Chapter 345

Marvin Everything seemed foggy…

It felt as if I was viewing the world through an underwater lens. That’s right, the car had just crashed. I blinked my eyes through the pain, and crawled away, groaning.

There was no time for pain. The adrenaline pumped through my veins, bringing me back to reality.

With heavy breaths, and a ragged pulse drumming in my ears, I had managed to get out of the car.

My first instinct was to go to my brother, who was thrown out of the car. “Are you okay? Can you move?” I asked Tiago, who had luckily remained unharmed.

He nodded his head, his eyes wide open as he took in the scene. With the car almost being on the edge of the cliff, we had barely survived. Did he want to take us all down with him?

My head turned once I had heard a groan, and there he was-Panther, semi-conscious, trying to pull himself together.

A flicker of satisfaction went through my body. Good, I wanted him awake for this.

“Let me give you a hand.” I dragged him out of the wreckage. His body seemed weak as if he was already on the verge of dying. My muscles strained as I pulled him closer to the edge of the cliff, just like I had done when I had asked him about Karina.

I warned him that time.

No more lies, or the next time, I will kill you.

Suddenly I felt a hard object hit me in the eye, and Panther had removed himself from my grip. It all happened so fast, because the next second he stood behind Tiago, with a gun pressed to my brother’s head.

I should’ve known better.

Panther was strong, powerful, he grew up around Castillos.

I carefully observed the frightened expression in Tiago’s eyes. After all those years, and all those days at the Armandos, his reaction towards fear had not changed a thing.

It never would.

“P-P-Pedro?” He almost begged him.

Pathetic.

“I will kill him, Marvin.” Panther smirked. “You know I will.”

“Great.” I shrugged my shoulders, making a thin line with my lips. “Then you’ll know I won’t give a fuck. Good riddance.”

“Marvin!” Tiago called out my name, shocked. Quite funny how he had no issue letting me rot in prison, but now I was supposedly the problem.

He was once again doubting me again.

Of course I wouldn’t let him get killed.

He was still my brother.

“This is how things are going to go.” Panther spoke, taking authority. “I will leave, take him with me–

and send him back later, okay?”

I sighed, not giving him a response. Not liking my answer, Panther pushed the gun harder to Tiago’s head.

See, he was actually insane and would do it.

“Okay, okay!” I held up my hands in defense. “But before you go, at least let me know why you’ve been doing all of this. Don’t you think I have the right?”

I was only buying some time so I could figure out what the hell to do.

“Fine.” He sneered. “What do you want to know?”

“You know, Elena told me everything.” I began. “She told me about her family, your threat, she showed me the tape.” I laughed at the last words. “The one of you and my brother conspiring against me to trap me in prison-so first Tiago could take over the business, and then your son….Cisco.”

Panther chuckled, Tiago looked embarrassed.

“Since you know everything so well. Please tell me what happened after that.”

Then I got out, and both of your plans went to shit.” I continue my conclusion as they both listened attentively.

“Tiago felt remorseful for betraying his brother, you probably told him you did too-but that was all a lie. You didn’t need him anymore, you got Anya killed because she knew too much, you knew Tiago would lose it, and somehow the Hernandez took the fall for it!

“Hmm.”

Tiago’s face changed. “Y-You killed Anya?” He immediately confirmed that information was new to him.

Obviously he knew what kind of monster he was, but even he didn’t know Panther was capable of taking the life of someone we viewed as family.

“I did.” Panter admitted.

“Yes.” I nodded. “But I can only not understand where Elena fits into all of this.”

Elena being George Torres daughter was something even Panther couldn’t execute. Our relationship was nothing more than a coincidence.

“I was lost, didn’t know what my last step was going to, and then she came into my life like a gift send from the lord himself. A good distraction, better yet-a DEA agent’s daughter.” Panther chuckled proudly “I figured, the more you’d fall for her, the softer you’d become, the more you’d realize you don’t belong here, and lastly, the more you’d be willing to eventually give up your position to protect her from Mario.”

