Once I felt like I’d composed myself enough to sit calmly by Dantes’ side again, I took a deep breath, preparing to return to the table. I hadn’t taken two steps out the door before I felt an arm come around my waist, dragging me back into the small alcove just past the doors.
“Did you think you could get away from me, preciosa?” Dantes brushed the hair away from my ear to whisper into it. His warm breath fanning over my neck sent my pulse skyrocketing again.
“I j-just needed to use the bathroom,” I whispered back, certain he could hear as well as feel the pounding of my heart. He pressed his body hard against me, his muscular chest molded to my back as his arm tightened around my waist. I could feel a distinct bulge snug against my lower back, growing larger and harder by the second. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as my core betrayed me with a flood of wetness in my panties.
“I know better, Mia. I saw the wild look in your eyes and your trembling hands as you tried to make your escape. Do I make you nervous?” he said as he reached down to caress my bare thigh, inching my skirt up.
“Y-yes, you’re very intimidating,” I replied, not sure if admitting it was in my best interest but finding myself unable to do anything but answer honestly.
“Good,” he said as he brushed his cheek against the back of my head, his full lips
skating over the edge of my earlobe. “I want you just like this, always off-balance around me but so needy for my touch.”
He punctuated his statement by grinding his hips hard against my ass. I gasped as I felt his formerly firm bulge had become a steel rod against my spine. A soft moan slipped from my parted lips, making my cheeks flush deeper.
“Now, that’s what I want to hear, only louder and followed by my name. Say it for me now,”
“Dantes, I…”
“Again, preciosa,” he commanded.
“Dantes.” It came out breathless, a hoarse whisper that sounded like a plea. I wasn’t sure if it was to let me go or drag me away.
“That’s my girl. Remember the sound of my name on your lips. You’ll never speak another man’s name the same way ever again.” He ground his hips against me one more time before letting me go. “Remind me to tell you one day what mía means in Spanish. You’ll understand why I love saying it.”
I stumbled away, unsteady on my feet, my body crying out at the loss of his touch. I smoothed my dress down, eyes on the floor, feeling unsettled and exposed as I did my best to walk back to the table as if nothing had happened. I assumed Dantes went to the men’s room because he didn’t follow me.
When I reached my seat, I practically fell into my chair. Carmen reached over and slapped me on the upper arm.
“That man is not sexy,” she whispered, making me frown. “He’s sex personified. How in the hell did you not go home with him?”
“He’s too bold for me,” I said, my voice sounding wobbly to my own ears.
“I’d say you’re lucky I didn’t see him first Friday night, but it’s clear, he only has eyes for you. You should see the way he looks at you.”
“I can feel it. Every glance is like a touch on my skin. I’m way out of my league here.”
“That’s why you always end up with losers. You don’t give yourself enough credit,” Carmen replied, a frustrated look on her face. “Though in this case, I might have to agree. He’s probably too much man for twenty women. Did you catch that thug vibe he gives off?”
“I don’t know if I’d call him a thug, but there’s definitely something dangerous about him. I wouldn’t want to cross him,” I said, shivering. It was true, there was something just this side of sinister about Dantes, but it was part of his allure—beautiful and hypnotizing, the way flames are. It seemed I was the moth, drawn to its doom—his pull on me was powerful. “You know my track record, though. Anyone I’m this attracted to has got to be defective.”
“Don’t be so cynical, Mee. Sure, he doesn’t seem like the kind of man you’d take home to your mom and dad, but that doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy.”
“You pretty much just implied that’s exactly what he is.”
“Okay, so he probably is. Who doesn’t love a bad boy?” Carmen shrugged. “Give him a chance. No one is suggesting you marry him, but he might end up surprising us by being perfectly respectable.”
“I’m pretty sure he’s not. Not after the interlude I just had with him outside the restroom. He’s the big, bad wolf, all right.”
“All the better to eat you,” she snickered. I gave her a look that said she was disgusting then hurried to shush her when I saw Dantes on his way back to the table.
