CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
Nina's body felt heavy as she tossed and turned where she laid. There was a weight on her yet where she laid was surprisingly comfortable. And as her eyes began to open she noticed that she was in a bedroom, it wasn't hers or Oscars. For a moment she was in daze looking at the lavish and intricate design of the bedroom from its bed design to its big and tall curtains.
This room seemed fit for a princess.
All the memories suddenly kept flashing back in her head. Riding with her tía to 19th Street. Oscar walking into the house. Getting bagged and bounded. Possibly getting injected by a tranquilizer. Oscar. Now all she could think about was Oscar.
She forced herself to get up disregarding the soreness and heaviness of her body. She flips the blanket over her only to see that she was chained by the ankle to the foot of the bed. For a second she thought about lifting the bed and just slipping out but the bed seemed to massive for her to carry it. Instead she simply got up and tried walking to the door only for the chain to hold her back being five more feet away from the door.
"Oh for fucks sake," Nina cursed looking back that the chain. She tried making it over to the window but she still fell short. Her eyes wandered over the room to see a camera posted on each of its corners. Despite the nice room she was given she knew she was in a prison.
"Hello?!" She yelled looking at the cameras and the door. "Tu pinches hijos de putas!" She yelled once more as she felt her heart continue to race. If she was here, where was Oscar? She had to get to Oscar. She needed to know if they kept him alive. He needed to be alive.
Nina thought to herself for a moment going over the room. No doubt it seemed familiar and with how the light shone from the cracks of the curtain, the glimmering shown itself on the floor and bed. In that moment she knew exactly where she was. If one thing was for sure, Stacey was dumb for giving Nina a house tour.
Her eyes continued to wander the room until she saw the clock on the wall on the opposite side of the room. It was seven in the morning. She had been knocked out since yesterday and it caused her to panic more. But she could only think of how she was going to get out of here. Only then she could make it a mission to find Oscar. If he was still alive.
He had to be alive. He needs to be alive. The mere thought of him getting killed by those bitches from 19th Street made her blood boil. They try anything with her and she might as well actually live up to the name of Lady Spooky now. They wanted to put her into this situation then might as well give it her all.
"Beunos días, princesa!" The doors opened to reveal Cuchillos accompanied by Captain Cortez. Good to know who her bitch was. "I hope you don't mind that I brought you breakfast," she smiled holding up a tray filled with food and a glass of orange juice.
"I brought you vitamins. I may have given you a strong dose of tranquilizer for you to wake up the next day," she continued to walk forward. Nina's eyes burned as she only saw red, this puta was supposed to be dead. As Cuchillos walked toward her Nina lunged forward in anger only to be brought down by the chain.
"Ay, Nina," Cuchillos clicked her tongue. "I was only trying to be a good host but you've already made me forced my hand," she added with a frown.
"You come near me and I kill you!" Nina spat at her. But Cuchillos only laughed and clicked her tongue once more.
"Mija, when did you get so violent? That's so unlike you," Cuchillos taunted her even more with the shake of her head but that smile she wore on her face fell when she turned to Cortez. In one nod, Cortez pulled out a baton with a stunning taser at the end sending Nina to take a step back.
With each zap and crackle of electricity on the stick, Nina's heart jumped and goosebumps appeared on her skin. Cortez was much taller and stronger than her and definitely more experienced. She could try to disarm him but if she didn't move fast that could end in her receiving how many volts of electricity.
"Honestly, who's dumb idea was it to chain her ankle but leave her hands free? You all saw what she did to Cristopher and Richard," Cuchillos commented as Cortez stalked slowly towards Nina, scaring her with each zap of the taser.
"Cortez please. My parents trusted you," Nina pleaded until her body had hit the edge of the bed.
"No hard feelings, Nina. Now you could cooperate with Cuchillos and I won't have to hurt you," Cortez said calmly as he continued to walk toward her.
In that moment Nina's brain just went off as she eyed the weapon. She tried grabbing it as fast as she could but Cortez had grabbed her wrist and twisted it. He pinned her arm behind her back causing a pain to rise on her arm and shoulder. Before Nina could do anything else, Cortez tased her by the scar on her rib.
Nina yelled out in pain as she closed her eyes shut feeling the electricity go through her body. She had barely even noticed that the moment of pain was done as her body kept tingly in the worst way possible. Her chest heaved trying to catch her breath as Cortez still had her in a lock.
"You fucking piece of shit!" she hissed.
