She sighs heavily as she waves at the bulldog and he glances at her father.
“What happened to doing what you’re told to do?” I bark at the bastard.
“I don’t take fucking orders from you, maricón,” he shoots back.
“But you take them from me, and I won’t tell you to let her go again.”
I look down at Sofi, impressed as fuck that she’s grabbed onto her balls again, and then glance at her father while holding back a smug smile.
I won’t put it past her that I’ll owe her for this little display of power—or that her father will more than likely be pissed off that she’s undermining his—
“Listen to your Jefa,” Pops says quietly as he begins to tap his fist against his thigh. I look over at the bulldog who shoves the Dolly toward us and smirks.
“Jefa?” I tease Sofi quietly, “is that what you are around here?”
She elbows me right in the gut and I grunt as I let out a pained laugh.
I could get used to this.
I’m sitting in the bathtub across the hall from Sofi’s room. She told me to clean myself up and soak in the hot water until my muscles stopped being sore.
Dolly, on the other hand, got sent to bathe on the opposite end of the hallway which I think is the one I used earlier this morning.
I lean my head back against the damp ceramic, let out a breath, and grip the side of the tub with an aching hand. I didn’t realize how much I needed this little dunk until I was given the opportunity to have it.
It used to be that I would take a beating and not feel a fucking thing, but those were the days I spent lost in the haze of blow and I have no choice but to live without it now.
Especially since Sofi thinks she can break me down so fucking easily.
I’ll withstand the temptation for as long as I can just to spite her, and I think it’ll be fun to see what else she can come up with.
I’m halfway to zonkville when a gentle knock on the door makes me groan. I know that knock—it’s the same one I heard this morning. While I normally wouldn’t mind having a conversation with Anabella, right now I’m not exactly interested in her seeing my junk.
“Come in,” I call out after I’ve managed to pull the curtain far enough across the bath that only my head is visible.
I rest my head against the side of the ceramic and give her a smile when she walks in with an armload of fresh towels.
“I’m sorry, but Sofi insisted that I bring these now,” she says nervously.
“No problem, just drop them where you normally do, and I’ll go back to feeling like a tenderized piece of meat in private.”
I give her a grin and she shakes her head in amusement as she opens the linen closet and begins to pile them in.
When she’s done, she turns to leave, but hesitates.
Now what, I think curiously as she glances at me over her shoulder.
“Señor—”
“Frank is fine,” I say, cutting her off with a wave of my hand. I’m no one’s boss or God or any of that other bullshit that seems to go on around here. I like to think that I’m a simple man and don’t want to be treated any differently than the help.
“Frank,” she echoes as she takes her hand off the doorknob. She walks closer to the tub, then points at the toilet seat and I nod. Either she’s asking to sit down or if she can take a leak, and I don’t care either way.
“Thank you,” she says as she sits and folds her hands on her lap. I watch her patiently as she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, then reaches up and fiddles with the grandma bun that’s piled high on her head.
“Did you need something, Anabella? The water is starting to get cold,” I explain, making a face. It’s not entirely true, but I don’t want or need a chaperone to sit here.
“I’m afraid to ask the favor I need,” she confesses as a tear rolls down her cheek.
I guess I am the help, after all.
“Listen, whatever you say to me stays in this room between us, so go ahead and tell me what’s on your mind,” I say in a friendly tone.
She lets out a trembling sigh as she raises her eyes to meet mine.
“I need you to find my daughter.”
I raise an eyebrow and sit up a little. The water from the tub sloshes and makes a small pool on the floor, but I wasn’t expecting this. Being caught off guard made me move a little faster than I should have, and the searing pain in my side is reminding me to slow the fuck down.
“What?” I press, curiously.
“Magdalena. She got sent away after a party where Sofi was—” she cuts off, eyes widening. Almost as if she let something slip that she shouldn’t have before she composes herself and continues. “I love Ana Sofia like she’s my own flesh and blood. She’s always been good to me, but something happened that night and the next day, El Señor had my daughter removed from the house. I know she’s still alive because I can feel her heart beating in my chest; I just don’t know where she is. Will you help me?”
There’s a waterfall of tears streaming down her tired, lined face now. She’s wringing her hands so goddamn hard that I’m worried she’s going to pull them off her wrists if I say no, but much like this Omar Rodriguez, all I’ve been given is a name and no fucking direction on which way to go.
I run a hand over my face as I lean back into the tub and stare up at the high bathroom ceiling.
I should say no.
If she was sent away after something happened to Sofi, then maybe she had something to do with it.
The problem is that I don’t know what the fuck it happens to be.
But instead of using the common sense that’s screaming at me from the inside, I suck my teeth and turn my head to face her.
“I’ll do my best.”
And not just for her—for Sofi too.
Chapter Nine
The room smells nice.
I can tell that Anabella put an extra pep in her step after I agreed to help her find her kid.
I can’t stop my leg from jumping in place, though. I don’t know if it’s the need to get up and just go do everything that everyone wants me to, or to get the fuck away from this entire situation entirely.
