by K. A. Ware
I found the task slightly less miserable than I'd anticipated. A small sense of accomplishment started to bloom in my chest as I watch the stack of tortillas grow higher and higher. I stole glances at Victoria across the small kitchen as we all worked. She kept chattering away with Maria in rapid-fire Spanish, of which I only caught a few phrases.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" A booming voice came from behind me, causing me to turn sharply. Luis stood in the doorway to the kitchen laughing his ass off.
"You got the gringo to cook? Oh, man, you're never gonna live this down."
I shot a look to Victoria, confusion playing on my face. She started laughing, and I couldn't help but feel like I was the butt of a colossal joke.
"Come on man, wash your hands and come have a beer with us before I'm forced to take away your man card," Luis said.
Irritated, I glared at Vic as I did just that.
"You'll pay for that," I growled as I stalked past her.
"Promises, promises," she called out after me.
I followed Luis through the house and out to the front porch where he paused to reach into the cooler for a beer, twisting off the top and handing it to me. Come on, I'll introduce you to a few people.
At Victoria's request, I'd gone shopping for something more casual than the suit and tie I usually wore. Despite being dressed in jeans and a t-shirt like most of the people at the party, I still garnered odd looks as Luis walked me through the crowd. Some of them looked suspicious of a new face, while others offered me a friendly smile that I'd tried to reciprocate. I was positive it came off as more of a grimace than a welcoming smile. I reminded myself that I was there to do a job and in order to do that, I needed to get these people to relax around me.
We stopped at a table off to the side of the porch where four men sat playing cards. At our approach, all but one of the men looked up and greeted us with a head tilt or nod.
"Antonio, this is Johnny, Rafael, Ricardo, and my father, Edgar," Luis said, gesturing to the man who hadn't looked up from his cards. "Everyone, this is Antonio, a friend of ours from Seattle."
Vic hadn't told me about Johnny or Rafael, but I remembered Ricardo as the man who had given Vic the information on Jade and Mario. After I'd shaken hands with the three men, Edgar finally looked up. His dark eyes were almost black, and the scowl on his leathery face was venomous. I met his stare with one of my own. I might've been trying to get these people to relax around me, but I wasn't going to do it by acting like a pussy. I remembered vaguely that Vic had told me her uncle had been in prison for drug trafficking, but she hadn't divulged if he played a part in her business now that he was out.
After a beat, his face broke into a smile, and he let out a laugh so loud that people turned in their seats to watch him. Standing, he walked over to me with his arms wide open.
"Welcome!" He bellowed.
I didn't like being touched, but I gritted my teeth and allowed him to embrace me with a hard clap on my back.
"Any friend of our Victoria's is a friend of ours."
"Thank you, I'm glad to be here," I said attempting to be polite when all I wanted to do was shove him away from me.
Thankfully, Edgar moved away from me and gestured to the table. "Come, sit down. We'll deal you in, you a poker player Antonio?"
I nodded and forced another smile. It was getting easier to fake. "I've played here and there." In actuality, I'd played a lot of poker in my time and was quite good at it, something about being able to read people.
Settling into the empty seat between Ricardo and Johnny, I pulled out my wallet.
"What's the buy-in?"
"Twenty," Edgar said making his way back to his chair. He went to take a drink of his beer, only to realized it was empty. Setting the bottle down on the table with more force than necessary, he snapped his fingers. "Luis, get me another beer." His tone so sharp it left no room for argument.
I watched as Luis, a man that I had been doing business with for over a decade and had never shown any sign that he was one to be pushed around, reluctantly got to his feet and trudged over to the cooler. The energy at the table had cooled, no one spoke as we all waited for Luis to come back with Edgar's beer. I chanced to glance around the table and was surprised to see all eyes downcast. No one dared to make a scene or come to Luis's defense. Once Edgar's beer had been refreshed he was back to being the welcoming host. As if nothing had just happened, he gathered the cards and dealt everyone a hand.
