Chapter 1
Be Careful What You Wish For
By Melissa
It was October 10th, 2003. Diego was a well-known bar owner in London. He kept to himself, preferring the quiet life behind his polished wooden counter, the dim amber glow of rustic bulbs overhead casting long shadows across the room. But like everyone else, he too had skeletons in his closet. He did not want anybody to find out about them, as it would place his family in tremendous danger if they ever discovered his past and what he had once gotten caught up in. It was a past filled with choices he wished could be erased, mistakes that had consequences far beyond his control.
“Mr. Diego, how you doing today?” one of his regular customers called across the bar, his voice echoing softly in the quiet establishment.
“Yeah,” Diego nodded, barely looking up, his fingers still moving rhythmically across the counter as he wiped it clean. “Just fine. Say hi to the family for me, will you?”
“Yeah, sure,” the customer said, adjusting his coat and scarf before leaving. The bell above the door jingled lightly, a sound that usually brought a small comfort, but today it did not.
Until someone from his past walked in. At first, Diego kept himself busy, minding his own business. He carefully wiped the counter, cleaned out the last glasses, and rearranged bottles behind the bar as if nothing were wrong. But then, as he lifted his head, he saw him. The man in the suit, eyes fixed, staring. A chill ran down Diego’s spine. The man straightened his hat, the brim casting a shadow over his face, and calmly poured himself a brandy, neat, as though he had all the time in the world. He sat at a table near the corner, watching, waiting. The air suddenly felt heavier, the warm glow of the lights dimmer, as if the room itself had sensed the danger.
Diego continued wiping the counter, pretending to tend to a glass, until he could no longer avoid it. The man had been someone he dreaded, someone whose presence could unravel everything he had fought to protect. He looked at him.
“You just couldn’t keep your big mouth shut, could you?” the man said, voice low, measured, but carrying a weight of threat. He threw a folded newspaper onto the counter, the edges slapping the wood almost dangerously close to Diego’s drink.
“Hey, hey! I kept my mouth shut! They threatened to kill my family if I didn’t talk,” Diego replied, his voice trembling slightly, remembering the fear and desperation of those moments.
He paused, recalling the choices he had made, the promises he had broken, and the lives that now hung in the balance because of them.
“I thought you said you could protect me!” Diego’s voice cracked as he leaned closer, his eyes darting nervously across the room, half-expecting someone else to emerge from the shadows.
“Protect you?” the man said, reaching into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and letting his fingers brush against the cold steel of a pistol. “You have no idea what you just caused, do you?” His eyes were cold, precise, and unyielding.
Diego looked down, swallowing hard, his throat dry. He lifted his drink slowly, letting the amber liquid slide down his throat, giving him a small moment of courage. “I’ll fix this, I swear,” he said, his voice steadier, though the fear still lingered in his eyes.
“You better fix this mess you created,” the man said, standing now, his shadow stretching across the floor as he moved toward the door. “Or those two innocent lives you have been protecting will never see the light of day again.”
The man paused at the threshold, looked over his shoulder, and flicked his cigarette butt onto the street outside. The tiny ember glowed red briefly before disappearing into the darkness. Then he was gone, leaving Diego alone in the dimly lit bar. The silence was deafening, the shadows now feeling like walls closing in.
Just then, the phone rang, its shrill tone cutting sharply through the tense air. Diego picked it up, the receiver cold against his hand. “Hello? Who’s there?” he asked, trying to steady his breath.
A woman’s voice came through, trembling, hysterical. “Diego! They took your father! Please… find him!” she cried, tears shaking her words with urgency.
“Who took him, Mamma? Who?” Diego demanded, panic rising, his mind racing as memories of the past collided with the immediate danger.
“A man dressed in a suit with a hat. He said you owe him for an unfinished job,” she sobbed. “His words… his words were: Be careful what you wish for…”
And before Diego could respond, the line went dead. Silence. The only sound was the faint hum of the bar lights overhead, and the distant echo of a London street at night.
Diego sank into a chair behind the counter, his fingers tracing the wood as he tried to process everything. His mind replayed the past, the mistakes, the choices, the threats, all converging in a moment he could not undo. Every memory of what he had thought was behind him now surged forward like a tidal wave.
Outside, the city was alive with indifferent lights and distant sirens, oblivious to the terror and chaos brewing inside this small bar. Inside, Diego felt the weight of responsibility pressing down on him. The lives of his loved ones, the consequences of his past actions, and the threats that had long lurked in the shadows all of it pressed against his chest like a vice.
He knew what he had to do. He would fix this. Somehow. No matter the cost. But for now, all he could do was sit, silent, the newspaper still on the counter, the memories and threats lingering like smoke in the low-lit bar.
The shadows stretched long and dark across the floor. Outside, the wind whispered through the empty streets, carrying the faint sound of footsteps, footsteps that could belong to anyone… or no one at all. Diego took another deep breath, gripping the edge of the counter, feeling the cool wood against his hands. He would make things right. He had no choice. But one thought remained, heavy and foreboding, echoing in his mind with every heartbeat: Be careful what you wish for.
THE END.
