“It must have been tough for her, walking out without her kid.” Nico spoke for the first time, surprising Tamika. That comment revealed a sensitivity and insight that she had not expected from him.
“There were several incidences of domestic abuse. The last one ended with a broken leg. She must have decided to leave after she recovered,” Rusty supplied.
Cruz had hit her? The news should not have surprised and enraged her, but it did. Tamika knew from growing up in that environment that physical abuse went along with the territory, and it was not always the women that got beaten up. Still, the thought of someone hitting a woman so badly that she ended up with broken limbs was what made her so mad. And it didn’t help that said woman was her sister. Her twin.
“The rest of us will arrive in New York a couple of days from now,” Emily said. “We’ll get that kid out safely.”
The others nodded their agreement.
After going through their plans, they ended the call.
“Be careful in New York,” Rusty said before he left. “This Cruz dude is one mean son of a bitch. The New York Police Department have a lot of stuff on him, but they have not been able to nail him. He’s a wily one.”
“He was always really smart. Too bad he chose to go the route he did,” Nico said.
They were standing in the living room and Nico casually snaked an arm around her waist. Rusty noted it and raised an eyebrow.
Tamika felt her face heat up, but she lifted her chin and met his gaze head on. After a few moments, he smiled.
“Okay then, see you two in New York. Be good,” he said with a level stare before seeing himself out of the suite.
“Hey, are you okay?” Nico said, drawing her closer in a hug.
She held herself stiffly for a moment, but his arms felt so good, so she sighed and leaned into him. It felt really nice to lean on someone, even if it was just for the moment. She would not let herself get used to it. She was used to standing on her own, even when she was married. That was not going to change anytime soon. Still… she inhaled his scent and shut her eyes, basking in the feeling of warmth and security. When he gently began to rub her back in a circle, she almost purred.
“You feel so good,” she said, wrapping her arms around him. It had been so long since she’d just been held.
“Hmmm…” he murmured, then rested his cheek on her hair. “That’s my secret weapon.”
“What?” She tried to pull back so she could see his face, but he held on.
“My secret weapon,” he repeated.
She sighed. “Okay, I’ll bite. What’s the secret weapon?”
“I plan to get you so addicted to me that you won’t be able to go anywhere else.”
“Hah! Like that’s going to happen.”
“Hey, I’m quite addictive, you know.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” She reached up to place a kiss just beneath his ear and smiled when he shuddered. She drew back.
“You’re playing with fire, babe.”
“Yeah, I know. The addictive kind. Too bad we need to get packed and head to the airport.” She made to move back, but he drew her back and gave her a searching look.
“What is it?” she asked with a frown.
“Are you sure you’re fine? With this dating idea, I mean?”
She quirked an eyebrow. “I should be asking you. I tend to get jealous and possessive. Can you handle that?”
His eyes turned smoky. “Are you going to get all aggressive and bitch slap any woman you see me with? You know, tear off each other’s clothes and everything?”
She opened her eyes wide and placed a hand on her chest. “Oh no, I’ll never do anything so undignified, not when I can rip off your family jewels and feed them to you.”
He winced and took a step away from her, his hands going instinctively to his nuts in a protective gesture. “Bloodthirsty wench,” he grumbled.
“You’d better believe it, mister.” She glanced at her watch. “Grab your stuff then we’ll go grab mine.”
“Aww, so sweet. You can’t bear to be away from me.”
Tamika rolled her eyes. “I’m your freaking bodyguard!”
He shrugged, his eyes sparkling with humor. “I prefer my version.” He walked into the bedroom.
She huffed in exasperation and started to follow him then changed her mind. She did not need a reminder of what they’d been doing just a couple of hours before. She needed to find a way to be both his girlfriend and his bodyguard. And if one was interfering with the other, she knew exactly what to do. She would rather have him safe any day. She did not even have to think about it.
**
Somewhere in New York City
He held the phone and listened to the bitch rant. He needed to do something to cut her down to size, she had grown wings and forgotten just who she was dealing with.
“Are you listening to me, you asshole. You dared to double-cross me? You don’t know who the hell you’re dealing with, bastard! I will finish you. Just you wait.”
This time he laughed. “What can you do, bitch? I’m surprised you’re still alive. Seems Sean didn’t finish the job.”
“You sent that bumbling fool to off me!” she screamed in his ear. “What the hell is wrong with you? What kind of psycho are you? Do you have to destroy everything that comes near you?”
“Better watch your tongue!” He growled into the phone. “Don’t forget who you’re dealing with.”
“Oh, I haven’t forgotten. I know just who the hell it is that I’m dealing with! You are the bastard who fed drugs to his druggie sister and killed her off but can’t face the truth about your culpability. Now you’re trying to destroy an innocent man for your wickedness.”
In that moment, Cruz Fuentes saw red. His vision went a deep, hazy red and he knew that if she had been standing within a mile of where he was, he would have murdered her, consequences be damned. He made up his mind to personally see to her demise.
