With the same thick, black hair like Maritzia,Valerie wore hers curly and loose around her shoulders. She was a soft, curvywoman that would make any reasonable man want to reach out and hold her. Ahomemaker through and through, she was a sweet gentle woman with only a hint ofthat fiery DeLeon personality buried deep inside.
Valerie lifted her chin and tried to give him ahaughty smile, but her cute, round face just turned it into a pout. "I'mvery discerning," she admitted.
More like her brother and father were practicallyferal. Hell, Cade had even seen Luis and Carlos threaten would-be suitors awayfrom their angelic cousin.
"Good, because the men out here aretrash." Cade smiled mischievously before pointedly looking at her cousin sittingbeside her. "Just take Carlos for example."
Everyone laughed at that, including Carlos, whogave an unapologetic shrug.
Taking a drink of water, Maritzia looked at hercousin. "How's business?"
"It's good," Valerie answered, notlooking up from her food.
Cade could hear the pitched tension in her voice.
Carlos waved his spoon in the air as he spokearound a mouth full of food. "Oh, business is great.Yourbrotheron the other hand is being an asshole."
"You meanyourbrother as well?"Maritzia corrected as she braced her elbow on the table and placed her chin inher hand as if preparing herself for a long-drawn-out conversation on thesubject.
Carlos muttered something in Spanish and Cade wassure he heard the wordculounder the man's breath.
"You know how serious Luis takes thebusiness," Maritzia tried in a mollifying tone.
"And I don't?!" Carlos exclaimed,thankfully swallowing his food. Leaning forward against the table, he stared athis sister with a determined look. "Let me tell you what thispendejosaid to me…"
Cade just smiled as he scooped more of thedelicious black beans, chunks of savory sirloin, and rice onto his spoon. Atleast he wouldn’t have to hear this explanation when he went home tonight.Taking another bite, Cade didn’t bother biting back a groan at the wonderfulflavor, earning him a glancing smile from Ritz and a beaming look of pride fromValerie. Everyone ate and listened as Carlos went into detail about how Luiswas micromanaging his decisions at their family’s real-estate firm and makinglife at the office miserable with his superiority complex. Occasionally,Valerie calmly interjected with an agreement or added detail that Carlosforgot.
After about twenty minutes of ranting, to whichCade could see Maritzia listening intently, nodding, and trying to mediate herbrother's temper, Carlos finally calmed down. Visibly relaxing in his seat,Carlos began eating his food that sat forgotten during his venting. Angry as hewas, everyone at the table knew not to take his tirade too seriously.
Ever since Cade had met the brothers, he hadrealized the two were like oil and water, their personalities clashing like acruel joke. As a kid, he would come over and hang out, playing video games orwatching TV in their room, and Cade always found the condition of their roomhighly amusing and insightful at once. Sloppy and carefree, Carlos's side ofthe room was a haphazard zone of strewn clothes, lopsided posters, and randomsports equipment. The other side of the room, cleaved in half by an invisiblebut well-known and respected line, made the room look like a before and afterphoto. Fastidious to the point of a complex, Luis's side of the room wasmilitary neat. There was absolutely nothing out of place. Even the sheets onhis bed, unlike his brother's, were pulled taut making the bed appear as flatas a board. Cade always liked to imagine the day they had both moved out totheir own places was a night of intense celebration, not only for them, but forRitz, relegated her whole life as a mediator between the two.
Nodding, Maritzia looked down at her food, herbrown eyes deep in thought. "I’ll call Luis later and talk to him."
"I don't need you to call him, Ritz,"Carlos snapped back.
The whole table went quiet.
Cade had the uncontrollable urge to reach acrossthe table and slap the back of Carlos's head, but he didn't have to. Looking atMaritzia's face, everyone tensed. Contrary to her brothers, both whose tempersflared wild and quick, Maritzia was more of a slow, simmering burn. It took alot to get her well and truly angry. She was the type to suffer in silence,suppressing her anger until the final straw fell.
Arching one perfectly arched brow in silentwarning, Maritzia stared at her brother in a wordless look that calmly said"say that again. I dare you."
Dropping his gaze back to his food, Carlos gaveher an apologetic mumble. "Just tell him to ease the hell up before I fartin his bougie ass eight-dollar water."
Maritzia blinked and burst into laughter, thetension from the table immediately dispelling.
"So, what's been going on with youguys?" Valerie asked in a cheery attempt to change the subject. "Anynew exciting police drama?"
Carlos snorted. "What the hell is Victorgoing to tell us?" he asked, giving Victor a taunting smile from acrossthe table as he ate another spoonful of his cold food. "Horror storiesabout coming in to find the guns not organized by size?"
"Hey," Maritzia shot back. There was athump underneath the table and Carlos groaned in pain. "Supply sergeant isa coveted position," she informed him. "There are loads of people whowould sell their left foot to have Victor's job. Isn’t that right?"
The prideful smile Victor wore at Maritzia'simmediate defense faded when they all realized she had turned in Cade'sdirection for backup.
Flicking his gaze over her head to Victor's, Cadecould see the burning dislike in the man's eyes towards him. A mean smile edgedat the corner of Cade's lips. He so very badly wanted to fuck with the guy, buthe resisted. Ritz had enough on her hands with Luis and Carlos always pickingon the poor bastard. He knew she would not appreciate it at all if he joined intoo. Dropping his gaze from the man, Cade looked to Ritz's waiting eyes andgave her a big smile and nodded, her shoulders visibly relaxing at the support.
"Yep," he said sitting back in hischair nursing his bottle of water. "Every guy I knew in the army would'vekilled for that position," he lied.
Only the guys too lazy or too chicken-shit to seeany action wanted that dumb position. The role of supply sergeant was normallyreserved for older seasoned vets or someone that had been injured and neededlight duty.