Cortez threw her to floor and stunned her several times on her back. As she yelled out each time, her body convulsed feeling in shock send an excruciating pain through her body. Tears started pooling in her eyes as the pain felt unbearable. Her body was still so sore from that tranquilizer and all this was going to make her worse.
"Open your mouth again and we'll see what happens!" Cortez yelled at her. Nina wanted to cry, it all hurt so much. It all felt too much. But she had to suck that all in, any sign of weakness and they could easily take advantage at her.
All that happened and Cuchillos just looked down at her niece. The sight before her just seemed pathetic. Nina looked limp on the floor it was like her inside was shaking like everything was tingling. Even though her body wasn't numb yet, she felt her wrists being grabbed and bounded by handcuffs behind her. Cortez grabbed her by her arms and forced her to stand up until he forced her to sit on the bed.
"Gracias capitán Cortez," Cuchillos nodded with a small smile and walked towards Nina and placed the the tray in between them. She gathered the food on spoon and brought it up to Nina's face. "Eat," she ordered but Nina just looked at her with a hard expression.
"Eat," Cuchillos repeated but this time Nina looked at the food. Cuchillos rolled her eyes thinking that her niece was speculative if it was poisoned. With that she took a bite of the food and smiled at her sarcastically. "I made it myself," she added taking another spoonful and bringing it up to her mouth.
Nina glared at her and the food before her. With that she opened her mouth and Cuchillos began to feed her. Nina felt absolutely disgusted with what she was doing to her. She was chained down, tased, and was being spoon fed. She felt like an animal in a fucking zoo.
Cuchillos smiled a little as she continued to feed Nina. This bitch was fucking crazy. "I wonder what it was always like to have a daughter," she said as she wiped the corner of Nina's mouth.
"I'd pity the girl who'd have you as their mother. I'd pity anyone who'd have you as their mother," Nina said lowly at her and all Cuchillos did was laugh at her.
"You know nothing about me, Nina," Cuchillos smiled evilly at her as she forced the spoon up Nina's mouth making her nearly choke. No doubt this woman knew how to kill a person with a spoon. Death by spoon doesn't sound so noble now does it?
"And yet just looking at you... I don't think I've ever wanted to kill a person so badly," Nina taunted her even more while she was continued being fed. This all seemed so sick, Nina just wanted to bust out of here and find Oscar.
"You don't have the strength to do that," Cuchillos pointed out looking at her in the eyes. She really did have Ricky's eyes, she thought. Which only made this entire situation much more exciting for Cuchillos. Revenge really was sweet.
"Well, with the turn of events lately how about you uncuff me and we could test that out. Shall we, tía?" Nina said once more and Cuchillos had dropped everything and quickly grabbed the knife from the trya and pointed it to her stomach.
"I'd like to see you try, princesa. I really do like to see you try," Cuchillos said through grit teeth as she grabbed Nina's neck and squeezed it a little. "I have to admit that I'm treating you like some animal right now so don't make me over to do it by putting a fucking muzzle over your mouth. You got it?"
As Nina couldn't speak Cuchillos only tightened her hand and with that Nina nodded and Cuchillos had finally released her sending Nina gasping for air. "Good," was all she said as she went back to feeding Nina.
You fucking crazy ass puta.
"So how does it taste?" Cuchillos asked smiling. She looked so scary up close. No way in hell was this my mother's sister. Nina just nodded and Cuchillos smiled even more actually feeling proud of herself. "I'm sorry for bagging and knocking you out like that. If I had done anything else you wouldn't have come here."
Yea, and doing just that was the best way to do it. "Why am I here? Why are you doing this?" Nina asked softly in between her eating.
"Well you are my niece which only means that you do deserve the luxury don't you?" Cuchillos said gesturing to the room they were in. "If you took my offer years ago, you and your sister could've been living with me this entire time. All of this could've been yours much sooner," she mused Nina.
"Then what's with all this?" Nina asked carefully once more referring to her being in chains and the fact that she was tased by one of her past father figures. Who for the record was still standing by the door just guarding the two as they spoke.
"To make sure you know your place," Cuchillos replied smoothly causing Nina to scoff.
"I thought I was supposed to be special because I was your niece. The princesa of the Santos," Nina pointed out once more and this time it was Cuchillos turn to scoff.
"And yet you try to defy me by plotting against me along with one of my best men," Cuchillos smirked. "Well used to be one of my best men anyway," she added and Nina felt her blood boiling again. She could try kicking Cuchillos with her free leg but that would be at the expense of getting tased and choked again.
If Nina was going to hurt and kill this bitch she wanted to do it with full force.