“I’m sorry to have to cut this short, ladies, but I just received a phone call. There’s an issue at the club that requires my attention,” Dantes apologized as he returned, bowing slightly to both of us. He picked up my hand, caressing it softly. “I’ll see you again soon, preciosa.”
He left, leaving Carmen and me fanning ourselves. We finished our drinks, saying little else. Dantes’ presence still lingered in the air, and neither one of us was in a hurry for it to fade. Finally, we snapped out of our mutual stupor and signaled the waitress for the check, only to learn he’d settled our bill on his way out.
4
Dantes
I stalked into the club, unhappy my time with Mia had been cut short. I knew business needed to be handled, but fuck, that’s what my sicarios were for. Oscar should have been able to handle whatever it was.
“What the fuck, Oscar?” I asked as I entered my office. For once, the prick wasn’t sitting in my chair.
“You’re not going to like it,” he said as I took my seat.
“I already don’t like it, and I don’t even know why I’m here.”
“Luís Mendoza sent a message. In the form of one of our best halcon’s head in a box.”
“Arturo?” I asked, my pulse quickening as I thought about him shadowing Mia.
“No, Wilfredo,” Oscar replied, quickly shaking his head.
“When?” I replied, trying not to sound relieved.
“Just an hour ago. They sent it to his mamá. Apparently, he was caught spying on one of their sicarios.”
“I never sent him, did you?” I demanded. Oscar shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
“I did. He was the best scout we had. Once I got wind Luís was trying to reorganize the Soldados, I put him on it.”
“You didn’t think to consult me?” I asked, leaning over my desk and looking Oscar straight in the eye, forgetting all about my grumbling that he should have been able to handle any situation for me.
“Since when do you manage what the halcones do? You’ve always left that to me,” he replied, lifting a shoulder. I pounded a fist on my desktop.
“I may leave the direction of their activities to you, but when did you stop giving me updates? You know fucking well not to leave me in the dark, Oscar. You’re like my brother, but don’t think for a minute if you do it again, it won’t be your head in the box.”
“Understood,” he answered, his jaw clenched. “What do you want to do?”
“First, send someone to take care of Wilfredo’s mother. Arrange a wake and funeral, then give her some money, enough to take care of her expenses for the year. After that, we retaliate. Find out which sicario was responsible for the hit and take him out. Leave the body at the Mendoza compound, preferably with the head on a pike in the front yard.”
“It will be my pleasure, Dantes. Wilfredo was a good kid.”
“Not good enough not to get caught,” I muttered, then immediately felt guilty. He had been a good kid, always willing to do a job, no matter what we needed, but with an easy smile and affable personality. I crossed myself, having spoken ill of the dead. My mother would have been ashamed.
“Did he report any information before he passed?”
“Only scant rumors about hijacking some weapons. He didn’t know when, where, or whose. He’d hoped to find out last night.”
“Cristo…” I muttered
, unhappy with the whole situation.
“While we’re on the subject of the halcones, I have this for you,” Oscar said, pushing a file across my desktop. “Arturo got one of our feds to complete the background on Mia. You aren’t going to be happy with some of the information in there, either.”
“Mierda, what now?”
“She’s Mia Bernard. As in Leo Bernard’s daughter,” he said, leaning forward and flipping the file open. There, at the top of the pile, was a picture of the city’s Sheriff.
I groaned internally. We had the undersheriff, José Cisneros, in our pocket, but Bernard was far less malleable. So far, the best we could do was pay him to look the other way when it came to the Desalmados’ business. Cisneros was working on getting him into our corner, but so far, the man refused to get his hands dirty. I could safely assume there wouldn’t be any happy family dinners with Mia in my near future… or ever.
“What’s this woman to you?” Oscar asked though I was sure he suspected the answer to the question. “Please tell me you knew, and she’s part of some grand plan to get Bernard to toe the line. If the Soldados start growing again, we’re going to need his help to get the department to crack down on them.”
