While the main goal of this mission was obvious, I ended up getting into a side quest when I met Madeleine. When we started talking she was happy and being funny but I was quick to learn this wasn’t her all the time. Nobody except Mia was allowing her to be the Madeleine I began to know which didn’t sit right with me. I wish more people knew the real Madeleine, not the sad quiet church girl that was dating the pastor’s son. That people just want to drag them to her level and considering her spark was almost gone when I met her, I think it was starting to work. That’s not going to happen on my watch and Principe Muerte was going to do everything possible to get her out of the rut they put her in. That’s why I decided to change up her week tonight except she ended up changing mine too.
It was supposed to just be a fun and somewhat symbolic night to show that there’s more to life than what she has known so far. I took her to vandalize the church partly because the guys were going to do it anyway but I also wanted to show her that her life is changing. She was right about how you wouldn’t plan something like this for just anyone because she wasn’t everybody else. I did slip up and go out of what I had planned such as showing her my tattoos and letting her touch me before eventually ending up almost making out in the church. I always knew she was attracted to me and it only grew as we got to know each other more. I could see it in her eyes but I stood in business. I kept telling myself she was just a tool but I was never able to convince myself. Madeleine is no tool or object. She was strength, perseverance, multifaceted, and I just caved in to the feeling and grew a liking to her too. The romantic kind.
Her confession struck me like a knife to my chest. I knew she never liked Jeremiah, I could tell from her body language, the look in her eyes when they were together, and by how she spoke about him. Also, you don’t lose yourself when you genuinely like someone. Quite the opposite happens if I’m being honest. What I didn’t think was that I was the first person she ever felt that way about. It’s not because I was looking for that sort of validation, on the contrary, it struck me because I didn’t think her feelings towards me were so serious. It scared me and it still does. I wish I didn’t know how she felt and I blame myself for leaving the door open for such a conversation but as Madeleine learned herself, we can’t go back in time to do things differently. I just want to help her be happy and be her authentic self permanently. I don’t want to hurt her and break her even more than this life has. Starting to think this feeling might be mutual brings me more fear than comfort because I’m scared I’ll just hurt her too. I still had to do one more thing before dropping her off.
“Madeleine, I have one more thing for you,” I told her once I was parked at her place. She looked amused.
“More? Sheesh Mauricio, you’re spoiling me,” she said and I took out a pack of makeup wipes and took one out to later start to rub my makeup off.
“You can take it off my face and see how I really look underneath this makeup.” She seemed a bit skeptical but she did take it from my hand.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I trust you, Madeleine. You deserve to see all of me as I’ve seen you.” She didn’t say anything and just started to carefully rub off the makeup on my face. I was starting to feel completely bare and I didn’t know how to feel about it.
“Am I going too rough?” She asked, making me laugh which made her blush.
“No. Not at all.” She kept going quietly.
“I thought it’d be harder to take off your face but it’s not that bad.” I only felt more exposed as she worked on my chin.
“Yeah it’s not bad,” I said, trying to remain calm.
“Are you getting nervous? I have no intention of getting you into any kind of trouble, Mauricio.” Her doe eyes briefly met mine before she looked back at my chin.
“It’s not that. I just feel…bare. Like I’m fully exposed in front of you,” I said and she finally pulled away and smiled.
“Mauricio, I love you just as much as I love Principe Muerte. I know this situation isn’t ideal but…you’re a very attractive man, alright.” I think the damage has already been done and we’ll have to deal with the broken pieces that are left.
“Thank you, Madeleine. This has been such a great night for me and it’s all thanks to you,” I said trying not to sound like an ass after she just said she loved me. I just couldn’t say it just for the sake of saying it. She still looked a bit off but she still smiled.
“This has been a great night for me too. Thank you. Good night,” she said before getting out of the car before I could even respond to her. I still watched her to make sure she got home safely before I left but that still didn’t ease the guilt I felt.
It was around four in the morning when I finally got back to the house I was staying at with the guys who I assumed were all asleep but I was proven wrong when I found Sergio in the kitchen.
“Dear God. You scared me there, Sergio,” I said as I saw him drink something from a mug.
“Well, that’s kind of our main job so it’s not that surprising.”
“Why are you up at this hour?” I asked him as he took another sip of whatever he was drinking.
“I couldn’t go to bed before making sure you were alright,” he explained, which sounded both ridiculous and heartfelt at the same time.
“You know what I went out to do and you know I was going to be fine.”
“Well it sure seems like I didn’t know the whole story because you just walked in with no makeup on. Why, Mauricio? You know how sensitive that is.”
“I know and she knows it too. She has promised me multiple times she’ll never get me into any trouble. She trusts me, I trust her, and it felt right,” I explained, which only made me realize how stupid I sounded even if I actually meant what I said.
“Mauricio, I think your situation with Madeleine is getting out of hand and I’m worried, alright? It’s a valid concern.” I rolled my eyes at his comment before responding to it.
“What situation? We’re literally just working together to take down that religious organization. That’s all it is. Once we’re done I’m out.”
