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2
Rafael
I can feelAnna’s nails digging into my arm even through my jacket. She remains close to me, her steps even and rhythmical beside mine. I lead her up to the front door of Ricardo Rosi’s house, and she takes an audible breath as the door opens in front of us. A maid beckons us inside and leads us to a formal living room. Samuel glances up from his spot on one of the couches, a charming smile on his face. He, along with Carlos and some men arrived ahead of me to scout the security, as is the way with these meetings.
“Ricardo,” I say. The man across from Sam pushes to his feet and turns to face me. The woman next to him also stands but doesn’t approach. I assume that’s his latest wife. He likes them young and…buoyant. The dinner, the wives…it’s all a pretense of civil business, but we’re not civil men.
“Rafael.” He’s a big guy, almost as big as me. The suit jacket he wears doesn’t quite fit him, as though the material is desperately trying to contain all that mass and failing. He clasps a glass of brandy in front of him. His other hand shoved casually in his pocket. Murky brown eyes slip from me to Anna, who shifts a little closer.
“And who is this?”
She takes a deep breath and forces herself away from me a little. “Anna,” she says, her voice stronger and clearer than I was expecting.
His lips twitch, and he brings the glass halfway to his lips. “Ricardo Rosi. Pleasure.” His eyes slip over her body as he sips his drink. My fists tighten at my sides. Anna’s small hand glides over my palm, forcing me to release my clenched fingers as she threads her fingers through mine. Ricardo tracks the movement. “Is she yours, Rafael?”
“I am no one’s,” Anna snaps. He smirks before his eyes meet mine. I tug her closer to my side and stare him down. She is mine.
Samuel clears his throat, and Rosi turns away with a throaty chuckle. Fuck, I’m losing my cool. Maybe having Anna here wasn’t a good idea.
“Shall we do dinner?” Ricardo asks, changing the subject.
Nodding, I follow Ricardo out of the room and into the dining room next door. Several men stand silently against the walls, both Ricardo’s and mine. Such is the way of business. Carlos stands near the door, and for once his ball cap and hoody are missing, much to his disgust. He’s still wearing a t-shirt and jeans. It was the best I could do.
I pull out Anna’s chair, and her eyes lock with mine for a second before I take the seat next to her. I’m supposed to be lending her support. Instead, she’s keeping me grounded in the way that only she possibly can.
Ricardo sits across from us, his woman sitting beside him. Ricardo is a middle-aged guy, but he’s every inch the cartel boss, with that hard, implacable edge to him. I may run Juarez, but he runs Tijuana. Juarez is a wild animal, but Tijuana is a concrete beast, hard to hold, requiring sacrifices of blood on a weekly basis. Ricardo rules because he is ruthless, but we have always had a very mutual understanding, an alliance of sorts. Alliances are the foundations of all great empires after all.
The woman next to him is his predictable type. Long dark hair, tits bursting out of her too-tight red dress, face full of makeup. Ricardo has been known to dabble in slaves, so she may even be bought, but she looks well taken care of. A whore and a slave are not the same things.
“I didn’t catch your name,” Anna says to the woman.
She looks at Anna, then Ricardo, then back to Anna. “Rosa.” She makes it sound like a question.
Anna smiles, and that little thrum flitters through my chest. It’s that fucking purity that radiates from her. The simple need to ask a girl her name because she cares. She doesn’t belong here in this room with sordid criminals and cheap whores.
Sam clears his throat and instantly starts talking business. My attention is split between the conversation and Anna’s small hand on my thigh.
“You have something I want,” Ricardo says.
I snort. “No, I have something you need; the use of my port in La Paz. And you have nothing I want in return.”
Ricardo leans back in his seat, his eyes narrowed even as a small smile covers his face. “Every man wants something, Rafael.”
Samuel laughs. “He has everything he wants.”
I lean forward, bracing my elbows on the table. “This is where you offer me something, a baited hook if you will.”
He grins. “I may have something…”
The wait staff brings plates of food to the table, and all talk of business pauses for a moment. Courses come and go. Liquor flows, though I only have two glasses. Ricardo has considerably more.
“I’m going to the bathroom,” Anna whispers in my ear, pressing her lips to my cheek before she stands. I catch Carlos’ eye and nod at him to follow her. I don’t fucking trust Rosi’s men. I don’t particularly want to be in this house, but his offer to trade was not something I could pass up. Truthfully, he does have something I want, but it’s not something I think he’ll willingly give up. I need him desperate, ready to give me anything.
“Where did you buy that one from?” Ricardo leers, his eyes on Anna’s ass as she walks from the room.
Inhaling a deep breath, I crack my neck to either side. “I’m starting to think you have a death wish, Ricardo.”
He throws his head back on a deep rumbling laugh. “Careful, Rafael. You’ll show a weakness.”
