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CHPATER TWENTY-SEVEN
‘COLD WORLD’ TEDDY
Some of my men have left, taking Rico and Miguel’s body with them. I’m fucking pissed that I couldn’t save Miguel but what’s done is done. If he had come to me to begin with, he’d still be alive and with his daughter.
This is why I treat my men fairly. I want them to be able to count on me to have their backs at all times.
“I’d like you to meet my partners, Camila Blanca, Jefa of the Blanca Cartel, and her man, Nico the Cold Renzetti, sicario of La Cosa Nostra,” Manuel says as he gestures to the couple beside him.
Jefa steps forward and if she were anyone else, I’d want to rip that wicked smirk from her pretty face.
“It’s good to finally meet you, compa. I hear great things about you.” She gestures to Nico who stares at me with empty eyes. The motherfucker is as cold as his nickname suggests. He’s like a walking robot. No emotion and no expression.
I stare at him, honestly not liking the guy. Until, that is, he speaks and breaks the tension in the air, “You should send Danny Reyes a gift box with his nephew’s eyes inside.”
Okay, so maybe he didn’t break the tension with that, but I can’t say I’m disappointed that the stories of his nonexistent empathy aren’t true.
Nico has some Norman Bates shit going on.
“Not a bad idea,” I tell him because, how the fuck can you casually reply to that shit? Like, ‘Oh, for sure. I was thinking of you know, adding in the ears too.’
No. There’s literally nothing you can say back to that.
“This is my second, Hector Ramirez. He’s the best tech guy you’ll find in Chicago and my third, Brian Torres is my weapons man, but he took Miguel’s daughter to be checked by Doc.”
Hector stands stoically as ever beside me as Nico eyeballs him. I’m sure my praise has made the cold man curious, after all, rumors say the Renzetti prince is the best hacker in America.
“Ride with me, Vegas. Let’s talk about your sister and Danny. We’ll go to my downtown office.”
I nod to Jefa and Nico, “Follow us and we’ll discuss weapons and route trades.”
Jefa nods but that mischievous smile on her face won’t drop. She makes me fucking anxious. She gives off a predatory vibe but not like a wolf, more like a cunning fox.
As if reading my thoughts, gives me a wider smirk before winking at me. If I’m not mistaken, I hear Nico growl at her which only causes her to giggle as they turn for their SUV, their two guards following closely behind them.
Me, Hector, and Manuel climb into Miguel’s car with Hector in the back seat.
Once we get to Brian’s hidden Range Rover, I hand the keys off to Hector.
Back on the road again, the Ruthless Vegas King turns to me, “Does my sister know about me?”
I side-eye him before replying. His body language suggests he’s calm and just truly interested in the answer. Still, I’m cautious.
“She does. Telling you over the phone wasn’t something I wanted to do. I told her you’d be here in three weeks and I’d introduce you.”
Manuel turns to the windshield and remains quiet for a moment. I won’t apologize for keeping my woman a secret. There were too many unknowns and I wasn’t—scratch that, I’m not, ready to open those doors. Manuel strikes me as a man with curiosity about his sister but is that all it is?
He may not have intentions of physically hurting her but that’s not all I’m trying to protect her from.
Her heart needs the same amount of protection. She has high hopes in her brother, so if he has no intention of building something that will make her happy, I have no problem cutting those ties. For now, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
“My mother told me about my father’s woman. Rockie. I tried looking into her throughout the years because I wondered if Julian had any children besides me.”
That last part is said with a scoff. I don’t blame him. If my pop slept with a woman and moved on to another, I’d have no respect for him either.
“You know, Dice had no clue who her father was either. I’ll let her tell you, but just know,” I pull into the parking garage of my office, “your father’s sins are not hers. If you treat her or make her feel like she’s less than perfect, I’ll send you back to your city without a tongue.”
“You love her?” Manuel asks without acknowledging my threat.
