Alvaro Ramirez-

Today has been a shit show, the shipment was late, the idiots that work for me apparently forgot when I saw do it. You fucking do it. From the outside being a mafia boss is all glorious and powerful. It can be but most of the time it's not, it's stressful, time consuming, and dangerous. This job definitely isn't for the weak. Luckily for my family I am not weak.I'm the strongest out of all my brothers. I was raised by my abuelo Alencio. He was ruthless but taught me the responsibilities of being a family man and a capo. My dad didn't care about me and my brothers. He was to worried about being all powerful and taking what wasn't his. He died in a battle with the Italian Mafia. He had stolen over 50 million dollars of their weapons shipment and they obviously wanted revenge. I told him not to do it. We were at peace, and we didn't need to start any unnecessary wars. But he obviously didn't listen to me. That fucking a stared died and left me to deal with the Mafia without a fucking second to think. Just thinking of all the mistakes my dad made and all the issues he caused pisses me off to no means. The biggest one is my little brother Elias.

Oh Elias. He was only a few months old last time I saw him. My poor brother used as collateral fucking damage. My bi-polar mother decided since my dad had slept with other women she could sleep with other men. But the other men were enemies to our mafia. The Greek Mafia Capo for one. He was pissed to say the least and it started this whole fight. So that night after he had stormed off to go sleep with other women she took my baby brother left a note that said "Fuck you" and disappeared. We had no leads. My abuelo ride so hard to find them but it's like she vanished, taking him along with her. I often wonder how he's doing. Is he safe? Is he happy? But I have a feeling it's quite the opposite. I remember mother well. She was psycho. She forgot to feed us, she neglected us, and didn't care if we were happy, mad, or sad. She left us on our own more often than she was around us. Luckily we had nannies, maids, butlers, our Abuelo and Abuela. But still. I was 13 when my brother was born, and 13 when they left.

I know my mother died years ago. I was the one who got the call. I asked about Elias but they couldn't find him or the boyfriend my mother was living with at that time. We didn't hold a funeral for her, there's no gravestone, there's just a bag of ashes in the basement in a closet we never go in. She's there and hats where she belongs.

I decide to shut my mind off for the day. It's Thursday and tomorrow is going to be hell if today said anything. I close my laptop, lock up my paperwork and make my way downstairs. I find Marco and Alexander sitting in the living room watching breaking bad. I don't understand the entertainment. It's more wrong than it is correct. I personally find it annoying and refuse to watch it with them. I find Leonardo in the kitchen making birria tacos.

Leo is the mother hen of the family. He was close to Abuela and learned her recipes and home remedies. On special nights like this he goes in the kitchen and whips some delicious home cooked meal up. Birria tacos happen to be Santiagos favorite dish. "¿Alex, Marco donde esta Santiago? "(Where is Santiago?) I ask the twins "How should we know? We just got home 10 minutes ago?" Marco replies to me "He's probably up in his room pouting about something" Alex says "Well one of you call him, Leo is making birria tacos and I know he won't want to miss dinner." I say. Before the twins can say anything else Leo pokes his head out of the kitchen and says "I'm not making these for the fun of it. Santiago is upset because you Alvaro gave him the lowest risk job." I look at Leo and say "It needed to be done, he has to work his way up the chain like the twins did." "The twins didn't patrol the empty wear house for weeks. What are you even planning on doing with that wear house? We can't just leave it sitting empty. That's wasting resources. We're getting full at one of the weapons wear house, we could move some over to there. It's a 37 mile drive, won't take all day and with the new shipment coming in tomorrow we need the room." Leo replies back to me. Leo makes his way to the kitchen to finish cooking and I follow him to continue our conversation. "No. I have a plan for that wear house and weapons isn't the reason. We're putting our medical supplies in there, and creating another trauma center." I tell Leo as I watch him dip the tortillas in the birria sauce. Leo looks at me like I've grown 2 heads. "Are you stupid? We don't have any extra medical supplies to move anywhere and we certainly don't need another trauma center. I am the actual doctor in charge of all of this. I would know where we would need another trauma center. You're looking for an excuse to not give Santiago a real job. Grow a pair and assign him to watch over the transfer of the shipment tomorrow." "I don't want to push him into the hardcore stuff of this life like we were Leo. I want to ease him into it. If I say he's not ready then he's not." I tell Leo roughly. Leo looks at me with a look of surprise. Then I watch as his face changes. "You idiota. Give him a real fucking job or I swear to all things holy Alvaro you will be dealing with more than a moody Santiago. Es un hombre quieres que darle un puto trabajo de verdad antes de que pierdes la cabeza y los peeles." (He's a man, you need to give him a real fucking job before he looses his shit and you guys get into an argument.) Me and Leo have a stare off for a couple of minutes. I think over what he told me. I know Santiago wants a real job, he's tired of these entry level jobs I give him but does he really want to be as involved as me, or his brothers? He's only 21. He has his whole life to decide to join, once you join, you join and you're in. There's no leaving. "I'll think about it Leo. But I will not rush him into anything" I tell Leo as I walk out. I walk up the stairs, through the hallways, and knock on Santiagos door. I hear a small 'come in' I walk in and look at Santiago. He's watching a video on his phone. Is Leo sure Santiago is ready for this life? He's still a teenager in my eyes. I don't want to see him get hurt. "We need to talk" I told Santiago. I walk over to his desk and take a seat. "I know you're annoyed with me for giving you basic entry level jobs. I know you want something more, you want to help out and do more." I tell him while looking straight at Santiago. "Yeah I am ready, I've been doing these bullshit jobs for years. I've put up with your bullshit for years." Santiago tells me angrily. He sits up and stares at me, keeping eye contact throughout a long stretch of silence. "I am just worried you're rushing into this. You don't need to be ready yet. Once you join, there is no going back. You can't just decide in a few months or years that working in the Mafia isn't for you and leave. I need you to understand this Santiago." I tell him Santiago sits there thinking, contemplating my words. "I understand that Alvaro, I know there is no leaving. I was born into this life and I will die in it. I want to help out. I want to be a part of the family business. I train harder than the twins. When I spar against our guards I win. I am ready for this, Leo knows this as does the twins. It's only you who is hesitating." I look at him, at my baby brother. I remember all his milestones, when he said his first word, he got his license, when we broke the news of the mafia to him. He is my baby brother, but he's also 21 years old now, I cannot protect him any more than I can protect my other brothers. " I understand. Santiago if you want tomorrow at 6pm we are getting a new shipment of weapons to be delivered to wear house 5B. I would like you to over see it." I tell him Santiago looks shocked. He then jumps up off his bed. "Really Alvaro?! You really mean it?!" He asks me excitingly. I nod at him and gently smile. He jumps up and gives me a hung, thanking me over and over. "Okay you're welcome Santiago. Now Leo is making birria tacos so come down if you're hungry." I tell him. Santiago looks at me and if possible his smile gets bigger. "Hell yeah today is fucking awesome" Santiago tells me basically running out of his room. He's not Elias, I can't treat him as a baby anymore. He's 21 and ready to join. I need to understand and accept that.

Oh how I miss Elias.

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Well that's another chapter down. This was harder to write as these brother can be difficult to differentiate. I'll get better about it don't worry. Now as always anything you'd have changed? Anything that didn't make sense? Let me know Be honest but be nice.

We're receiving snow for the first time in years down here so if the power goes out I'm sorry.