by Diana Downey
He grins. “Later,” he says, patting my butt.
Juarez isn’t here, and I’m hungry, so I order fried chicken, coleslaw, and sweet tea and take a booth in the corner. It’s in between lunch and dinner, so it’s pretty much empty or did Juarez plan that. He could’ve had my food poisoned and then dump our bodies out back. At least, Shane and I will be buried together under some nameless rock in the desert.
The Columbian drug lord shows up right on time. He’s punctual. I’ll give him that. I’m a little nervous about seeing him. I’ve met him a few times through my dad, but I don’t really know Juarez.
“Senorita Diaz,” he says, sitting down. His gang waits outside and gives my monster of a man a wide berth.
Juarez is beyond handsome. The trimmed beard defines his strong jaw. He has dark hair and eyes, and skin kissed by the sun. He took over his father’s business upon his dad’s untimely demise, and he is in his early thirties.
“Senor Juarez,” I say.
“You can call me Emilio,” he says in Spanish, which I don’t feel comfortable with.
“First name basis is a little too familiar for me,” I say in his native language.
“You are a beautiful woman, Senorita Diaz. Should your boyfriend and you part ways I would gladly entertain and invite you to my estate in Columbia.”
He’s seriously flirting with me, so maybe he won’t kill me. If Juarez plans on whisking me off into the sunset, our meeting isn’t looking too good for Shane. “We should get down to business,” I say.
“As you wish. I can appreciate you later.” His hands fold on top of the table between us. “You have something I want, and I have something you need.”
“What do you have that I could possibly want?” I ask.
“The man who murdered your mother.”
My breath halts. “There’s nothing I can do about that now.” Except kill Manny.
“There is. I can give you the keys to the castle.”
This sounds interesting. “What do you mean?”
“If you kill Manuel Diaz, then I will have something on you and you will have something on me.”
That doesn’t sound like a good idea. I was already planning on murder, but if Juarez can get me close. “Right now, you don’t have anything on me, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“No, but Manny will come after you. It’s only a matter of time.”
“I know.” And I can’t let him get near Willa.
“You’ve probably got multiple copies of the drive, and even if you give me one, you could have many more. I would like to know that you will take the copies offshore and under another name to avoid any federal warrants.”
That’s a good idea. “I understand, and I wouldn’t turn over any information on you. What if I want to bargain for less time for my dad and use his books that are on the drive?”
“As long as you send me what you plan on handing over, I would be amenable to that. Manny has a file on me that he stole. I assume the other file contains Manny’s books.”
“It does.” I suck in a deep breath, concerned about giving him too much information, but Juarez may know what else is on the original drive. “There are other files on the drive, and Shane says that it has a special character set, maybe Asian.”
Juarez scratches his chin in thought. “Manny must’ve stolen from the Chinese. They have a heroin distribution, and they’re into other things.”
“Other drugs?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t think so, and I don’t know what, but we’d like them out of the way too.”
“You don’t deal in heroin?” I probably shouldn’t ask him.
“No, but we don’t like the Chinese taking from our business. If you share some of that information, it would help me.”
“I’ll consider turning in the other files.” It seems like there’s more to our deal than just our trade. He must want Manny gone for some other reason. “Is there something I should know that you’re not telling me?”
He plays with a sterling silver lighter. “Your uncle killed my father. I want him dead, and if you did this, I would trust you implicitly.”
That comes as a shock, though it shouldn’t. Murder seals blood deals. “I have to think about this.” There’s no way I would let him hold murder over my head. Does he think I’m crazy? But he could get me close to Manny.
“I have faith that you will make the right decision. You know your uncle better than I do, and I know you are a strong, vibrant woman who will protect her family.” He stands, taking my hand to kiss it. He glances out the window at Shane. “Espinoza can always get a hold of me, especially if Shane is out of the picture.”
“Thank you, Emilio. I won’t think too long.” I’d rather tell him no on the phone, which feels safer than in person.
