by Hope Stone
Diego answered the door with desire plastered all over his face. He had on a wife-beater, a three o’clock shadow and low-slung jeans. As always, his feet were bare. His muscles rippled and made his wife-beater sit just right. His dirty blonde hair was down. There was no talking. He scooped me in through the doorway with one arm in such a snap-second I nearly lost my balance. He looked at me with his hooded blue eyes before taking over my lips, tasting, plundering and discovering. The hot Latin fire burned deep between us. The passion of his kiss made me lose my breath for a moment. I heard a low rumbling groan in his throat and felt his manhood rise. He eventually let go of me and stepped back. I gasped and smiled wide.
“That’s how much I missed you,” he said, stroking the edge of my jawline.
“Papi. I like it. I will have to stay away from you more often.” I gave him sultry eyes.
“Please don’t,” he pleaded.
“I won’t, that won’t work for me either,” I giggled. He looked at me with the ocean-blue swimming in his eyes as he licked his lips.
“You look beautiful. And you smell damn good. You’re trying to give a man a heart attack.” He closed his eyes and got two wine glasses down out of the cabinet.
“No, I would never. I like to dress nice when I’m not at school. I figure I’ll be in scrubs for the next half of my life, so why not?”
“I like you both ways. You’re even more beautiful naked and in my bed.”
“Mmm,” I cooed.
“Red? I got us an antipasto platter too. Then we can think about what we want to eat.”
“You’re so thoughtful. It amazes me.”
“I keep telling you, baby, people got me fucked up. I’m a lover.”
“That you are,” I agreed.
“Go take a seat and I’ll bring it over.”
I sat on the couch and crossed my toned legs, waiting for Diego to come and sit with me.
“Put some music on. You like olives?” he asked with one in his mouth.
“Love them.”
“Okay, good.” He came around to the coffee table with a selection of cheeses, crackers, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, dip and pastrami.
“This looks good.” I popped an olive between my manicured fingers and into my mouth.
Diego’s eyes glowed with intensity at me. “I like the way you eat that olive.”
I giggled. “Stop it!” He grinned and put his warm hand around my knee, resting his head back on the couch and crossing his knee over the other one.
“So listen, I wanted to talk to you about a few things.”
“Okay, baby, go ahead,” I said.
“Ryder is still on Las Balas and now I have more information about what’s going on. I need you not to lie to me.”
I frowned at him. “What do you mean not to lie? I told you I’m not already.”
He gripped my knee tighter and looked at me. “Las Balas is trying to start a prostitution ring. Those two guys that were harassing you at the club thought you were one. That’s why they were so persistent.”
I froze with disbelief at what I thought I was hearing from him. “So? I told you that. My brother doesn't have anything to do with that. He wouldn’t be involved; he kicked them out. He promised me.”
Diego searched my eyes, giving me a pitiful look. “Just because he told you he did doesn’t mean he did. Las Balas has never been known as a clean club. Why would they start now? He was under El Diablo’s reign, he would have been a witness to a whole other side. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.”
I gasped in horror. “How the hell are you saying this? I don’t even understand.”
Diego put another olive in his mouth like nothing was happening. “Well, I’ve seen and known a lot in my time, ma’. Don’t get out of pocket. I’m not saying you’re involved. I just don’t know about your brother. How do you know for sure? Think objectively.”
I took my shoes off slowly. “Don’t get out of pocket, is that what you said?” I had a hand under his chin.
“Well, yeah. Just relax a little. I’m only talking.” My bare feet were grounded to the floor. An interesting look took place on Diego. I rolled my toes back and forth. I jammed my foot on top of his, just enough for him to yelp a little. “Owww! What the hell, Misty!”
I narrowed my eyes and flicked my hair.
“That’s how out of pocket I’ll get.” The electricity of sexual tension pulsed through my body and Diego fed off it. He grabbed my foot and brought it to his mouth to kiss it.