“And in order to complete our mission you have to go out in the middle of the night with her so she can have some fun and show her your bare face even though we’re very strict about that?” If he puts it like that it sure doesn’t look good.
“But I can trust her, Sergio.”
“And what does that have to do with your little late night getaway?” He asked and I groaned in frustration.
“Because she needed it. All she does is go to class, do schoolwork, and hangout with those trashy people that only make her feel bad. I want her to get her spark back, Sergio.”
“And how does that relate to our mission, Mauricio?” I had to stop and think to find a valid reason but there was no reason to do so in regards to taking down the organization. Oh my God I messed up.
“It doesn’t but…I want to,” I explained, which shouldn't be a big deal because we just want to help people after all.
“Mau, why do you even know about what’s going on in her life?”
“Because it’s inevitable when trying to get info for our mission,” I said and Sergio sighed.
“Ok. I’m just worried about you, alright? About all of us.” Ironically I felt like a clown as I repeated my words trying to let him know Madeleine won’t rat us out.
“Madeleine is cool with us, Sergio. I promise. I’ll forget all about her when this is done and she’ll have to forget about me too,” as I said it I couldn’t help but feel sad which I hated. This was going to happen no matter what no matter what happened these past two months. But as I said that to Sergio I couldn’t help but think about what she told me tonight. I had to break her heart and let her go even though I could still hear her in the back of my mind. You’re the first guy I’ve ever liked. I mean really liked.
~
I woke up at around twelve thirty in the afternoon because Sergio came to wake me up. If not I don’t know how long I would’ve stayed there sleeping.
“Mau, it’s going to be like one PM soon and also your phone is blowing up like crazy,” he said as I rubbed my eyes. I went to check it immediately because it had to be Madeleine.
“I’ll see what’s up,” I said and yawned, trying to get myself fully awake.
“Will you still get up even if I leave?” I nodded.
“Yeah. I will. Let me just check my phone,” I said and grabbed it. I had five notifications from Madeleine.
@mads.is.glad: I’m sorry about last night.
@mads.is.glad: I shouldn't have kissed you or said anything.
@mads.is.glad: I know it’s no excuse but I guess I was just overwhelmed with emotions and just wanted to feel something. I know that still sounds awful.
@mads.is.glad: also, I’m conflicted on if this counts as cheating or not towards Jeremiah and I think that might’ve affected me too
@mads.is.glad: I still really value your friendships and I’m very sorry for my actions yesterday. I will keep my distance from now on
That’s when I remember kissing her on the church’s stage and showing her my chest tattoo that she later kissed as well. I was both flattered by her apology but also disappointed because she didn’t do anything wrong. I agreed to it and she just expressed how she felt. Honestly, she deserved it as she’s barely attracted to Jeremiah if she ever even was. I know Madeleine doesn’t like to touch him even if she did so with a stick. She deserves some physical contact too. But that also sounds somewhat sick on my part.
@pr1nc1pemuerte: You don’t have to apologize. We were just having a moment in the middle of all the craziness going on. I mean, we have a unique project together don’t you think? It’s normal to not be able to think straight sometimes throughout this chaos.
@mads.is.glad: ur right. sorry tho
I debated on replying or not but I eventually just put my phone away and headed out with the boys.
“It was about time you got up, Principe,” said Valenor who was making himself a cup of coffee. I rubbed my forehead before speaking.
“Long night. I’m sorry.”
“I thought so,” said Ian as he handed me a plate with food. I wasn’t very hungry since I just woke up but I had to.
“Mau, who’s Mia? I see Madeleine knows her.” Sergio asked me from the couch.
“Yeah. That’s her roommate and best friend. Why do you ask?”
“She just commented that she needs me in her life,” he said and showed me the comment. I wondered how much Mia knew about us. Had Madeleine told her anything? I don’t think so.
“I’m pretty sure she’s a fan too so I’m not that surprised,” I said and Ian came up to see for himself too.
“I thought two pretty best friends didn’t exist,” he said and Sergio shut him down. I was kind of glad he stopped him.
“Alright, that’s not important. Only a few more days and all of this will be over,” said Sergio as he closed his comment section.
“Yeah this has definitely been one of our longest missions we’ve done so far. I’m so ready for it all to be over,” added Valenor, who felt as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water on me.
“Yeah, Mau. It’s almost time,” Sergio said and patted me on my shoulder. I didn’t say anything.
“Mauricio, I know you’ve been really dedicated to this mission and have done all the hard work for us. Thank you so much for your cooperation and commitment. I’ll never regret letting you join the guild,” Valenor said. I smiled and nodded.
“No, Valenor. Thank you. I wouldn’t be the man I’m today without you. Without all of you, really.” Ian fist bumped me and the rest of the guys followed along. The world may fall apart but at least I got my guys with me.
I stayed off my phone as much as possible to ignore all things related to Madeleine even if my efforts were unsuccessful. I could be playing video games with Ian and my mind would just go back to Madeleine’s flirty comments or how she followed along with mine. Valenor would tell me new information about the church organization and I’d immediately start remembering how excited she was vandalizing the place and how our messy kisses felt. When I went to bed I wondered how she was doing and how Jeremiah reacted to our work from last night. I ended up caving in and messaged her.
