With the heat growing, Domenico leaned down farther, practically lying his front across the sink, and with it securing him in the upright position, he just let Seth take over, big hands holding on to Dom’s hips and grabbing at his shoulder as Seth embedded himself completely time after time, so hard his balls slapped against Domenico’s ass, as if giving him a spanking.
With his body so overcome with pleasure even his brain was muddled. Dom found it difficult to keep his lips in, so he released them and instead bit on Seth’s hand, focused on the way his ass burned with the friction of the rough, wonderful fuck. This was exactly the Seth he wanted to pull out of the cocoon of indifference. Passionate, chaotic, hard to tame. Always a challenge.
“Oh, fuck. So good,” Seth groaned, and his thrusts became more erratic as his other hand, still slippery with some kind of oil, took hold of Dom’s cock.
Dom had no idea how desperate for release he had been until those thick, skillful fingers started milking him in the same rhythm his ass was milking Seth’s cock. Seth was the only man who could get this close to Dom and live to tell the tale. Just that he wouldn’t, because it was their secret.
Domenico’s body buckled, shuddering with the intense tremors of orgasm that emptied his balls all over Seth’s hand. He squeezed his eyes, sensing the urgency grow in Seth’s thrusts, and as they became more volatile, he laid his head on his own bicep and just let it happen, so satisfied he could lay down and sleep, curled up in Seth’s lap like a cat.
The lips nuzzling at Dom’s nape, Seth’s heavy breathing, and the heat filling Dom when Seth stilled, only gently stirring his hips against Dom’s ass, told him all he needed to know. Today’s blood would wash off Seth’s hands in the end, and all would be back to the way they wanted it to be.
“I love you,” Seth whispered with a deep sigh, and even without seeing him, Domenico could imagine Seth’s serene, flushed face and the warm brown eyes closing in bliss.
He too let his eyes shut, floating on the waves of affection and slowly letting himself relax. It made him so content to know that he had a warm load of Seth’s seed deep inside him, that he had Seth’s arms around him, that they promised each other to never part. They would always be together, and they would eventually have that house in Sicily. With a garden, and all that.
Whatever Seth wanted, he could have it.
A gentle tapping drew Domenico’s attention to the window, and he smiled, noticing droplets of water explode against the dark plexiglass. When it became a whisper at the back of Dom’s mind, he was ready to face the world again.
Chapter 5 - Mark
“She’s so pretty…” Mark whispered to Miguel who stood at the front end of the boat and watched a village of maybe a dozen wooden huts on the left shore. There were children playing between the pillars supporting a large, likely communal building, blissfully unaware pf what had happened on the boat less than an hour ago or of the cargo hidden in the trunk. But the days of innocence were long gone from Mark’s life, and he was unable to take his mind off the fact that they were transporting an unconscious girl as if she was an exotic animal destined to become the crown jewel of someone’s private zoo. What would happen to her? Who was she? And most importantly—would they really pass her on to Raul Moreno?
Miguel glared into the water, as if it had personally offended him, but he seemed to dedicate some of his attention to the outdoor steering unit as well, adjusting it time and again so that the stream wouldn’t push the boat too far off course. “Beauty didn’t help her this time.”
Mark sat down on the deck by Miguel’s feet, not even counting on feeling dry anytime soon with the air itself so damp it could drown his lungs. He knew he should focus on the strike of luck that had the caiman choosing the mercenary over him back there in the water, but his thoughts stubbornly kept drifting back to the girl and turned everything sour. And as on cue, warm raindrops fell on his head.
“Her skin is so pale. She can’t be from here, can she? Even white women back in Bogota were so tanned. Or maybe she’s an albino?” He couldn’t tell, and thinking about the pale eyelashes that made her look like an ethereal being wasn’t helping. Would she have red eyes, like an albino rat? No, they were blue. He would bet they were blue.
