La Reyna de León (Queen of León)

Chapter 20

We finally get to the taqueria. He told me his parents were going to be there. It was a last minute decision.
I was about to open the door before Luis stopped me.
"I need to tell you something. I told my parents that you are a business woman. And that you owned your family's fruit production company." He said.
"You didn't tell them who I really am?" I said.
"They think I help out in the fields. I wasn't going to tell them my girlfriend is a drug lord." He said.
Well that's just great. Now my life also consisted of hiding who I really am.
"Alright. Good thing you told me before hand." I said. We got out of my car and we can see his parents and siblings. Luis runs up to them and hug them. Makes me happy that at least he can hug his family. That they weren't dead. I ordered my men to stand by.
"So this is the Maria you were talking about?" His dad asked.
"Yeah. This is her." Luis said. I hug them both.
"She's very pretty." His mom said. I never considered myself pretty or anything really. We take a seat inside. My instinct was to look around me. Make sure everything was good. I take a seat next to Luis as he pull my seat out for me. We all order our food.
"So Maria, you just took up in your family's business. Do you like it?" Luis dad said.
"It's alright. Just stressful." I said.
"Well we wanted to thank you for giving Luis a job. He was desperately looking for one. Since he left school to help us pay the bills." His dad said. I didn't know Luis left school. There were somethings he didn't tell me about his past life.
"He didn't tell me he left school." I said.
"Oh I thought he did. Yeah sadly he had to. So his siblings can go to school. I always felt bad that he had to leave school" his mom said.
I could imagine having to sacrifice your future for your siblings future. I would have done it for my little brother in a heart beat. Now he doesn't have one and I do.
"Why didn't your parents come?" Asked his little sister. She seemed to only about 8 years old.
"My family died in a car crash. I stay with my uncle here." I said. I almost lost it for a minute. I had to lie about their real deaths.
"Oh I'm sorry." She said.
"No it's ok. You didn't know." I said.
"So. What you do today Fernanda?" Luis asked his sister.
"I got to go out and play with my friends. One of my friends dad died today. So she could come and play with us today." Fernanda said.
"Why? Did you guys here about it?" Luis asked his parents.
"Yeah his dad was at the Celaya Hangar. Then the León cartel took control of it. One of my colleagues told me." Luis dad said.
That's when it hit me. I killed that person. I killed all the people that were in the hangar.
"Where do you work? May I ask" I said.
"I work at the police department. I also do some work with the military. I would get paid better but the 12th street cartel is stealing money from the government." He said.
"Do you know who it was? At the hangar." I said.
"I guys it was the people that work for the León Cartel. They've haven't been causing to much trouble for years. 18 years to be exact. We thought they might have died out. Over the year they have been getting involved again. I heard they are fighting with the 12the street. Which makes it much more dangerous." He said.

I swallow really hard. Did he know who I was? I'm the motherfucking leader of the León. I was sitting in the same table as a cop.
"Do you know who the leader is?" I said.
"Last we heard his name was Pablo Mendez. Why do you ask?" He said.
I feel cold sweat all over my body. I was trying not to freak out.
"Because I don't want any trouble with them." I said.
"Well I'll make sure of that. But I think it might be someone else. Someone new." He said.
"Enough of that. We are here to enjoy our food." Said Luis. He was trying to change the subject. Good. I was about to do something I shouldn't have thought of. My instinct was to kill him. I couldn't cause it was Luis dad. But if he ever knew or found out. I don't know what I would have done. Luis gave them a fake last name. If his dad knew I was a Mendez, he would have had me arrested.

We get done and we start to walk to Luis parents house. I nodded from a distance to my men to stand by. Some we're walking around. We reach the front door of his parents house. We walk in. We sit in the living room.
"So did you just move here?" His mom asked me.
"Yeah. Shortly after my parents and brother's death." I said.
"So you live with your uncle right? On the ascienda outside town." Luis dad said.
"Yeah. My uncle bought it from someone a few years before I was born." I said.
"The person that use to live there was Pablo Mendez. The Leader of The León Cartel. Or was." He said.
"I didn't know that." I looked side eyeing Luis.
"I've been trying to find some leads as to who the new leader is. But they leave no evidence. Just the bodies of 12th street members in their own territory." He said.
He was on to us. He was following my kills as I trail along. I had to be more careful now.
"Why are you interested in this?" I asked.
"I want to restore peace and security. Both of the cartels are causing major problems for all of us." He said.
I didn't know how to react. This problem was going to go on. What do you get when unemployment is on the rise. You get crime. Even though what we were doing was bad. I was giving people job and they were getting paid better than the jobs here.

"What are you going to do if you discover the new leader?" I asked. My face was very serious at this point.
"I'm going to stop them. Both of the cartels." He said.
Yes I found this as a threat. I tried to hide my facial emotions. I guess Luis knew what I was thinking.

"Anyways how is Luis doing at his new job in the ascienda?" His dad asked.
"He's doing fine. Being a hard worker." I said.
"Really? Oh we can't thank you enough for what you helped him out for. He sends us all of his money he gets. We told him to keep a majority to himself but he won't listen." His mom said.
I smile.
I look around his house. It was small. The living room and the kitchen were connected. There were only 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. I see all the family pictures of him. It reminds me of the pictures I use to take with my family.
I snap out of my thoughts. I look at the time, it was 4:30.
"Hey I have to go. But if you wanna stay I can have someone come and pick you up later." I said.
"No it's ok. I have to go to work remember." He said with a little wink. I was confused at first but then I got it.
"Well it was nice meeting you." I said. I hug his mom and shake his dads hand. Then he pulled me closer and whispered in my ear.
"Don't think I don't know who you are." I look at him in surprise. He knew. We look at each other. Then he smiles at me. I make my way out the door and into my car. Luis was right behind me.
We get in and I tell Luis we needed to go to our spot at the beach. He drove us there as my men were behind us.
As soon as he put the car in park. I freaked out at what his dad said.

"He knows, Luis. He knows." I said.
"What are you talking about? I didn't even tell him your real name." He said.
"He whispered into my ear "don't think I don't know who you are" when he was talking about it all he looked at me very seriously." I said.
He was silent. I knew what his intentions were. His dad was after me.
"I took it as a threat." I said.
He looked at me narrowing his eyes.
I didn't want to kill his dad. But if it lead to it I would.
"I knew this was a bad idea." He said.
"One way or another he was going to find out. Everyone!" I said.
I look out at the waves. They were the one thing calming me right now.
"Well we should see what he does and we can go from there." He said.
"He didn't arrest me there because he didn't have any evidence to tie me to the murders." I said. We both sit just staring out into the horizon. Things were about to bad to a whole lot worse. I knew it was going to get bloody from here on out.