@pr1nc1pemuerte: Did Jeremiah tell you anything about the church?
It felt like forever but the typing bubbles popped up.
@mads.is.glad: he did. his whole family is pissed by the whole thing
@mads.is.glad: also the service will still be held but at another location
During the service is when we plan to strike, right?
@pr1nc1pemuerte: Where?
She sent me the address and I immediately saved it.
@pr1nc1pemuerte: I can’t sleep btw
@mads.is.glad: I figured
For some stupid reason I called her. She answered quickly just like the last time I did.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey,” I just said back.
“What’s this about?”
“The plan,” I just said awkwardly.
“Ok. Tell me what’s the plan.” I actually didn’t know what to tell her about it.
“We’re going to go to the service and confront them using our methods which will inevitably cause the dissolution of the organization and all their additional projects. Does it make sense?” I don’t think I do.
“Yeah, sounds good to me.”
“Ok. Good.” She giggled.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” She asked me.
“Yes…maybe. I don’t know really,” I struggled to say. She just giggled again.
“Looks like someone else struggles to speak when they like someone,” she said using my own phrase against me.
“Very funny, Madeleine. Very funny.”
“What’s really going on with you, Principe?” I wanted to know the answer to that too.
“I think it’s just that I’ve never done such a big mission before.”
“Really? I only know what you’ve told me but considering how prepared and successful you guys are I thought this was just a small thing. You’ve probably taken down many corrupt businesses and probably even people of power. A religious organization is nothing for you. At least that’s what I thought,” she said and she was right. We’ve done way more complex cases.
“Yeah. I mean, I don’t want to out us, but we’ve definitely done harder missions. By the way I do trust you and I don’t think in any way shape or form you’d rat us out.” I felt the need to assure her that I do trust her.
“Then, why did you say these kinds of missions were different?”
“It’s not that different but it does feel like it. I just think it’s because of time and stuff like that,” I said and I looked at my hand as I spoke. That wasn’t the case though.
“It’s because you’ve never had a hot and cool partner in crime before. That has to be it.” I laughed at her comment reminding me how Madeleine is so Madeleine. She was definitely cool, smart, loyal, and very attractive but also very aware of it. Makes it hard to believe she forgot that and ended up with those people to the point she was even dating one of them.
“You know, I really like how sure you are about yourself. I just don’t know how you forgot about that when you met Jeremiah,” I couldn’t help but blurt out. I could hear her sigh.
“I was quite aware back then but I just wanted to be with someone in the romantic sense to uh…feel something I guess. Things might’ve gone a bit out of hand but I was still aware about all of those things about myself. I just tried to ignore it and it ended up biting me in the ass,” she said and let out a sad laugh at the end. I wish she was here with me so I could hug and tell to never do that again.
“I get it but please don’t do that ever again, alright? Please promise me you won’t,” I said very seriously to the point that I was now sitting up on my bed as I spoke.
“Don’t worry. I won’t do that ever again. I know it’s better to be alone than to just waste time on people that don’t deserve it. I’ll use better coping mechanisms from now on,” she laughed, sounding slightly more like herself. Like the Madeleine I knew and I was so damn honored to have gotten to know.
“Exactly. Focus more on that slider group you like so much. What is it called? I can’t remember,” I teased.
“The Nocturne Guild. They’re pretty cool. They actually showed me that waiting for the right people instead of wasting time on useless ones is really worth it because you’ll eventually find better people out there like them. I won’t mind waiting around for a guy like Principe Muerte to come around.” I would’ve preferred for her to slap me in the face than for her to tell me that. I know she likes me. It's even how we ended up here in the first place but I wasn’t planning on acting upon it. I’ve been closed off in that aspect for years and she’s just part of a mission I’m doing with the guys. I never wanted to mix work and personal relationships but at this point I’m sure we can say Madeleine and I are friends. I’ve also let her kiss me on a few occasions and basically made out at the church not too long ago. I did want to kiss her on all occasions but I didn’t realize the emotional turmoil it was causing us.
“Madeleine, please don’t make this complicated,” was all I was able to say.
“What am I making complicated?” I sighed.
“Letting you go as if you were just some girl I met to facilitate my plan with the guys,” I said before hanging up, filling me up with regret instantly. It was cowardly and stupid but I couldn’t accept what was happening to me. To us. I just laid down on my bed again and looked at the ceiling until I eventually fell asleep.
I woke up still wearing my daytime clothes and without even getting under the covers. I checked the time and it was 5:24AM. Way too early in my opinion and such a change from the day before. I didn’t want to wake up any of the guys so I stayed in my room and got my phone which didn’t have a single notification from Madeleine which was slightly concerning since I needed to finish this mission with her but considering what time it was it’s understandable. I ended up just playing random games on my phone wasting time until I heard a light knock on my door.