Miguel gave a sharp exhale, not even trying to get away from the big droplets of rain, but he covered the steering unit with an extendable plastic dome that was attached to it when the rain slowly got heavier. For now, they were stuck outside anyway, because with Domenico and Seth so clearly fucking in the cabin, neither of them wanted to intrude. At least it was warm. “Better if we don’t think about it, unless we decide to take her straight to a police station far away from here. But that decision has already been made, hasn’t it?”
Miguel was right. Mark had even been the one to close the trunk. Of course he didn’t want to. Of course he wanted to save her, but that wasn’t what they have come here for, and since he was a Vincitore now, shouldn’t he think of his family’s needs first? If he was to ever get a gun of his own and be recognized by Domenico as a man worthy of paying attention to, he had to do as he was told and stay loyal even if it meant the girl were to be passed on to the Morenos. After all, the cargo had been their ticket into Toro’s house from the start, and if Domenico, a man so much more experienced in those things, didn’t believe they should come up with a different tactic, then it wasn’t Mark’s place to question him.
Miguel rubbed his forehead, as if his head hurt. “Do they really have to fuck right now? This is hardly the right time.”
Mark licked his lips, glancing up at Miguel. “Fucking is great stress relief.”
Miguel only shook his head. “Right. People will come up with any pathetic excuse to do it.”
Mark glanced at him, desperate to think of something else than the angelic girl. “Miguel? Are you a virgin?” he whispered the last word.
“You’re such an idiot.”
Anger buzzed inside Mark, and he raised his hand to shake a finger at Miguel. The tan arms moved at the speed of a viper about to sink its fangs in Mark’s flesh, and Miguel grabbed Mark’s wrist while bending all his fingers back with the other hand. It stung, and Mark took a sharp breath, suddenly feeling as if his joints were about to give from being forced into this unnatural position. The way Miguel caught Mark resembled the technique of dealing with a gun-wielding enemy Domenico had been trying to teach him for a while now.
Miguel watched Mark with sparks of annoyance glinting in his eyes, pulling on the fingers harder, as if to drive the message home, and Mark didn’t dare make a peep.
“Do not provoke me,” Miguel said, and Mark very quickly nodded, barely able to breathe until his hand was free again. He was massaging the aching digits when Miguel turned back to the river and said, “If you’re the one holding the gun, don’t let them break your fingers.”
A door opened behind them, and Domenico walked out, completely dry and with his long hair falling down his bare chest. He stuck his hand out to let it have a feel of the rain while Mark and Miguel stared at him, both already drenched to the bone with the sickeningly lukewarm water. “You guys may come in if you want to.”
Miguel cursed beneath his breath and switched something on the steering unit before rushing into the now open cabin. Seth popped out only to toss Domenico’s old T-shirt into the murky water.
They all huddled in the cabin, and Mark couldn’t help himself. “Can I look at her again?” he asked when Domenico sat in a chair with a cigarette that Seth had passed him moments before.
Miguel scowled. “She’s just a child. You won’t be perving on her!”
Domenico slowly blew out some smoke and chuckled. “Come on, Miguel. We’re all perfectly safe for her.”
“Not really,” said Mark, swallowing hard as his eyes wandered to the huge trunk again. “I mean... you want to just hand her over, right? That’s not very safe for her.”
Seth leaned against the wall with a lit cigarette as well, which meant the room was get
ting filled with smoke all too quickly, and Mark wasn’t sure if he liked the choking smell of it right now. There was something about this situation that made all the hairs bristle on his body.
“She is one of many,” Miguel said, as if that was supposed to help Mark’s conscience in any way. “Just a means to an end for the Morenos. What are you going to do, Mark? Start a war over her? And if you do, why not over hundreds of other girls? Because you think this one’s pretty?”
“To be fair, she looks quite picturesque in there. Like Sleeping Beauty,” Domenico said and tapped the trunk, which stood right next to his seat.