“Well, I fell for her. I got softer. I got distracted, but not once have I considered leaving my family, not even for a woman.” I said. Ever since a young age, I knew my duties-and no, I didn’t always agreed with it, but I was a Castillo. “Your plan failed.”

“I can see that now.” Panther spoke. “I knew you were heartless..but damn.”

“I’m heartless?”

“Yes,”

“You’re one to talk.” I murmured. “You’ve been doing all of this, just for a bit of power?”

+5 Bonus “No. I’ve been doing all of this for Cisco!” It sounded like I hit a nerve. “All of you…you don’t look after the boy, you don’t pay attention to him-I had to do something to secure his position, I had to do something to secure my position.”

“If you think I don’t pay attention to my only nephew, you’re even more stupid than I thought you were.” I corrected him. “Cisco is my family.”

Karina was a bad mother, but I was not a bad uncle. I would never abandon my nephew, “So is Victor, and he doesn’t hold any value inside of the family.” Panther retorted, only he was wrong.

Although he was adopted, Victor was so loved by Dad, it felt as if I had been competing with him all my life.

“Pedro. You were like my brother.” I looked him in the eyes. I truly thought we had a mutual understanding.

“No, no-we were never.” Panther shook his head. “Never!”

“Don’t say that.”

“No, Marvin. We were never. I never liked being in your shadows, I didn’t want to be around you, and every time I looked at you-1 held back the urge to choke you to death-”

“Then why didn’t you? Why don’t you shoot me now?” I questioned. “You say that you don’t care, but you do care-and we were brothers.”

For some reason I was desperate for his validation. A friendship of a lifetime, and now he wanted to tell me that it was not mutual?

Panther snorted. “I know it’s hard to believe, but I don’t think anyone cares about you, Marvin. I’m sorry that I have to be the one to tell you, but no one likes you. Everyone hates you.”

His words felt like daggers, and just like that, it was over. He was dead to me.

He had already made his point.

“You know what I think?”

“What do you think?”

“I think you admired me so much you wanted to be like me, you got a little too ambitious, and now you want to hide behind your son.” I took a few steps closer. “Did you really think you could take over the Castillos, and Mario would welcome you with open arms? If he knew you got our Karina pregnant, and killed Anya, he would cut off your fingers, one by one.

I didn’t listen. “I wanted to give you an easy death because I cared about you. I took you here because I didn’t want Mario to torture you. I planned on making it quick and painless.”

I had good reason to believe that he wouldn’t shoot me. He send me to prison because he couldn’t kill me back then, and he wouldn’t kill me now.

“Stay back, Marvin.” I could read the nerves from Panther’s face as I moved even closer. “I’ll really shoot him-I swear!”

My eyes moved to Tiago, who shot me a determined look. One that encouraged me to walk further, and I did-to test the waters.

“I told you, I do not care about him.” I said. “Kill Tiago if you want to. I don’t care.”

Tiago looked sideways to the gun, then back into my eyes as I gave him a nod. He wanted to overthrow him, step up and be a Castillo for once, and I would let him.

My brother took one last breath, ready to fight back-but then a car sped down the hill, hitting Panther without remorse.

Time seemed to stand still as my old friend flew over the car, thrown yards away.

What the…?

“Are we too late? No?” Victor surprisingly stepped out of the car, and Lucas followed.

You must be kidding me.

Tiago buried his face in his hands and knelt to the ground, hyperventilating. Meanwhile I was still confused as to what my two brothers were doing here.

It almost looked like a family reunion.

“Let me guess…Elena…” I met eyes with Lucas, who stepped back to let Victor take the word.

“Yes, she warned us you might do all of this.” Victor spoke, rolling back his shoulders.

“Did you know…”

“Yes. Unlike you and your father, I wouldn’t trust Panther to do a background check on an ant if someone’d ask him to. I told you that boy was no good.” Victor shared. “Her friend contacted me a while back, it’s a long story-one that doesn’t matter right now.”

“How many people were in on this? What was the point of keeping it a secret then?” I whispered to myself. the betrayal only getting bigger.