“Are you up, Mau?” Sergio asked in a quiet whisper. I guess I had company.
“Yeah.”
“Can I come in?”
“Sure. Go ahead. Just close the door after you enter,” I said as I turned my phone’s flashlight on. He came in tiptoeing, making me laugh.
“Shh, Mau. You’ll wake them up.”
“Then stop making me laugh,” I clapped back with a smile. He sighed.
“Can I sit on your bed?”
“Sure, bro. Go ahead,” I said and he sat down beside me making the mattress dip.
“I’m going to be honest with you. I heard a bit of your call last night,” I immediately grunted at his comment and rolled my eyes.
“Of course you did.”
“Trouble in paradise, right?” I cursed under my breath.
“I’m just an emotional guy sometimes. I’ll apologize soon enough to finish off this whole thing. That’s it. End of the story.” He ran his fingers through his hair.
“You know, after thinking about it and hearing you two I do think I was overreacting a bit,” he said and looked down at me. I looked up at him curiously.
“Overreacting about what?”
“You and Madeleine. I’m starting to really believe you when you say she’d never betray us and…I’d never seen or heard you speak this way to anyone before.” I didn’t want to have this conversation right now.
“Like what? I’m the same Mauricio you know.”
“No, manito. You’re premium Mauricio with her,” he said, making me laugh again.
“Premium Mauricio?” He laughed too.
“Yeah. I mean I always see the best of you with her. I mean, you told me not too long ago that you want to help her get her spark back. I’ve seen you be empathetic and kind before but not like that,” he explained, which was definitely him just overthinking insignificant stuff.
“Sergio, what do I do with you guys almost every day? I just love helping people and trying to remove as much suffering from this world as I can.”
“But I’d never seen you have late night conversations about romantic feelings and being very flirty with anyone we’ve met during our missions.”
“Because that’s just how I’m with Madeleine. It’s always been like that,” I cleared up but he smiled.
“Exactly. You’re only like that with her. Mauricio, this will sound crazy but I can’t keep this from you.” I got anxious to know what he meant.
“What, Sergio?”
“Look, I know we’ve only briefly talked about this and even though our lives are…different I think it can work. Considering how she’s with you and our work I think it could be possible,” he said, only making me more nervous.
“What could work?”
“You and Madeleine. Together.” He held his hands together as he said to emphasize his point. He had to be joking or at least I’m taking him out of context.
“Yeah, we already have a plan for Sunday.”
“I’m not talking about the mission.” My heart sank as I heard him say those words.
“Then what?” He gave me a sympathetic smile.
“You two together. Romantically.” Even as I tried to suppress my feelings I couldn’t shake off how bad I wanted to be with Madeleine. Now I have more work to do.
~
It took me two days to get myself together and figure out what’s the best way to apologize to Madeleine based on the circumstances. I opted to send her a voice message which I rarely did but I felt it was more meaningful than a text but less intimidating than a call.
“Hey Mads. I’m so sorry about the other night,” I said before stopping the recording and deleting it. I’ve never called her that before. It would be weird to do now. I cleared my throat before trying to record it again.
“Hey. Sorry about the other night. That was definitely a cowardly move from me and totally not your fault,” I stopped the recording again and deleted it before rubbing my eyes in frustration. I don’t want to sound fake or exaggerated but I do want to apologize and let her know she’s special too.
Before trying to record the message again I went through our old messages. While they were mostly just info dumping and making plans to meet up it was also more once you looked into it. The messages where we’d tease each other. How I flirted with her so she’d open up. Even when I read the messages where we just made plans I couldn’t help but think about what the outcomes were. I tried to record the message once again.
“Madeleine, I’m so sorry for hanging up on you the other night. I deeply am. I know it was so stupid of me but my emotions got the best of me. I know it’s not an excuse and I don’t want it to be. I just got caught up in the moment and forgot that I needed you. More so, I remember how much I needed you and I didn’t know what to do or say. Because I do, Madeleine. I really do need you. I need you for more than just this mission and that…scares me. I hope we can get past this and move forward.” I sent the message as soon as I finished before I regretted it. She answered shortly.
@mads.is.glad: yeah. i forgive you. i’m still in.
I was tempted to ask what she thought and if she just meant she was in on the mission but nothing more. I still felt the need to keep distance so I decided to just leave it at that. I still had another request which came from Sergio.
@pr1nc1pemuerte: Can you bring Mia with you on Sunday? Relámpago wants to meet her for some reason.
I just know she laughed at that and I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of her laugh. The following days we just arranged how everything was going to go down until the day finally came.
~
Valenor, Sergio, and Ian joined me along for the mission. I really hope Madeleine didn’t actually bring Mia along because there was no room for her.
“Mano, what about Mia?” Sergio asked me. He sat next to me in the front. I was driving to Madeleine’s place.
“I don’t think she’s coming and if she did she can go in the trunk,” I told him, making him laugh.
“You’re not going to do that because Madeleine would be pissed,” he said before Ian interrupted the conversation.
“And what is she needed for exactly?” He asked.
