32- Arriving at The Blood Devils

Editing in Progress…

Chapter 32

Quin laid on the bed, his feet dangling his feet across the edge of the bed. His arm covered his face. His breathing was slow and very steady, as though he was trying to regulate his body and body heat.

Tired.

He felt exhausted and drained of energy. The sudden announcement of the trip, followed by the plane flight, airport parking lot, and all the other hassles in between had taken their toll on him. Every little thing seemed to be stressing him out and making him even more tired.

Ding!

Suddenly, a message notification appeared on his phone screen, causing it to light up momentarily before dimming again. With a begrudging sigh, Quin lifted his tired body from the bed and made his way over to the table where he had left his phone earlier.

It was a text from Santiago. [Were you able to find the driver? Carlos told me you were looking for the driver who was supposed to wait for you guys at the airport. So did you eventually find him?]

Quin sighed and went back to bed with the phone still in hand

He stared at the message for a few seconds, contemplating whether to reply. The thought of having to deal with another task was exhausting. But he knew he couldn't leave Santiago hanging.

Feeling slightly annoyed at having been disturbed from his rest, with a deep breath, Quin typed out his response. [No we didn't, he was sent away by the Blood Devil's family, they somehow found out that we were arriving today and sent their men to come to get us. At the moment we are staying with the Blood Devils.] He hit send and tossed his phone back onto the table before collapsing back onto the bed.

His body felt heavy as if it was made of lead. He closed his eyes and focused on regulating his breathing once more.  As he lay there in silence once more, he couldn't help but wonder when this exhaustion would finally lift from him and allow him some much-needed rest.

 Despite being in a new place, he couldn't help but feel homesick. He missed the familiarity of his bed and the comfort of his routine. But he knew that this trip was important, and he couldn't let himself give up so easily.

Sleep would come soon enough, and he needed all the rest he could get before the dinner or the next day's tasks began anew.

In Mexico City

In a dimly lit basement of the Armani family estate. There were echoes of gunfire mingled around the air. As Xavier and Santiago walked down the narrow staircase that can only accommodate a single person per step.

They were hit with the usual scent of gunpowder, smoke, and drugs. The sound of muffled voices and the clinking of glasses drifted from the nearby bar, where their co-workers discuss mundane affairs of either their jobs or personal lives.

The shooting range was a sight for sour eyes Rows of polished steel booths stretched out, each one equipped with firearms and dummy targets. The ceiling was low, and the walls were thick, ensuring that the sounds of gunshots remained confined within.

They approached the bar, and a burly man with a scarred face greeted them with respect, as hierarchy demanded to be followed and respected, regardless of age.

"Hello Mikel, is Iago available today? I was looking for him the other day" Xavier asked the barman as he watched him drop the glass he was cleaning to attend to them.

"Yes, he is over there teaching the recruits" Mikel answered as he pointed towards the direction Iago was supposed to be at.

"We have recruits?" he probed, both sounding and looking surprised.

"Yes. Just a few runaways who have nowhere to go" Mikel answered with a dismissive shrug. Santiago said nothing as he sipped his juice. He had taken enough alcohol for the day. He couldn't train in a drunken state.

Santi watched the recruits, some other than him, others similar age to when he joined. Just like him, some of them didn't have that much of a choice.

"Texted him yet?" Xavier's voice cut through his thoughts like a knife in butter.

"Yeah, He said they found out they were arriving in New York and sent their men over to the airport to pick them up"

"Then?" Xavier urged on, wanting to know more about the safety of his boss and friend.

"I am guessing they are currently staying at their mansion, I don't know why he didn't reply to my next question" In turn, Santiago pulled out his phone to check if he had responded, but unfortunately it wasn't even read.

Both he and Santiago were surprised when they got to the family house and were told Joaquin and Carlos had been sent on a business trip to New York.

Naturally, it was mostly the four of them that went on those kinds of things.

He thought back to his conversation with the godfather for a reason.

"Godfather? I just wanted to know why we weren't sent along with Quin and Carlos for this trip?" Xavier asked. His tone and voice weren't rude or informal.

He was only asking a question that he deemed sensible to ask under the circumstances.

"We all know this is the first time he has ever been sent on a business trip outside Mexico City"

"Without you or us," Quin added in support of his friend

Salvador took a long drag of his smoke, inhaling just the right amount before letting it out in a huff.

"Are you questioning my decision?" the don asked, sounding stern and austere, sending a shocking dark ambiance across the room.

He was the Don, alright.

"That was never our intention, Godfather. We were only worried for him, after all, he is the next Don after you."

"As his men, it is within our right to care for his safety" Santiago was never relenting because he was Quinn's best friend and also the one closest to him.

"I see" the Godfather answered to the worried friends.

"And also" Xavier pried on "Why send Carlos" inquired question was met with a glare.

"It is training for Joaquin" he quibbled from the previous question Xavier had asked Santi's question.

"Like you stated, I won't be here every day, and what better time to start forcing his wings to spread than now?"

"Quin acts on his natural emotion" Santiago mentioned, leaning back onto the couch and taking a swig of his previously served wine.

"If he doesn't like something, he is going to be suspicious of it till no end OR until the other party gives him a reason to douse his suspicions"

"And he was already suspicious of their motive for setting up the racetracks" Xavier added in confirmation

"Yes, and sending Carlos—" Santiago trailed off, not wanting to indirectly tell his boss that he had a bad decision to send only Carlos with him, knowing how Quin gets.

Salvador grimaced at the endless questions thrown at him by the boys, "There is another reason I sent Carlos with him, and it is not for physics, or else I would have sent Santiago or Ten with him"

"Then why?"

"It is for another reason you would understand if you watch and notice Carlos's behavior" he praised on.

"As a Don of a mafia clan, it is important to know the attributes your men have that are advantageous for you and your clan. This is what I always tell Quin, as he also suggested it would be the best if he takes you" He explained, while pointing at Santi.

"So Carlos has some attribute that is a preferential attribute for this trip," Xavier asked As Salvador shifted his attention to him.

"Yes"

"Which is?"

"I will tell you the same thing I told Quin, which is to find out for yourself. Is he not your friend? If you are alert and wide-eyed, you would notice it without me telling you"

The boys kept quiet as they watched their boss limp with his walking stick to stand by the window.

"Besides, neither of you two speaks English. Therefore it is a given that you wouldn't have gone in the first place"

"Carlos speaks English?" Xavier asked, not hiding his surprise.

Nodding positively, Salvador answered, "Fluently"

"Well, I know knew Quin spoke English because of his background, but not Carlos" Santi stated.

"And I also didn't send Quin over there to fight or intimidate them, or even to get an advantage on the race." He paused for a moment before turning to them again.

"Have you done your research on the Blood Devils?" He queried the boys, who shook their heads negatively.

"Go do the research you did see some similar and opposite traits between Quin and their Don"

When the two boys didn't say nor add anything more, Salvador dismissed them "You may leave, if that's all"

"Yes boss"

🌟

Pulling off the eye protection goggles from his face, Santiago slowly began pulling off other safety gear from his body.

"Done yet?" Xavier asked, watching Santi take off his protection.

"Yeah, about to join me in punching some bags"

*EDITED*