Mark looked to his feet and slid his hands into his wet pockets. He was drenched with a sense of guilt that kept whispering into his ear that he was being selfish if he ignored the girl’s situation despite having been through something similar in the past. Even watching a man devoured by caimans hadn’t felt as sickening, and neither had killing one for that matter.
Yet Miguel was right. Mark wanted to help the girl because she struck him with her looks. Would he have felt the same way about saving the life of an old man? He’d probably assume that the man had a reason to be in this position, that he’d done something to deserve it. And yet every time he remembered her face, he couldn’t think of anything she could have possibly done other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time, looking like her perfect self.
He was so shallow.
“She does,” Mark mumbled.
Domenico breathed in more cigarette smoke, watching Mark with such attention it felt as if he could tear Mark apart and somehow spot his bisexuality, and his worries, and everything. “You’re not a regular person anymore, Mark. You can’t think like one,” he said in the end.
“It’s just that…” Mark swallowed hard, embarrassed that Miguel would hear his words, but they needed to be said, because time was running out. “I still remember Louisiana, and how it felt to be saved, and there’s no one coming to help her.”
His words wiped the smile off Domenico’s lips, and Dom glanced at Seth, who shrugged, leaning against the wall and watching Mark with an unreadable expression. It felt as if the Seth who’d made them lunch for this trip has been left at the hotel, replaced by a man Mark wasn’t sure he recognized.
Dom cleared his throat. “We’ve all been in your shoes once. And then we understood that a soft heart has no place in this business. You cherish those close to you. You take good care of your family, but it is not wise to engage with the problems of strangers. What would you have us do? Rescue her and then have Moreno’s men chase us down? Miguel’s right. She’s one of many. What do you think happens to all those pretty girls who go missing without a trace?” He butted his cigarette and tossed it into a dirty ashtray. “I tell you what does not happen. They don’t just disappear. They don’t just drown and get eaten by fish, and all that crap. Someone places an order, and they happen to fit the product description close enough. This is not the time and place for sentiments.”
As harsh as Domenico’s words were, they struck a chord with Mark. It was sheer luck that had brought him together with the Vincitore family, but now that he was a part of it, he should focus on paying his debts to them instead of being the prince who saves girls with pretty faces. If Domenico or Seth were in danger, wouldn’t he be the first one to throw the girl overboard, were that to save them?
The silence stretched, and in the end Domenico leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “Look, none of us wants something bad to happen to her, and I really do believe that she will be safe until Raul Moreno arrives. But at the same time, if something does happen, we need to treat it as collateral damage. I’d rather something happened to her than to you. Don’t forget that.”
The way Domenico’s words mirrored Mark’s thoughts made him nod quickly. “I get it. I’m sorry I’m being such a baby about this.” He clenched his fists, wishing he could already be who Domenico needed him to be, not suffer through the growing pains.
Seth’s expression softened slightly, and he stroked Mark’s hair. Mark’s first instinct was to shrug him off, but the gesture was so soothing he went with it. “No, Mark. You’re doing great. You’re putting into practice all that we’ve been training for. What Dom wants to tell you is that it will get tougher, and we all need to be ready for that.”
Miguel had his eyes focused on the river ahead when spoke again. “But that’s not enough. Even among cartel men, Raul Moreno is known for cruelty. You need to be prepared for what you might witness, or you’ll take us down.”
Domenico’s eyes narrowed. “What do you want to say?”
“I want to say that he has people trafficked in cruder ways than this comfy box.” Miguel sneered. “Not just women. He takes people from their homes and takes them hundreds of miles away to work on his coca farms, but that isn’t even the worst of it. Some call him ‘Cannibal Moreno’ because he tortures people by feeding them to his caimans. But he also calls his own men ‘caimans’, so make of that what you will.”
Domenico smirked. “That sounds way better than having them snort coke to make sure they aren’t cops. Eating human flesh because the big boss tells them so... that’s commitment. How careful must we be when we eventually dine at his house?”
