Chapter 174: _ Strays of Santa Leticia
The address led me far from the estates, away from Don Diego’s influence and the noble homes clustered around the packhouse.
The roads became uneven, the buildings smaller and more worn down. Clotheslines stretched across alleys, swaying with faded garments, and the scent of grilled meat was in the air.
Santa Leticia. That’s what they called this part of the pack. A place for those who worked but never prospered, where the cobblestone paths crumbled into dirt roads, and the wolves who lived here had long accepted their place at the bottom of the hierarchy.
I clutched my small bag tighter and glanced around, trying to find the right house number. The street names had long faded from the cracked walls, and I was starting to regret not asking more questions when I left Giulia and Letizia behind. I sighed, glancing up at the sky, hoping divine intervention would guide me...
And that’s when I spotted them.
Luis Miguel and his group.
Wasn’t it laughable how I felt irritation at first, then exhaustion, and finally, relief at the sight of them? I mean, they’d redeemed themselves but I couldn’t blame myself for not totally forgetting what they did.
They stood at the corner, leaning against a graffiti-covered wall and looking as up to no good as ever. Luis Miguel, the ringleader, was in the middle, all smug confidence and stupidly good looks. Gonzalo, who was taller and leaner, was laughing at something Pedro had said, while Ruben, the shortest but the loudest, gestured wildly with his hands.
I could still remember the last time we met... how they had, miraculously, decided to redeem themselves, turning from my tormentors into my personal choir, serenading me with apologies and ridiculous ballads. It had been absurd. Unbelievable.
And now, here they were again, completely unaware that I was standing right there.
For the first time in a long while, relief settled on me. Finally, someone I know.