Not that I think I’d get very far since the place is crawling with bodyguards. It makes me wonder if it’s always like this, or if perhaps I’m the reason so many hired guns are walking around.
Don’t they have some drug fields or some shit to tend to?
Getting to my feet, I walk over to the window and push the curtain aside just enough so that I can look out onto the grounds, but no one can see me.
God, she’s beautiful, I think as my eyes fall on Sofi. She’s standing outside on the patio, arms crossed loosely over her chest, and watching someone intently. Every now and again, she nods, and I wish I could hear what’s going on.
Of course, that would mean going outside and I still haven’t decided what direction I want to take.
When she shifts on her feet, I notice the slight limp again and smile. Her imperfections are what make her so goddamn desirable, and in a weird way, I’m hoping she wants to go through with the wedding.
Not for me, pussy I can get any time, but maybe to ease whatever burden her father’s been feeling lately.
Granted, I know our wedding night would be drier than the Sahara Desert, but it’d be nice to watch her work someone over again.
Maybe the dolly.
That girl needs some snatch more than I do and she seemed to be willing to go along with the almost threesome that happened.
“Only one way to find out,” I mutter to myself as I let go of the curtain.
Leaving my room, I head down the hallway in search of Raiza. I’m working on the assumption that if she was tossed into the shower at the end of the hall, then she has to be in one of the rooms around there too.
This place is a hell of a lot bigger than I gave it credit for from the outside, and I bet a wicked game of Clue could go down.
I wonder if we can get some
game nights going.
I scratch the back of my head as I begin to push doors open on my way through the house. So far, I haven’t invaded anyone’s privacy, which is nice, but it’s also kind of unnerving that all of these fucking rooms are empty.
After I’ve reached the end of the damn hallway, I’m confused. Where is Raiza, and what’s with all of the empty rooms?
And if that isn’t enough to give me the heebie jeebies, I suddenly find myself damn near walking into my ankle buddy. He’s on crutches and his face turns a gnarly shade of red when we lock eyes.
I smirk.
“How’s it going?” I ask him cheerfully.
He starts grinding his teeth so goddamn hard that I’m starting to wonder if he wants to lose those too. The easy way; not the Frank Larson way, that is.
“No? Nothing to say? Guess I’ll be on my way then,” I say with a chuckle as I walk by him, bump him so hard that he loses his footing and lands on his side.
He lets out a cavalcade of swear words, but they’re nothing I haven’t been called before.
The run in actually puts me in such a good mood, that I decide to go out onto the patio and make myself at home.
I raise an eyebrow when I see one of the merry maids walking with a silver platter in her hand, so I follow her.
Lead me not into temptation, but keep those hips swaying, girl.
And just as I thought, she’s heading straight for Pops and Sofi.
I do the chivalrous thing and move quick enough to be able to push the door open for her so that she doesn’t have to struggle with it.
She gives me a shy smile and a nod as she slips by me, and I chuckle as I let the door close behind us.
Sofi gives me an incredulous look when she sees me approaching, and her father doesn’t even turn around, but I can see his hands turn into claws on the chair arms.
I take a seat near where she’s standing and grin up at her. She rolls her eyes and turns her attention to Pops, who’s boring holes in me. Guess I walked into some family biz talk, however, considering he’s forcing me to become family, I think I have a right to be here.
“Thanks,” I say to the merry maid as she sets a cold bottle of water near me.
When she stifles a nervous giggle, Sofi immediately snaps at her and I shake my head as I reach for my bottle.
For someone who seems so hellbent on staying away from my dick, she’s acting awfully jealous.
It’s cute in a homicidal kind of way.
“She’s just doing her job,” I chide her kindly, evoking a scowl in return. She may not like me for what I am, but I’m hoping that at some point, she’ll at least tolerate me for who I am.
“You’re not her boss,” Sofi snaps at me as I spin the cap off and toss it onto the table.
“I know; you’re the Jefa around here and I’m just the whipping boy,” I grumble as I raise the bottle to my lips and take a sip of water.
Pops chuckles as I set my bottle down. Apparently, my showing annoyance at feeling like a pawn being pushed around on a goddamn imaginary board seems to have put him in a good mood.
Whatever works, I reason to myself as I begin to tap my fingers against my knee.
“So, what’s up?” I ask, glancing from Sofi to him. “Anything I’d be interested in?”
“Family business,” Pops says to me evenly and I shrug.
“Well, considering I’m going to be family soon, maybe we can start the trust thing now?”
Sofi sighs heavily at being reminded that I’m her forced fiancé, and I think it’s endearing. One minute, she’s hellbent on saving my life, the next minute, she’s wondering why the hell she even bothered.
“This is where you walk away,” she says tiredly, and I roll my eyes. As soon as I’m on my feet, Pops clears his throat, and signals for me to sit back down.
“He has to learn sooner or later, Sofi.”
I do my best not to look smug, instead feigning great, serious interest. I don’t think anything else would get me brownie points with Pops right now. And while Sofi may be the bulldog commander, I know his word is not only final, but it seems to be the law.
“Wait, before this keeps going, I don’t think you ever told me your name,” I say, glancing at him with a smile.
