by Bethany-Kris
They couldn’t see the stars in Vegas, either.
But they were here.
Really here.
That one thing they thought might not happen had finally come true. Here they were.
“That’s a sweet sight.”
The voice that came far too close to Lucia’s right gained her attention. She turned to find a white-haired lady with a face weathered from years gone past and a life well lived smiling down at Diego who was still holding tight to Lucia’s legs. The older woman gave Lucia a smile, too.
“Your son is very well behaved,” the woman told her. “And loves his mom, like all good boys, it seems.”
Lucia laughed. “Thank you, but—”
She was about to say Diego wasn’t her son, but she didn’t get the chance. Finally, Renzo caught the attention of the cabs driving past the stopping lane. One pulled in quick, and Renzo stepped forward to open the back door. With a nod in her direction, he helped her to get everything in the back of the car before she scooped Diego up, and sat in the back with him. Renzo slipped in with them in the back, muttering an address to the driver who barely even spoke to them except to wave a card reader, if they needed it.
They had been driving down unfamiliar streets with lights that were bright enough to make a person think it was daytime when Renzo spoke for the first time.
“We’re going to meet up with my friend first, see what he has for us, and then we’ll get everything else figured out from there,” he said.
Lucia nodded. “Okay.”
She had a lot of questions even though she chose to keep them quiet. Like who exactly was this friend, how did Renzo know him, and could they trust him? What was going to happen now that they were here?
Instead of asking those things, she simply kept quiet. She trusted Renzo, and that’s what mattered. Nothing else factored into it at all if they had a place to sleep, the ability to take care of Diego, and food to eat. The rest, they would figure out in due time.
“Just keep Diego close when we get there,” Renzo said, passing her a look. “And stay quiet until everything is figured out. I didn’t explain very much about … all of it.”
“What would have happened if you did explain it all?”
Renzo arched a brow, and turned to watch the scenery pass them by again. “I’m not interested in finding out.”
Yeah.
She figured.
• • •
“Here to see Tucker,” Renzo said to the guy manning the door of a small restaurant that was as empty on the outside as it was on the inside. She suspected the place was closed, but that seemed strange considering Vegas never closed anything at night. It was the city that never slept, after all. “He’s expecting me—Renzo.”
As big as a barrel, the guy narrowed his gaze on Renzo, and then at the people standing right behind him. Lucia and Diego. She shifted in her jogging shoes, holding a little bit tighter to Diego as the man looked him over as well. It took Renzo clearing his throat to bring the man’s stare back to him.
“Well?”
Stepping aside to open the door, the man replied, “Tuck’s in the back working. He’s got shipments coming in tonight, so mind your fucking business when you’re in there, huh?”
Renzo nodded, and passed a look back at Lucia. “Understood.”
“Good. Follow the back hall as far as it can go, and then turn right. You’ll hear Tuck talking by then; follow his voice.”
“Thanks.”
Renzo gestured at Lucia to follow him, and she stayed close at his back as they stepped into the business. Despite the main floor of the restaurant being dark, the back hallway was lit up. Once they neared the end, they didn’t even have to turn right before they could hear a man’s voice traveling over the rustle of … something.
“Three kilos in that, then?”
“S’what the boss said, Tuck.”
“Good. Bring in the rest from the back while I mark this shit down. And be fucking quick about it. I’ve got other business to handle tonight, and I do not want to be sitting here all damn night with you.”
“Got it.”
Without saying anything to Lucia at all, Renzo nodded at her over his shoulder—she understood the action well enough. A silent request for her to stay back in the hallway while he went forward without her. She didn’t mind staying where she was with a sleeping Diego in her arms, even if the four-year-old was starting to get a little heavy in her arms. The kid really needed to sleep because as it was, he’d already been up for way too long.
Renzo headed further down the hall, and stopped in the doorway of what she suspected was a back room of some sort. It must have had a door that led out to the back because she could hear the heavy clang of it closing.
“Renzo,” the voice from earlier greeted. “Look at you, man. Damn, it’s been a minute, huh?”
“Tuck.”
All Lucia could see from her position was Renzo’s back, and the shadow moving closer to him. She was surprised to find the guy that came to stand in front of Renzo looked no older than he did, and if he was, it might only be by a couple of years. She hadn’t known what to expect from this Tuck person, but the dark-eyed, blond-haired man wasn’t what she pictured in her mind, either. Maybe she figured he would be older … or something. An angular face, sharp eyes, and lips pulled in a smirk, he didn’t exactly seem friendly to Lucia, but she didn’t really feel settled in his presence, either.
But what did she know?
She hadn’t even spoken to the man before.
The two shook hands before Tuck pulled Renzo in with for a quick one-armed hug, and a pat on the shoulder. It was only then that Tuck also seemed to notice Lucia hanging back in the hallway with Diego. The man’s gaze drifted over her, and slowed on her face. She thought he had a flash of recognition in his eyes, but she couldn’t be sure.
There wasn’t any way he knew her. There was nothing about him that seemed familiar to her, as far as that went. She couldn’t place his unique features, and his name—Tucker—didn’t ring any bells for her, either.