An hour later I felt someone come up to stand behind my chair. I didn't even have to turn around to know it was Victoria. Something inside me was ingrained to recognize her presence. It had only been just over two weeks since we'd met, but during that time I'd grown accustomed to her. Her mannerisms, the way she moved, and the way she talked were all so familiar to me as if I'd known her for years.
I felt her lean over the side of the lawn chair, her breast grazing my shoulder slightly as she peered over me.
"Are you taking everybody's money?"
I schooled my features, letting my face remain blank as I turned to look at her. "I'm trying to, but your uncle's kind of a shark."
I looked up to see she'd changed from the black dress back into her usual attire. She quirked an eyebrow, but there was no humor in her eyes. "Is he now?"
Edgar's rusty laugh boomed from across the table. "Don't let the man fool you; he's much better than he let on."
"Well, maybe I'll save you all some money then because I need to steal Antonio for a bit." Her tone was light, but there was an urgency in her eyes that I didn't like.
Tossing my cards on the table, I stood. "Gentlemen, it's been a pleasure."
"Damn, Vic. You got him whipped!" The youngest of our little group, Johnny, called out, earning him a smack to the back of the head by Luis. But it was the glare from Vic that had Johnny recanting. "Sorry, no disrespect."
Without a word, Vic pivoted and marched back towards the house. I followed wondering what had her so on edge. She spun to face me as soon as we entered the empty kitchen.
"We have a problem," she announced.
"We seem to have a lot of those at the moment, care to elaborate?"
"Drop the bullshit, Moretti." I could tell something had her rattled by the way she began to pace the scuffed linoleum and rake her fingers through her long, dark hair. "I just got a call from Javi's mom."
My confusion must've been plain on my face because she continued without prompting.
"I tried to keep her out of this shit. She's already been through so much; I didn't want her involved. But she called me looking for Javi."
"We've been looking for him for over a week, is it that strange that his mother doesn't know where he is?"
"Normally, no. But on the second Sunday of every month, they go to church together and then visit his father's grave. Every month for the past ten years. They've never missed one, until today. That's not it though, Ricky didn't show up either."
"The kid that came to the house to tell you about Javi? What does he have to do with anything?"
"Ricky is Javi's cousin. The whole family go to the cemetery together, it's a tradition."
"So what are you thinking?"
She threw her hands into the air. "I don't know, all I know is that whatever is going on is serious. Javi's had a chip on his shoulder ever since Hector died, but he's always been good to his mother, it's completely out of character for him to stand her up like this without even a call. And Ricky? He's never done anything worse than skip school to play video games; he's a good kid."
I was at a loss. Not sure what do say or do to ease her anxiety. I wasn't even sure there was anything to be worried about, not that I knew these people like she did. "I'm not sure there's anything for us to do."
She stopped pacing and turned to me, hands shaking at her sides. "What if Javi found out Ricky came to me?"
"You can't blame yourself for someone else's choices. He made the decision to come to you with that information on his own, w
hatever becomes of it isn't your fault."
"What's not your fault?" Edgar's gravel-laced voice came from behind me. I spun around, instantly aggravated he'd approached our conversation without my notice.
Vic moved to stand next to me. "Nothing, we were just talking business."
"You know how I feel about you running things, Mija. It's a dangerous business; people get killed. When are you going to settle down and start a family, huh?"
She grimaced as if she was preparing to have a conversation she'd had a million times over. "Tio, that's not the life I want, and you know it."
Edgar's face reddened. "And what life do you want? One where you get shot at?"
An uncomfortable silence followed his question.
"I don't know what--"
"Don't lie to me, Victoria. You think you're the only one who knows what goes on in this city? I have friends too."
The conversation had taken a hostile turn. I watched as Vic's hands balled into fists at her sides and then relaxed again. As if she were trying to prevent herself from lashing out.
