Still, Domenico had so much patience for Seth recently that this explosion of anger must have been fueled by the many times when he’d managed to keep his nerves in check.
Mark was approaching the main house when the sight of Seth storming across the lawn had him halt and then rapidly hide behind the bushes by the gym. The last thing he needed was to become a verbal punching bag that Seth likely needed to release his anger with Dom. At this point, with the search for the cargo a constant presence at the back of Mark’s mind, he didn’t want to deal with any more shit, and Seth could be a mean motherfucker when he wanted to.
He naturally gravitated toward the shelter of the palm trees and bushes around the leisure area and for a moment watched Seth from the safety of the gym building before continuing down the white steps leading to the pool.
Since the missing shipment was such a substantial danger to the organization, days off and recreational privileges have been suspended, and that left the sunbeds and the clear water empty. Were it not lunchtime, some of the beautiful girls who lived here, despite not technically being staff, would have likely enjoyed getting a tan. But there was no one there except for the pool cleaner, who—
Mark’s thoughts stumbled when his eyes stopped on a pair of heavy, round breasts pulled down by merciless gravity as the girl leaned forward, swiping the pool with a skimmer. For a moment he was left confused, because Lilli, the head maid’s daughter and ‘pool boy’ (as Domenico liked to call her) all in one, was a brunette, while the girl he stared at had a shock of blonde curls. But it only took his brain a few seconds to catch up with the fact that she must have dyed it.
Lilli was hot before, but now she looked like sunshine dressed in human skin. Mark shouldn’t be perving on her like a kid and just approach her in the open like a man, but her mother had talked with Domenico about Lilli being off limits, so Mark’s interest in the girl—and her amazing tits—was in limbo.
She stretched, tossing her lush new hair back, and just as Mark’s heart was about to stop, her eyes met his. The neutral expression on her cute round face was replaced by a smile. “Hi! It’s so empty here today. Is everyone playing tennis, or something?”
What was Mark supposed to do? She was the one to speak to him first. So he drifted closer. “Maybe they’re drinking at the bar. It’s Nicolás’ birthday.” A smooth lie since Lilli was too young to be allowed in the bar by the docks anyway. And it was obvious that he would have meant Deseo, because that was the one Toro owned. A great place to launder some money, since both the girls that rented rooms there to share with clients, and the patrons themselves only paid in cash.
She smiled and let go of the cleaning tool to stretch after being bent over for several minutes. She didn’t wear one of those bikini tops that porn models always presented on their huge breasts— hers actually kept her chest contained, but Mark still had a hard time keeping his gaze above Lilli’s collarbones.
“Mine’s next month. Maybe until then I’ll earn enough to get myself a car. I could start driving as soon as I get my licence. Would you come to the party if I invited you?” she asked sweetly.
Mark wanted to make so many ‘come’ puns he had to bite his tongue and take a deep breath. “Sixteen, is it? That’s an important birthday. Of course I’d come.”
She folded her arms under her bust, and he could have sworn she was doing it on purpose. “Just don’t tell my mother.”
Mark smirked and put his hands into his pockets to avoid doing something stupid with them. “Why? Is she afraid the big bad wolf is coming for her daughter?” A bit of harmless flirting wouldn’t hurt anyone.
“Wolf? Where?” shouted a broken voice followed by a loud thump when something rolled out of an egg-shaped daybed. The tangle of sheets and blankets had heavily tanned limbs that flattened on the ceramic tiles, making the whole thing crawl like a fat spider.
Lilli stepped back, coming dangerously close to the edge of the pool.
Mark groaned internally at the sight of Felipe’s puffy and dazed eyes. He had no idea why Domenico had decided to keep the useless weed chain-smoker, but it was possibly to enforce the idea that nothing has changed, even though 80% of Toro’s former soldiers had been removed from employment within a single night.
“There’s no wolf, you can go back to sleep.” But Mark stepped closer to Lilli in case she needed catching.
