Especially that he glanced into the water, and the thick metal ring looped through the tip of Nero’s cock seemed even more threatening than it had from afar.
A loud snore had Dom glancing to the sunbeds again, but it was only Felipe, who rolled to his side, sleeping under the palm tree without a care in the world.
Domenico sure hoped Nero would later crash a big pool party planned for the evening. It would be most amusing to watch everyone drunkenly stumble away from the pool, like bees fleeing from a giant hornet.
Seth’s upper lip curled. “Thanks. I guess. But you know it’s not gonna happen, right?”
“We’re exclusive,” said Domenico quickly and put his hand on Seth’s shoulder, just so that was completely clear.
Moreno smirked. “Whatever you say. You wouldn’t be the first ones to change your minds.” Before Domenico’s rage could reach epic proportions, Nero went on. “Who was the hot guy you were talking to earlier? He gay too?”
Domenico made a mental countdown from ten. He hoped Nero had not recognized Mark, but to someone like him Mark was likely just another forgettable face. “My cousin. I promised his mother to keep him out of trouble until he’s old enough.”
Nero erupted in hoarse laughter and gathered some water, only to drizzle it down the uneven skin of his chest. Domenico couldn’t help himself and followed the trickles with his gaze, only to meet the pale green eyes watching him knowingly. What an infuriating character that man was! Even as someone so important, Nero was stupid to provoke everyone around him like this. At some point, a man would snap, and that would end in Nero bleeding out very fast. It would not matter what happened to his killer afterwards, if Nero were already dead.
“Do you have any more handsome cousins then? Ones that are old enough to think for themselves?” Nero asked with a laugh. Domenico had to admit his upper teeth were nice. Large and white. If Nero Moreno were a horse, he’d be a healthy one. But then again, his bottom jaw was worthy of a shark, and all spontaneous ideas of cocks and mouths dispersed in the depths of Dom’s head.
“Not here.”
“And he’s straight anyway,” Seth added, forcing back a smile and surely meaning Santo. The way his gaze also dipped beneath the water had Domenico’s skin prickle with anger. He pulled Seth’s head up by the chin.
“I’m up here.”
Nero laughed and licked the back of his sharpened teeth, creating an even more disturbing image. “Relax. I already got my kicks watching your sex tape.”
Domenico blinked, for a moment unsure what that meant. “They could fucking stop putting cams in shitters,” he grumbled. If Nero could access recordings of the two of them Seth would surely not let Dom in between his legs until they were out of here.
Seth groaned and leaned back, putting his hands on the tiles behind himself. “That’s… not on.”
“What about now? Do you think they are recording sound here too?” asked Domenico, broadly indicating the pool area.
Moreno glanced at the nearby palms and the sauna. “Possibly. Why? You want to go out together?”
Domenico laughed. “I was just wondering what your father’s policy is on gay men in his own organization.” He didn’t want to outright say that he’d be interested in leaving Toro for Moreno, as it could end up on record, but he hoped Nero would get his point.
Seth nodded. “And if his pool is as nice as this one.”
Nero stretched, no longer in a flirty mindset it seemed, because his eyes became sharper, like those of a man who could leave real damage if he wished to do so. And if the rumors that reached Domenico’s ears were true, Nero was more than capable. “It’s the same as everywhere.”
Domenico made himself grin. “I was interested, because I heard you work with an Italian supplier. What was the name? Mr.... Tropo?” he asked Seth, as if he really lost the name of a man who they both wanted to know much more about. As much as he hated Dino Villani in retrospect, it was a smack to the face that someone was doing business using his alias so long after the man’s death. Dino might have been a bastard, but he’d still been a Villani Don, and Domenico felt personally offended. Angelo had also specifically told him that Tropico wanted Seth dead, and if that was the case, Domenico always kept it at the back of his head that the man had to go.
Seth frowned, as if he had to think it through himself. “Tropico? It was a weird one, I remember. Probably not a real name, to be honest.”
