Becoming the cartel leader’s trophy

"That was a pretty one-sided fight," I muttered, leaning my head slightly against the window as we drove through the Vegas night.

The city stretched out around us—neon lights flashing from every direction, casinos glowing like they never slept, crowds still moving through the streets like it was the middle of the day.

"Yeah... I can't believe it lasted ten rounds," Carla replied, her hands steady on the wheel as she guided the truck through the traffic.

I watched the lights blur past outside, reds and golds reflecting faintly against the glass.

For a moment, neither of us said anything.

The adrenaline from the fight was still there, but it had settled into something quieter now.

"Still... she went crazy at the end," I added after a second, thinking back to that final punch—the way the whole arena exploded when it landed.

Carla let out a small breath that almost sounded like a laugh.

"I told you she would," she said, a hint of pride in her voice.

I glanced over at her for a moment, then back out the window.

The strip slowly started to fade behind us, the lights thinning out as we moved farther away from the chaos.

It felt calmer out here.

Quieter.

I shifted slightly in my seat, the events of the night replaying in my head—the crowd, the win, meeting Canela, everything.

"Today was... a lot," I said softly, more to myself than anything.

But there was a small smile on my face as I kept watching the city lights drift by.

"Is it okay if I stop for a pack of cigarettes? I need to relax a bit... feeling pretty nervous," Carla said suddenly, her voice quieter than before.

I turned my head toward her, a little surprised.

"Yeah, that's fine," I said, then added, "just don't start regularly using them, okay?"

Carla nodded, her grip tightening slightly on the wheel as she pulled into a small liquor store off to the side of the road. The neon sign above it flickered faintly, casting a dull glow over the nearly empty parking lot.

She parked and turned off the engine.

"Wanna come with?" she asked, glancing over at me.

I nodded and pushed the door open, stepping out into the cool night air again. The quiet out here felt completely different from the strip—no crowds, no loud music, just the faint hum of distant traffic.

We walked side by side toward the entrance, the glass door reflecting us back for a brief moment before Carla pushed it open.

A small bell chimed as we stepped inside.

The smell hit almost instantly—alcohol, cheap snacks, and something faintly stale lingering in the air. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, illuminating rows of bottles behind the counter and aisles filled with chips, candy, and random items.

Carla moved ahead slightly, heading straight toward the counter like she'd done this a hundred times before.

I lingered just a step behind her, my eyes scanning the store out of habit more than anything.

Something about places like this always made me a little on edge.

"A pack of Newports, please," Carla said, pulling a bill from her wallet and placing it on the counter.

The cashier barely looked up, just nodded and turned around to grab the pack from the back.

"Want anything, Miguel?" Carla asked, glancing back at me.

I shook my head lightly.

"Nah... I'm good," I said, not really in the mood for anything in here.

"Alright," she replied simply.

The cashier came back, setting the pack down on the counter before taking the cash. Carla grabbed it without hesitation, tucking it into her hand as she turned back toward me.

"Let's go," she said.

I nodded, and we headed back toward the door together. The bell chimed again as we stepped outside, the cool night air hitting us instantly.

Carla didn't wait long.

She pulled the pack open as we walked, tapping one cigarette out before bringing it to her lips. A lighter clicked in her hand, the small flame flickering in the dark as she lit it.

She inhaled, the tip glowing faintly before she exhaled a slow stream of smoke into the night.

Her shoulders dropped slightly, like the tension she'd been holding onto all night was finally loosening.

I watched her for a second.

"You really that stressed?" I asked quietly.

"You have no idea, Miguel," she said, her voice low as she brought the cigarette back to her lips.

The tip glowed faintly in the dark as she inhaled, then exhaled slowly, the smoke drifting into the cool night air. Her shoulders seemed to loosen just a bit more with each breath, like she was finally letting some of that pressure out.

We stayed there for a few minutes, standing in front of the truck.

Quiet.

The world felt still out here—just the faint hum of distant traffic and the occasional passing car. Carla leaned slightly against the side of the truck, taking her time with the cigarette, like she didn't want to rush the moment.

I stayed close, watching her more than anything else.

After a while, she flicked the cigarette away, crushing it under her boot.

"Alright... let's go," she said.

I nodded and climbed back into the truck, settling into my seat as she got in on her side and started the engine.

The low rumble filled the silence.