“You will regret what you’ve said to me,” he said through clenched teeth.
“What I regret is ever meeting you. What have I ever done to you? All I did was ask for my child and you send your man to kill me? You disgust me!”
He opened his mouth to reply her when his eyes picked up movement. He turned and saw the little girl standing by the door, sucking her thumb. He beckoned to her and she came to him. Her large, brown eyes were sad and there were still tears hanging from her lashes.
“What’s the matter, bambina?” he asked her in a soft voice.
“I want Mama,” she said on a sob.
He angled the phone so that the woman at the other end could hear their conversation.
“Is that why my little angel is crying?” he teased gently.
She nodded.
“Would you like to speak with your mama?”
Her eyes brightened and she looked at him with hope. “Mama? I speak to Mama.”
He turned on the speaker on the phone and told the girl, “Say hello to Mama.”
She looked earnestly at the phone. “Mama?”
“Sweetheart! How’s my baby doing?” The voice at the other end of the phone said gently.
The little girl became excited. “Mama! Mira miss Mama.”
“I know, baby.”
“Mama come to take Mira? Grandma smack Mira,” she said in a sorrowful voice.
“Don’t worry, baby. Mama’s coming for you.”
At that, Cruz turned the phone off speaker. “Go to your grandmother,” he ordered the girl.
“But Mama…” she began to wail.
He held her arm and dragged her to the door, placed her outside and then shut the door. By this time, she was screaming for her mama.
“Cruz, what are you doing to my baby? I swear to God if you do anything to her I will kill you! You hear me, Cruz!” When he did not say anything, she began to sob. “Please, I beg you. I will do anything, just…just don’t hurt my baby.”
He smiled then. “Not so brave now, are you?
”
“Please, Cruz…”
“Shut up, bitch!” he snarled. “I hope you recorded that call because you are never going to hear your daughter’s voice again, forget about seeing her.”
“Cruz!” she screamed into the phone, but he simply pushed the button that ended the call.
He leaned back against the chair in the small room he used as an office. He smiled as satisfaction coursed through him. He might even consider leaving her alive, just to watch her suffer. Then again, she’d talked shit about his sister. For that, she was going to die.
He heard the child screaming and the shrill sound pierced into his skull making it ache. He marched to the door and threw it open.
“Better make that child shut up or I’ll come do it myself!” he yelled from the door.
“She needs her damn mother, that’s what! And I sure as hell am tired of taking care of the brat. I’ve done my bit and raised your ass, now I need to live my life,” a voice yelled back at him.
He swore. His mother was really a prize. He had never met a woman who was so opposed to being a grandmother. He’d had to pay her to come look after the kid, for goodness sakes.
“Damn it, Ma, just keep the noise down!” He slammed the door and retreated back inside his office.
He hated this place. Even though he was no longer the runner he was several years ago and now had a decent sized turf to control, it was still not enough. He needed more power, more territory to control, and he had the perfect plan in place to do just that.
His phone rang then. Seeing the caller ID, he started to answer it, but then another scream pierced the air. Swearing loudly, he grabbed his jacket and stalked out of the house. He walked to the front yard and answered the phone.
“What took you so long?” the other person demanded.
Cruz raised an eyebrow but refrained from replying to the question. “What’s up?”
There was a brief pause, then, “Do you have the plans?”
“Yeah.”
“You were supposed to bring them to me. What the hell are you doing holding on to that shit?”
“You know the deal. I deliver your damn plans once I get my dough and the man,” Cruz said, bringing out a stick and lighting it.
“Look man, I’ve got this person who really wants the plans and is willing to pay a lot of money for them. I can give you five if you hand them over today.”
Five hundred thousand US dollars. It was tempting. Cruz narrowed his eyes and looked down his street with unseeing eyes. He knew he was safe there. No other gang would dare infiltrate his turf. Not unless they were asking for outright war.
He thought about what five hundred grand could do for him. He could bust this joint and move to Barbados and live a fairly normal life. He could meet one of the bombshell Rihanna look-alikes and settle down. It really was tempting. But he had other fish to fry.
“We have a deal. I don’t care who you sell the plans to or how much the mutherfucker’s paying. You just pay me my two-fifty gees and we’ll call it quits. Until then, we have nothing to discuss.”
The other man swore and ended the call.
Cruz kept staring into the distance. A light dusting of snow had begun to fall. He would soon have his hands on that bastard, Nico. He alone was responsible for his sister’s death and soon, real soon, he would get his revenge.
He lifted two fingers closed together as he walked to his car. Silently, several men materialized from the shadows. Two got into the car with him and the others got into other cars. They formed a line of five vehicles with Cruz’ in the middle. As they drove off, they did not see the tiny face pressed against the window of the house staring after them.
Chapter Twenty-two
“Good morning, Mr. Ortega. Welcome back.”
The perky brunette at the reception greeted them with a wide smile. The smile did nothing to hide the once-over she gave Tamika, however, and the easy dismissal as she focused her attention on the head honcho.