Nero gave them a long, careful look. “I know nothing about him, because only a few people actually deal with him. One time, when I had too much time on my hands I tried to trace him, but the bastard keeps being on the move. Sometimes, he changes location faster than he should be able to. If you know more, I wouldn’t be unhappy if you shared,” he said and gave Domenico the shark grin while inching closer.
“We’ve only heard something about him back in Italy,” Seth said. “We thought that since he operates in South America he might have use for men who can make an Italian connection for him.”
Nero thought for a second, but then his mouth stretched into that sheepish smile that made Domenico itch to take Seth as far away from the pool as humanly possible. He slid into the water instead, ready to put himself between the caiman and his husband. There would be no more touching.
Nero watched him with infuriating amusement. “I might know more. If you guys gave me an incentive to open my mouth...”
Seth’s lips parted. “Sorry, but with those teeth, my dick isn’t going anywhere near your mouth.”
“It would never go anywhere near his mouth in the first place,” hissed Domenico, ready to come to Seth’s rescue whenever needed.
“Have those been bitten off that it’s such a sore topic?” asked Nero, gesturing toward Seth’s nipples.
Seth sneered and covered his chest with his arm. “I’m not fucking you anyway, so it’s none of your business.”
“I’m just making conversation,” Nero said, looking Dom’s way when Domenico took a step closer to touch Seth’s knee. He didn’t need other guys telling him there was something wrong with his chest when it was strong, and firm, and without any disgusting beads under the skin.
“Says the man who got his own chest fucked up according to his wishes,” Dom said, poking Nero’s breastbone.
When the bastard stepped closer, Domenico was ready to protect himself from a punch, but the touch of soft lips and the sharp scratch against his bottom lip made his mind go into standstill.
What the fuck just happened?
Seth was down in the water with a splash and pushed Nero away before Dom could react. “Get the fuck away from him!”
Nero pulled away, laughing so loudly his voice echoed off the edges of the pool. “You should have seen your face! You men are an enigma. Now I really don’t know whose dick goes where.”
“And you don’t need to know! You fucking put your hands anywhere near him, and you’ll be the best cocksucker in all of Colombia, because you’ll have no teeth left!” Seth yelled at him and followed him in the water like an icebreaker. As freaked out as Dom was at being touched by Nero’s teeth, he couldn’t help a tingle of excitement that watching Seth go ballistic gave him.
Nero moved away backwards, laughing so hard there were tears streaming down his face. It only seemed to enrage Seth further, and the chase continued like a naked parody of a Tom and Jerry cartoon.
Domenico pushed himself away from the edge and swam toward Seth. “For fuck’s sake, stop!” he said, grabbing Seth from the back and trying to pull him close without much success. Seth was a bull when angered, and as much as it usually excited Domenico, that reaction was far from optimal in this situation.
Nero kept laughing even as he climbed up the stairs of the pool on the other side. “I’m open to experiments. How about me being the juicy ham sandwiched between the two of you? We could make a lot of sauce dribble out at the sides.”
Seth scowled and splashed some water in useless fury. “That’s revolting!” He looked back at D
om over his shoulder and planted a quick kiss on Dom’s lips. “He has no right to touch you.”
Domenico frowned at him. “That is exactly what I told you when he sat in your lap.”
“A man can dream, right?” asked Nero, winking, as if it had been a game for him.
Domenico groaned, but Luis’s arrival instantly pulled his mind into focus. Luis hadn’t talked to them since everyone found out about Domenico and Seth being a gay couple, so the fact that he was here now meant one thing only - orders.
“Miss Dana wishes to go shopping,” Luis said, not quite meeting Domenico’s eyes. “Toro wants Gian to wait for her at the main entrance. Bastian, there’s also an assignment for you. You have fifteen minutes.”
So that was that. He’d be parted from Seth. Somehow even arguing with Nero Moreno seemed like a more attractive prospect.