"I'm sorry, Mija" Edgar began, his voice gentle now. "I just want to keep you safe."
The way he'd gone from righteous to placating in the matter of moments unsettled me. There was insincerity in his eyes.
Vic's answering smile was forced and unnatural.
"Who’s ready to eat?" Maria asked as she came sweeping into the kitchen. Effectively ending the conversation.
Chapter Fourteen
Antonio
I didn't get a chance to talk to Vic alone again until the last of the guests left shortly after three in the morning.
I walked into the kitchen to find Vic dumping out half empty bottles of beer.
"Are all of your family get together a like this?"
She glanced over her shoulder, an expression of tired contentment on her face. "Pretty much. Weddings, quinceañera's, first communions, baptism's, even Funerals. I don't think I've been to a single one that's ended before midnight." As soon as she said it a dark shadow passed over her features. She didn't have to voice her thoughts; I knew she was thinking about her brother.
As much as he pissed me off, I couldn't imagine losing Angelo. Instead of trying to console her, which would just end in both of us being uncomfortable, I broached the subject that had been plaguing me for most of the night.
"What's the story with your uncle?"
She froze, abandoning her task, she turned to face me. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, it's pretty clear he doesn't want you doing what you're doing, and from what I heard, it's not the first time he's expressed the sentiment."
"He just worries about me." She turned back to the sink in an attempt to end the conversation, but I wasn't done yet.
"Is that all?"
She threw the dishrag she'd been getting ready to wipe the counters with and faced me once again, hand on hip and attitude at full attention. "Yes. My family isn't on trial here, Antonio."
Sensing a blowout. I backed off. "Okay, I was just checking." She could try to bury her head in the sand all she wanted; it didn't mean I had to. "Do you need some help?"
Once it was clear I wasn't going to press the issue further for the moment, her bravado deflated. "If you want to bring in the chairs from outside that'd be great."
With a nod, I went to do as asked. It was a surreal end to a surreal day. Growing up my family hadn't been what you would call close. There was always an undercurrent of deceit. A power play in the works, leverage to be used, or secrets to uncover. Never once did we have a family gathering that was solely for the purpose of enjoying each other's company or celebrating someone's accomplishments. At least until Mia came along.
She'd done more than knock my cousin sideways; she'd upended our entire perception of family. Like the rest of us, Mia hadn't had the best upbringing, in fact, her father was a spineless sack of shit, and her mother wasn't much better. Despite all that though, Mia still wanted a family, and she'd made one with what was essentially a group of murdering drug traffickers.
Every Sunday she hosted dinner for the band of misfits she called family. At first, I tried to avoid the gathering, never one for idle conversation or group activities, but she didn't let up. The persistent little shit drove to my house and forced me to come by threat of castration three weeks in a row until I finally decided it was better just to give her what she wanted.
Mia was everything a matriarch should be, tenacious, compassionate, and downright vicious when necessary. She cared deeply for the people in her inner circle, and if you hurt one of them, she would make you wish you were in hell. My cousin was lucky to have found her, a woman that could go toe to toe with him in every facet of his life; business or brutality, it didn't matter, she gave him a run for his money.
Thinking of Mia reminded me of Victoria. I hadn't expected her when I made the trip down from Seattle, and every day since, I found myself unable to get her out of my head. She was stuck there, like I puzzle I didn't have all the pieces to, the blank spaces obscuring the big picture. I wanted to find all the pieces; I just wasn't sure if my reasons for wanting it, her, were good enough.
Once the chairs were brought in and the garbage taken out, I came back into the kitchen to find Vic wiping down the counters. There was a strange domestic feeling to watching her move about the kitchen.
Not that I'd ever tell her that, for fear she'd rip off my balls.
I kept my footsteps light as I moved toward her so that when I wrapped my hands around her waist, she gave a little start. "Leave it for tomorrow," I murmured in her ear, sweeping aside the heavy fall of her hair to expose her neck.
