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Finally, my brother speaks. “Emiliano, you need to follow Papa’s lead on this. He’s been doing this a long time, and we need to trust him.”
Emiliano shakes his head, practically vibrating with fury. “He’s living in the past. This cannot stand. It won’t.”
Bene pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out a low, angry growl. “Go through with this stupid fucking plan of yours, and it will very likely be me putting a bullet in you.”
He laughs. “You wouldn’t do that to me.”
“I would do anything for Los Tres Colombianos.”
Emiliano’s eyes go wide. “I am one of those three, in case you forgot.”
“That’s the part you never understood,” he says and fold his arms, his expression now deadly serious, almost frightening. “This is about the organization, not any one person. If someone, anyone, puts us in jeopardy, he will pay. He must.”
My brothers stare each other down for several long, tense moments. But as he always does, Emiliano relents first. “I’ll handle this myself. Fuck you both.” He starts for the door but Bene’s words stop him cold.
“You’ve been warned, brother. For once in your miserable life, don’t be stupid.”
Emiliano huffs and keeps walking without looking back. Typical Emiliano.
As soon as our brother leaves, Bene turns his dark eyes on me. “Are you fucking him?”
I take a deep breath and let it out with a slow nod. “I was. I ended things a few days ago for this very reason.” I pause, reflecting on the stolen moments with Dix. He’s rough around the edges, but there's a tenderness in him that I can’t resist.
Benedicto nods. “It’s too late for that. We can’t afford to piss them off right now. Warn him.”
I blink, and my heart starts pumping faster, so loud that I can’t hear anything else my brother says. “What?”
“You heard me. I don’t care who or what you do for fun if it doesn’t affect the business. What Emiliano is planning will affect the business and neither Papa nor I will stand for it. So go take care of it. Warn the bikers.”
I thank Benedicto and hurry to my room, my pulse racing with a mix of fear and excitement. The stakes are high, but I can’t let my brother’s impulsive plan ruin everything.
Inside my suite, I make sure I’m alone before I pull out my phone and hit the speed dial. This isn’t a conversation to have over the phone. I need to see him in person, look into his beautiful eyes and tell him what’s happening.
“Valentina, are you all right?”
I smiled at the concern in my love’s voice. “I’m all right. We need to talk. In person.”
Dix is quiet for a long time and I worry that he will turn me away, but after a long moment of silence, he sighs. “I thought we had to stay away from each other. What happened to, it’s for the best?”
“It is,” I agree with a frustrated growl. “That doesn’t mean it’s easy to stay away from you.”
“No shit,” he growls. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”
The smile that splits my face is so wide it’s almost painful. “So, you’ll meet with me?”
“Yeah, I’ll meet with you,” he grunts. “Pack a bag and meet me behind the salon.” He ends the call abruptly, and I nibble my bottom lip, unsure what to make of his angry tone.
Is he actually happy to see me or is his reluctance a sign that he wants nothing to do with me after I walked out on him? I’m not sure, but my heart won’t let me walk away without trying. I owe him an apology and an explanation. I finally know what I want. It’s Dix.
I change out of my green summer dress and slip into a stylish baby pink sweatshirt and jeans. It is something no one will expect me to wear, making it easy to stroll across the lobby with my bag in hand. No one stops me, not even the guards Papa has stationed around the lobby.
I slip outside and make my way to the corner, only instead of walking through the salon, I walk down the alley.
A low rumble breaks the silence, and Dix appears on his motorcycle, his tall frame hunched over the handlebars. His eyes lock onto mine, and I feel a shiver run down my spine. The air between us bristles with tension and unspoken words.
“Nice look,” he says gruffly, handing me a helmet. His lips tug into a half-smile, and I smile back.
“Thanks. I'm basically invisible in it,” I reply, trying to lighten the mood.
He huffs out a laugh. “You could never be invisible.” He gestures for me to hop on, and I eagerly oblige, swinging my leg over the bike and wrapping my arms around his waist. As I press myself against him, I’m reminded of the comfort and warmth I find in his embrace.
