Valiente

A.G. Castillo

Description

Chente Jiminez is ready to start a new life with the man he loves, but his happy plans are destroyed when a family secret is revealed with dark supernatural consequences.

Sometimes, turning back the clock opens old wounds that can haunt you for a lifetime.

After completing his first semester at Stanford University, Chente Jimenez returns to Avalon a different young man with a fresh outlook on life. With the help of a new circle of college friends, Chente is ready to put the chaos of high school behind him and eager to begin his future with his first love, Aaron Doss.

That promising future collides with the unfortunate past as Chente recovers from a mysterious fever and transitions into a new chapter of his life. Things only get worse when an old family secret rises to the surface and threatens to tear the Jimenez family apart.

As the New Year bells ring, Chente and his family and friends embark on a dangerous journey, which leads them into the dark world of the supernatural, where sins are exposed and old vendettas are to be collected. Chente soon learns that it’s the ones you love most that can hurt you the deepest.

Sujets

• LGBTQ
• LGBTQ+
• Hispanic and Latino Americans
• Hispanic
• Latino
• Gay
• Fiction
• KKK

Informations

• Publié par: Archway Publishing
• Date de parution: 22 septembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665727655
• Langue: English

Extrait

VALIENTE
Sins and Secrets
 
 
 
 
A.G. Castillo
 
 

 
 
Copyright © 2022 A.G. Castillo.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
 
 
 
Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.archwaypublishing.com
844-669-3957
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6657-2764-8 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-2763-1 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-2765-5 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022914069
 
 
 
Archway Publishing rev. date: 09/21/2022
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
About the Author
 
 
 
 
 
F or my beloved mother , Navidad Castillo. Thank you for sharing your gift of storytelling. I love you.
For Tia Yolanda. Thank you for your fierce and unconditional love.
For Tim. Thank you for everything, but mostly for being my best friend.