I'd wanted to give in and take her the previous night, but she hadn't given me the opportunity. When I'd pulled up to her house after the club, she'd rattled off the time I needed to be back the next day for the party and all but launched herself out of my car.
"My house looks like a bomb went off," she protested.
It wasn't going to work. I finally had her alone; there was nowhere for her to run.
I kissed a path up her neck to the spot just below her ear. "It'll be here tomorrow. Besides, you've been running all day; you need to unwind."
"Cleaning helps me unwind."
"I've got something much better planned for you."
She turned around so that she was facing me and I took the opportunity to press into her so that she was pinned against the counter top. "And what's that?"
"My cock."
Her lust filled gaze morphed in an instant, and she threw her head back, her beautiful laugh echoing through the empty house. Catching her breath, she shoved me away. "That has to be the worst line I've ever heard."
I knew it was, that's why I had said it. I wanted to break her out of her anxiety.
I let my face fall into my most murderous glare, the expressionless stare that made most grown men piss themselves in fear. "You're going to regret that."
For the briefest moment, I saw worry cross her face, but when the side of my mouth kicked up in what had to be a crazed smile, she clued in, and her eyes went wide. I lunged, and she ran for the stairs.
She was a tiny thing, so my long legs ate up the distance between us quickly. I caught her by the ankle, yanking her off balance, but she was prepared, catching herself with her hands and twisting around before I was able to pin her down.
"Where do you think you're going?"
I didn't wait for her response before leaning down and capturing her mouth in a searing kiss. The fight for dominance we'd had at Mario's was absent, but somehow the passion was more intense.
We tore at each other's clothes, our hands wandering the other's bodies. There was no hesitation, no fear or uncertainty. We were simply in the moment.
"I want to taste you," I growled, unable to contain myself. I'd been dying to see if her pussy tasted as sweet as her mouth. I gripped the sides of her leggings and pulled. They tore as easily as paper in my hands, and she let out a gasp.
"Y
ou're paying for those," she demanded. I couldn't help but chuckle. She had enough money to buy a new pair every day for the rest of her life, but she was beautifully stubborn. I'd known before I'd done it that she'd give me shit for it.
"I'll but you as many pairs as you want as long as I'm the only one that gets to take them off. That goes for these too." Without waiting for the protest, I knew was bound to come, I took hold of her lace thong and ripped it in the same fashion.
She lay sprawled before me on the old staircase, tank top askew, pants shredded and hanging haphazardly from the tops of her black boots. She was magnificent.
I glided my palms up the soft bronze skin of her thighs to her bare pussy. I teased her with my thumbs, stroking her heated flesh with a torturously slow pace. She squirmed beneath my hands, spreading her thighs wider in invitation, but I was just getting started. I was going to make her pay for the little stunt she'd pulled the night before. Leaning forward, I flattened my tongue and licked along the seam of her core, stopping just before I reached her clit. She moaned in frustration and kicked her hips forward in search of more friction.
I licked and teased her until she was writhing beneath me, her sharp nails digging into my scalp. Finally, I gave into what we both wanted. Spreading her wide, I latched onto her clit and flicked it with the tip of my tongue. Her back bowed up off the staircase, and a guttural moan tore from her throat.
Wasting no time, I doubled my efforts, drawing the ecstasy out of her. As much as I craved her taste, I wanted the vice-like grip of her wet cunt around my cock more. Her thighs began to shake where they rested on my shoulders, her orgasm rapidly approaching. Using my thumb, I pressed against the circle of her tight ass, giving her just the right amount of pressure to send her spiraling over the edge.
I wanted to give her time to come down, but I couldn't. I needed to be inside her like I needed to breathe. Something about her drove me to the edge of insanity, speaking to the monster inside, coaxing him out in a way I didn't recognize. Instead of the bloodlust I was used to my inner demons demanding; it was her. All of her.