When Willa wasn’t supposed to be out with Aedan, Manny’s boys threatened her. I know I have to kill Manny, and Juarez has access. I don’t know another way to get close to him unless I ask to meet Manny in person. That’s what I’ll have to do.
Shane and I leave without anything more than a nod from Emilio. I believe him when he says he’s only interested in removing Manny from the picture and trusts me. Juarez’s operation has never seemed out of control like Manny’s, and Juarez seems to be more levelheaded.
As Shane and I drive back to pick up Willa from her date with Lynch, I tell Shane, “Juarez wants me to kill my uncle.” Which I need to do anyway.
He stops his truck. “What the fuck? That’s way too dangerous.”
“I could just wait for Manny to kidnap Willa or me. If I work with Juarez, we’ll at least have the upper hand. He’s highly motivated because Manny killed his father. But then he’d hold that over my head, and it’s not worth it. I need to come up with a better solution.”
“Great family you have. Dammit, Cyn. I don’t know how to protect you. These people are nuts.”
“I know.” Juarez could get me close to Manny.
“I don’t like it, Cyn. You can’t take that kind of risk.” His large hand palms my cheek, and his kiss is sweet and gentle. From his staggered breaths, he’s frightened and so am I.
I sit as humanly close as I can to Shane to breathe in his masculine scent and feel the safety of his strength. For us to be free, my crazy uncle has to die.
I lean on Shane, but I won’t be able to when I go for Manny. I’m so scared tears roll down my face. “You can choose your friends but not your family,” I say.
One arm draws me closer to him.
I need to de-stress. My hand fumbles with his zipper to extract the famed organ all my sorority sisters have seen and drooled over in the communal shower.
Shane pulls off into the desert. March is the ideal time of year. Otherwise we’d be sweltering.
“I love you, Shane.”
Sliding back the seat, he gives me that cocky grin I love. “I know.” His rough, clever fingers push my skirt up, slip underneath my thong, and along my wet slit.
I whimper. “What? No foreplay?”
His finger strokes my exceedingly sensitive flesh, already wet and hungry for his touch. “You don’t need it anymore. All I have to do is push inside you, and you’ll cry all over me.”
My hand wraps around his oversized cock and massages the head. I lower my head to lick the crown and run my lips down the long length of his shaft.
Shane growls and pushes my head down onto his cock. “You are amazing.”
“You always say that when I have your cock in my mouth,” I garble.
He chuckles in between groans. “Keep working my stick, princess, and I’ll tell you anything you want.”
I punch his taut stomach, and he laughs. My mouth draws in his length until it hits my throat, and I swallow.
Shane lets out a whoosh of air. “That feels so damn good, princess. Slow down. I want to feel that sweet pussy.”
Obliging, I quickly pull my thong to the side. He easily lifts me up and on top of his hard cock.
I slide onto him and feel
the hard length expanding my ready pussy. “I love the way you feel.”
“I can’t give you up, and if you get hurt, I will kill your fucking uncle.”
“We aren’t going to think about me getting hurt,” I say sliding up and down on him. “Oh gosh.” The sensation ripples through me. I squeeze my eyes shut to relish the pleasure. It’s him. It’s always been him. He makes me come.
I ride Shane, pumping his cock with my pussy. His cock hits all the right spots and my pussy hugs onto the hardness.
He helps lift me, slipping his cock in and out. “Keep going, Cyn.” His hands clamp onto my hair and he tugs on it so that our lips clash and tongues tangle.
I bite on his lower lip, and he growls out his response. “I love you.”
“You’re only saying that because you’re inside me,” I tease.
“You have me by the balls, princess.”
I slip along him, letting the steel-hardened ridge press against the sensitive swollen flesh. A jolt of current shocks my system and lightning rips deep inside me. My pussy spasms, clamping down on his cock and he jerks inside me. His hot seed spurts and drenches my already soaked pussy.
Sweat runs down his face, and perspiration clings to my hair.
“I did all the work,” I say. “Why are you sweating?”
His tongue sizzles in my mouth. “Because you’re too damn hot, Cyn.” He pulls out napkins from the truck door’s side pocket to clean us up.