“Get over here. Is that how we’re getting down tonight, huh?” he whispered playfully and slid me over to his lap so I could look in his eyes.
“Don’t play with Spanish women, you know we loco,” I warned.
He had his hands cupped around my buttocks, caressing them. He admired the flicker of my lioness gaze. I felt his arousal as I grabbed the top of his shirt into a fist.
“And I love it,” he gritted through his teeth. I made a V with my hands and grabbed his jaw. I crushed his lips with mine and he groaned softly.
“Let’s forget about dinner. You can be mine.”
“I’ll agree to that.” He smiled darkly.
I leaped off him, expecting to follow him to the bedroom but to my delight, he grabbed me by the waist and put me over his shoulder, smacking me on the buttocks. My long dark hair hung almost down to the ground as he walked us to the bedroom.
As we reached the darkness of his lair, the vibration of his phone ringing sounded through. He let it ring. Diego placed me down on the floor and faced me toward the front of the bed with my back to him. He was behind me and rubbing me up from behind. The phone vibrated on the bedside table again.
His hot breath hit my ear. “Hold on. Let me turn that off.” My body was ready to be thrown into the throes of desire. “Shit!”
“What is it?” I felt frustration hit as my sexual desires got redirected.
“The alarm code has gone off at the warehouse. I gotta go over there. You ridin’?”
“Of course. Let’s go,” I said but it came out reluctantly.
Diego flung open the closet door and pulled out his rustic biker boots, sliding into them easily. He laced them up. His club vest was hanging in the closet and he put it on swiftly. At the bottom of the closet was the second helmet.
“Here.”
“No. Diego, let’s take my car and go now.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. Let’s ride.” I felt like Bonnie and Clyde riding with my man. I picked up my purse from the kitchen counter as Diego walked ahead of me and yanked the door open. His face was pure concentration. He was ready for battle. I saw something I didn’t want to see. That was him strapping up. He put a gun holster on and slid his Smith and Wesson into its slot. Shit. “I’ll drive,” I said.
“Okay. Keep to the speed limit. Whatever they decided to do, it’s been done already. Let me call Rick and see if he can back me up out there. If this is who I think it is, we got some heat coming our way.” Diego’s eyes flashed with anger in the passenger seat. The streets were lit up and people were out. The traffic was reasonable, nothing out of the norm for Merced. I opened the window to get some air and breathe.
“You think it was those two weasels?”
“Yup. I do think that. This is something bigger. I gotta get a handle on it. This might mean war. I can’t explain away someone breaking in at the warehouse.”
A lump formed in my throat. “I pray it's not that.”
As I turned into the warehouse driveway, I saw a fire extinguisher being used and one of the security team from the alarm company on deck. Nobody else.
I scanned the street as we parked and walked swiftly toward the two men.
“Hey, Mr. Christopher is that right?” A beefy security dude with a flashlight shone it at his shoes. In his hand he was holding a bag.
“Yes. That’s right. How you doin’, man? What happened here?” Diego asked.
“Good, good. We responded t
o a call for this address,” he said curtly. He shone the light at me and smiled. His light was the only source. Other than that, the whole parking lot area was pitch black. The moon was hiding behind clouds, refusing to show its face. “Looks like a small spot fire was lit just outside the building. Set off the smoke alarm for the building. Nothing major. Probably some kids around the way. Sorry you had to come out for it.”
I breathed a sigh of relief but at the same time wondered who did it.
“Ah, how did the fire start? You got any clues about it?” Diego asked. I paced around the side of the building to take a look.
“Molotov cocktail. That’s what I’ve got here.” He held up the bag in his hand.
“Holy shit. People are still throwing those pieces of shit?”
“Well, that’s why I say it was young kids, because this is a backyard job. Still, we’re going to hold on to it and investigate. We also have the security tape. Once we roll it we will get it back to you.”
“Please do. I want these bastards caught. They did a shit job if they were planning to burn down the place,” Diego mused.