Felipe’s leathery face emerged from the sheets first, but he proceeded to shed the fabric molt and crawled out of it like a fat slug. For a moment, Mark thought someone must have cut Felipe’s silly rat tail in his sleep so it didn’t spoil everyone’s aesthetic sensibilities, but nah—it was still there.
“You just said ‘wolf’. I heard you,” Felipe slurred, crawling toward Mark and Lilli while the sheets tangled around his legs, forming a cone.
Lilli pressed close to Mark, frowning at the middle-aged waste of space at her feet.
“Maybe you should lie down in your room?” she asked in the end.
“Or the wolf will get you.” Mark chuckled, wondering if Felipe was still high.
But when Felipe started to speak, Mark’s phone rang, so he hushed the man with a gesture, and picked up the call. Domenico of course. As if he knew Mark was up to no good.
“Mark, come to the main office. Mr. Moreno’s associates are here.”
Mark listened, but for a moment his brain switched off when Lilli’s hand brushed against his hip, seemingly by accident. He grinned at her but whispered a quick goodbye before walking off.
“Coming. Dom, I know maybe this isn’t the right time, but are you sure that what’s going on isn’t important enough to tell Seth? Even so that he actually understands the seriousness of the situation?”
Mark rushed down the lush grass and toward the main house with its white columns and massive windows glinting with sunshine. Domenico was silent for a whole second, and then followed the pause with a low exhale. “No. He doesn’t need to worry about things he has no control over. See you soon,” he said and ended the call.
On his way to Domenico’s office, he ran so fast that the moment he turned into the corridor in the top floor, Natalia appeared in front of him as if she were awaiting him. Staring up at him with her narrow dark eyes, and with the black hair pulled back into a tight bun that screamed severity, she didn’t move by an inch. Mark’s heart skipped a beat, and for a horrible moment he believed the housekeeper had seen him flirting with her daughter.
Sweat became Mark’s new name as he looked back at her, forcing his mouth into a carefree smile. Out of all the staff, Domenico probably valued Natalia the most, because without her, the giant living organism that was Toro’s property, would have fallen apart. She was the one who made sure all the work was done and ordered all the supplies needed by the dozens of people living here. If Dom had to choose between Mark and Lilli’s sexual freedom and Natalia, he wouldn’t even blink before siding with the latter.
“What is it?” Mark said sweetly, and she exhaled, shaking her head.
“You frightened me. Stop running when there’s no need to, will you?”
What a relief. Mark didn’t think twice and apologized before walking on through the endless corridors, all the way to Domenico’s favorite reception room, which he often used to entertain guests, because it was private enough yet still within the walls of the main villa.
When he walked in, Nero’s face was a sight he expected, but the man casually sitting next to him on the wide gray sofa made Mark stumble. What the fuck was Diego doing here?
The dark, intense eyes met his above the coffee table in a moment of profound déjà vu. This was how Mark had felt when Angie had walked in on him and Bueno, only much, much worse, because this guy, sent here by Raul Moreno himself, had fucked Mark against a wall just last night. And then again, on a mattress that had seen better days.
Maybe it was a good thing? Mutual appreciation oiling up their working relationship, so to speak?
He licked his lips and walked in, keeping his b
reathing in check. Oh, who was he kidding? This wasn’t good at all. It was never a good thing to put yourself in a vulnerable position with men like those who stared back at him now. He nodded at Miguel, who sat in an armchair as far away from Nero as the setup allowed.
“There you are. We can begin,” Domenico said and invited the others to help themselves to the wine and liquor presented on a platter in the middle of the coffee table.
Nero grabbed the bottle of Jägermeister and poured himself what was definitely more than a single measure. “Miguel? What should I get you drunk on?”
Miguel groaned and eyed Diego from head to toe. “I’m guessing you’re already drunk on cum.”
Mark raised his hands as he sat next to Domenico. “Whoa. What’s this about? I’m guessing this is the man Raul Moreno sent to guide us around the jungle?” He would play it cool for now. See how things unfolded, and if Diego also kept things on the down-low. It would be better for everyone.
