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“Bitch tried to scream.”
“Scream? Like this?” I shot him in the kneecap, and the girls jumped and huddled together at his scream. I grabbed him by the hair and yanked him off the ground. “What is my number one rule?”
“Don’t touch,” he moaned through the pain.
“And you touched?” He nodded, so I shoved my gun down his throat and pulled the trigger. I looked at the rest of them, and they all nodded like they got it. “You touch, you die.”
I tossed the asshole away from me and waited for Chili to come up and inspect. Filippo and Alejandro stayed close but quiet. They knew better than to get involved with Chili and me.
“Anyone else hurt?” he called, and they all shook their heads.
“You want me to take them back to my place and wait until she heals?” I asked Chili. That was normally what we did. I’d keep the girls locked away in the basement if they were injured, to give them time to heal. That way, we’d be sure they’d sell for top dollar.
“No, I can deal with that one myself.” He signaled for his men to move the girls into the two awaiting vehicles.
“So, we good here?”
“Sí.” He handed me a wad of cash. “I’ll be in touch.” He slipped behind the tinted windows and left us in a cloud of dust.
“Jesus, why did he show up here?” Filippo whispered to Alejandro as I poured gasoline over the dead Cartel’s body and motioned the other men to return to the US through the tunnel. I knew my contact over there would give them their payment when they got back. I didn’t need any murders over money happening in my fucking tunnel.
Once the body was soaked, I tossed the container aside and went to the back of my truck to wash up.
“He’s just making sure we’re keeping our end of the agreement,” I heard Alejandro explain.
“Why doesn’t Eric use a different buyer?”
“Why do you ask so many questions, Filippo?”
“I’m trying to learn.”
“Fuck.” Alejandro grabbed the water jug from the ground and poured it over his sweaty head. “When there’s something to learn, I’ll teach you, but asking questions in this line of work will get you killed.”
“Fine.” Filippo plunked to the ground with a heavy sigh. I think the kid saw a life in this business, but Alejandro was right. Asking too many questions only made me more paranoid than I was already.
“Learn this now, kid,” Alejandro huffed as he moved around his bad shoulder. He glanced at me, no doubt wondering if I could hear them. “It’s like why he only goes to church once in a while. No one knows, and no one asks. He’s the boss, so keep your mouth shut, eyes down, and continue to show your loyalty. That’s how you stay alive.”
“Got it.”
“Let’s go!” I hit the truck to get their attention as I lit the match and tossed it. The body burned.
Ivy
I was pleased with how my office turned out. The lavender walls were calming and matched the elephant tusk colored plush couch and chairs. A decorative waterfall in the far corner provided white noise and brought the outdoors inside. I wanted to create a place where people who had spent most of their lives out in the elements could feel safe inside with familiar sights and sounds. If that didn’t work, I’d haul all the stuff outside and that would be my office.
“Ivy?” Mia held out a plant as she tried to disentangle herself from her daughter’s tight grip on her leg. Tabby’s arms were wrapped around Mia’s leg, and a snorkel hung around her small neck. “I love flowers, and I thought maybe you’d like some for your office.” She smiled at my transformed room.
“So do I.” I took the big green plant from her arms and set it next to the window. “It’s lovely. Thanks, Mia.”
“Okay,” she took a step inside the room, “I didn’t come here just to give you the plant.”
“No?”
“Tabby, wait outside for a moment, please.” She peeled her daughter off and gave her a little push toward the door then came closer to me. “Screw my dad, screw the law, just screw it all.” Her face was serious. “I know how he operates. Dad has his reasons for bringing people here. He did it with Sloane too. I also know that as much as my dad tries to help, he doesn’t take into account that you might need someone to talk to. I know I’m not around as much as the others right now, because of the classes I’m taking, but you can talk to me, to any of us. We’ve all been through scary stuff. We also know how to keep our mouths shut. I just want you to know, we are here for you anytime. Okay?”
“Okay.” I nodded at her with a smile. I deeply appreciated Mia’s offer; I knew it came from the heart. “Thanks, Mia.”
“Of course.” She gave me a hug, then she glanced at the plant. “It looks great there.” She sounded very matter-of-fact. Then she scooped up Tabby, who waved at me over her mother’s shoulder as they left.