“We’ve made a mess in your truck,” I say.
He grins. “It was worth it.”
I thought sex would unwind me, but now that my pussy feels better, my mind doesn’t. This could end badly for Willa and me, and I don’t want to give up my life or Shane.
“Why don’t you let me handle killing Manny for you?” Shane asks.
I chew on the inside of my cheek. “You won’t be able to get close to my uncle. It has to be me. Manny has an ego, so he isn’t afraid of a woman. I could set up a fake exchange of the flash drive. I won’t be able to get a gun into his house, so I don’t know how I could kill him.”
Shane drives us to the Canyon Lands. The parking lot is empty, and it appears that the film crew has cleared out.
“Why didn’t she call me?” I ask more to myself. “We had a long talk last week about Aedan and letting me know where she is at all times.” My nerves bundle tightly together, tensing my already sore muscles.
“Check your phone,” Shane says.
I glance down at it, and she texted that she’d meet me at home. I wasn’t listening for my phone during our passionate interlude. Relief floods me, and Shane speeds to the townhouse.
Willa’s car is parked in the driveway and so is Aedan’s truck. He must’ve brought her home. I consider a lecture, but I’m glad he brought her back instead of waiting out in the middle of nowhere.
“That’s odd,” I say, bile rising in my throat. “The front door is open.”
I don’t wait for Shane but hurry inside. Aedan lies unconscious on the floor.
“Willa,” I scream, frantically searching the other rooms.
She doesn’t respond, and I crumple onto the floor. All my nerves unravel, and I break down. No, not Willa.
Chapter Willa
When the director fires Aedan, my heart disintegrates in my chest. He’s using the money to help his sister through school. By the time the shoot ends, I’ve had it with Lynch and sick from losing Aedan. After he left, Lynch slobbered all over me. I constantly pushed his dirty paws away from me. This won’t happen again. I’m done. If I have to date, I’ll go out with Wyatt, even though my heart isn’t in it.
Plain and simple, I want Aedan.
I ride the horse back to the parking lot. Aedan is waiting in his truck, so I text Cyn. I lead the horse into the trailer and then look for the director. Good. He’s already left, so there’s no more drama for a while. I walk over to Aedan’s truck, not bothering to say goodbye to Lynch.
The buzz of attraction for Aedan drowns out Lynch’s whiny voice. I hated telling Aedan we can’t date, and I can’t stand Lynch. If he kisses me again, I’ll bite his tongue off.
Without asking, I climb into the truck.
“I didn’t think we could go out,” he says, his lips curling up into a delightfully devilish grin.
“Could you drive me home?” I don’t want to wait out here alone for Cyn and Shane.
He nods. “How long do yer think the series will run?”
I shouldn’t even get a ride from him. “I don’t know.” I take in a deep breath. “I like you.”
“Yer like me stealing kisses.”
The Canyon Lands parking area has cleared out. “I do.” I lean over to lock lips with him. Our tongues collide, and my body sizzles.
His hands never wander from my hips, but his lips never leave mine. I eventually have to catch my breath and push him away, heaving in a huge breath.
He nips my nose, and my breasts prickle from his touch. “Are yer sure yer sister won’t reconsider?”
“I’m eighteen. She can’t legally tell me what to do, but I love and trust her.” Worn out from Manny and reality TV drama, I close my eyes and inhale the scent of Aedan. I’d like to stay with him forever and not deal with Manny ever again. “We should go home. Otherwise my sister may explode.”
“Sit close to me,” Aedan says, clicking the middle seatbelt around me.
My head leans on his shoulder, and I want our relationship to go further, but we can’t, not now. “You don’t blame me for losing your job?”
“No. I’ll find another. There are a couple studios I’ve never applied to, and I had to defend your honor.”
His comment removes some of my guilt. “I can’t go out with Lynch again. He’s an ass.”
“Wyatt’s not for you either. I’m the best man for you.” Aedan drives us away, and after an hour, pulls into the driveway. He gets out to open my door.