“They did. I don’t know if they were trying to do that, more like trying to be a nuisance.” The security guy wrote down some notes. “So hey, we have all your details. I will be in touch with you, Mr. Christopher, once I’ve had a look at the tapes.”
“Can I have that cocktail? I wanna take a closer look at it.”
The beefy security dude hesitated for a minute. “Are you going to take this to the cops? I suggest you do. You might want to take along the tape when we release it to you as well,” he said.
“I might. Depends. Thanks for coming out.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Christopher. Give me a call if you think of anything else about the issue.” He held out his hand for the shake. Diego shook it back.
“Will do,” Diego said grimly.
Diego curled me into him and kissed my head. We watched the security walk away. I looked down at the ground where the cocktail had been. The bottom half of the door was singed and some of the paint peeled off.
“Wow. Motherfuckers.” We looked at one another.
“They didn’t mean for it to go anywhere. They wanted to send a message. We are in a battle or the beginnings of it and don’t even know it,” Diego sighed, running a hand through his sexy bedroom hair as the furrow deepened.
“I feel like this is all my fault in a way,” I sighed, looking around the building.
“How do you figure that?”
“I mean, I don’t know us being together has started this.”
“Honey, this started because of two dicks in a bar who are starting a prostitution ring in a gang and you refused. I’m not letting you do that.” Diego grabbed my hand as we looked around inside the warehouse. Everything looked to be in order, nothing that my naked eye could pick up. “Sons of bitches. Anyway, let’s get out of here. I’ll be back in the morning. I’m getting Rick to have his boys stand guard here.”
I shook my head and walked hand in hand with Diego to the car. All of our secret night escapade plans had been ruined. I had a sinking feeling of desperation hit in the pit of my stomach. I wanted to go back home, to see if my brother was there. If he knew anything about this shit at all. This situation triggered memories of the lifestyle I’d shared with Carlos all over again...
We reached the car in silence and Diego gave me a funny look as I got in the driver's side.
“What’s wrong? You’re so quiet,” he said.
“I don’t know, it’s just a lot. I gotta get home and see what Palo knows about these guys. He has to know something,” I said desperately.
“Damn right he knows something,” Diego mumbled. I said nothing, which probably made the situation worse. I didn’t know what to say, to be honest. We drove back in relative silence as I thought about the situation. I stopped the car in his driveway and maneuvered to look at him in the moonlight. His demeanor made him look like a dark character out of Batman.
“Look, I gotta go home now. I know you think my brother did this but he wouldn’t be a part of this. I’m telling you. The quicker I can talk to him, the quicker I can get back to you.”
“Misty, I don’t know what to think right now. But if you’re lying to me, there’s going to be a different story going down. Find out. But you better do it now. Once Ryder finds out…oooweee, all hell is gonna break loose. Trust me.”
Seventeen
Diego
I lay awake in my bed, listening to the sounds of the crickets outside my window. This moment felt a lot like La Playa – the old days. Worry about Misty crept into my mind. Her future and about her wanting to be a doctor. Whether I was being selfish pulling her into this lifestyle once again.
All I knew was that my body and soul ached to be with her. That was how I knew I loved her. I didn’t feel like this in my marriage, and I sure as hell didn’t feel like this with Crystal. I waited for her text message to come through. Twenty-five minutes later.
“I’m home safe Papi. Palo is here in the house. See I told you!”
“I’m glad you’re safe. xxxooo”
For all my tough-guy bravado I still didn’t have the kahunas to tell her I loved her. I looked out my window, searching for anything in the parking lot. I had no clue if they knew where I lived. This was getting beyond me now and I would need to call in the big dogs. I had no choice. There was no other way. I made up my mind and tried to go to sleep. I tossed and turned in a fitful state. I woke up in a cold sweat as I thought of the guys in my kitchen in La Playa. I wiped my brow and got up to go to the bathroom. I padded softly to the kitchen and grabbed a beer to calm the pulsating beat in my chest. I let it run down my throat as I ruminated over a game plan. Nothing came to mind quickly. I looked at the clock on the wall. Two-forty a.m.
