Page 6 of Jameson: Mayhem Makers

She scoffed. “You are the eldest daughter of a cartel lord. You know things are different for you.”

In our culture, it was traditional for adult children, especially daughters, to stay with their parents until marriage. And sincemy dad had no sons, I was next in line to take over the family business even though I wanted nothing to do with it. “It’s not fair. Dad wasn’t anything until Uncle Matteo died.”

My mom responded with a humorless chuckle. “Life rarely is fair, Lucia. We just have to deal with what it gives us.”

My parents were Colombian, but my sisters and I were born in Miami, where we lived our entire lives. Now, my dad just expected us to uproot everything and move to Mexico to take over my uncle’s cartel operation.

But I had a plan.

My dad had been traveling back and forth to Mexico in preparation for our move. He’d just left two days prior and was set to return in a week to finalize everything and move my mom, sisters, and me to our new home.

I was planning to leave before he got back. Eventually, he’d send some of his men to find me and have me brought to Mexico, but I wanted to try and make it on my own, even if I failed and had to deal with the consequences.

I’d been planning a road trip with my best friend, Elise, from Miami to Seattle, stopping along the way at notable spots, including Texas, to meet my favorite author at a book signing, and Vegas.

And hopefully, at the end of our road trip, I would be able to start a brand new life, a life free of my father and his controlling ways where I could make decisions for myself instead of having them made for me.

I’d found a little apartment in Seattle, Washington, and I doubted my dad would look for me there. But if he did, it was a short drive to the Canadian border, and hopefully, my new passport would get me across before he caught me.

I’d used part of my savings to put down the deposit on the two-bedroom apartment and was set to move in in a few weeks. Elise had helped me with everything. Her parents were uberwealthy and had connections everywhere. She was able to get all the documentation I needed for my new identity. So if we made it that far, I would erase everything that made me Lucia Alvarez and start over as Elizabeth Gonzales.

And I’d never look back.

The next night, after my mom and sisters went to sleep, I snuck out of the house with all my important belongings and met Elise down the street. She was in a small SUV that I didn’t recognize.

When I got in, I asked, “Whose car is this?”

Elise smiled as she drove off. “Yours.”

My eyebrows flew up. “What?”

My best friend giggled. “Yep. A little going-away gift from me to you.”

The car was newer, probably less than five years old, and looked great. “Elise, I can’t. This is way too much. You’ve already helped me more than I could ever repay you for.”

She waved me off. “Lucy, you’ve been my best friend since kindergarten. I love you and would do anything for you, including uproot my life and move to Seattle, Washington.”

That was news to me. “You’re staying with me?”

Her grin spread. “For a little while at least. Besides, there’s no way you can live without me.”

I squealed and threw my arms around her. “Are you serious? We are going to have so much fun.”

When I pulled back, my mind started racing. “Wait, your parents are okay with this?”

Elise was in a similar situation as me, except she stayed with her parents for the money and privileges. And her parentswere so involved with their own lives that they were hardly ever around.

She scoffed. “They are traveling so much they barely even know I exist anymore.”

Panic started to take hold. “But what about your identity? My dad will look for you when he can’t find me.”

“Well, I had my dad do the same thing for me that he did for you. I’m going to be Olivia Marks once we make it to Seattle.”

I blinked rapidly, trying to process everything. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

She shrugged. “When I was helping you plan everything, I couldn’t help but think how brave you were.”

I clicked my tongue. “Brave? I’m sneaking out in the middle of the night like a coward.”

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