“Just so you know,” Tuck said to Renzo, dragging his gaze away from Lucia, “everything is going to have a price here, man.”
Renzo shrugged his shoulders—indifferent and calm. Lucia appreciated that he managed to stay unbothered on the outside even when she knew he was terribly bothered on the inside. It was a lesson to his strength, really. Even if he didn’t realize it.
“I figured,” Renzo said. “Like everywhere in this fucking life, right?”
Tuck laughed. “You got that right. So what are you gonna need, huh? Give me a list so I can get to work on it, Ren.”
Renzo glanced over his shoulder at Lucia and Diego, but when the sound of that door opening and closing resounded again, his attention drifted back to the room. Tucker gave him a look, and waved the clipboard in his hand in explanation.
“Just a sec,” he muttered.
Lucia could see just the edge of Tucker’s shadow as he moved to the side to deal with whatever had been brought into the back of the restaurant. The sound of something being ripped echoed out from the room before a low whistle cut through the space.
“Damn, that kush is fucking pretty,” Tucker said. “Look at those colors, huh? What do you think of that, Ren?”
“Looks like a good smoke.”
Lucia blinked, realizing what the guy had been talking about earlier now. The business Tucker was doing in the back was not for the restaurant at all, but rather … drugs. He was bringing in a shipment of drugs, and doing an inventory on what he had. She wasn’t sure if that made him a drug dealer, or … did he work for one?
Clearly, now was not the time to ask for details.
“Well, do you have that list for me, or what?” Tucker asked.
“I can wait until you’re done,” Renzo replied.
“I’m not a fucking fool. I can multitask. Speak, I’m listening.”
“You always were a shit.”
Tucker’s laughte
r rumbled down the hall. “It’s done good things for me.”
“Looks like it.”
“The list, Ren. I don’t have all night.”
“Immediate things are obvious shit—place to stay, a vehicle, phones, IDs, and if you’ve got something for me to do, let me know.”
Like a job, Lucia realized.
She still kept quiet.
“A place is easy enough,” Tucker mumbled. “It’s Vegas, man. Look around, there are hundreds of hotels to choose from until you find a reasonable place, or get good cash flow coming in. You know?”
“Or just break into any one of the many empty houses in the ‘burbs,” a new voice said. “Squatters rule in Vegas, man. They take over a house on the market, and it’s almost fucking impossible to get them out of it.”
“That’s true, too,” Tucker added.
Renzo didn’t reply to that. “And the vehicle?”
“I’ve got a couple a few blocks away. They’re hot, but the plates are changed, and they’ve been resprayed, so I don’t think that’ll be a problem. It will cost you to take one. Every day you take one.”
“How much?”
“Hundred a day, say.”
Renzo made a noise in the back of his throat. “And the rest?”
“Give me a couple of days. I’ll get you what you need. You said phones and IDs. Meaning, you want one for that girl hiding in the hallway too, huh?”
Lucia didn’t miss the way Renzo’s back stiffened. “It’s me asking, but yes, for her, too.”
“Wanna explain to me why you’ve got a whole little fam—”
“No.”
Tucker made a harsh noise. “That could be problematic.”
“Not if it’s me you’re dealing with, right?”
“Doesn’t work that way in this life, Ren.”
What were they even talking about? Lucia felt like she was entirely out of the loop, but that wasn’t anything new, really.
Then, Tucker came back into view of the doorway. She didn’t miss the way his gaze drifted to her, but barely passed the sleeping Diego in her arms any attention at all. Yeah, he definitely looked like he recognized her.
All over again, she felt that same sense of discomfort as the guy watched her. There wasn’t any reason for her anxiety. He’d not given her a reason to feel unsteady, but there it was. What she wanted to do the very most right then was get the hell out of there. Like Renzo could sense Lucia’s discomfort without her even needing to say a word, and without him having looked at her over his shoulder, he inched sideways just enough to block Tucker’s view of her.
“I appreciate the help, Tuck. You know that. Where are these cars, then?”
Lucia was glad to have the man’s gaze off her.
She still just wanted to leave.
• • •
Lucia’s eyes widened as the garage door was lifted to showcase the vehicles safely stored inside. At least three of the vehicles had emblems on the front of them that guaranteed the vehicles cost six-figures, at least.
“I thought he said there were a couple of cars,” Lucia said quietly to Renzo. “There’s like ten in here.”
Renzo chuckled. “Maybe ten is a couple to Tuck now, I don’t know.”
They kept their conversation quiet so that the man—the same one who had been manning the door of the restaurant—wouldn’t hear them. He lingered a little too close as it was, only a few feet behind them as they looked over the vehicles to decide which one they wanted to take.
“Nothing too flashy,” Lucia told Renzo as he eyed a particular Corvette. “That draws attention, and we’re trying not to do that, remember?”
He grinned at her from the side. “Gutting me, Lucia.”
She just winked.
It might not be the right time for their playful banter, but she couldn’t help it when it came to Renzo. Things were falling into place, it seemed. It was good. Surely, they could enjoy it for a moment.
