The sound of clinking cutlery and the smell of hot chocolate roused Mia from her light slumber. She slowly opened her eyes, a groan escaping her throat as she rolled onto her stomach, muffling her complaint into her pillow.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1JYJ0d4lLY
"Mia Sonia Ramirez, get up or I'm coming to get you!" her mother yelled from downstairs. Who had opened her house, she wondered. She blindly rummaged through her bed to find her phone within the folds of her sheets. She found it not far from her thigh and checked the time. 11 o'clock.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0JVY19zFN
"Mia! I won't repeat myself," her mother yelled again.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDdDmbgQa9X
Not wanting to provoke her anger early in the morning, she got up without further delay and headed to the bathroom adjacent to her room to freshen up. Her face was pale from lack of sleep, and her hair was in disarray from the hairspray she had used the previous night. What a night, she thought. She had planned for a simple outing, a fair exchange, but that bastard had tried to play it smarter. The result? He ended up six feet under. A faint smile crossed her lips as she stepped into the shower, turning on the music from the wall speakers. The soft melody of "Love in the Dark" by Leroy Sanchez filled the air, and she hummed the lyrics softly, letting the hot water cascade over her body. The bathroom door opened, and Mariana's head appeared.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxGruH7DgG
"Are you ready?" she asked in a small voice. She slipped gently through the slightly ajar door and sat on the bench to the right of the bathroom, under the window.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5o59uEYnF
"Almost. But they can't start the reunion without me anyway," she stated nonchalantly, wrapping herself in a thick cotton towel. With the tips of her toes, she moved around in front of the mirror, where a shelf filled with various lotions and ointments was hidden.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQynzFojcBm
Mariana nodded and watched her older sister bustling to get ready. She observed Mia spreading a white cream along her arms before moving on to her chest and legs.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2eCcXiq56
"Who triggered the meeting?" Mariana inquired, trying to appear as detached as possible.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsrwI5lrAu
Mia halted her movements, closing the drawer she had been rummaging in. She leaned against the wardrobe, arms crossed, and looked at her with a smile. "I don't know," she said.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYby653gGL
Mariane rolled her eyes. "Stop messing with me. You, the queen of information, don't know? I thought you had more imagination."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFAZHG65bS
A smirk formed on Mia's face as she resumed the search for black tights. "I know. But I won't tell you anything. At the risk of repeating myself, these stories aren't your concern, little troublemaker. Focus on your studies and leave me alone," despite the playful look she shot at her, Mia's tone was harsher. She didn't want her sister getting into her business; she wanted her to finish her studies and leave the city. A place where the name Ramirez wouldn't put her in danger. "And if you really insist, I'm not even sure myself to be honest. But I'd bet my bottom dollar it's that son of a bitch Antonio. He's been causing me trouble for a while now."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBv0IqdLznB
Mariana nodded her head slowly again and moved towards her sister to open another drawer and retrieve the black tights that Mia had been intensely searching for several minutes now. "Thank you," Mia muttered as she continued to get ready. "How's school going? Any updates from your applications?"165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFe55eRRWRU
Mariana shrugged and sat on another bench, this time in the center of the dressing room. "I've had some positive responses but nothing concrete. Definitely nothing from the school I want to go to."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4iuEHr2mzf
"UCLA?" Mia asked, slipping her head into a black dress. Mariane nodded. "Look, we've already talked about this. If you want to go there to be with that jerk, I'm telling you, it's a really bad idea."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqu1cj70636
"But-"165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1l2KtGhY00
"But nothing at all. That jerk left as if you were a poor little dog by the side of the road. He doesn't deserve you, Mariana! Open your eyes!"165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezCfNAIzO1
Before she could add anything else, her younger sister stormed out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Mia let out a heavy sigh once again. What a wonderful way to start my day, she thought ironically. She finished smoothing out her dress, which ended mid-thigh, and grabbed her high-heeled boots. Miami's temperature prevented her from wearing such items, but the place she was heading to was a cold, damp cellar. She had made the mistake of skimping on warm layers in such places before, and she wouldn't make that mistake again. Her phone vibrated on the edge of the sink, and she reached for it while balancing on one foot, occupied with pulling up the zipper on her tall boot. This inadvertently exposed her thigh and a glimpse of her hip to anyone who might be watching. A message from Julio appeared on the screen, urging her to come downstairs as they were going to be late. She rolled her eyes, annoyed to know that even her brother was part of the gathering taking place in her home without her permission.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVejkaAGYt
Finishing getting ready, she slipped on a short denim jacket and cast a final glance at her outfit in the mirror. Her hair almost dry, she decided to tie it up in a tight high ponytail. She hurried down the stairs and appeared at the entrance, with laughter and voices erupting to her left, echoing faintly through the marble of the house. She followed the sounds of laughter and came face to face with her mother behind the stove and her brother sitting on the kitchen counter, his mouth full of cereal. Emilio, not far away, kept his face glued to his phone while talking to Mariana and Marcelo.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxsWJjpkqQp
"Finally!" her brother exclaimed. "We've been waiting for you for almost an hour."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOjjnsz5ObZ
"It'll do Antonio some good. He won't get away with it. After what he did last night, I'm going to empty his organs, I swear," Mia said, her tone dripping with determination. She opened the fridge and poured herself a cold coffee from the day before, then grabbed the warm pastries her mother had been preparing since morning.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMHyzzKBV9
"What happened last night? Did you go out?" Daniela, her mother, asked.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMWqHETORA
"Damn it," Mia muttered, averting her gaze.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wOjr30nOz
"Mia Sonia Ramirez, I've told you to let me know when you go out alone!"165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcCdM9Dytv
Daniela waved her spatula around in all directions. The scene could have almost made her laugh if her mind hadn't been elsewhere. Julio, seeing the situation escalate, decided to intervene and cut short the conversation, dragging Emilio and Mia away from the kitchen. They walked out amidst Mia's mother's scolding and Julio's retorts, a slight smile playing on their lips.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuYmYifALVN
"I'll never be able to go home again," she said dramatically.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTji8yrUhj
"Don't worry, she'll get over it," Julio insisted, pulling her towards the car by the gate. "Let's go before we're really late. I'm eager to see what's going on."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCln4UmDjGf
"I think Mia's right, and it's just Antonio trying to backtrack on what happened last night. He's desperate, that little bastard won't accept defeat," Emilio said as he slid into the driver's seat, starting the engine and adjusting the seat and rearview mirror. "I hate this car," he muttered. Mia stopped buckling her seatbelt and glanced at Emilio through the rearview mirror. "And why's that? What do you have against my car, exactly?" she said, her tone threatening.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAcr5YF8Psa
"Just your damn adjustments for dwarfs," he whispered, speeding the car away.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9ZgYXQCTI
***
"Is your gun loaded?" Julio finally asked as he got out of the car.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Qebt7khSo
"Of course, I reloaded it after last night," she said, adjusting her jean trench coat on her shoulders.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2FladFlvi
"Did you fire it?" Emilio asked, raising a single eyebrow. "I thought you were just supposed to check on some information."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡac6mwfIyZC
"That was the plan until someone decided to stick his nose into my business. I swear he deserves what I almost did. Damn regulations."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBeK8Mf5AH
"What exactly happened?" Emilio finally asked. Julio and Mia fell silent, one finishing his cigarette and the other rummaging through her handbag.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZ50GqlzQs
Mia didn't like revisiting her mistakes. And not shooting and killing Antonio last night had been foolish. If she had done it, she would have removed a thorn from her side. That little brat had been causing trouble for years, and that evening would have been the perfect opportunity to put a bullet right between his eyes.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBd3x9M4aB7
"Hey, can I get the juicy details of this super party I wasn't invited to?"165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqrHZvfv5o
Mia sighed and lit her own cigarette this time. "I was supposed to meet an informant at the Sanchez casino, and just as I had managed to corner him and extract some information, Antonio's name came up right in the middle of the conversation."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf0dWrEGz6J
A silence fell over their conversation. "And?" Emilio prodded. Mia didn't add anything, but Julio spoke up. "So, we figured out that Antonio was the real informant and that he was playing us all along. And guess who had to restrain our dear Mia here from going to kill him? Yes, me."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡME1usQ6CNe
"If I see him, I'm going to kill him," she added, leaning back and covering her face with her hands. Information trafficking was scarce. Scarce enough to be valuable and lucrative. That's how Mia had succeeded in the business. But it was a fragile business, where the worst enemies were traitors and lies. Antonio was both.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh4df7Eo581
Emilio stood with his arms hanging, processing the new information. "It's Antonio? I would have bet on anyone but him. What a bastard, he really screwed us over."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNqHdYDRru
"No doubt about that, but I intend to call for a veto."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ04kGGuTM1F
Both men regained silent, skeptical about the request Mia was planning to make at the meeting. They all entered the damp cellar of the decrepit alley where they had parked the car. The regular sound of dripping water accompanied the echo of their footsteps, Mia's heels creating a rhythm that matched the flickering of the overhead lights. At the end of the corridor, a door led to a moderately sized room, where folding chairs were arranged in a circle, spaced a certain distance apart. Mia lit another cigarette and entered the room, her gaze lingering on the men seated in their respective places. The world of illegality was sorely lacking in female presence.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKicSpvxH9h
"We were starting to think you wouldn't show up," a man in his thirties on Mia's left sighed as she took her designated seat. The man with brown hair looked at her with a sadistic smile on his lips. "Women, I swear," he added, crossing his legs and tilting his head back.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQzfxOkGYYH
As everyone understood that Mia wouldn't deign to respond to Anton, the meeting could begin. In the heart of Miami, families and gangs were fighting to take control of different parts of the city. Some dealt in drug trafficking, others in arms, and still others in casinos or brothels. Mia specialized in information, a trade that wasn't measured in kilometers or dollars, but in people willing to spare a secret for information. Over the years, two families had dominated the majority of the commercial exchanges. The Volkovs with their top-tier weapons and the Ramirezes with their casinos and secrets worth their weight in gold.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ300tDM3uVW