Seth pulled away from Domenico with a short nod to Luis, who walked away as soon as his job was done. He seemed to be taking this gay thing quite hard, but he’d have to get used to it, because for now, Domenico and Seth weren’t going anywhere.
With Nero too far away to hear them, Domenico pulled Seth closer by the neck, as if just hugging him, and whispered into his ear. “Do whatever they ask.”
Chapter 16 - Seth
Seth wasn’t looking forward to whatever violence he was supposed to unleash to prove himself to Toro. Fighting for his or Domenico’s life was very different from joining a whole group of thugs in the large, expensive Hummer. The gun at his side felt too hot, his hair was still wet after swimming, and nothing felt right.
“How long have you all been in Colombia?” asked Toro from his seat across from Seth. It was pale leather, and Seth would not be surprised if a section of it was a tiny weapon hideaway.
With the car driving through the town, and people outside immersed in their daily activities, it seemed as good of a conversation starter as any, even if being shipped off away from Dom while sitting with Toro himself, a very grim Luis, and the bodyguard with the crew cut, Alvarez, made all his organs itch.
“We’ve only just come with the girl, but we’d gladly settle here, at least for a while.” They’ve rehearsed answers for these kind of questions with Dom so that their stories aligned in case, like now, they were forced to part. If only Alvarez would stop giving him the stare of death, answering would have been much easier. “Is this your permanent headquarters?” Asking questions deflects attention from your own answers.
It was a lesson Toro seemed familiar with. “Oh, do you like El Encanto?”
“It’s a good spot. Just wish the river wasn’t full of caimans. Are there piranhas too?” This conversation would never end. Seth wished to have it all over with already. If only his soul could step out of his body, so that his limbs could do whatever deeds were required of him. But what if his soul wasn’t willing to then come back to the stained vessel?
The car rocked on the cobblestones in the town centre, and Seth momentarily focused on the sound of the newest local music hit blowing out of someone’s window. He’d much rather have the disco drill into his ears all day long than endure the stress of those three pairs of eyes watching every bead of sweat on his skin. It seemed Luis and Alvarez were intent on pretending they weren’t there, because Toro was the only one to speak.
“They are actually very skittish. Regardless of their reputation, piranhas are quite harmless to humans most of the time. They gather in groups for protection and only bite when it’s necessary. They are little cowards, really, but very tasty cowards,” he said with a wide smile that somehow managed to freeze over Seth’s stomach.
Was this a suggestion? Did Toro want to say that he considered them piranhas to his caiman? Good enough to nibble on flesh but not do real damage? Did he suspect something?
“Are they?” Seth smiled back even though he didn’t want to. “A friend of mine from Australia had some in a fish tank at home, and they bit off his kid’s finger when he was out of town.”
“Everyone bites when they’re cornered,” said Toro, watching Seth with something akin to a smug expression.
The silence that otherwise settled in the car was making Seth’s hair bristle, and the artificial aroma of pine that soaked through the air made his throat clench with nausea. Was this a test? Wasn’t everything here a test?
He wished Dom were here to know those kinds of answers.
He wished Dom were here to hold his hand.
Seth shrugged in the end, taking his time with the answer to seem contemplative as he looked at the dirt road stretching in front of them. They left the town center behind and now drove through the suburbs. “I guess that’s what he got for keeping predators in a fish tank.”
Toro pulled a small glass bottle out of a compartment on the side of the seat and took a swig. “Just imagine. That piranha has been watching him all that time, seemingly harmless, until it saw its moment and dove right in. If I remember correctly, your friend had the fish for over a year before it happened. That’s what the article said.”
Seth kept his face still, as if it were made of stone. Just like Dom told him to. He forced the marble of his lips into a smile. “A story always sounds better when it seems personal, doesn’t it?”
Toro smirked. “I suppose. Is that how you lure the girls?”