“Just some infatuation Sergio has. It’s quite annoying to be honest,” Valenor said before Sergio started speaking again.
“It’s not because I’m infatuated. I just think she could keep Madeleine calm in such a tense environment and I bet she could help out with some other stuff.” I cringed at his words.
“Dude, that doesn’t sound great,” I said, cringing.
“Shoot, you’re right. You’re the one that helps Madeleine relax,” he replied, making me blush. The guys in the backseats laughed.
“Come on. I’ll never tell you anything ever again,” I said as I parked the car in front of Madeleine’s apartment.
“Stop being a buzzkill, Mauricio. We can have some fun too,” said Valenor as I messaged her that I was outside.
@mads.is.glad: on our way!
I got nervous by the plural noun used and my concerns were confirmed as I saw her come out with Mia by her side. Not great.
“What am I supposed to do now?” I said as Sergio started messing around and acting excited.
“She’s way prettier in person. Oh my God,” he said as I got out of the car, blushing from embarrassment.
“I’m so sorry girls. We’re a bit packed but I didn’t think Mia would come to church with us,” I said before looking back at the car where Sergio was waving at us. The girls laughed.
“I think we could make it work. Right, Mia?” Madeleine said, sending shivers down my spine since I hadn’t heard her talk in a bit.
“Yeah we definitely could if we just make some changes,” Mia said walking towards the car. We followed her.
“What changes?” I asked and Mia knocked on the window where Sergio was sitting. He immediately rolled it down.
“Good morning. My name is Sergio. What’s your name and how can I help you?” Valenor smacked him when he said his real name but he just ignored him and stuck his hand out for Mia. She shook it before answering.
“My name is Mia. Would you mind driving us to the church so we can all go together?” Madeleine laughed but I just closed my eyes for a moment to process what was going on.
“What’s going on?” I finally asked. Mia turned to us.
“He can drive since it’s easier for him to switch since he’s up front, and I can’t sit in the back. Now, would you or Madeleine have an issue with her sitting on your lap? If not, I guess she could sit on mine. The church isn’t too far.” My cheeks burned as Madeleine gave us a mischievous smile.
“I wouldn’t mind. It’s only for like ten minutes. What about you, Principe?” I wish the ground would just suck me in but I had to shake it off.
“Yeah. Fine. Whatever as long as we get there,” I said as we started getting in the car. I sat down last and moved my seat back slightly so there was room for Madeleine.
“Is this even legal?” Ian asked as she sat on my lap. I just looked right ahead to stop thinking about how her warmth felt in this chilly weather. She laughed as I kept my act up.
“It couldn't be but it’s only for ten minutes. We’ll be fine,” she said and Sergio started to drive away from the apartment complex.
“I don’t know if this is a good look for church though,” Ian said which made the rest of the guys laugh except me.
“We’re all wearing clown makeup in the morning to go to church. We were doomed from the start my guy,” said Sergio as he turned the music up. I had forgotten about that.
“Oh my God I love that song so much,” Madeleine said, making me smile though I did my best to hide it. I had been saving the songs she’d post in a playlist to just learn more about her and maybe play it for her sometime.
“Whoever’s playlist is that is the GOAT,” said Mia which Sergio revealed.
“This is a playlist Mauricio made, I’m pretty sure. His phone is the one connected.” My heart sank as she tried to get a look of me in the side mirror.
“Really?” She asked.
“Yeah. I’ve been saving the songs you share.” I just said and we all went silent briefly. That’s until Valenor broke the silence.
“What’s the church’s denomination again?” He asked before Madeleine spoke after a brief pause.
“I’m not quite sure. I just…go here. Well, until today at least. I don’t think this is for me and I don’t think I agree with a lot of the things they believe in.” I couldn’t help but feel proud of her for being true to herself.
“Really? Mind sharing your thoughts a bit?” Ian asked and she nodded before speaking.
“I have conflicted feelings about the Bible which only gets worse when all the different interpretations and versions get mixed up. I could go on and on about that so I won’t go into much detail on that right now. I also just don’t really identify with it anymore. I’ve felt like that for a while now but hadn’t acted upon it until Principe came along.” I tried to stare blankly at the road in front of us but I was slightly trembling. She probably felt it too.
“Well, I’m happy you figured out what is best for you and I’m even happier to know our Principe Muerte was able to help you out just as much as he has helped us since he joined the guild,” Valenor said and I could see she smiled and nodded by looking at the rear view mirror.
“He’s the best in so many ways. I can’t be anymore grateful to know him,” she said before going silent. We had arrived at the church’s parking lot and her future ex boyfriend was standing outside with his family. What a way to kill the vibe.
“I guess we’re here,” said Sergio, which she immediately confirmed.
“We’re definitely here,” she said in a serious tone that was way different from hers earlier today.
“Let’s get moving then,” said Valenor and got out of the car with Ian and Sergio who opened our door. Mia followed along. Jeremiah stared at us as if he was going to kill us which only got worse as Madeleine got off my lap.
“What is this, Madeleine?” He asked somewhat angrily. Definitely not lovingly as the pastor’s son should.