"What did you do to him? Where is Oscar?" Nina growled at her as Cuchillos started eating the remains herself and drinking the orange juice she had gotten for Nina. Dumb bitch couldn't cook her own goodamn food?
"Spooky doesn't concern you anymore, mija," Cuchillos gulped setting the orange juice back down. "If you wanna rise to power as a Santo, you gotta learn that no man could hold you back. Don't tie yourself down like that, especially to just some cholo lookin' to get laid," she insulted and Nina balled her fists even more.
"Rise to power but be your lap dog forever? Last time I check you already had a bitch and he's standing at the door right now," Nina barked back and Cortez marched in instantly bringing out the baton once more.
"You wanna try saying that again, pendeja?" Cortez threatened her once more but Nina was to mad right now to care about all the zapping sounds from the taser.
"Tell me Cortez, you top or bottom?" Nina taunted even more. Cortez was fuming as he marched up to Nina and slapped her across the face. His hand was heavy as hell as Nina's face was stinging so much but she decide to fuck with him even more. "You even hit like a bitch," she whispered and Cortez raised his hand again.
"Cortez that's enough!" Cuchillos yelled before he could go any further. "Nina, didn't Carmen ever teach you some manners with your mouth? Talking back like that to a superior officer," she clicked her tongue once more as she stood up.
Cuchillos had to admit, if Nina talked back to her she would not hesitate on messing her up but her talking shit about someone else was amusing to her. Nina knew how to put up a fight and that made her so much like a Santo. "Drink," she ordered Nina once more showing her pills and handing her a glass of water.
Again, Nina looked at the pills speculatively and Cuchillos rolled her eyes. "They're just vitamins. They're generic," she said before forcing the pills into Nina's mouth and nearly drowning her mouth with water. Nina ended up choking as her tía pulled away.
"I'll be back later to check on you," Cuchillos said grabbing the tray and walking away. Cortez gave her one last look before following his boss to the door. Fucking bitch he really was. When they closed and locked the door behind them Nina let out a scream.
"FUCK YOU! FUCK! YOU!" She screamed at the door feeling tears finally fall from her eyes. She didn't know what the hell just happened but she was put to shame just for the likes of it. She couldn't afford to lose her shit. She didn't know what the hell just happened or what that meant for Oscar but she had to plan her escape now.
-
Cuchillos didn't come back until later that evening. Nina spent the day trying to figure things out but with her hands tied behind her back she couldn't really do much. Hell, she needed to yell out that she needed to pee and two men had to escort her to the bathroom. They had forced her to pee with the door open just so they knew that she wouldn't try anything. She was disgusted.
The room made no difference to her being treated like an animal.
A day passes and Nina was already going out of her mind. No one would talk to her. Hammel walked on some occasions to feed her. She'd ask about Oscar but he would shut her up by flicking her own food in her face.
Cortez would come in to check on her and she would make a snarky comment about how he would literally cower before Cuchillos feet. In the end she'd get hurt. Cuchillos made sure that Nina would submit to her so Cortez would just come into the room and hurt her. Nina did her best not to cry but all the pain would just come out the moment he left the room.
She would lay in bed and stare at the clock but there were certain things that she had to figure out in order for her to get out of here but most of the time she was alone and could barely move away from her bed. For all she knew the only thing keeping her company were the people outside her door and the people who watched her the other side of those cameras in her room.
Her mind would go back and forth between several things. First she would wonder where her crazy ass stupid head of a tía was keeping Oscar and what the hell they were doing with him. Second was Cuchillos plan and how everything lead up to this moment.
Knowing how sinister this woman was, she could've been planning this for a long time now. Cuchillos would make sure that she would always come out on top, regardless if blood was spilled. And considering that her grievance went back to her own sister and ex lover, this must have been a long time plan. And Nina had probably pieced everything together to a T.
"I made you dinner, mija!" Cuchillos barged in once again carrying a tray. This time it was just her while two of her men stayed by the door. "Cortez, couldn't come this time around. He had business to attend to in his precinct. But you'll see him tomorrow don't worry," she said sitting down next to her again.
"I hope you didn't get too hungry while I was gone," Cuchillos said slicing into the food she made for Nina. "Spooky was right, 19th Street is relentless but either way I got what I wanted from them anyway," she placed the food up to Nina's mouth.
Nina just ate in defeat. 19th Street. They were the last to handle Oscar. When Nina would get out of here no doubt she was going to make Los Santos mess those little pussy ass bitches too.