“Yeah. Silly party tricks. Difficult habit to get rid of. I’ve got a dozen of those up my sleeve. It’s kind of sad really. How they never see it coming.” Could Seth hate himself any more? Even if it wasn’t the truth, even if it wasn’t them who’d kidnapped Charlotte in the first place, they were the ones to bring her to Toro and would eventually, pass the poor girl onto Raul Moreno. It was their fault, and whatever eventually happened, it would forever be a stain on his conscience.
Beyond the window, the landscape of scattered buildings was slowly replaced by trees and fields stolen from the forest. The car was now going slower, rocking on the uneven surface of the dirt road.
“Are you as honest to your associates as you are to the merchandise?” Toro asked, without even twitching as he drank more water.
With the direction those questions were going, the trip out of town was only getting Seth more tense and almost physically ill. “I don’t have to charm anyone. I already have a boyfriend.” He laughed, hoping the joke would make everyone either relaxed or as uncomfortable as he was.
A muscle twitched on Luis’s face, but the man said nothing and looked at his watch instead.
“Well, I hope you can stand those endless shopping trips my woman keeps demanding. I don’t have the patience to watch her try on half the clothes in every store,” Toro said, fortunately changing the topic to something more familiar.
An honest smile found its way to Seth’s face. He remembered the trips to the Armani stores with Domenico. They could spend all day there, even having lunch at the café inside. At the time, it hadn’t seemed as enticing as it did now.
“It won’t be a problem. I have a long attention span.”
“And you gays like clothes and all that stuff too, right?” Toro asked, casually pulling on the safety belt. As if on cue, Luis and Alvarez put on theirs, so Seth was quick to join in.
“What I like is shopping mall coffee,” Seth said. He wanted to add some small-talk about coffee being great in Colombia, but there was no time for it when their vehicle smashed through a small wooden fence.
The whole car shook as it sped between low buildings that seemed to move up and down in the side window. Seth’s whole body went rigid as his mind took in the dirt yard with brown water in large puddles, a whole herd of chickens running around in panic, a woman rushing into a shack with a little girl thrown over her shoulder.
All the safety belts unbuckled in tune with the sound of the opening doors. Seth didn’t even realize that he did the same on auto-pilot, but there he was, walking out, watching his own body join the group of armed men. The loud barking of a dog tied to a tree echoed in Seth’s head as if it was coming from behind a wall.
&nbs
p; There was movement all around, and with his mind processing it all in slow motion, Seth saw a foot disappear behind a wooden door in intricate detail. Then, a gunshot radiated through the scene, and the barking stopped as abruptly as it started.
Seth looked toward the dog, with his heart already reaching a staccato inside his throat. The poor thing’s paw was still twitching as the animal bled out into the mud while the sun above their heads shone with as much warmth as it had while Seth was at the pool.
Toro lowered his gun and followed Luis toward the most solid-looking building on the property full of old shacks that hadn’t seen a coat of paint in years.
The clucking of chickens was quiet in the background, as if the birds knew that bringing attention to themselves could make them end up in the same way the dog had. Seth’s walls were up. Tall, proud, and made out of titanium. He wouldn’t have this miserable world reach him. His body would do its job, and then he’d leave, and then he’d sleep, and he’d only cry under a sheet because even his bedroom had hidden cameras.
Everything would be fine. If he could spin the cylinder for Manuel, he could do whatever was required here as well. And afterward, he and Dom would do the easy job of guarding Dana, and Seth would be allowed to drink as many Bloody Marys as he wished.
Luis came closer to Seth when Alvarez entered the house, yelling in Spanish to the sound of someone else’s screams. The disharmony of those two male voices made Seth’s muscles tighten around his bones, but when Luis spoke to him unprompted for the first time since the big reveal of Seth’s sexuality, the skin around Seth’s neck became a noose. Coupled with the smell of cooked food, stale mud, and piss, the voice was making him choke up.
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