The Muscle Part Two

by Michelle St. James

  His laugh was mean and cold. “Prison?” He looked around, and she followed his gaze, taking in the infinity pool, the giant covered palazzo lined with teak lounge chairs, the ocean in the distance. “Some prison.”

  “A prison doesn’t have to look ugly to be ugly,” she said softly. “To keep you from the things you want.”

  “And what is it you want?” he asked.

  She shrugged, not daring to believe it was an honest question, a legitimate negotiation. “To be free. Sofia and I don’t need much. We can take a small amount of the inheritance and be on our way.”

  “Papa insured that you couldn’t sign it over to me,” he said. “The old bastard never trusted me.”

  “I can sign some papers giving you access to a certain amount, and we can meet once a year so I can have more disbursed from the fund.”

  He hesitated, and for a few seconds she actually believed he might say yes. That she and Sofia might walk off the property truly free for the first time in almost two years.

  “I don’t think so, Isa.” She tried to hide her disappointment. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. “What if you don’t come back?” He continued without waiting for her answer. “I can’t risk it. You’ll stay here with Sofia. This is your home, after all.”

  He was almost to the terrace doors when she found her voice again. “What about Luca?”

  He turned, waved away her question like it was a fruit fly in summer. “Enjoy the sun, Isa. Relax. Rest. Let the men handle the business.”

  He disappeared into the house, and she put her fist in her mouth and bit hard enough to leave marks on her skin. He was going to make her crazy before she got out of here. Either that, or she was going to end up killing him herself.

  3

  Luca left the meeting with Marco and Elia feeling moderately better. He still didn’t know what was going to happen with Diego, but at least he wasn’t in it alone anymore. Marco and Elia were both expecting texts from him within the next two hours. If they didn’t come, a shit storm the likes of which Diego Fuentes had never seen would descend on the Fuentes compound.

  And he wasn’t worried about Diego. Luca could easily handle him. In fact, Luca could easily handle five of him. But more than that would be a challenge, and while he wasn’t usually opposed to that kind of challenge, he had Isabel and her little sister to think about now. They were depending on him to get them away from Diego, and he couldn’t do that if he was dead.

  He pulled up to the gates outside the property half-expecting to be shot as he punched in the code that would allow him entry — or at the very least to have the code not work. Instead, the gates swung open, and Luca had to fight against the feeling that this wasn’t good news. Isabel had been right; Diego liked to fuck with people. The bastard probably wasn’t smart enough for chess, so he spent his time playing with the emotions of people weaker or more vulnerable than he was. Luca could only hope Diego had put him in that category. It would give him an advantage if Diego thought he was vulnerable.

  The truth was, he was more vulnerable than usual, though he would never admit it out loud. It was because of her. Isabel. His pulse raced just thinking about her. He saw her as she’d been two nights before in his bed, opening her body to him, her luscious hips grinding on his cock while she rode him, long hair tickling the tops of his thighs when she threw her head back and moaned.

  His cocked stirred as he made his way up the driveway, and he turned his thoughts to tamer ones. Like the way it felt to have her nestled in the crook of her arms as she drifted off the sleep. The way her husky laugh made his heart feel warm. How tiny her hand felt in his.

  He wanted all of it with her again and again, but he knew they wouldn’t even begin talking about the future until they got away from Diego. And he couldn’t begin to imagine what Diego had in store for him when he got into the house.

  He parked the car in the courtyard — at least it would be there if he needed it — then double checked that his weapon was loaded and ready. He wouldn’t kill Diego. He’d seen what that had done to Nico and Angel when Nico had shot Angel’s father in London. It had been justified — Nico had been trying to protect Angel — but it had still taken a long time for Angel to forgive him.

  He wouldn’t risk that with Isabel. Anything he did to Diego would have to be sanctioned by his sister. Although a few broken bones probably couldn’t hurt. He smiled with satisfaction at the thought as he made his way into the house, senses alert for the other guards or anyone else who might be preparing to take him down. It would be just like Diego to let Luca think he was back in only to gun him down in the foyer. He’d probably make Isabel clean up the blood.

  He scanned the area around the front door for possible threats, found none, and continued into the house. Pausing in the foyer, he listened for the sounds of the men in the media room, but the house was quiet, absent the music and rambunctiousness that seemed to accompany the guards whenever they got together. Maybe they were all played out after last night, nervous to come out of their rooms to find out what fresh hell awaited them today.

  “Good morning, carnal.”

  Luca looked to his left and saw Diego leaning against the door jamb that led to the living room. The man was quiet on his feet. He definitely hadn’t been there when Luca first stepped into the house.

  “I’m not your brother,” Luca said coldly.

  A faint smile touched Diego’s lips. “I see. We’re not going to stand on nicety then.”

  “I don’t see any point,” Luca said.

  Diego nodded, studying him. “Come,” he finally said, turning his back and making his way down the hall.

  Luca bristled at the command but followed anyway. Diego led him into the study.

  “Close the door,” he said, moving around his desk.

  Luca followed his instructions, watching Diego’s movements carefully as he opened a drawer in his desk, removed a cigar, clipped off the end, and lit it.

