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Chapter 11
Two days later, I prayed to the Blessed Mother for the patience to hold my temper. First, because I was in my parents’ home, at my personal office on their estate, and trashing the place in a fit of rage would piss off my mother. Second, because Joy was only a few doors down from us, and I didn’t want her to get scared because she could hear me going on a tear. Forcing myself to relax, I took a deep breath and slowly let it out, willing my heart to stop racing as my mind went over all the threats facing my woman.
Tino’s normally smiling face was grim after he gave me a detailed report of how hard it would be to keep Joy safe if she went back to school on campus. There were too many civilians, too many bodies, and in the days of cell phones, everyone was a heartbeat away from showing you live on the Internet. No, that was the last place we wanted to have someone try to snatch Joy.
I knew I could get her a diploma within two minutes of making a phone call, but I also knew my girl wouldn’t want anything she didn’t earn. Joy had pride. While I admired it, I didn’t like how her pride ended up hurting her sometimes. She still fought me on the things I bought her, expensive trinkets that I liked to shower her with, but slowly she was letting go of her ridged control. Bit by bit, I was gaining access to her heart, and I knew without a doubt she loved me.
That’s why the thought of anything happening to her sent me into a panic. I fought my impulse to yell at Tino, to vent my rage on him like it was his fault.
“Do we have eyes on her family?”
“Of course. Diego already arranged that on Fernando’s request. I think he likes Brittney, Joy’s sister.”
That made me rear back. “What?”
Some of the coldness left Tino’s brown eyes as he said, “Relax, not like that. She wouldn’t be interested, anyway. Seems she’s got a lady love in her life. The mother of Memphis’ half-sister.”
I shook my head and glanced at the closed doors to my home office at my parents’ house. Joy was with Hannah, probably doing homework together, and I wished she was here with me. I was addicted to her, plain and simple, and not having her warm, soft little body within reach made me antsy.
“Her name is Karen,” I said absently as I imagined what Joy was doing right now. “Decent lady, a wealthy criminal defense lawyer who is utterly head over heels for Brittney. I already had her checked out. It’s a fucked up situation, to be sure, but other than Brittney’s estranged husband, Greg, everyone seems okay with it.”
Tino stretched out his neck with a faint pop. “Will you ask Joy to consider staying home?’
“Yeah, I’ll ask her. But I can tell you right now, she won’t give up her tutoring in Phoenix.” Tino’s frown drew my attention back fully to the moment. “What? You don’t like her tutoring either?”
“No, I think what she’s doing is great, but she’s forbidden me from coming onto school grounds, and I have to agree.”
“Wait, are you fuckin’ telling me you aren’t with Joy when she’s tutoring?”
“With all due respect, I don’t belong in a high school.”
“You belong wherever the fuck I say you belong,” I shouted, incensed that Joy had been left vulnerable.
“Relax, she’s covered. I made sure the cops doing overtime by patrolling the school are good guys who look out for her. But I would stick out like a sore thumb, and she doesn’t want or need that kind of attention.” I started to argue but he held up his hand. “Listen, mi amigo, I’ve been married for many years to a feisty woman like Joy. Let me give you some free advice. There are some arguments you will never win with your wife. This is one of them. Either you respect her boundaries, or you pay the price for breaking her trust in you. And once you lose that trust, it’s hard as hell to win back.”
I sagged back into my chair and looked up at the ceiling with a groan, my gaze tracing the patterns cut into ceiling trim. “Fuuuuuuck.”
Tino laughed, but he sounded sympathetic. “I know. But it’s only for another month or so. Then she’ll be done with school and working for Mrs. Cordova. Mark my words, once she gets involved in the Cordova’s charities she grab the reins and never look back. That girl has drive, determination, and I look forward to seeing what she’ll do with some real assets available to her.”
I stood then inwardly groaned as my muscles protested the movement. Last night, I’d spent a couple extra hours training with Leo in the gym. Hannah was still refusing to forgive him, and I could tell it was eating at him. Leo was the kind of guy that liked to take care of things, a fixer, and not being able to mend what he’d broken between him and Hannah was sucking the life out of him. The best way for me to help Leo was to get him into the boxing ring and fight him until we were both left gasping and wrung out on the mat.