I managed to lay my head down on my pillow and get a little rest. I woke up discombobulated. I tried to moisten my lips. My tongue was mighty dry. I turned over slowly and hung my feet over the bed to get my bearings.
I looked over at the clock. It said seven-thirty a.m, so I’d managed to get a little sleep. I took the rubber band from around my wrist and tied my shoulder-length hair back. I walked gingerly to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. I stood over the sink and assessed how I’d begun shoveling the dirt in my own grave. I showered and got ready fast. My instincts told me to get to the warehouse as quickly as possible for some reason. I mounted my bike and let the cool fresh morning air wake me up as I rode over. I stopped off at one of my favorite cafés and picked up a breakfast sandwich. The smell of the bacon and egg hit my nostrils, making me salivate. I bit into it, ripping it to shreds before I got back on the bike. I dropped the wrapper in the trash and kept moving. As soon as I got into the parking lot, I felt something strange. Like the day was about to be different. The front of the warehouse was a reminder of the Molotov cocktail. I planned to wipe down the soot from the door a little later. I would wait for the tape to come through from the security company to see.
I went straight to the radio to turn it on and walked around the whole building on edge. This was the second time I’d packed my Smith and Wesson. I didn’t want to have to do that. But given the situation, I had no choice. I felt around my back to check it was still there and ran my hands over the smooth handle of the gun one more time. My palms were a little sweatier than I would have liked.
I couldn’t shake this eerie feeling I had. I walked to the office to turn the computer on. Nothing new but a message from Ryder with a receipt for the parts I’d ordered through the clubhouse. I moved some shit around the desk in restlessness. I was like a heavyweight boxer waiting in the ring. I had the other Honda to work on, but I just looked at it. I walked to the front of the warehouse again and took a rag to wipe down the walls.
That was when I saw it. The envelope tucked right under the front door. I picked it up, slid my hand over it and flipped it over in my hand. I opened the seal and inside was a note.
Did yo
u enjoy that little fire we sent your way?
There’s more than that little spark to come if you don’t pay up in the next 48 hours.
This is a message from the Las Balas crew. We need $100,000 in cash delivered in the next 48 hours. We will be calling in to check on your progress. We hope you have life insurance.
Expect a phone call from a private number. If you don’t answer your warehouse will be burned down. Oh and if you don’t pay we will kill you.
Yours truly Las Balas crew.
My face turned into a ball of fire as the ink jumped off the page at me. These fuckers were really trying my patience. I crouched down to stop my head from spinning. I just wanted the warehouse to stop spinning. I read over the note again. Now I had to call Ryder and the boys. This was it. I had to build the chapter quickly. I would need all hands on deck. I placed my splayed fingers on the ground and steadied myself. I let the anger wash over me. Once I gathered myself, I rose to my feet.
“Rick, hey, it’s Diego. How you doing?”
“Good, buddy, what’s up? I’m coming your way today. I was going to see if you wanted to catch up for a beer.”
I coughed. “How ‘bout you bring the beers here. I need your hands on deck. The chapter hasn’t even officially opened but we got a situation.”
“Uh-huh. Those dudes, right?”
“Yeah, how’d you know?”
“I been in security for a long time, I thought they might have been casing the joint. What’s the verdict?”
“You’re more than right. They got a ransom on my head.”
“Holy fucking shit! Do you know why?”
“Las Balas crew. I have a fair idea. Get here when you can. I could use a helping hand on the ground.”
“I got you, and I got a group of guys that can help us out,” Rick said. “Let me get off the phone so I can round them up. We can case the perimeter on guard until we catch these suckers. Give me twenty. I would start setting up barricades if I were you. Put blocks over the window so they can’t see in. Is the property insured?”