“You let me worry about it,” I said with a wave of my hand, letting him know he was dismissed.
“I hope you know what you’re doing, Dantes.”
“Just go take care of the Wilfredo situation. I’ll handle this.”
“You’re the boss,” he replied, shaking his head as he walked out of my office.
I flipped through the file after he was gone, devouring every document it contained. Aside from her father being Sheriff, Mia had been born and raised in Florida. Her parents were still married, and she had a younger sister named Hayley who was a senior at Princeton.
There were several photographs of paintings my Mia had done, along with a list of galleries where her work could be found. I picked up a print of a woman, her soft, innocent face half in shadow. It was a self-portrait. I could easily pick out Mia’s features on the side of the face that was unobscured. What was she thinking when she painted this picture? I knew it couldn’t be that she had a dark side. Mia was nothing but pure light. Perhaps it was prophetic. Maybe she knew one day, she’d be dragged into the darkness by someone—by me. I made a quick call to one of our dancers I knew I could rely upon. With the promise of a bonus, I sent her to purchase the painting for me. I took a quick picture of it, then texted it to her along with the address of the gallery.
I quickly entered Mia’s contact information in my phone, then put it in my pocket. Closing the file, I stood and rounded the desk. It was time to take a field trip.
Mia’s loft wasn’t far from The Pink Pistol. In fact, I could have made the trip on foot in less than an hour. I pulled my Benz to the curb, across the street from her building, put it in park, and let the engine idle. I called Arturo, asking for an update on Mia’s whereabouts.
“She left the café about an hour ago. I followed her to the mall with her friend, which is where they are now. You’ll be pleased to know they just walked into Victoria’s Secret.”
The idea did please me. I wondered if she would make a purchase with me in mind. I knew I’d gotten under her skin almost as much as she was under mine. The way she trembled whenever she looked at me had nothing to do with fear—I could see the desire smoldering in her eyes. Grinning, I reached down to cup my rapidly hardening cock. Fuck, I needed her under me.
I thanked Arturo for the information and instructed him to keep following the women until further notice. With another glance at Mia’s apartment building, I put the car in drive and sped away.
As I drove, I contemplated the complication of Mia’s father. If I was going to continue to pursue her—and there was no doubt I would—I needed to inform El Tuerto. He wouldn’t be happy if I kept the fact I had such a close tie to the Sheriff from him. I didn’t want to think of betraying my capo, but if he told me to stay away from her, I’d have no choice but to defy him. Mia would be mine, and no one, not even the man I considered a father figure, could prevent that from happening. I’d have to have Oscar work harder with Cisneros to get Bernard to fully cross the line he’d drawn to keep himself mostly clean. I tapped a few buttons on the steering wheel to locate the number for El Tuerto.
“Muchacho,” he answered with affection. “Have you procured the shipment from Kosareva already?”
“No,” I replied with a chuckle. “I’m good, but not good enough to get it in twelve hours. I’ll be calling on him tonight for the exact pick-up time and location.”
“I didn’t think so, but if anyone can work miracles, it’s you,” he replied jovially. “So, if you don’t have the information for me, to what do I owe the pleasure of your call?”
“We need to talk. I’ve had an unrelated complication arise you need to be aware of. I met a very important young woman the other night at Kosareva’s club.”
“Mixing business with pleasure, Dantes? That’s not like you.”
“I won’t let it interfere.”
“Are you telling me so I can let Corina down easy?” Corina, El Tuerto’s daughter, had been nurturing a crush on me since she was just a girl. As it was now, she was barely eighteen.
“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” I replied smoothly. After all, I was thirty-two, at least old enough to be her uncle. “But no. This woman turned out to be Sheriff Bernard’s daughter.”
El Tuerto was silent for a few moments as he processed the information. I squirmed impatiently in my seat, praying to the mother of love and peace, El Tuerto wouldn’t forbid me from seeing Mia again.
“While complicated,” he finally began, “this could be an opportunity for us. Getting close to his daughter makes Bernard vulnerable.”
