10 years ago...

"Liam," he said pointing at me with the gun he held with his right hand. "Where is it?"

"Safe," I said scared, but without letting my voice shake, holding my ground in a desperate attempt to make everything okay.

He was my old roommate in college, his name was Víctor López. When we were roommates, Victor used to spend his free hours using marijuana when he wasn't sneaking into other people's rooms to steal their valuables, which he then pawned for money. By the time we graduated, he had already raised over a million dollars pawning these items. He hid them in a place known only to him and me.

Later I found out that that money was going to be used for drugs, a lifetime contract with the mafia that would eventually lead to my brother's death. I knew that I had to stop him, it was a terrible mistake that would take his life, so I hid the money in a place that he did not know. And so I volunteerly involved myself on something I didn't completely understand.

I took the money to a small and hidden cave near the river where we went every Sunday, my family and I. That cave was only known to my family, especially my daughter since she hid there when we played hide and seek .

Victor had always been easy going, he had always yearned for attention from the worst people he could find. I believe that's how he got involved with the mafia, or maybe they contacted him when they knew how much money he did have in his hands. At first I thought this was just a college phase, what I didn't expect was that after college he had continued to use this drug and things had gotten worse. I blamed myself for not interfering before, maybe I could have helped him go down the right path.

"Liam, I owe a hundred thousand dollars for drugs that have already been delivered, I need the money," he said with bloodshot eyes, looking at me anxiously.

" I'm not going to give them to you ... " I said in a fit of fury because he had turned to the mafia before me, to his best friend who would have helped him even in worse cases that this.

"Oh, Liam..." He started with a calmer voice that gave me shudders as he caressed his gun just the same as I caressed my baby when she was three months old. "I thought we were friends"

"And we are!" I assured carefully as he turned around with a sudden move. The heartbeat that wouldn't stop pounding on my head suddenly turn out as a storm when I heard the gunshot.

When I opened my eyes I was in the bloody floor, holding my leg trying to stop the hemorrhage with my jaw clenched, holding back the screams that echoed in my confused mind, cursing him. Cursing myself for agreeing to see him, hoping that we could talk it over.

And then I felt betrayed, I realised that he had betrayed our friendship. Víctor wasn't my Víctor anymore. He was a different person.

"Skye..." I whispered softly, closing my eyes. If I was to die here, at least it would be remembering my daughter's smile.

"Who..." He said in a murmur. Even though I couldn't see him, I knew his gun was still pointing at me and I immediately regretted saying it, I had made myself expendable at the time and had put Skye in danger. "Your daughter?" My eyes were open wide with horror, such a terrible and simple mistake.

"No..." I tried desperately to deny it, trying to crawl across the ground to get his attention, leaving a trail of blood around me, along the dirty alley.

"How interesting ..." He said outlining a crooked smile like his mind as he turned me as white as paper.

"Don't hurt her, she's just a little girl..." I pleaded with a small voice, terrified of what could happen to my baby girl.

"You know? I never imagined you as a father." He said taking the secure out of the gun.

I didn't dare to say one more word, I just closed my eyes and focused on the same smile that made me see everyday as a bless, I clearly saw her blue piercing eyes and her short black hair dancing around as she ran away from me while we played tag in the park near our house.

" Such a shame, I'll have to pay your daughter a visit" I was about to yell at him not to do it, to tell him where the money was hidden, when he pulled the trigger and everything faded into a scary deep, deep silence.