Despite the tacit agreement that neither side would encroach on the other's territory, a silent battle had been waged between the two families for years. There could only be one winner, and that would be her.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNH9aw5Wye9
Discussions began about the incident from the previous day. But unexpectedly, no one mentioned the incident referred to by Mia and Julio earlier in private. This time, it was a simple case of cheating from a lower-ranking gang. Mia let out a heavy sigh, leaning on her chair and yawning. She didn't actively participate in the conversation; she merely listened with one ear, always on the lookout for any information that could be resold or turned into a secret. She scrutinized each participant, and her dark gaze fell on Anton, who seemed more than angry. She narrowed her eyes and decided to dig into this matter later.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgau79wcOiv
Anton needed to fall. The Volkovs with him. She wanted more. She wasn't satisfied. While the conversations continued, bickering over a compensation of a few thousand dollars that interested neither Mia nor Anton, the young woman decided to break the discussion by throwing a barb at her longtime enemy.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5svfNHcOGL
"A piece of bad news, Anton?" she asked.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQFHOa22td
"Bad news? Be more clear, Mia," he responded in a falsely detached tone.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfd7NNiL9lE
"Oh, you know what they say." Anton narrowed his eyes, unsure of what Mia knew. "I heard some things last night. It seems that a certain Antonio has once again turned his coat."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpCUgeR9TF
"Spill it. Don't be more bitchy than you already are," Anton snapped, sitting up straight in his chair, now genuinely curious.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLG0qqZYlWF
"No, I don't think it would interest you. But friendly advice, keep an eye on Antonio. He's not very reliable." A childish smirk flickered in Mia's eyes, leaving Anton utterly puzzled. Anton's eyes narrowed, his jaw tensing as he stared at her with a furious glare. 165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmBLt5Ta1qo
"And you, Mia? Running your little gang like a queen, thinking you're untouchable?"165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPnP2RoiA2
Mia let out a light chuckle, her gaze locking onto his with a challenge. "Oh, I know I'm untouchable, Anton. Unlike some people, I don't rely on others to do my dirty work."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTtlvvZGp7
Anton's expression wavered, his confidence momentarily faltering before he masked it with a smirk. "You've always had a loose tongue, Mia. But let's not lose sight of who's truly in charge here." The discussions had ceased, and now everyone was watching the two prominent families engage in yet another battle that would never truly end. Julio moved slowly to get closer to his sister, a hand on his gun by his side.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Emql3O1SL
Mia's smile widened, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "In charge, huh? Is that what you call it? Tell me, Anton, how does your precious information network really work?"165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWXb4KFoYd
Anton's face twitched slightly, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his gaze for a brief moment before he masked it with a mocking smile. "My information network works just fine, thank you."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9VyoAQURf
Mia let out a light laugh, her voice tinged with a seductive accent. "Oh, I'm sure it does. But you know, sometimes relying on the usual sources isn't enough. Sometimes you need someone who can get you the real dirt, the things hidden beneath the surface."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11lV7slcZQ
Anton's brow furrowed, his suspicion evident. "Where are you going with this, Mia?"165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKt1BJHVB6
Mia leaned forward slightly, her eyes never leaving his. "I mean, Anton, sometimes the people you consider your most loyal informants might have other allegiances. Like I said, just friendly advice."165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1BP5QeTPo
With those words, she stood up and stuck her tongue out at Anton like a child. Her heels clicked on the cracked concrete floor as she left, marking the end of the meeting.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfFJ1YEYP7
***
"What were you implying, exactly?" Emilio asked from the driver's seat once again. Mia was stretched out in the back seat, her feet hanging out through the open window. Julio had left, having to keep an eye ontheir weapons warehouse to receive a new shipment of products to put on the market.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7t3YM9cEf5
"It was just a hunch that turned out to be right," she said without elaborating further. Conversations with Mia were always like this. She never let a piece of information slip, even with her closest allies, keeping everything locked up like a safe. Emilio was the most patient in such moments, giving her time to come to terms with her thoughts and reveal a portion of her mind. He listened and rarely spoke, allowing her to vent as much as she wanted. "Antonio went to tell Anton some nonsense," she continued. "And it seems like they're the new best buddies in town. That bastard is going down. Take me to that address," she concluded.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuEwNjX9ZB
The sound of a notification made Emilio's phone vibrate, and he entered the new address into the GPS. He didn't ask anything, displaying a blind trust in the young woman. But curiosity got the better of him, and he couldn't help but keep his mouth shut. So, when he saw them heading into the rough neighborhoods of the city, he finally asked what was on her mind.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvTy9mUzTfq
"Anton seemed preoccupied. I'm sure his new best friend knows something," she replied.165Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5zUnL7aSTn
