his teeth, he needed to protect this child and he was willing to go to any lengths.

“Wait here, Sir!” The nurse told him.

He sat in the waiting area as the doctors and nurses attended to Catalina who was lying in the emergency room helpless. Hours had passed and he had not heard a thing, he kept pacing up and down the waiting area waiting for some news from the nurse.

The nurse finally emerges through the door and informs him that she will be fine, but she needed to rest well. He looked through the door of her room and saw her sleeping peacefully. He enters the room and takes his space on the couch beside her bed where he rests for the night.