“I won’t hurt her, Señor,” I replied, showing deference to him while potentially refusing an unspoken command.
“I’m sure the threat alone will be enough. Does this woman—what’s her name?”
“Mia.”
“Does Mia reciprocate your interest?”
“I believe she does,” I said, certain my wicked smile could be heard in my voice.
“Bueno,” he replied, his own smile surfacing in his tone. “You have my blessing to proceed, but don’t lose your head. Your main priority needs to be the Sheriff.”
That would never be the case. Blackmailing Leo Bernard was several spots down on my list of priorities when it came to Mia. I’d keep it in mind, but my first objective was to make her mine.
“There’s more. The Soldados took one of my halcones last night. Sent the head to his mother. Oscar put Wilfredo, the boy, on one of Luís Mendoza’s sicarios, and I guess they caught him.”
“Was he able to get any information back to you before they killed him?”
“Nothing of any value, just wind of a plot to procure weapons. I’ve already instructed Oscar to find out which sicario is responsible and take him out.”
“Send another halcon in. In fact, put two. We need to keep a close eye on the Soldados. Marcos has reported some minor product thefts in his territory. I don’t know if they’re responsible, but it’s worth checking out. You know what to do after that.”
“Sí, Señor. They’ll pay in blood,” I replied firmly. “I don’t know why you don’t just let me give Luís the same ending as his father. Why are we even dicking around with this cabrón?”
“Because so far he’s only a nuisance. It’s more entertaining to watch him chase his own ass around, trying to play capo. He’s nothing like his papá.” I heard the sound of him flicking a lighter in the background. El Tuerto loved his cigars.
“As long as you know it would be a pleasure to bleed him slowly.”
“This is why you are my first lieutenant. Your thirst for blood is only outmatched by my own. Luís Mendoza’s day is coming, and I promise, you’ll be the one to bring it to him. Just have patience. Until then, busy yourself with the girl.”
“It will be my pleasure,�
�� I replied, though I knew he meant I should pursue Mia’s father, not her in my bed.
That night, after receiving information from Arturo that Mia was finally home, I drove back to her place. I sat in my car in front of her building again, keeping watch and uncharacteristically warring with myself over whether I should go to her door. Normally, if I wanted something, I took it. No attack of conscience would get in my way, but Mia was different. Something told me I’d be her damnation and mine. I’d carefully guarded myself since I was a boy. My father remained a broken man, even though my mother had been killed nearly twenty years ago. It was a testament to why a man like me should never fall in love.
I wasn’t unlike my father. He, too, had been involved in the drug trade, well before the Venezuelan cartels had branched out into the United States. He had been a mid-ranking member of the National Guard, responsible for helping to traffic cocaine and other drugs out of the country. When I was fifteen, he pissed off the wrong guy, and my mother, rest her soul, had paid the ultimate price. My father never recovered and sought solace at the bottom of a bottle of rum, while I found myself alone on the streets of Caracas with only one way to support myself. El Tuerto found me and took me under his wing, and I hadn’t looked back since. Until now. I knew Mia deserved a better man, but I was a selfish cabrón. I wouldn’t walk away, just for some idiot to swoop her up. No way.
Even if I was noble enough to stay away from her, now that El Tuerto knew about her and what she could mean to the cartel, I wouldn’t be allowed to. I’d feared he’d tell me to stay away from her, but I should have anticipated the larger problem—his insistence I exploit the connection to her father to achieve the Desalmados’ ends. I wanted her all to myself—I never should have told El Tuerto about her, but my loyalty to the cartel superseded my own desires.
I gripped the steering wheel tightly, eyes still on the windows to Mia’s loft. I no longer had a choice, not that I’d really had one, to begin with. The ache in my balls told me I needed her desperately. The accompanying pang in my chest was annoying, but I ignored it. I’d use her body while I worked my way into her father’s world by any means necessary, then I’d move on. The mere thought unsettled me, but I dismissed it.
Leave Me Breathless: The Black Rose Collection Page 119