  “Sit,” he said to Luca.

  “I’m fine.”

  Diego sucked on the cigar, tipped up his head as he released the smoke to the ceiling. When he leveled his gaze at Luca, his eyes looked almost black.

  “I’m going to raise your pay,” Diego said. “Put you in charge of the security team.”

  It wasn’t what Luca expected, and it immediately put him even more on guard. Diego didn’t reward his men for betraying him, for coming after him. What new fucked up game was this?

  “What about Hector?” Luca asked.

  Diego waved the fingers of one hand. “Hector is no longer employed here. You have his job now.”

  Luca raised an eyebrow. “You’re promoting me for beating the shit out of your head of security? For coming after you last night?”

  “I’m promoting you for having cajones, carnal.” Luca didn’t mention his use of brother. He was obviously just doing it to get under Luca’s skin. “You’re the only man I’ve ever had in my employ who isn’t afraid of me.”

  “Sounds dangerous,” Luca said. He could have accepted the unexpected boon. He couldn’t have cared less about the money, but it meant he could stay near Isabel without a fight while he figured out a way to free her from Diego’s clutches. But he just couldn’t do it.

  Diego nodded. “Maybe. But I like dangerous. And I think you do, too.”

  Not when it comes to the lives of the innocent,” Luca said.

  “That punta who calls herself my sister isn’t as innocent as she seems.”

  “I’m going to refrain from pulling out my gun this one time,” Luca said, his voice dangerously low. “But if you ever call Isabel something like that again in front of me, I’ll put a bullet between your eyes.”

  For a minute, Luca wondered if he’d pushed too far. Then Diego leaned forward, clapping loudly. “There it is!” He was barely able to choke out the words around the cigar. “That’s the spirit I need.”

  “This isn’t some attempt to impress you,” Luca said. “In fact, I couldn�
�t care less what a man like you thinks about me. But I won’t have you disrespect your sister anymore than you’ve already done.”

  Diego stubbed out the cigar, held up both hands in a mock gesture of surrender. “Whatever you say, carnal.” He leaned forward over the desk. “The point is, my sister isn’t as sweet as you seem to think.”

  “I’m not interested in talking to you about Isabel,” Luca said.

  For a long minute, they were at an impasse, Diego’s face slowly hardening while Luca wondered if he had a gun in his desk next to those cigars, if maybe he’d have to reach for his own and end it here in spite of his determination not to kill Diego without Isabel’s permission.

  Then Diego leaned back, sighed. “Whatever you say, carnal. Are you interested in Hector’s position or no? It comes with quite a raise.”

  “I don’t need your money,” Luca said.

  “How about this then?” Hector asked. His eyes seemed to shrink to the size of pebbles. “You will take Hector’s position, and I will let you stay here with the my sister.” He hesitated. “For now.”

  “I’m not sure Robert and the others will work for me,” Luca said.

  “Robert and the others are gone,” Hector said.

  “So I’ll need to hire new staff?” Luca thought about Elia. Would it be this easy to get him on the property under the guise of one of the security guards?

  “No, I’ll need to hire new staff,” Diego said. “That will be my responsibility from now on.” His smile was too bright. “Can’t have you staging a coup now, can I?”

  “A coup implies that I want to take over your position,” Luca said. “I don’t. “I just want to get Isabel and Sofia out of here so they can have a normal life.”

  “I'm afraid my sister is needed here,” Diego said, standing to indicate the meeting was at an end. “The business requires her presence.”

  “You mean her money,” Luca said coldly.

  Diego shrugged. “Lo llaman lo que usted quiere.”

  Call it what you want.

  “So I take it you’re on board with the new position then?”

  Luca hesitated, but there wasn’t much to think about. He needed to stay close to Isabel, to protect her and Sofia from Diego. He’d have to hope his connection could slip Elia into one of the open positions onsite.

  “I accept,” Luca said. “For now.”

  A faint smile touched Diego’s lips. It was the first time Luca thought he actually seemed amused. “Very well then. I have a meeting now. We can meet later to go over the specifics.”

  “How long until we have new men onsite?” Luca asked.

  “I’ll get on it right away,” Diego said. “After all, my sisters’s safety is my number one priority."

  Luca wanted to reach across the desk, take Diego’s thick neck in one of his hands and squeeze until the life drained from his eyes. But that would be stupid. And there was too much at stake to be stupid.

  “Fine.” Luca turned to leave the room, wondering if he’d ever stop expecting to feel a bullet in his back when he turned away from Diego Fuentes.

  4

  “Can I have two scoops?” Sofia asked.

  “I think so,” Isabel said as they got in line for ice cream by the beach.

  Luca had filled her in on his meeting with Diego as soon as they’d been alone in his room. She didn’t know what to make of it. Diego allowing a known enemy to sleep under his roof? With Isabel?

  It wasn’t like Diego at all. She’d half expected him to try and kill Luca, make an example out of him for the other men. Instead, everyone else was gone, and only Luca remained. What kind of game was Diego playing?

  They got to the counter and ordered — a double scoop of strawberry with vanilla for Sofia and strawberry and chocolate for Isabel. Luca didn’t want ice cream. Then they took the cones down by the water and let Sofia walk down to the edge, putting her bare feet in the water while she licked the drips from her cone.