CHAPTER 1
The soft blue light surrounded and cloaked Chente like a translucent bubble as he floated through the mysterious fog to nowhere. He could see the mist in front of him gently glowing as he drifted toward a delicate white light. Chente could feel the tranquility soak through the pores of his skin, and the scent of freshly cut roses filled the air—blissful peace.
In the distance, Chente could hear gentle whispering, like a multitude of prayers, and tender violin-like music playing. It filled his heart with warmth and an inner serenity that made him smile deliriously.
As he approached the white light, it gradually became brighter and brighter, but it didn’t pain Chente’s eyes; instead he was mesmerized by its sunny glory. Suddenly, the white light burst into a million brilliant sparkles, and when the haze dissipated, there stood an elderly lady in a soft yellow robe with her hands clasped in front of her. She thoughtfully gazed into Chente’s eyes and smiled.
Chente’s eyes danced as he sighed in disbelief. “Mina? Mina, is that really you?” he whispered as he rushed to embrace her.
The elderly lady was hypnotized by Chente’s voice, and without blinking she nodded her head slowly as she reached and hugged him.
Her hands buzzed, and a sharp electrical current transferred through her body the moment she touched him. She paused and caught her breath, and she then quietly giggled to herself as she stepped away.
“Mina? What’s the matter?” asked Chente. He moved closer. “What are you doing here? Wait, what am I doing here?” Chente looked around. “Hold on. Where am I?”
The elderly lady in the yellow robe covered her mouth and shook her head in disbelief. She sighed and smiled as she stared at Chente.
“ Mijo … my precious mijito … my dear grandson … no cambias ,” replied the gray-haired lady. “Still asking so many questions and still as chulo as ever …”
Chente shrugged and grinned at his grandmother. “But Mina, I really don’t know where I am …”
“ Ay , Chente. Mijo , you are Beyond the Clouds,” answered the grandmother.
“Huh?” replied Chente as he shook his head and looked around in a complete awe.
The grandmother was also entranced. She hadn’t seen her grandson in fifteen years, and he had grown into a fine young man. She fanned her eyes. “Chente, it is so good to see you. Oh, mijo , you look so much like your father.”
“Yeah, Mom says that too.” Chente smiled. Then, with added energy, he asked, “Wait. Is Dad here? He’s here, right?”
“No, Chente. It’s just me,” said the grandmother as she reached out and grabbed his hands. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat. “ Ay mijo .” She beamed. “It’s you. I can feel it. It’s you.”
Disappointed, Chente tilted his head and gave his grandmother a strange look. He was perplexed by her ramblings.
“What do you mean? I don’t understand what I am doing here,” replied Chente. “Am I dreaming? I have to be dreaming, right?”
“No, Chente, this is not a dream,” answered the grandmother. “You are here for a reason.”
“R-r-really?” he asked.
A loud, thunderous boom sounded in the distance, and it distracted Chente but focused the grandmother.
“ Mijo , listen to me. I have something to tell you,” she said as she grabbed her grandson’s hand and floated to the front door of St. John’s Catholic Church. “I mean, I have something to show you. It’s your time, Chente. I am sure that tu mamá will explain in more detail very soon.”
“Mina, you’re talking too fast. I don’t understand what you’re saying to me,” replied Chente as he paused and put his hands up in the air. “Why am I here at church, and why are you acting all nervous?”
The grandmother closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She paused in front of the church doors and collected her thoughts. She smiled tenderly at her handsome grandson.
“I’m sorry, mijo ,” she sighed.
“For what?” asked Chente. “Mina, you are starting to scare me. What is going on? Please tell me.”
“First of all, it’s okay to be scared. You are better when you are scared,” she replied.
Great! Have you been talking to Dad?
“Yes, I have spoken with your father, but we can discuss that another time,” replied the elderly woman in the glowing robe. “What I am trying to tell you is that it is my job to show you a few things in the very few moments we have left. But I can only show you. They won’t allow me to explain anything just yet.”
“Who? What are you talking about?” asked Chente as he became a little more frazzled when he realized that she could hear his thoughts.
“Please. Just trust me and hold my hand,” said the grandmother. She opened the door and led her grandson into the church filled with mist.
When the mist cleared, Chente found himself and his grandmother floating above the church altar as his mother and father exchanged their wedding vows. Chente was mystified that he was witnessing his parents’ wedding.
“Oh Mina, Mom is so beautiful,” he whispered. “She’s absolutely stunning.”
“ Si mijo. Tu mamá era la mas bonita de todo el pueblo ,” replied the grandmother as she gazed at the bride at the altar. “Everyone in town said so.”
“And my dad was so very handsome,” Chente added, his voice cracking.
The grandmother simply nodded her head and never took her eyes off the marrying couple below. She smiled as she carefully wiped away her tears of joy from her eyes.
Chente took a brief moment to look around, carefully soaking in all the details. He admired the light blue bows at the end of the pews and the bouquets of white roses next to the altar. He saw his Tia Marisela standing next to his mother, gingerly adjusting the wedding gown train.
Chente turned his attention back to the altar the second his father began to recite his wedding vows. He was hypnotized as he listened to his father pledge his eternal love for his mother.
“Oh wow. Dad really loved Mom, didn’t he, Mina?”
“More than you know, mijo ,” replied the grandmother as the priest pronounced the lovebirds husband and wife.
Suddenly, there was a deafening boom, and the front door of the church swung open, shattering the windowpanes. The audience gasped as a tall and ominous lady dressed in black marched to the front of the church, her wooden cane thundering with each step she took.
“Who is that?” asked Chente as he looked at his grandmother and watched her cringe.
“That is … Zenobia,” whispered Mina.
“Who?”
“Zenobia,” repeated the grandmother. “She was my best friend … un tiempo a long time ago. But she—”
“You!” shouted the lady in black as she stopped in front of the newlyweds and removed her black veil. She slowly pointed her crooked finger at Mr. Jimenez.
“It’s your fault!” she screamed. “It’s all your fault!”
The wedding guests gasped and began to whisper to one another.
“You killed my daughter!” wailed Zenobia as she threw her arms up in the air in obvious pain. “You killed my only daughter!”
Her voice was menacing, and it reverberated off the church rafters like seismic tremors. Chente could feel her anger as it shot through his body like a fiery bullet. He winced and gradually regained his breath as he clutched his vibrating hands.
Mr. Jimenez looked at his bride, and then he glanced at the wedding guests with an expression of disbelief. He shook his head. “No … No, you are wrong … I did nothing,” he whispered as he stepped toward his bride and shook his head.
“I curse you, Vincente Jimenez, and your bride,” howled the lady in black as her catlike eyes exploded into fire. “I promise I will have my revenge!”

Chente struggled to open his eyes. His eyelids