“I told you I was coming along with some friends,” she said calmly and he walked over to her making me get closer too. Now I gave him the death stare.
“These aren’t your friends. This is that group you’re obsessed with. Idolatry it seems,” he said and I hated how close he was getting to her.
“I’m most definitely her friend and roommate,” said Mia, making him raise his hand pointing up his index finger for her to stop talking.
“I swear, dude, if you lay one finger on her,” I said before he cut me off.
“What? You come here to my church, in front of my family, with my girlfriend on your lap and now you want to tell me what I can and can’t do with her?” He said before an older woman I think is his mother joined in.
“I told you, sweetie. You needed a woman of God instead of a piece of work. I mean, look at her and her preferences,” she said which I immediately interrupted.
“Excuse me, señora, but look at what about her? That she is so damn gorgeous and intelligent which is way more than what your sorry ass son deserves?” Ian pulled me away from the old lady.
“Look, they’re just visiting and they gave me a ride. I sat on his lap because Mia couldn’t fit in the car. That’s all. I’m sorry for the inconvenience,” Madeleine said which pissed me off more until she looked at me and winked. She was putting on a show for us to finish our mission. I mean, of course she would. She didn’t lie when she said she was committed.
“I…I’m sorry, Mads. I’ve just been having a hard time and seeing you like this just messed with me,” he said as she started rubbing his back. I wanted to vomit at the sight but I just looked at his parents.
“Sorry ma'am. I’m just looking out for her. I’m Principe Muerte by the way,” I said and stuck my hand out for her but her husband was the one that shaked it.
“Pastor Smith. Good to see more of the lost world coming to the Lord,” he said and I just smiled. If only he knew.
“There’s nobody inside yet, right?" Madeleine asked them.
“No. Not right now. Why?” The pastor asked back which made her smile.
“My friends and I kind of have something for you,” she said with a smile on her face. She looked beautiful.
“Yeah, let me and the guys pick up some stuff from the car and we’ll be right back,” I said before going to the car with the guys and picking up our bags containing what we’ll need to get the party started.
“Madeleine, what’s going on?” I heard Jeremiah ask her as we picked up our stuff. I tried hard not to laugh.
“She’s cute. For you, I mean,” Sergio told me softly, making me blush lightly. Thankfully my white makeup didn’t let it show.
“Whatever guys. Let’s head in and get ready. Madeleine signaled us to go inside and we followed her into the church. It’s bigger than the one we vandalized.
“Mads, that was crazy,” Mia said and I could see how Madeleine's face changed.
“That’s why I’m so over these people,” she said as we looked around before we eventually put our stuff down and put on our gear.
“I don’t blame you. This place looks nice though,” said Ian as he sat down with Valenor and then Sergio sat beside him to put on their gear. Mia looked at us as we did so.
“Hold on for a bit please,” Madeleine said before she went up to me to whisper in my ear.
“Did I ever tell you I like confident, opinionated men that are not afraid to stand up to anyone for what he cares about even if they’re older or have more power?” She whispered before handing me a note and leaving. I opened it as I sat next to Mia. I couldn’t help but smile when I read it.
I want you to accept my invitation and fulfill my fantasy when this is over.
~
“Madeleine, sweetie, what’s going on? You know this is a Sunday church service, right?” Jeremiah’s mother said, making me want to gag by how she spoke to her. I remained calm and went over to spray paint on the door “SUNDAY SERVICE CANCELLED” in black spray paint before heading back in.
“What did you just do?” The pastor asked, making me laugh.
“Madeleine, do you want to do the honors?” I asked her as she walked up to me with a lock and key in hand. She smiled.
“Of course, Principe. Thank you so much for the opportunity,” she said as she locked the main entrance. The other guys took charge of the other exits. That’s when they started panicking.
“What? What is this?” The old woman laughed as I slid through the floor with Madeleine walking behind me.
“That’s the same thing I thought when I read the testimony scripts you guys had stored back at the chapel,” Madeleine said, which was music to my ears.
“You did what, Madeleine? What are you talking about?” Jeremiah yelled at us and ran up to us before I stopped him. I quickly slid towards them.
“Don’t you dare touch her,” I said firmly and slightly pushed him.
“Why? She’s my girlfriend afterall or am I wrong?”
“Do you know my nickname, Jeremiah?” I asked him.
“No. I don’t care about you guys. You guys are nothing to me. I should’ve never let Madeleine follow you guys.” Before I could say anything Madeleine yelled, shocking us all.
“You have no authority to tell me what I can or can’t do. I know your twisted beliefs might say I’m your property but I’m not and I’ll never be anyone’s property.” I smirked before this asshole tried to move forward.
“I told you to stay away from us. Here I’m Principe Muerte, the death prince. If you touch her you’ll know why that’s my name in the guild,” I said which made Madeleine and Mia gasp. Even Jeremiah and his family did.
“Now put your phones on the floor,” Sergio directed from behind them. They were trying to oppose but immediately stopped when Sergio brought out a sledge hammer.
