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I smirked when I saw Pedro limping from the security hut a few yards away from the house. He thought it was okay to touch my girls, so I made sure he wouldn’t manhandle anyone for a long-ass time. A sprained knee, a cracked jaw, and some mangled fingers should teach him a lesson.
For the hundredth time, I eyed my phone and wondered if I should break my own rules. Just as I hovered my finger over the name, I heard a noise and clicked the screen to black.
“Hey, boss,” Alejandro called as he entered my room and placed my dinner on the table. I stepped back inside as he came to join me, as I didn’t want to draw attention to Filippo. “The new camera looks good.” He handed me my tablet to show me that he’d installed it exactly the way I wanted it. I was pleased to see how well I could zoom in on the woman. “Better than the other ones, that’s for sure.”
“Indeed.” It had felt good to get rid of Castillo’s cameras. I’d dumped them, wires and all, in a box and sent them back to him. I wasn’t opposed to using cameras—shit, I had a few in the other rooms with cages—but they were for me, not someone else. I never did my job under a microscope, and I wasn’t about to now. “Good.” I set the tablet down as I picked up a taco from the plate.
“Want to hear something crazy?” He leaned back with a shit-eating smile.
“Okay.”
“Guess who was in town the exact same time we were chasing the girl through the streets?”
“Who?” I squeezed a lime over my carne asada.
“Blackstone.” I dropped the food back on my plate and stared at him. “Yeah, boss, my buddy is friends with Hugo, and he said his brother almost shot one of them with their Ma Deuce.”
Holy shit.
“Yeah, he got away,” he shook his head, “but not before he killed Mario’s little brother.”
I couldn’t believe the coincidence that they were there at the same time we were.
“His brother. Is he the one who’s always on the rooftops?” I tried to piece it all together with what I’d seen that night.
“Yeah, they called him the Flying Machete. He was something else.” He shook his head at the loss. “The army guy was lucky, though. They fell off the roof, and Machete got snagged by a pole right through his leg. Crazy, hey? If it wasn’t for that, the army guy would be dead, too.”
“Did someone actually see it?”
“A couple kids saw from their window, and I think the rest they pieced together. What a way to go. I wonder how they’ll get him down. He’s still hangin’ up there.” He gave a low in-drawn whistle. That would explain why I felt I wasn’t alone that night. “Someone saw them run into the Christ of the City Church.” He leaned back and pulled his shirt from under his plump belly. “Isn’t that where you said the girl was heading?” I blinked at him, shocked beyond words she’d been racing toward them. Did Blackstone know she was on the loose? Was she somehow communicating with them and knew they were there?
“That’s crazy,” I mumbled when I realized I hadn’t spoken for a couple of moments.
“Well,” he sat and kicked his feet up, “at least they didn’t get the girl.”
“No,” I flicked my hand at his boots, and he lowered them, “but I want to know how the hell they knew to be there in town, that night, after she just escaped.”
He shrugged but nodded and pulled out his phone.
Later that evening, when the sun went down, and the temperature had finally cooled enough, I headed back out to the balcony and settled in for a quiet evening. I pulled up the basement camera to see what the girl was up to. My mind had been in a constant loop since Alejandro shared what he’d discovered. She seemed to be asleep. I was about to close it when I caught movement. Leo moved toward the cage and seemed to inspect Lexi asleep on the bed. I felt my temperature rise. Only Alejandro and I knew about the new camera, and everyone knew I had removed Castillo’s. I leaned forward in my seat to watch him. He used the generic code to open her cage door then went inside and set a fresh cup of water on the small table next to her. Okay. Then he slowly pulled back the blanket and exposed her naked thigh. Hell, no!
I jumped to my feet, raced out of the office, and pounded down the stairs. I heard a loud yelp as I pushed the door open. Pain exploded in my gut as Lexi elbowed me hard in the belly then again in the mouth. Instantly, I tasted tin. I took a swipe at my mouth and saw blood. She came at me again, but I blocked her hit, grabbed her wrist, and slammed her against my chest as she bucked and kicked. Her heel drove down into the top of my foot, and I lost my balance for a split second, just long enough for her to wiggle free and run to the far wall.
Leo groaned, and I saw the broken dinner tray she must have used on him. He lay on his side with a hand clutched to his gash.
This chick is gnarly.
She frantically raced around to find something to defend herself with. She took a hard swipe at the TV. It wobbled then fell and smashed as it hit the floor. She tore her sweatshirt off and wrapped it around a big piece of glass to protect her hand. She stood there in her bra and sweatpants, balanced with her legs wide and waited. I could hear her harsh breathing as she stared at me. Her hair hung partially over her face and her eyes blazed with hatred.
“Impressive.” I purred as I reached back and pushed the door closed. “I see the pain meds have kicked in.” I eyed the bruises that hugged her side and lower back. The click of the door as it locked behind me made her face slip, but only for a split second.
“All I need is your fingerprint,” she hissed at me as I tapped the button behind the tile on the wall. So, she thought this thing used a fingerprint to open. Little did she know, the tile didn’t lock or unlock the door. I don’t know why I found that amusing.
In one smooth motion, I pulled my t-shirt off. Her eyes widened and she backed against the wall, no doubt worried I was about to do something she wouldn’t like. I was built and was bigger now than I’d ever been in my life. Working out was the only thing that kept my mind in check. Well, that and Talya, and now that she was gone, I’d doubled my workouts. She let her eyes slip down my chest, and I raised my brows as I caught her gaze.
I stood there for a moment and let her think about what I could do. I hoped she’d back down, plead with me, and put the glass down but she just stood there. I groaned in frustration then began to wrap my shirt around both my hands, ready to come at her.
“Believe it or not,” I tried to distract her by talking, “I’m the least of your worries in this whole thing.”