Nero clicked his tongue and frowned at Miguel before not-so-subtly leaning against Diego. “Nobody is stopping you from joining us tonight. Diego likes to mix things up.”
Behind them, Domenico tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair, briefly meeting Mark’s gaze. Promises of death were surely piling up inside Domenico’s skull with each nonsensical word of this conversation.
“Just out of interest, are you from around here originally that Mr. Moreno chose you?” he asked Diego with a neutral tone.
Diego shrugged, curling that cocky upper lip. “More or less.”
Nero took a large swig of the liquor and shook his head. “My father believes it will be easier for us to communicate this way.”
Nero wouldn’t likely notice, but Mark knew Domenico very well, and his silence was not a good sign.
Mark poured himself some water. “What way?”
He still sometimes liked to drink alcohol, but Domenico had taught him that it made a man less vigilant and much more vulnerable. In juxtaposition to that though, Domenico insisted Mark did drink at times, to build up his stamina in taking alcohol, in preparation for situations where he would be socially forced to.
“Because he also sleeps with men,” Domenico answered before Nero or Diego could. Mark didn’t miss the way he avoided using the word ‘gay’, as if he’d somehow sensed Diego wasn’t exactly the type of gay man to attend pride parades and walk around with a rainbow wristband. Macho culture and homophobia were alive and kicking in Colombia, regardless of same-sex marriage becoming legal.
"So what? Raul Moreno thinks we speak in some gay-code a straight guy couldn't tap into?" Mark leaned forward, watching Nero and his freaky filed teeth.
Nero looked at his drink, for once not turning the situation into a joke.
Just great.
Diego took in a deep gulp of air and suddenly broke his silence, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. “Are my competences being questioned?” he asked in a voice sharper than a straight razor.
Last night with him had been pretty epic, but Mark felt more uncomfortable by the minute. And now he also sweated over skipping rubbers, because it was clear as day that Diego had a physical relationship with Nero. And fuck knew who Nero slept with. Next time condoms would be non-negotiable.
Would there be a next time though? No, there wouldn’t. He was boiling in his own shame. If Domenico knew what happened, he’d roast Mark alive.
Mark took a gulp of water to cool down. “So you know the jungle well?”
Diego’s black gaze fixed on him, staying until it turned shinier and returned to Domenico. “I know what I’m doing, and whatever Raul Moreno thinks of me personally, he called me in because his cargo is lost, and he needs it found. I am the man to do it.”
Miguel tapped the backrest of his chair, watching them as if he were expecting Death to enter at any moment. “What are you implying? That it’s Toro’s fault the cargo is gone?”
Diego showed his teeth. “It was in your hands when it disappeared. Maybe you should have invested more in the people who moved it.”
Domenico let him finish, his lips in a thin line. “Nero, what’s his position in the Moreno cartel?”
Nero leaned back and spread his legs wider as he took a sip of his own liquor. “He’s an associate.”
And Mark knew for a fact that Diego had no caiman tattoos, because Mark wouldn’t make that same mistake twice.
“So he’s a freelancer. So he doesn’t know the problems that come with running a big operation such as this. While you’re here, I advise you to keep your opinions to yourself,” Domenico said, keeping his professional tone, but he was right on the edge of slipping.
Diego smirked, ignoring Nero’s finger pressing into the side of his thigh in warning. “Or what?”
Something in the air snapped. Nero leaned back so rapidly some of the liquor spilled down his hand the moment Domenico moved. Quick as a viper, he shot from the seat, sinking his hand into Diego’s hair. Their guest had been prepared and grabbed Domenico’s wrist, but it was as if his move was exactly what Domenico had expected. They spun like two caimans locked in a fight to the death, two firm bodies made of muscle and strong bones that crackled when the back of Diego’s head and shoulders slammed down on the coffee table with such force the piece of furniture went down with both men, spilling bottles, fruit, and snacks on top of Diego.