Miguel’s jaw worked, and he pushed a lever forward on the console, making the engine work even harder. “The only thing you can depend on with Raul Moreno is that you will not expect the level of violence he’s prepared to unleash. Toro is less open about it, less crude, but that does not make him any less dangerous. Maybe even more so.”
Blood drained from Mark’s face, but he didn’t say a word. Months ago, he could have sat in a bar in Texas, joking about cannibalistic drug lords having human bacon for breakfast to accompany a weed-flavored muffin, but it was all too real here on the blood-soaked boat as they approached their destination.
“Can you recall anything about Toro that you haven’t told us before?” Mark asked, annoyed by his own voice sounding raspy in his dried throat.
“He’s paranoid about his safety, and anything that can be perceived as a threat to it is dealt with immediately. So don’t make any dark jokes about him, even when he’s not around. Don’t do anything that could suggest an attempt on his life, and disarm whenever you’re asked to.”
Domenico nodded and eventually looked at his watch. “We need to change. Blood doesn’t work as an accessory for a job interview. I think it’s time for you, Miguel. You know how to get in touch,” he said, slowly getting up from the chair.
Miguel left the cabin without a goodbye. It wasn’t like Mark was exactly best friends with him, yet not having him around left an unexpected void, an imbalance in their little group.
“We’re almost there, aren’t we?” Mark asked.
“Close,” said Dom, leaning against the mount of the console as the small motorboat they originally arrived in came to life again. “Better repeat your backstories in your heads, because there won’t be a coming back from this.”
Seth lit himself another cigarette, and it was unnerving to see him smoke this much. “We’ll get through it,” he said, as if he needed to reassure himself.
Mark nodded, fighting his mind to forget about the sedated person in the trunk. “I won’t fail either.”
Chapter 6 - Domenico
El Encanto was like an injured beast, bleeding rust on the sheet metal roofs, with plastic bottles floating between narrow fishing boats and loud music blasting over the riverbend from somewhere in the port, and yet it could still end up drowning them all in the dirty waters.
The shore was a crowd of buildings constructed on pillars reaching deep into the river, but beyond the mosaic of faded color and dirt it was much less crowded, with buildings emerging from spots of green, and even a tower crowned by a large cross. This spoke of relative normalcy, but Dom knew that he needed to wade his way through the cesspool before he could rest.
A large boat with three decks was disembarking as they approached, and Domenico sn
eered, turning away from the passengers when the wind blew his hair back and uncovered his face. The largest vessels moored at the riverbend, but considering their boat’s size, Domenico steered it between two warehouses on either part of an offshoot of the river, following a vessel of similar size.
The air was fresh and much less humid after the rain, but Domenico was only sweating heavier now that they were about to meet Toro. He’d participated in his fair share of undercover missions, but to do this with Seth and Mark, who were far less experienced, raised the stakes disproportionately. If one of them slipped, it would be up to Domenico to pick up the pieces, and with so many odds stacked against them, he didn’t feel like he could guarantee the safety of his family.
They both declared they understood the risk involved well enough, but Domenico was not certain they knew what exactly was at stake. Well, Seth surely did, but Mark? And yet, Domenico felt their odds would be better if they had the kid with them. It was keeping him safe in this wild new world that could prove a challenge.
“We should take these off, or someone might question us about wives,” Seth whispered, pulling Domenico out of his thoughts. At first Domenico didn’t understand what it meant, but then Seth tapped Dom’s ring finger.
He swallowed and looked at the golden band, which so clearly was a declaration of his commitment to someone important. By now it felt like a part of him, and he didn’t even think of taking it off before. Maybe he was getting careless. Or maybe he simply wanted the wedding band to remain where it was and was about to sabotage his own plans for it.
Slowly, he made himself smile, glancing between his hand and Seth’s. “Maybe you’re right. Take it off me then.”
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