“I like that one,” Diego said softly as he tugged on Lucia’s hand to gain her attention. He’d finally woken up on the drive over, and it seemed like that nap did wonders for his mood. He was no longer afraid of all the noise and the bright lights. Instead, it seemed like he couldn’t get enough of it all. “That one there, Lucia.”
Diego pointed at a black Camaro.
She gave Renzo a look.
He just laughed.
“Kid has good taste,” Renzo said like that explained it all.
And maybe it did.
Who was she to say?
“Any car is fine,” the guy behind Lucia said. “Pick one; I have all the keys.”
Renzo nodded. “The Camaro will do.”
“And where are we sleeping?” Lucia asked.
Because now, that felt far more important to her than a car did. They could get a fucking cab anywhere. Take a bus, or something. But where were they going to sleep?
“We’ll grab a hotel,” Renzo said absently, gesturing for Diego to come closer to the car.
Diego left Lucia’s side at the same time the man threw a pair of keys across the garage. Renzo caught them easily enough, and hit the unlock button the fob. The car lit up on all four corners.
She said nothing flashy.
Sure, the Camaro might not be as flashy as some of the other vehicles in the garage, but it was still going to turn some heads. She still didn’t think that was a good thing, but she also didn’t want to ruin the moment for Diego who looked like he was having the time of his life as he climbed into the front seat of the Camaro to check it out.
But with them settled on a car, the guy who had brought them seemed ready to leave them be. He stepped away from the garage and pulled a phone out of his pocket. With his attention elsewhere, and Diego distracted by the car, Lucia could focus on Renzo.
“Were they serious?” she asked.
Renzo reached out and slid his palm along hers before weaving their fingers tightly together. He tugged her closer to his side until she was tucked into him. Her favorite place to be, really, but that didn’t change the shit on her mind.
“Serious about what?”
“Squatting,” she muttered.
Renzo let out a dry laugh. “Yeah, probably.”
“We’re not—”
He dropped a kiss to her forehead which quieted her. “I said we’re going to get a hotel, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, but hotels cost money. What about when we run out of money, Ren?”
“Guess we’ll figure that out when it happens, Lucia.”
How simple that sounded.
She knew it wouldn’t be simple at all.
Silently, Renzo’s hand tightened on her waist before he turned Lucia so that the two of them were facing one another. Like this, tucked in close to his chest with his hands tight on her body, there was nothing else for Lucia to see or worry about. Just him, and them. They were together, and the rest of the world faded away when she had russet-colored eyes locked on her. The way it should be, she thought. The way she always wanted it to be, no matter what.
“I got us here, right?” he asked.
Lucia nodded.
Renzo smiled sexily. “Exactly. I got us here, and we’re getting what we need. That’s the important bit. The rest, I will handle as it comes up. That’s not the kind of shit I want you to worry about, all right? You are what you need to worry about, baby. That’s all you need to ever think about, Lucia. Being where you want to be, and doing what you want to do.”
“I want to be with you. I want you.”
“Then worry about that. Let me take care of the rest.”
Yeah, she heard what he didn’t say.
Let me take care of you.
And she would take care of him.
That’s just how this love thing worked. Even if he didn’t realize it yet.
SIX
“It’s quiet, though, that probably helped,” Lucia told him.
Renzo gave her a shrug. “The hotel isn’t bad. I’m sure you’ve seen better o
nes in your lifetime.”
That comment had Lucia quieting beside him on the loveseat. Renzo glanced over to find her pretty face had lost her usual, soft smile. Instead, she just looked like a blank piece of paper.
“What?” he asked.
“Are you ever going to stop throwing that in my face?”
Renzo blinked. “Throwing what—”
“The fact I grew up with money.”
It took Renzo entirely too long to answer, and maybe that was partly because he didn’t know how to answer. Was she right? Did he constantly throw that in her face without realizing or meaning to do it? His memories flashed through their conversations since they had met, and he couldn’t deny the fact that yes, he did bring it up.
Probably one too many times.
“Lucia—”
“You don’t need to throw it in my face. And this place is fine. Stop worrying about what I think when it comes to money, what you have, or what you don’t. That’s never mattered to me. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
The sharpness of her tone told him it was likely this conversation could turn into a fight. That was not at all what he wanted to be doing with Lucia.
She didn’t give him a chance to respond, though. Instead, she stood from the loveseat, and headed for a sleeping Diego on the pullout couch. Still, he felt like an ass, so he murmured, “I didn’t mean anything. I’m sorry.”
That smile was back in a blink. “It’s okay, Ren.”
She taught him something, then. Sometimes, all it took was a simple apology to make things right. Even if pride was a horrible bitch, simply saying sorry could make all the difference. And he’d try damn hard not to throw that shit in her face again, meaning to or not. She didn’t deserve that from him.
Renzo grinned at the way Lucia tried to quietly creep over Diego’s sleeping form as the cartoon on the hotel’s television continued to flicker with the rest of the show. She quickly grabbed a couple of wrappers and an empty bag of chips tucked into Diego’s side. Standing straight, she raised her arms high to show the items as if to silently say, Ha, I did it.
