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I suddenly wondered if he carried a gun, because whenever he undressed in front of me, it was nowhere to be found. Maybe he left it in the car.
He continued to stare, waiting for the apology that was long overdue.
“I’m sorry…for what I said.”
He remained still, as if he expected more.
“I just know that most men do that sort of thing…”
“Most men?” he asked in an incredulous tone. “What kind of men do you keep in your company?”
Perhaps this would make more sense if he knew about my past, where I come from, who my father was…but I kept it to myself. “Are there a lot of lines that criminals won’t cross?”
“You’re confusing a criminal with an asshole—and there’s a big difference. Men like me, the top of the food chain, don’t get there by doing whatever we want and causing havoc. Good criminals, the ones who stay alive and get shit done, live by a code of ethics.” He started to count off the rules on his fingers. “Keep your word. Spare the police. Dismiss civilians. That’s pretty much it.”
“Dismiss civilians…?”
“Sometimes people are in the wrong place at the wrong time. They don’t deserve to die because of it.”
“How do you get them to keep their mouth shut?”
“We don’t,” he said with a slight shrug. “Most of the police force is on my payroll, so sometimes they’ll be dispatched to investigate what we’re doing. I let them do what they’ve got to do…and then they’re eventually called off by my guys. No one has to die.”
“Why do you spare them?”
He considered my words for a long time. “They’re just doing their jobs, right? Looking for a paycheck to support their families and whatnot. Besides, they take care of the little guys on the street, so I don’t have to. We’re allies—even if they don’t know it.”
I believed he wasn’t pulling my chain, making me believe in some lie.
He sank in the chair, arms crossing over his chest, his head cocked slightly.
“I said I was sorry—”
“But it was immediately followed by a justification for your assumption. You basically said, ‘I’m sorry I accused you of something so disgusting,butit was a fair assumption because of A and B.’” He continued to stare at me with those angry eyes. “In case you haven’t noticed, I get pussy without even asking for it. I definitely don’t need to take it by force.”
“And if your men were to do that?”
“They definitely aren’t doing it on the job. We’re too busy working. And we have a running tab with the brothels, so they can get their jollies there.”
“Is that what you do?” I asked point-blank.
“Yes.” He answered my question without hesitation, without shame. “I pay for sex regularly—except for now, of course.”
Now I did feel a bit foolish for assuming he was anything like my father. Never met a drug lord so blatantly honest. “I really am sorry for what I said.”
For the first time, the coldness melted off his face, and his body became less rigid. “Thank you.”
“You seem like an honest guy.”
“Too honest—as I’ve been told.”
We sat there in silence for a while. He stared at me. I stared at him. His quiet rage seemed to evaporate slowly as the minutes ticked by.
“I was just about to make dinner. Would you like to join me?”
He gave a slow nod. “Sounds good, sweetheart.”
* * *