I leaned my head back against the headrest, exhaling softly as the truck pulled away from the small store. The dim lights faded behind us, replaced by long stretches of darker road.

The city slowly disappeared.

The bright chaos of Vegas turned into quiet emptiness, the neon glow replaced by shadows and the occasional streetlight passing overhead.

I watched it all through the window, the reflections sliding across the glass as we drove deeper into the darker parts of the city.

"I was... I was planning to go somewhere, but um... I think I just wanna go to sleep," Carla said suddenly, her voice barely rising above the low, steady rumble of the truck as it rolled down the dark stretch of road. 

She kept her gaze forward, though her eyes seemed unfocused, like she was looking through everything instead of at it.

"That's fine," I replied quietly, glancing over at her for a moment before returning my attention to the road. "As long as I'm with you... then it's fine."

The rest of the drive passed in silence. Not the comfortable kind, but something heavier—something that settled between us and refused to lift. 

The truck's engine hummed, tires whispering against the pavement, the only sounds filling the space where conversation should have been.

By the time we reached the mansion, neither of us had said another word. The towering structure loomed ahead, its windows dark, its presence almost suffocating in the stillness of the night. 

We stepped out without speaking, moving through the quiet as if anything louder might shatter whatever fragile calm remained.

All the while, my thoughts circled endlessly around Carla—around the tension in her voice, the way she seemed smaller somehow, withdrawn into herself. 

I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, something deeper than simple exhaustion, and the more I thought about it, the more it gnawed at me.

Carla unlocked the front door with a quiet click, the sound echoing faintly in the stillness of the house. I stepped inside, the familiar interior dim and shadowed, and started down the hallway out of habit, my mind still tangled in thoughts about her. 

Something didn't sit right—the way she'd gone quiet, the tension in her voice earlier.

I made it a few steps before slowing, a flicker of hesitation pulling at me. I shouldn't just ignore it. I should ask her what's wrong.

Turning back, I opened my mouth to speak—but the words never came.

For a split second, everything seemed to stop.

Carla was on one knee.

The sight hit me all at once, knocking the air from my lungs as if my heart had slammed violently against my ribs. 

She held a small black box in her hands, opened to reveal a ring nestled inside—its surface catching what little light there was, glinting softly but unmistakably. It was beautiful, delicate yet striking, impossible to look away from.

My chest tightened, my thoughts scattering into nothing. I couldn't move, couldn't speak—could barely even breathe.

All I could do was stare, my heart racing, as the weight of what I was seeing finally began to sink in.

"Miguel Rodriguez..." she began, her voice trembling just enough to give away how much this meant to her. She took a small breath, steadying herself, her eyes locked onto mine with a mixture of hope and fear. "Would you happily marry me... and become Miguel Juarez?"

For a moment, I couldn't respond.

My vision blurred as tears welled up in my eyes, spilling over before I could stop them. My chest ached, overwhelmed, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst. 

I nodded quickly, one hand rising to cover my mouth as a shaky breath escaped me, like saying it out loud would make it too real.

"Of course..." I managed, my voice breaking despite my best effort to hold it together. I stepped toward her without thinking, closing the distance in an instant. "A million times yes."

I dropped down to her, wrapping my arms tightly around her as if I was afraid she might disappear if I didn't hold on. 

The box shifted slightly between us, but neither of us cared. I buried my face into her shoulder, sobbing openly now, the emotion spilling out all at once.

"I don't... I don't imagine a life where I'm not married to you," I choked out between breaths, my words uneven but honest, clinging to her as everything else faded away.

"I love you so much, Miguel... so much," she whispered, her voice soft but full, every word carrying the weight of everything she felt.

I pulled back just enough to look at her, my hands still holding onto her like I never wanted to let go. I nodded, my eyes still glassy with tears, a small, overwhelmed smile breaking through.

"I love you more, Carla..." I said, my voice unsteady but certain. I let out a quiet, shaky breath, resting my forehead gently against hers. "I'd take a bullet for you... a thousand times."

The words hung there between us, intense and unfiltered, but in that moment, they didn't feel like an exaggeration—just the only way I knew how to express how deeply she meant to me. 

I tightened my arms around her again, holding her close, as if the rest of the world had disappeared and it was just us, standing there at the beginning of something permanent, something unbreakable.

——

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