“No way,” Jeremiah’s father said, making Sergio and I laugh before he went up to him.
“Does it look like you have a choice, sir?” Sergio asked him and smirked as he swung the hammer he held in his hand. Mr. Smith looked at Mia.
“And what about her?” Sergio looked offended.
“She’s with me and I’m with them. She’s in the clear. Can you stop whining now?” Madeleine yelled from where she stood. Her future ex boyfriend started breathing heavily.
“Why, Madeleine? Just why?” He asked and his voice cracked. She walked up to him before I could say anything.
“Why did you lie to me, waste my time, and make me feel like trash? Don’t you dare say you haven’t lied to me because you and your family have lied to everyone. Now, give me your damn phone or I’ll have to use force to do it,” she said at close range from him. He wasn’t particularly muscular or anything but he was definitely taller than her. He could’ve hit her right there but she didn’t care. That’s when he finally complied. They eventually placed their phones on the floor which Sergio smashed one by one.
“Oh my God, Relampago,” Mia exclaimed out of excitement, making us laugh. All of us except the Smith family of course.
“We told you not to bring that crazy girl into our family, Jeremiah,” Mrs. Smith said, making me have to go after Madeleine as she was about to lunge at her. Even in my arms she didn’t stay quiet.
“I’m not part of your family. I never was and I’m so happy I never will be,” her voice slightly cracked but she kept her composure and stopped trying to go up to them. I wanted to kiss her cheek so bad.
“Guys, let's all relax. We have to focus on what actually matters,” Valenor said as he came up to us.
“I guess you're referring to the public apology right?” I asked, making poor Mr. Smith start panicking.
“Let me show you real quick,” Ian said from afar and turned on the church projector to showcase multiple posts Mia made on the church’s official social media accounts where we included all the the scripts of the testimonies they’ve repeatedly used for years with different people. Ian is quite the tech guy and was able to hack their accounts and find even more important information.
“That…that’s nothing. It’s just notes,” Smith said and his son backed his claim.
“Oh really? What about this?” Valenor said before Ian pulled up on the screen real footage and stories about their supposed “retreats” and “institutions” which showed the horrors they hide. Those were posted as well.
“Madeleine, why did you do this? Why?” Jeremiah asked on the verge of tears. Such a coward I see.
“You ruined our whole family and reputation, Jeremiah. Don’t complain about the grave you dug all on your own. You’re just like your cousin and we should’ve taken the necessary measures the first time you told us about this girl,” his father yelled at him.
“Get them girl,” Mia yelled, making me have to hide my laugh.
“We know about your cousin too, by the way. Though, at this point I think more than just us know about her,” Valenor teased before Ian showed on the screen their biggest secret.
“Marina Rose Smith. Born April 18th 1995. Various forms of electroshock treatments were used on her until she was eventually lobotomized in 2015. Since then nobody knew about her whereabouts until we came along,” Valenor said. We all gasped at his words and at the proof being shown on the projector. Well, all of us did except Valenor and Ian who I guess were the only two people that worked on this part of our mission. Madeleine looked ill at that moment. I even felt nauseous.
“You guys did what?” Madeleine yelled in disbelief. I could see her shake as her eyes started to fill with tears, only making me feel worse.
“She was a very serious case and her parents made the choice to get her fixed up. Not us,” Mrs. Smith said.
“At one of your institutions?” Asked Ian. I didn’t think twice and I went up to Madeleine to hug her tightly as she started crying.
“I’m so sorry. I feel ashamed,” she cried into my shoulder and I just rubbed her back.
“It’s not your fault. You just didn’t know. You did what you thought was right. You have nothing to do with that,” I told her and Mia came up to us.
“How are you disrespecting me like that right now? You basically ruin my whole family’s life and then run to some other guy’s arms right in front of me,” Jeremiah said, triggering Madeleine to bite back.
“The damage is done, son. If only you had chosen Greta,” his mother said as Madeleine left my embrace to stand in front of her. She’s definitely going to regret saying that.
“Yeah. He should’ve chosen her instead of dragging me into such a low place with such low people. It’s so sad your son is so over you guys that he felt the need to date such a horrible immoral person.” She then walked up to Jeremiah.
“And you know what you did for me? You made me realize that there once was a moment I didn’t love myself enough leading me to go after your pathetic self,” she said before standing beside me again.
“You go girl,” Mia whispered to her as Madeleine wiped her tears.
“Now that we’ve informed you about the current state of your…fraudulent church, we’ll give you the opportunity to fix all of this. To some extent at least,” Valenor told them as I wrapped my arm around Madeleine. She leaned to my side when I did so. She felt so warm.
“We’re going to expose you guys,” Pastor Smith threatened. I smiled as I bit my lip.
“I don’t think you should try that, buddy,” Sergio said from where he stood.
“You see, we need to leave this place because it’ll be gone soon. Your ex-girlfriend and ex daughter in law, if we can even call it that since I’m quite sure she wasn’t going to marry the mini pastor here…besides the point. She doesn’t want anything to happen to you therefore we’ll avoid it. Now…if you make things hard or try to do anything against us we’ll have to go against our princess’ wishes,” Valenor said and I couldn’t help but smile even though it was wildly inappropriate.