“Would you come in?” I ask. I shouldn’t ask, but I can’t resist him. I want him to hold me.
“Are yer sure?”
I don’t want to let go. He follows me into the townhouse, and we’ve gotten the place cleaned up since the break-in, so it’s presentable.
“I won’t overstay my welcome,” he says, making himself at home on the couch. He pats the seat beside him, and I curl up next to his solid arms and chest, tucking my legs underneath me.
“I don’t give up easily either,” he says, giving me that rakish grin I’ve learned to love.
The doorbell rings, so I get up to answer it. Looking through the peephole, I don’t see anyone. I peek out the window and still don’t see anyone.
“There’s no one there,” I say, though my nerves are a bit rattled. I can’t help but think about the drug cartels. “It could be kids playing ding-dong-ditch.”
Cyn went to talk to Juarez, and I hope it’s only to talk about Manny. I don’t want to live under Manny’s oppression anymore and Juarez may know a way for us to stop him.
Before I sit back down next to Aedan, the door crashes open and five tatted Latin men, wearing heavy chains and navy blue bandanas and pointing guns, rush me. My heart rate spikes. Aedan is up on his feet, but a gun is shoved into his face.
“Don’t shoot him,” I cry, stumbling backward and shielding him with my body.
A man shorter than me grabs my arms while I scream. He puts duct tape over my mouth, while three of them force Aedan to the ground. A gun slams against his skull, and his body goes motionless.
I cry out. “Stop. Don’t hurt him.”
The short man searches my pockets and removes my cell phone and change.
A dark hood is pulled over my head; they drag me outside, and pitch me into the trunk. My knees bang against the interior, but bruises are the least of my worries. Aedan is seriously hurt, and Manny had Mom killed. What do they plan on doing to me?
The car speeds off down our road and then gets onto the freeway. I have to do something now before they take me across the border. The rear lights
glow red. If I could knock one out.
Using my feet I kick out the driver side rear light, hoping a cop sees it. It’s dark outside, but despite that, I push my hand out and pray the car behind me sees it. The car I’m in veers roughly off to the side, wrenching my wrist. I pull it back in and nurse my cut hand, sucking on the blood pouring from it.
Within minutes, the car rides over a bumpy road. I peek out of the broken taillight, but it’s pitch black and no other cars follow us.
It’s too late. They’re headed for the border or to dump my body somewhere. I’m tossed around and eventually the car pulls up onto a paved road. Tears sting my eyes. If Manny gets the flash drive, he’ll kill us both. He’s always been crazy. He once tried to beat Dad for not being part of the family business. It was one of the reasons he left home at a young age. He didn’t want that life, yet our grandmother thinks he should.
My body cramps in the enclosed space. I don’t want Cyn to come after me. Manny will just kill her, and that’s his obvious intentions.
For hours, I remain in the trunk. When the car finally stops, I hear Manny’s voice. The trunk opens and artificial light from his compound floods into the trunk. It’s been years, but I’ve been here before. It’s not too far south of the border off of 35. New additions including a huge pool in a garden setting have been added to the main building—thanks to my mom—and it burns me.
I struggle against my bindings. “Manny, why don’t you leave us alone?”
He smokes a cigar, blowing out puffs of smoke. He wears even more gold and heavy jewelry than his thugs. “Your sister knows too much. Once you’re both gone, it’ll put my mind at ease.”
“My dad knows your whole business.”
“I have lots of men who can get rid of him in prison. He’ll be quiet until he realizes you’re both dead.”
I swallow down my panic. He’s going to kill us all. He’d taken Mom’s millions and now he’s tying up loose ends. Cyn and I are two of them.
“Lock her up,” he says between inhaling a lungful of cigar. It stinks and forms a thick cloud around us.
One of his men shoves me toward a building in the back past several dark SUVs. He throws me into a stone floored cell, bruising my hip and shoulder. My whole body aches from the abuse, and terror threatens to suck me under. I brush away my tears and pray Aedan is okay. I can’t give into my fright, even though the thought of Mom brutally murdered plagues my mind.