Victor placed his hand on Tiago’s shoulder. “Get it together, Santiago. I would hate to send you back to- oh shit!” He gasped as Tiago forcefully removed his hand, and got up with a dark expression on his face.

“Give me that!” He growled, grabbing Victor’s gun from his pocket as I watched it all unfold.

“He killed Anya.” His tone was cold. “I’ll kill him!”

Panther squirmed from a distance, unable to get up from the ground. Not even the strongest man alive “You!” An unfamiliar cackle escaped from Tiago’s lips as he cracked his neck and clutched the gun.

“Tiago, you don’t know what you’re doing.” Victor tried stopping him. “How about you give me that?”

“No, let him.” I spoke. “It’s the least he could do for Anya.”

Justice had to be served.

“Or is there a problem, detective?” I looked at Lucas. Even though I tolerated him, I stayed with my opinion that there was no difference between him and Elena. Only he was my father’s son, perhaps now even his favorite.

“No, we’re good.” Lucas swallowed, his expression contrasting his words. He wasn’t okay, but he accepted it because he was desperate for acceptance.

“Good.” I walked behind Tiago, who made his way to a suffocating Panther, with the gun in his hand. His steps were firm, but I was worried he would soon doubt his decision. The first and last time he had killed someone was when he had killed Stevie Maddens.

“Tiago, please—it was a mistake!” Panther begged, blood streaming down his face as Tiago pointed the gun at him. “No, no, please!” He begged, then he looked at me.

It was painful to have to look at the face of someone who was supposed to be by my side, and for a second, I allowed myself to see the regret in his eyes. Not regret because he hurt me, no, he was sorry because he got caught.

Panther wrapped his hand around my leg and looked up. Right at that moment, I turned my head-

pushing out that little bit inside of me that wanted to show him mercy.

But this was not about mercy.

This was about justice for Anya.

This was about protecting Elena and Cisco.

“Marvin, I’ll turn myself in and…I’ll turn myself in a-and you’ll never have to see me again!” Even someone like Panther was afraid of dying.

“Shoot him.” I demanded, my voice cracking. “I know you’re second-guessing, but you have to do-

My sentence was cut short by the gunshot that followed, and my eyes widened.

He had actually done it.

He killed him.

Tiago let out a yell, then he shot him again, and again, and again.

It seemed like he gave him a bullet for each day he had suffered.

It was a good thing we weren’t in a public area. Tiago could unleash all the anger he wanted.

Avoiding having to look at Panther’s body, I left Tiago on his own and walked back to Victor and Lucas “God damn, if I knew he’d make such a mess-I would’ve never given him the damn gun.” Victor wiped the sweat from his forehead. Lucas stood by uncomfortably, once again proving he wasn’t made for this life.

Perhaps with time he would learn.

I could see the pitiful look on my brother’s faces, they were worried for me as Panther was a big part of my life-but they didn’t have to be.

Elena was also a big part of my life, and if he had been honest from the start-I wouldn’t have fallen for her.

“I’m good. Tiago is having a more difficult time than I am. Let him have his moment.” I spoke, indirectly answering their unspoken question.

“After he’s finished-you should take him home, and I’ll take care of the mess.”

“No. I will.” Victor decided. “You’ve been through enough already.”

“Fine, whatever suits you.” We had already argued so much, I just agreed to go with it.

“Marvin, listen.” Lucas opened his mouth, and I wondered what would come out of it.

“Yes?”

“Tiago was young, immature, didn’t know what he was doing-but you have to forgive him, because he’s our brother.” He granted me the speech I really didn’t want at the moment. He didn’t know Tiago, he had just entered the family-so he couldn’t tell me what to do.

“He’s our brother?”

“Yes, our brother.” Victor backed him up. “You can’t change that, Marvin.”

“Then tell me?” I asked. “What brother creates a scheme to send his brother to prison, and watches him with crocodile tears in his eyes as he gets sentenced to life.” My head hurt thinking about it. “Is that still a brother?”

The words which left my mouth left both Victor and Lucas speechless. Both men look at one another. failing to find the right words to say.

“See.” I told them. “Case closed.”