The silence that came after was deafening, and when Diego shot up to his feet with blood dripping from his brow and nose, no one said a word. Hookup or not, Mark wasn’t about to stick his neck out for a man who disrespected Domenico, and at such a tense time at that.
Nero pulled his feet up to the sofa to avoid the stream of juice on the tiles. “I warned you,” he said and pulled on the back of Diego’s T-shirt. “Sit down and listen.”
Domenico stretched slowly, making his bones crack in the process. He adjusted his long hair without ever looking away from Diego’s face, which had turned into a mess of blood and crushed food that resembled vomit.
“Do you have any other intelligent things to say, or will you clean yourself up and listen? Yes? Thank you,” he said, as if there was nothing else for Diego to say than ‘Yes sir. I’m sorry, sir’.
Even Miguel’s severe expression twitched somewhat, and he briefly caught Mark’s gaze, nodding with what seemed almost like a smile. Almost.
Diego let out the growl of a tiger zapped with a cattle prod, but grabbed himself a napkin and sat down in the end. He wouldn’t now casually tell Dom: ‘Oh, and by the way, I fucked your son so hard yesterday, I’m surprised he can walk’, would he? Mark hoped not. For both their sake.
“You know where the Lungs camp is?” Miguel offered.
Diego nodded, but his face promised nothing good. “They move often, but I can track them down.”
“Fantastic. If you do a good job and help us out with this, you will be rewarded,” Domenico said. He seemed relaxed now, as if violence that had been cooking in him since his argument with Seth finally got channeled and released. It was for the better, because no matter how much Seth annoyed Mark sometimes, he wouldn’t like to see his face smashed into anything.
“Oh, he will. He might not have shown this well, but he will be very happy to help you,” Nero said, embracing Diego, only to have his arm shaken off. He didn’t seem sad or worried about it though.
The conversation went on as if nothing happened. Nero would throw in his customary puns here and there but didn’t otherwise act disruptive and Miguel gave some great pointers. Domenico asked many straightforward questions that Diego answered without hesitation, even though his long hair was soaked with alcohol and juice, and no matter how many times he pretended to accidentally rub his face or chest, pieces of chips and chocolate still stuck to him.
Was this really the guy who rocked Mark’s world last night? He was still hot, Mark had to give him that. And he did keep his mouth shut about them knowing each other. Mark didn’t even dare a discreet wink.
But once business wa
s done, Nero began his usual festival of cracking dirty jokes, and even put on a Santa hat before pulling out a large box wrapped in paper with an illustrated crocodile pattern.
Miguel glared when Nero handed it to him. “Oh, what could it possibly be? A dildo? How much fun,” he said in a voice that promised Nero a long and painful death.
He hesitated, watching Mark and Domenico, as if he wanted to know how acceptable it would have been to outright refuse the gift, but in the end he ripped the paper, stalling when the opening revealed a big red logo.
Dark blotches appeared on his cheeks, and he inhaled two times before looking up from the box of Legos, his gaze carefully averted from Nero himself. “All right, which one of you told him?”
Domenico poured himself some wine. “That you collect toys?”
Miguel pressed his teeth together like a rabid dog but still pulled off the remaining packaging. It was some sort of huge alien planet-themed set. “They’re not toys.”
“Exactly,” Nero added, walking behind Miguel and touching his shoulders, even though it instantly got him a slap on the hand. “They’re not toys.”
Miguel got up, but held the box to his chest. “Are we done here?”
“Where’s my present?” Nero asked, staring straight into Miguel’s eyes for a moment of weird silence.
Miguel picked up a broken piece of glass off the floor and stuck in right into the middle of Nero’s outstretched hand, making him flinch away ever-so-slightly. “There.”
Domenico cleared his throat and rubbed his forehead, as if the situation had become too tedious. “Mark, show Diego to his room.”
For the first time since Domenico had wiped the floor with Diego, the black eyes were back on Mark. Something crawled up Mark’s stomach, and he wasn’t sure if he was uncomfortable or excited. He nodded, and Diego rose.
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