“What do you mean she doesn’t want anything to happen to us? We’re going to lose our church, our followers, our institutions, and just everything we have,” Mr. Smith said before I answered his question.
“We mean your bodies,” I said with a smile.
“You guys are insane,” said his wife.
“Are you going to lobotomize us too?” Sergio asked as he joined us.
“Do you want to film that apology video or not? The clock is ticking,” Valenor told them one last time.
“You better be quick be quick you’re never going to get your time back. Ask me. I know a lot about that,” Madeleine said, making me feel proud of her for the woman she’s become.
“You have six minutes,” Ian added after shutting down the projector.
“Why?” The three of them asked.
“You just do,” I said.
“What’s your decision?” Valenor asked.
“Just tell us already,” Mia blurted out. I’m starting to think Sergio’s idea wasn’t that bad.
“We’ll do it ourselves. Just let us leave and leave this place alone,” the old woman begged in defeat.
“I don’t think we can help you with that last request,” Valenor said. All the guys started walking towards the three idiots. All of them except me. I had to do something before we took those three away. I started to walk to the back of the church with Madeleine and Mia.
“Madeleine, are you okay?” I asked. She sighed.
“As good as I can be after that,” she replied softly.
“Are we still good for what we planned?” I had to ask. It felt as if a whole life had passed since she asked me to fulfill my promise.
“I definitely am. You?” She replied, making me blush even if she couldn’t see it through my makeup.
“Yeah. Mia, go get the car and park back here alright. Make it quick alright. Don’t worry about the people in front of the church because we hired them. You go out too, Madeleine. After thirty minutes, start making your way home. I have the rest figured out,” I said and then winked at Madeleine.
“After thirty minutes?” Mia asked, making Madeleine and me blush.
“Trust him on this. He has it figured out. Let’s go,” Madeleine said before I quickly kissed her forehead before she left alongside her friend. I ran back to finish the job with the guys. There are some things I’m not going to disclose yet.
~
I was all pumped up after taking care of Madeleine’s ex and his family with the guys. I could barely catch my breath but we still had a few arrangements to make.
“Is all of our stuff packed up already?” I asked Ian who was walking out with a duffel back.
“Pretty much. All except what we’re going to use to demolish this place with,” he chuckled, making me grin with satisfaction.
“Good. I need to go do something for Madeleine now. I don’t want to leave her hanging, you know?” I said which made him smile now.
“Are you guys going to start dating now?” I laughed nervously.
“Something like that I guess. I just want to fulfill a promise I made to her. Whatever happens next happens,” I said and scratched the back of my neck.
“Oh yeah. You guys are definitely going to keep in touch for reasons unrelated to fraudulent churches,” he teased.
“You’re just jealous because no girl wants you.” He faked offense.
“Shut up. Many girls want me. I’m just…emotionally unavailable.” We laughed together before I started to head out.
“Alright, my dude. I have to go and you need to get rid of this place before anyone gets here.”
“Okay, lover boy. I’ll wrap this up for you,” he said as I walked out the back door like Madeleine did earlier.
I started running trying to find the car. It took a bit but I eventually spotted them prompting me to run after it before sliding on the road to catch up to them. She’s going to love that. I was then able to get to the car and did my best to cling myself to the side of the car and still be able to slide on my knees as the car kept moving. As soon as I did that I heard them scream in shock even though the car had all the windows up. I felt so satisfied that I had clinged to the passenger side because that’s right where Madeleine was sitting. My future passenger princess I see. She turned around and looked both relieved and amused. Mia followed along too and I laughed. Madeleine rolled her window down.
“What are you doing? You’re crazy, Mauricio,” she said once the window was down.
“Who’s Mauricio? I’m Principe Muerte,” I teased and that’s when I realized Mia was starting to pull over the side of the road. She’s ruining all the fun.
“Get off the car,” Mia yelled as she finally stopped the car on the side of the road.
“I don’t have to do anything. You see, something inside the vehicle you’re currently driving is mine. I came here to take it with me. Take her with me,’ I said, making Madeleine smile as she bit her lip. She’s so damn beautiful that I don’t understand why these trashy college guys treated her so poorly.
“Her?” Mia asked, confused. I guess she didn’t tell her about our plans.
“You heard me. Unlock the car, Miss,” I answered, playing along with Madeleine’s request. I mean, she did want me to take her away.
“Please hurry up, Mia. He seems desperate,” she said without taking her eyes off me. Take that Jeremiah.
“Okay. Okay. I will,” Mia said and I heard the doors unlocked. Madeleine had already taken her seatbelt off making things easier. That’s when I carefully pulled her out of the car to go on with the “taking her away” part. Her wicked smile said everything. That’s when I pulled her close and whispered in her ear.
“From now on you’re mine and I’m yours. You’re my one and only Princesa Muerte.”
The end.
Or is it?