Alejandro

EIGHTEEN

***

"Are you sure you can trust these people?" Percy asked. 

I sighed and kissed her forehead, "I'll be fine, mi corazon, stop worrying about me."

She pouted, "How can I not worry? You're basically going into a war."

"I have my people with me."

"Some of them don't even agree with you. I'm not letting you go."

"Baby, I have to do this. You know this."

She rolled her eyes, "Fine, Whateva."

I pulled her into my arms and rested my chin against her head, "I'm sorry."

She sighed and wrapped her arms around me, "Ok, ok. But only if you watch Hamilton with me."

I chuckled, "Of course."

She looked up at me, "You promise you'll come back and watch it with me?"

"With all my heart."

***

When I left Percy and drove in my car on this pink Monday evening, I had an unsettling feeling at the pit of my stomach. I didn't want to leave her, I realized. At least she knew where the gun was.I should have taught her self defense, but with the way she grew up, I'm sure she knows a little bit. I taught her how to use a gun at least, but I was overprotective and worried about her. 

I had always been overprotective of Percy since the day I met her. She was sixteen at the time, so I was protecting her from girls that wanted to manipulate her. Then she told me about her childhood, and I wanted to protect her from the world. Then I got into the gang, and I wanted to protect her from me. 

But I feel like I was always drawn to Percy and I was just blind for those years. Or maybe it was the fact that I was older than her and she was way younger than me. It could be that I was closed minded and stressed and didn't know what I wanted at that time. Either way I'm so happy that I found love with her now. I should've been told her I loved her. Imma tell her as soon as I get home. I smiled just thinking about it. 

But my mind was wondering. The thoughts of something going wrong or Percy getting hurt. I really needed to chill.But I can't help but to worry about her and I can't help but to worry about myself. 

I called my family before hand just in case I wouldn't make it; but if this goes as smoothly as I planned it, then we shouldn't have any problems at all. 

I pulled up to the warehouse, my head aching and my heart not in it. I decided to put on a front when in my heart I knew I was terrified as fuck.

Some people nodded and I nodded back. My heart was so loud that I could hear it myself. I turned into the hall way and opened the door to the melancholy brown wooded long table. Some of my crew looked brave faced while Romando looked at me with hatred in his eyes. All because I didn't want to give him some dick. He really needed to get over it if we were going to get through this.

"Alright team," I spoke up, "this is the plan."

***

We pulled up at the docks in New orleans, where Luciano Hernandez wanted to meet. My crew was with me, all loaded with guns. We never really had a confrontation before; nobody would dare fuck with us. 

But we were always ready for war when we needed one. Always on edge, always prepared. Like my Papa had taught me. 

Luciano was with his crew, the Hernandezs'. The looked calm and collected compared to our tense demeanors.