Idiots the lot of them, Luis is certain, there couldn't be any other explanation for it. People play each other, whether they realize it or not, they all play each other to some extent. They play each other for marriage or they play each other for sex, some even playing each other just to play each other.
Luis will never understand the ritual and he doubts he ever will. Now, his lethal career choice, that's something he'll always understand. The art of killing is something that Luis has perfected over the years and almost always takes great pleasure from.
Normal people have connections, strings attached that hold them to society, and - in all honesty - he'd have to admit that he has that, too. Only his is not that of a progeny or a loving wife. No. His ties are that of his mother and baby brother. On occasion, it includes his twin brother, but not always.
Like day and night, he and his brother could not be more different. Though they see the same face when they happen to look in a mirror, Luis remains amazed at how different they truly are. While he takes great pleasure in killing his enemies and taking control of any given situation, Lorenzo hates the sight of guns - only using them under great duress.
Where Luis has no heart, Lorenzo has an enormous one. He shouldn't find fault in that, but he does. Where Luis is cold and particular, Lorenzo is warm and caring, always willing to help strangers out of bind. Mostly women, but still.
Like Yin and Yang, Luis and Lorenzo are their polar opposites. Its almost poetic if you thought about it, but - to Luis - it is nothing but an inconvenience. With a sigh, Luis runs a weary hand down his face, his job was far from done. Thanks to his brother, his job has been made a million times harder.
Not that he minded the challenge, but it was - like he had said - a simple inconvenience. Something his brother seemed to not care about because - once again - he is taking care of yet another damsel in distress. Little Miss Elizabeth Webber. What his mother and brother see in the woman, Luis will never understand.
Sure she was pretty, but she wasn't worth dying over. Something neither of them agreed with, he might add, and that made him both confused and furious. Here he is, trying to protect them and ensure they lived a long happy life, and they just couldn't follow simple instructions.
"Luis, are you leaving?" his mother's soft voice speaks from behind him.
"Yes, ma." he says simply, checking to ensure that he has what he needs. "I'll be back by dusk."
"Have you...you..." she tries to find the right words, but can only think of one way to phrase it. "Have you heard from your brother? He promised to call with any updates on the young woman."
"He called. She's fine." Luis replies shortly, ruder than he intended.
"Luis..."
"I'm running on a tight schedule." he replies with a sigh, running one hand through his hair. "Stay inside with him until I get back. If he gets fussy, take him into the backyard, but keep the guards close."
"Luis...sooner or later we'll have to talk about this." she says in that all knowing tone, making his blood boil without even knowing.
"Once again you've mistaken me for your other son." Luis says sharply, zipping up his bag and slinging it on his back. "He does the talking...I do the killing."
"Luis..."
"Just stop, ma." he says seriously, wishing she'd just accept him for what and who he is. "I'm too old to change and I wouldn't even if I could. If you and Lorenzo want to protect that woman, that's fine, just don't expect me to go along with it."
"You're angry." it wasn't a question, rather a statement.
"What do you think?" Luis counters. "You and Lorenzo risk your lives for a complete stranger. She was supposed to be killed in that explosion! If not for Jason Morgan killing Corinthos, it would've fallen on me! Do you get that? I would've had to kill him to prevent him from coming after you."
"I'm sorry it caused problems for you..."
"You're not getting it." Luis snaps. "You never get it. I will kill a million people, hell, I'd kill every last person on this planet if it ensure you both are safe. The point is that you should do more to stay out of the damn line of fire."
"I know you don't care about this, but that woman was innocent." she says carefully. "She didn't deserve what was done to her...neither did her unborn child."
"I'm running out of time." Luis says plainly, knowing that he would never see things the way she and Lorenzo do. "He said she's regaining her strength and her baby should be just fine...now I have to go."
Kissing her forehead, Luis leaves their safe house, needing to clean up the loose ends left dangling. It had taken him a while, but he's finally tracked down the son of a bitch and it was time to finally put an end to that waste of space.
Admittedly, it had been his brother who encouraged him to go after the last remaining immediate threat, but he would have done so without the suggestion. Not right away, of course, but he would have done it. Groaning inwardly, Luis gets into his truck and heads off to deal with his unfinished business.
Speeding down the back roads, a thought hits him like a semi-trailer truck, he should know since he was hit by one once. Storing the little epiphany in the back of his mind, Luis continues on to his destination. One more life about to be taken by his hands.
"Sit and shut up." Luis says casually, his gun trained on his mark. "Go on."
"How did you find me?"
"I really wish people like you could come up with a better question than that." Luis sighs, slamming the door shut. "Always the same stupid, pointless question. Why does it matter the how? Shouldn't you be asking me why I bothered? Or maybe...what I plan to do now that I have?"
"You're here to kill me." he states plainly. "I'm merely curious as to the how because I make it a point to be impossible to track."
"Not impossible enough, apparently." Luis shrugs. "You know, for a Ruiz, you're one of the easiest marks I've had to track down."
With that comment, Luis knew he struck a nerve. The Ruiz family pride themselves in always being untraceable. Impossible to find. Unfortunately for this particular Ruiz, his family wants him gone almost as much as he does. An utter disgrace is the phrase they had used when telling Luis where Manny was.
"Normally I'd give you the gun and give you the chance to kill yourself before I did my part." Luis says, leaning against the door. "But then you'd probably do something stupid, like trying to shoot me, and then I'd have to shoot you anyway and it would be a waste of time."
Luis shrugs, pushing away from the door.
"Normally I'd love a good challenge, but you really just don't do it for me." Luis sighs, walking over to him. "I guess taking my time with you after you're dead will have to do."
Staring him in the eyes, Luis pulls the trigger, putting an end to the last immediate threat to his family. And, even if it wasn't intentionally, the threat to Elizabeth Webber. In all honesty, he had hoped that Manny would have put up more of a fight, try to save whatever life he still had left, but he didn't get that.
Taking his time, Luis cuts Manny up into a hell of a lot of pieces, thriving on the blood before lighting to pieces on fire. While the pieces burn, he sets up the bombs, always one to issue poetic justice where he can, and leaving the building. His job is done.
"Yeah?" his brother answers his phone.
"Hey, little brother." Luis says mockingly, driving a good distance before detonating the bomb, smirking as the explosion reaches his ears. "Its done...your little princess is safe."
"Thank you." Lorenzo states, both knowing that he didn't want to have to thank his brother, but also knowing that he appreciated it. "Are you heading back?"
"Not just yet." Luis admits, taking a left turn, heading for his brother. "I need something from you now."
"What could you possible "need" from me?" Lorenzo counters, knowing he probably wouldn't like it.
"Elizabeth Webber's DNA." he says simply. "I'm driving by your little out of the way shack...I don't care how you do it, get me something with viable DNA."
"Why?"
"Just do it." Luis snaps, ending the call. "The why is for me to know, little brother, and for you to find out."
A/N: Thank you for the reviews!
Appreciate them a lot. Can't wait to hear from you about this update.
Take Care,
- ROCkER