He holds my eyes as he rubs his chin thoughtfully. I know it’s not polite to ask a crime boss for their personal details, but if he expects me to bag and tag his daughter, I think at the very least we should be on formal ground.
For the first time since I’ve come face to face with the most feared man in Navolato, the tough guy routine falters slightly. I arch an eyebrow curiously when he gets to his feet and walks over to me. At this point, I’m bracing myself because I don’t know what the hell is gonna happen next, but when he extends his hand and looks at me with something other than ire in those dark brown eyes of his, I get to my feet and take his in mine.
“Vincente Cancio.”
After a firm shake, we let each other’s hands go, and he sits back down in his chair. I don’t know why, but I feel a hell of a lot better about being here now. Call it a hunch, something tells me that what happened just now is a big fucking deal.
I let out a relieved sigh under breath as I take my set as well, then reach for my water again. I’m starting to think that things may not be so bad, but I know better than to assume anything.
And if I do make that mistake, I always like to assume worst case scenarios so that I’m not disappointed when it does happen. Plus, it allows me to be pleasantly surprised if things do turn out well.
But then it hits me that something already seems off.
“Why do you have different last names?” I ask him curiously.
He smiles for a moment as he glances at Sofi. She walks over to the table and sits down, crossing one leg over the other before she looks at me and shakes her head.
“Do you really want to know or are you just being nosy?” she inquires in a quiet tone.
“A little bit of both,” I confess with a sheepish grin. She turns her eyes toward her father who shakes his head.
“It’s not my story to tell, hija.”
She clears her throat as she sits upright then crosses her arms loosely over her chest. I can see that the words are literally on the tip of her tongue, but maybe she doesn’t think enough of me yet to tell me. Which is totally cool; I wouldn’t tell me anything either if I didn’t really know me.
“He saved my life,” she begins softly.
I perk up instantly.
So, she’s not a blood relation then.
She rubs her face for a moment before she looks at her father again and smiles, then turns hard eyes toward me.
“I was a little girl when my family was slaughtered in Culiacán. There was a turf war. My mother grabbed me and ran as fast as she could, but no one can outrun bullets no matter how hard they try. She held me in her arms while she died. As for the way I walk … I took a bullet when we fell. The bastards who did it didn’t even care. They kept firing until they got their targets, and I was left without a family.” She stops for a moment and turns her face away, so I do my best to not show that I notice her wiping tears from her cheeks. “Anyway, Papa found me wandering the streets doing what I could to survive. He took me in, raised me as his own daughter, and honestly, I’ve never seen myself as anything else. I’m lucky that he’s a good man who loves the people of Navolato and has shown me that there is still some good in men, no matter how evil they are sometimes forced to or choose to be.”
I have nothing to say.
No words of encouragement, no witticisms that could do anything to lighten the situation. If anything, I’m still taking in the fact that she watched her family die and decided the best thing to do about it was to become a killer herself.
“Oh.” is all I can manage to muster as I shift uncomfortably in my chair. “Shit, sorry.”
I add it as an afterthought, but I like to think that it still counts regardless.
She shakes her head
as she stands back up and goes to leaning on her pillar again. It’s suddenly getting so much hotter out on the patio that I feel like I’m close to heat stroke all over again.
“Frank,” Sofi says softly, and I damn near fall out of my chair in shock. I don’t think she’s called me by name since I first met her, and it takes me off guard. “That’s why he deserves it.”
My eyes lower to the tattoo on her arm and I get it so much more now. He saved her life and in turn she pledged hers to him, having it inked all over her body, and daring anyone to tell her different.
I nod as I turn my eyes back toward him. He’s watching me now with amusement and I sigh.
Omar Rodriguez.
That’s the first name on my hit list; Magdalena is going to have to wait.
Someone besides Pops has to put Sofi first and I guess it’s up to me to be that guy.
Chapter Ten
“I don’t want any training,” I say to her as soon as her father is out of earshot. He left almost immediately after the feeling of discomfort started to hang low in the air, and I’m grateful that he did. Now it gives me a chance to be myself as much as I can and prove to Sofi that I can do this.
“I wasn’t going to give you any,” she replies with a chuckle. She tucks her hair behind her ears and chews her lower lip thoughtfully. “I don’t know where he lives; I only know the last place I saw him, but the thing is, he’s a—"
“Dead man? My thoughts exactly. Just give me the name of the town and I’ll go do some recon,” I state as I get to my feet. Sofi looks up at me curiously and I give her a grin, “I’m not just a smart mouth, Sofi. You’ll find that out when I bring you a little gift. So, point me in the direction of Omar and I’ll see what’s what. You have to understand something though.” I pause briefly and rub my face tiredly, “I can’t kill him right away. I have to figure out his routine and then once I’m sure I can get him alone, I’ll get the job done.”
“And you can do that sober?” she presses, arching an eyebrow at me.
I shake my head as I cross my arms over my chest, “I don’t need the blow. I’ve been doing just fine without it. Of course, if you want me to make a real fucking mess of things, then sure—hook me up and let’s get this party on the road.”
El Gringo (The Sicarios of Navolato Book 3) Page 7