“Morning, Briana,” Nico said with a brief smile.
The woman patted her hair and pushed her pert breasts forward as she beamed at him. “It’s nice to have you back, Sir.”
“Thanks.” Nico held Tamika’s hand and walked briskly towards the elevator.
“Hi, Mr. Ortega. Good to have you back.”
Several people greeted him as they walked through the large reception. She noticed the speculative glances thrown her way and the slight widening of their eyes when they realized that Nico had her hand clasped in his. Most of them took in her efficient black slacks and the plain non-designer blazer she’d worn over a lilac blouse and had registered surprise. They were probably wondering why he was holding the hand of such a regular-looking person. Not that she cared, because she didn’t. She was too busy scanning the area, running mental checks over everyone they came across. She might be his girlfriend, but she was also there to keep him safe, and she took her job seriously.
They got into the elevator and she noticed that no one else got in with them even though there were quite a handful of people who were also waiting for the elevator. She asked him about that.
“This one leads to the executive floor. Anyone headed there can use it,” he said with a shrug.
“Reserved for the top brass, huh?”
“Yeah. We demigods do not like to fraternize with lesser mortals,” he said, looking serious, but the glint in his eyes gave him away.
“Then why are you here with me?” she asked.
He shrugged again. “Sometimes, it’s necessary to slum it so we do not forget our humanity.”
“Slum…” Tamika was outraged. “You are so going to pay for that comment.”
His lips slanted up in a smile as he drew her close to him. “Have I told you how happy I am that you’re here?” he asked, suddenly serious.
Tamika shook her head.
“Thank you for coming to New York with me.”
Tamika batted her lashes at him. “How could I resist your addictive personality?”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, it’s almost impossible,” he said.
She chuckled. “You are incorrigible,” she said with a shake of her head.
“But you like me like that,” he murmured just before he lowered his head and kissed her.
She closed her eyes and savored the coolness of his lips, kissing him back. They kept the kiss light, teasing each other, then she parted her lips and Nico wasted no time taking the kiss deeper. He tasted so good and hot, kindling a familiar ache in her core. She felt desire pull at her abdomen, reminding her that the quickie they’d had before they left Seattle was the last time they’d had sex.
Just then the elevator dinged. They broke the kiss just as the doors whooshed open. Tamika tried to pull back, but Nico didn’t let her. He kissed her once more before turning to the open doors. They were greeted by a tall, good-looking man who was staring at her curiously.
“Hey Ted, how’s it going?” Nico greeted as they stepped out of the elevator. The man shifted his gaze from Tamika to Nico and smiled.
“Nico, it’s really nice to have you back.”
They shook hands and his attention shifted once more to Tamika.
“Sweetheart, this is Ted Monroe, our head of operations. Ted, Tamika.”
Ted had a piercing stare that made her slightly uncomfortable. So Tamika arranged her face into a vacuous expression and pasted a vapid smile on her face.
“So pleased to meet you, Teddy,” she simpered.
“Yes, pleasure.” She saw the look of distaste come over his face as he immediately dismissed her and turned his attention back to Nico. This suited her just fine, as it left her free to observe without being observed.
“How are things around here?” Nico asked and started walking towards the end of the hall to what she assumed was his office.
“Crazy, as usual,” Ted said with a shrug, “But nothing we couldn’t handle. Although Mr. Vasilek has been around practically every day.” He grimaced as
he spoke.
Nico smiled, shaking his head slightly. “Don’t worry about my uncle. His bark is usually worse than his bite.”
“Not this time around, Nico.” Ted said with a worried look in his eyes. “He seemed almost like he knew something we didn’t.”
Nico sighed. “Don’t worry so much, Ted. I’ll handle it.” He paused outside a door and placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Thanks for handling things while I was away.”
Ted smiled, almost embarrassed, but pleased. “It was a pleasure,” he said and walked away.
Nico pushed open a door and stepped aside for her to precede him. Tamika silently admired his manners, but that was not all she admired about him. She liked the easy camaraderie that existed between him and his employees. The mutual respect she’d sensed between himself and Ted had been a clear indication.
As for Ted, she did not know where to place him or what to make of him. Watching him with Nico reminded her that there was something that had been bugging her about the whole case of the missing plans, as she’d started calling it. She could not place her finger on what exactly was nagging at the back of her mind, but she knew it would come to her. She made a mental note to ask Rusty to run a check on Ted Monroe.
They walked into Nico’s suite of offices and found a smallish Asian woman behind a huge table in the outer office. Tamika guessed that she was Nico’s assistant. His greeting was warm and cheerful.
“Hey, Charly, when are you going to leave that husband of yours and run away with me?” he said with a smile.
“Very soon, Nico. Just as soon as the next millennium comes around,” she said, smiling as she handed him a stack of mail. She turned to Tamika with a warm smile. “You must be Tamika,” she said, getting to her feet and offering her hand.
Tamika took the offered hand, surprised that she knew her name. Nico glanced up from sorting the mail and caught the surprise on her face.
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