  “So what now?” Isabel asked, licking around the edge of her ice cream.

  “We don’t have a lot of options,” Luca said.

  She heard the hesitation in his voice and knew that he wasn’t looking forward to telling her the rest.

  “What are they?” she asked.

  “We try to find the video.”

  Her stomach tightened at the thought of the video, and the realization that Luca had seen her that way. Would he ever want her again? Would he be afraid to make love to her?

  “What if he has copies?” Isabel asked.

  Luca shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  “Okay, what else?”

  “We run. Take Sofia and leave. Let the chips fall where they may. And we can always get the FBI involved if he posts the video. I know a guy at the Bureau,” he said.

  Isabel tried to imagine it. Tried to imagine what it would be like to know the video was out in the world, that people were watching Hector and the guard named Juan do those things to her. That they were seeing her body laid out and spread open like she was nothing more than a slab of meat.

  She watched Sofia racing the surf, pausing every few seconds to lick at the dripping cone in her hand. She was so young. So innocent. She hadn’t yet been corrupted by Diego. If they left, Isabel could prevent that from happening. But how long would it take for someone to show her the video? Isabel didn’t know what would be worse — having Sofia come face to face with the fact that there was such ugliness in the world or knowing their own brother has planned it.

  “I can’t do that,” she said softly. “I’m sorry. I know it would be easier. But I just can’t.”

  Luca put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close carefully enough that she didn’t drop the ice cream. “Don’t be sorry, love. I understand.”

  “Anything else?” she asked, lifting her cone for him to lick.

  He did, then continued. “We could take out a hit on him. Hire someone to take him out. It wouldn’t be that difficult to convince law enforcement that it was drug related, given his business.”

  A world without Diego. One in which she and Sofia would be completely and utterly free of him. But she would have to live with the knowledge that she’d sanctioned the killing of her family. That it was because of her that he was cold and dead in the ground. He was violent and troubled. Maybe even evil. But he was her blood. They’d held hands as children, laughed and conspired.

  “I don’t think I can live with that, either,” she said.

  He nodded, and she was relieved that he didn’t seem angry or annoyed.

  “Is there anything else?” She felt greedy for asking. Like Luca owed her an endless stream of perfect possibilities for escaping the nightmare of her life, when two months ago she hadn’t had a single one.

  “Not that I’ve been able to think of,” he said.

  She nodded, looked out over the water where Sofia’s hair was being whipped around by the sea breeze.

  “So what do we do?” she asked.

  He took her hand. “I’ll do anything you want me to do. Anything to keep you safe. But this one is your call.”

  5

  They went went upstairs when they got back to the house. Isabel was on edge, nervous about seeing Diego around every corner. He made her like this — a skittish animal afraid of her own shadow. Of all the things he’d done to her, she hated that most of all.

  But the house was quiet, and Isabel got Sofia settled in her room with her homework, then met Luca in his room. As soon as she closed the door, he pulled her into his arms.

  “Do you know how hard it is not to hold you every minute?” he asked into her hair.

  She smiled into his chest. “I know how hard it is to have you not hold me every minute.”

  He led her to the bed, and they sat down on the edge. He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry I had to leave you alone this morning.”

  “It’s okay,” she said. “Diego’s my brother. I can’t live here and not be alone with him now and then.”r />
  “That may be, but the thought of you having to make small talk with him, having to pretend you don’t despise him… it turns my stomach.”

  She reached up, touched a hand to his cheek. “I don't think Diego and I ever have small talk,” she said. “Our conversations are loaded with meaning, and I’m pretty sure he knows exactly how I feel about him.”

  He met her gaze, and she was acutely aware of his proximity. Of the muscled thighs touching hers, bare under her skirt. His big hand near her hip. The chiseled chest — easily double the width of her whole body — that made her feel safe and protected whenever he held her. And of course, his eyes, as blue as the clearest parts of the sea, and as true, too.

  She leaned in, touching her lips to his. She didn’t want to talk about Diego anymore. Or to think about him. She just wanted to remind herself that Luca was real. That she hadn’t dreamed everything between them.

  He groaned as she slipped her tongue between his lips and leaned in closer. His arms were around her a second later, crushing her to him, his hands roaming her back while he slanted his mouth over hers, taking their kiss deeper, exploring her mouth like it was the first time he’d tasted her.

  She ran her hands under his shirt, let them roam the smooth muscles of his chest before reaching for his belt buckle. A moment later, one of his big hands came around hers.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked. “Is it Sofia? Because she’ll be doing homework for at least an hour, and Diego isn’t home. We’re all alone here.”

  “It’s not Sofia,” he said.

  She pressed her hand to his erection, straining against his jeans. “Don’t you want me?”

  But even as she asked the question she wondered if this was the beginning. The beginning of Luca being afraid to touch her because of what he’d seen on the video. He would mean well. It would be to protect her. To spare her the trauma of sex after rape. But the reason wouldn’t matter. She wouldn’t feel his naked body against hers again. Wouldn’t find the oblivion she needed, the release she craved, in his arms.