She felt so angry it was unlike her. She was a different person with all of this anger. Like that time when she wanted to end Marcus' life so bad. Even in that moment she could only think of Oscar. She prayed to God that he was still alive.
"Good?" Cuchillos smiled once again and Nina just nodded.
I hated this. I hated her. This had to end.
"I figured it out," Nina found herself saying.
"Your escape plan?" Cuchillos smirked and Nina only shook her head.
"Your plan," Nina corrected and Cuchillos just smiled.
"Enlighten me then," Cuchillos placed the utensils back on the tray. A smirk rested on her lips as her eyes scanned her niece. Despite looking so run-down, her eyes seemed unfazed. Being in this room for hours and hours and given her mind, no doubt that she was crazy focused at this point. Needless to say, whatever came out of her niece's mouth, Cuchillos was intrigued.
"Mom didn't insist on getting out of Freeridge because she wanted to get away from the hood life and/or Los Santos. She did it because she wanted to get away from you," Nina began and Cuchillos just smiled at her.
"In love with Ricky or not she knew your head didn't sit right, which is an understatement," she scoffed at the latter but Cuchillos remained unfazed. "She knew that if she stayed she'd someway somehow just end up like me right now. So the moment she left she did everything she could to cut you out of her life. The Santos included."
"Then there was Ricky, who had fallen in love with Macey. Macey and Ricky hooked up but they knew if you found out you'd just kill them," when Nina had said that Cuchillos' facial expression changed. "One of the reason why Ricky knew where my mom was in New York was because he helped her get to where she was."
"But even there they knew they were still in danger because of you," Nina continued. "Because even though you didn't know about the affair, which I could tell by your expression, you just wanted to kill them both for the sake of power. Because of that, Ricky dipped again and my mom had to get married to Arturo for safety."
"When Arturo died you somehow find out, I'm assuming through Cortez, and then you take the opportunity to get my family back into Freerdige. You and Cortez orchestrate mom's transfer to the precinct in Freeridge which brings me and my sister here along with," Nina took a breath for a moment.
"All that training pushed on by mother was to protect me and my sister from you. We were taught how to shoot and fight back to protect ourselves from you," she said through grit teeth. At one point in Nina's life growing up she really did wonder if all these mixed martial arts and defense classes were necessary. If all these trips going paintballing or to the gun range had some weird agenda.
There came a time where the protection-card sounded like bullshit to her. Hundreds among thousands of cops and officers had kids but she figured none of them really went through the same kind of training and intensity of which the same way she and Victoria did.
"Even though we move here my mom insists that I still push through with my scholarship to MIT. She'd even denied a chance to come home so soon. My sister was pregnant under the most gruesome circumstances I could've done something to come home sooner but she refused. I guess that was covered with my sister refusing that as well."
"So Cuchillos thought that things were going so smoothly until she missed out on one of the heirs that was somewhere guarded in Cambridge, Massachusetts" she spat. "So what does she do? She uses one of her huge ass cars that you use all the time to ram into my mother squad car going at what had to be a hundred miles an hour."
Nina looked at Cuchillos in the eye for the first time since she started explaining. "You didn't care who didn't make it in the accident as long as my mother didn't make it, right?"
The glimmer in her eyes and the smirk plastered on her face. By facial tells alone confirming the crime Cuchillos had committed against her own flesh and blood, it left a bitter and disgusting feeling in Nina's stomach. This sick twisted bitch.
"With that you try to bribe me into coming with you but me being stubborn as ever I refuse all these years. When you heard about me getting roughed up by the Prophet$ you just had to swoop in and make an offer I just couldn't refuse. After that you bring me here try to gain my trust, force me to jump into the gang, maybe in the hopes of finding Lil' Ricky but that I'm not so sure."
Nina took a breath again. "In the end, you're just gonna kill me the same way you killed my mother, the same way you wanna kill Ricky and after that you're gonna kill Oscar and whoever else who plans to strip you of your power."
Cuchillos smirked. "You really are your mother's daughter. You thought all of that being here all alone by yourself?" she mused and Nina just blinked as she scowled at her.
"I'm impressed. You figured everything out to the t," Cuchillos smiled looking down at her. "But I'm afraid you missed somethings out."
"Enlighten me then tía," Nina nodded.
"You left out the most important and most pivotal factor that brought you here in the first place," Cuchillos said smoothly causing Nina's heart to drop and blood run cold. Her eyes widened at the thought of it alone.
How?
"What did Arturo have anything to do with this?" Nina forced out of her mouth.
