He approached us with a faint grin on his lips, his permed hair and full beard catching the soft light.
When he halted before us, his brows arched in disbelief. “I’ll be damned. Itisyou.” A quiet laugh fell from his mouth.
“Good to see you too, Miguel,” I replied, stretching out my hand.
He shook it, his grip as firm as I remembered.
“I still can’t believe my eyes,” he said, his Mexican accent lacing his tone. “I mean, look at you. You almost look like a gentleman.”
“That’s what I told him,” Kiera chipped in.
Miguel’s eyes shifted toward her, and for a moment, he froze.“Buenas noches, hermosa,”he said in Spanish, palms rubbing in glee.
My Spanish was a little rusty, but I got this one loud and clear. He’d said, “Good evening, beautiful.”
The idiot was flirting with her.
I looked him dead in the eyes, my voice dripping lower than usual.“Bájale. Esta me pertenece.”
Essentially, I told him to back off, that this one was mine.
“Damn, you have eyes for beautiful women,” he said to me before facing her again. “I’m Miguel. Miguel Sanchez.”
“Keira,” she answered, wearing a polite smile.
“Lovely meeting you, Kiera,” he said. “I can already see the effect of your presence in his life.”
“That was not necessary,” I said to him.
He glanced at me and replied, “The truth, my friend, is always a hard pill to swallow.”
Kiera laughed lightly, the first genuine one I’d seen on her face in a long time. Her eyes crinkled at the corners, her lips parting to reveal a glimpse of her perfect dentition.
Just when she was starting to ease into the night, trouble came knocking on our door.
“Well, well, would you look at that?” Vika’s arrogant voice poisoned the air. “If it isn’t the last people I expected to run into tonight.”
Kiera’s expression darkened, but she said nothing.
He halted before us, his mouth curved into a pesky little smirk. “I almost didn’t recognize you two.” A mocking laugh came forth. “But I gotta admit, you complement each other in a way I can never understand.”
“Vika, leave,” I warned him, my voice low and even.
“It’s amazing what you’ve done with her,” he said, his eyes pinned on Kiera. “I mean, it’s not easy cleaning up peasant girls; I can tell you that for sure.”
Her grip tightened around my elbow, her eyes flashing with fury.
“What’s the matter? Did I strike a nerve?”
“You son of a….” She lunged at him, ready to claw out his eyes.
I held her wrist and gently pulled her back. “Not here. Not now.”
“Whoa…feisty!” He laughed. “I see why my cousin digs you…literally.”
My blood boiled with rage, and all I wanted to do was beat him to death with my bare hands. But I didn’t. Not in front of all these people. Overwhelmed with fury, my fists clenched so tightly my hands trembled at my sides.
“Vika…” I growled at him, “I saidleave.”