"Has your father ever told you that he was appointed as NYPD liaison to the FBI few months before his passing?" Cuchillos started and Nina stiffened in her place. "If I wanted to get to your mother to get the job done, like you mentioned, I obviously couldn't have the FBI on my tail now wouldn't I?"
"And with a person like my position, I think it would be obvious to say that I have a few connections outside of Los Angeles to get some other things done. No?" she added in a whisper as a rock seemed to be forming in Nina's throat.
It had dawned on her how Victoria was dragged into this from the very beginning. Deprived of a father in the most unexpected and most gruesome way. Knowing it wasn't anybody's fault except Cuchillos.
"You mother fucking bitch," Nina cursed but Cuchillos only continued to smile.
"Who do you think gave the idea of taking out your friend Anthony Rosario?" Cuchillos smirked and Nina's heart fell even more. "Who do you think gave the idea for the Prophet$ to rough you up in the first place? To rough your sister up five years ago?"
Nina was seeing red again. She couldn't lose it. She couldn't afford to lose it. But this bitch was making that so hard for her.
"How. Dare. You. Dragging my own sister into this mess?!? Dragging my best friends into this?!?" Nina raised her voice as tears pooled in her eyes. "Crystal was the one who gave the tip to the Prophet$!" she pointed out.
"Well then who do you think gave the idea to Crystal?" Cuchillos smirked even more.
"Oscar killed her! You made him kill her!" Nina yelled. "I never liked her but she was his friend since high school! You made him kill his own friend!"
"Nothing that Spooky has ever done before. Which again surprises me why you're with him in the first place," Cuchillos taunted even more.
"You've gained the Santos trust over the past years I thought I could make things easier by having one of them just take you out while Spooky was in prison. But considering you were already struggling making money to take care of your family I let things slide for a little bit as you were suffering as it is," she shrugged.
"But when I heard that Spooky was seeing someone who lived across the trap house. It all felt so good to be true!" Cuchillos smirked. "At first I was going to use you and put you both against each other. I put his own father against him so what stopped me from doing the same with the both of you?"
Nina's blood continued to boil the more she listened to this bitch talk. "But then, for a moment, I really thought you could've been of use to me. Maybe I could use you to find Ricky, but looking into your accounts, no one has really been making contact to you from outside of Freeridge other than your friends back in Washington Heights."
Hearing that made Nina ball her hands into fists. She felt like her nails were causing her to draw blood from her palms. "Oh, don't look at me like that. I wasn't planning on hurting them. Considering you knew shit about the truth of your real father, I wouldn't expect anything from them either."
Cuchillos sighed. "But I have to be honest, you would've made an amazing Santo. You could've been their princesa and maybe even their reina. No one would be able to hold you back from the potential I just saw from that demonstration."
"You're dangerous, Nina. What's crazy is that it's all masked by the fact that you're so sweet and demure in front of others. You don't even know the extent of your abilities," she continued as Nina tried to fight her rolling her eyes. It was a fucking joke.
"But in the end you are your mother and father's daughter," Cuchillos' face fell. "You are weak and blinded by your own emotions. You don't got what it takes to be Santo and therefore you have no use to me. But the thing is I know what the problem is despite your lack of character for the job."
Cuchillos started smirking again and Nina clenched her jaw. "Which is?" Nina asked angrily as she wanted nothing to slap that stupid smirk of viejita's face.
Cuchillos leaned in a little. "El amor tu de vida," she whispered causing Nina to act up again in her restraints. "At first I thought it was pobrecito Anthony until what happened to with Prophet$, I realized that I clearly killed the wrong person. So after I kill him, I'm gonna kill you."
Nina had finally snapped.
"YOU BITCH! You'r really that desperate to have me killed? You that desperate for power you don't even deserve? YOU'RE FUCKING CRAZY!" she yelled even more and Cuchillos just laughed.
"If you want your power so badly, then fucking take it! Why not just kill me already?!?"
"And make it that easy?" Cuchillos scoffed.
At the back of Nina's head she knew that Cuchillos needed her alive. For torture purposes or whatever, torture for her or Oscar. As long as Nina was alive, a part of her knew that Oscar was alive too because Cuchillos was going to use that pain of killing Oscar against her or maybe the other way around. Just as long as one of them was alive then that meant the other was alive and breathing as well.
---
In the process of editing this I realized how much I actually liked this chapter. Where everything just starts to fall into place. I think I did a pretty good job so let me have my moment :)))
I start school again tomorrow so expect more irregular postings, but then again what's new LOLOLOL
Tell me what you guys think :)))
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