by Bex Dane
Jackie finished inspecting his body, and her gaze landed on his face. "Still getting in brawls, I see." Jackie nodded at the blue and purple bruise forming around Torrez' left eye.
He ignored her and his arm moved up around my shoulder to guide me from the foyer into the living room.
Whoa. Jackie's "ranch house" looked more like a rustic French chateau. Thick creamy drapes adorned the windows. Lavish couches shined like pearls. Marble tile led to a grand staircase made of wrought iron and stressed timber. It twisted up and off to either side where a balcony on the second floor looked down on the open living room. The contrast of the black iron against all the white took my breath away.
Torrez smiled as I gawked at the staircase and balcony. "Did you build this?"
He lowered his arm from around my shoulders and beamed with pride. "I did. You like?"
"It's exquisite."
"Yes." Jackie sounded unimpressed with her refined mansion that I knew Torrez had broken his back to build for her and his kids. "Shame we have to sell it."
"Why do you need to sell it?" Torrez sounded impatient with her already.
"We can't afford it."
"It's paid for."
"Yes, but the air conditioning alone is enough to break our bank."
"Your man can't even pay to heat and cool this place?"
"Duffy works on commission. The pool industry is slowing down." She stepped close to him and put her hands on his biceps. "It's so stressful. Worrying about money. Losing the house. The kids..." She peered up at him with puppy-dog eyes. He held her at a distance. He wasn't embracing her but still the contact between them made my blood boil. She shouldn't have touched him like that. They were not married and he was with me. She tilted her neck in an awkward attempt to rest her forehead on his chest. She was making a play for him right in front of me. Little witch.
Torrez pushed her back by her shoulders, and his face turned to a dark scowl. "Cut the shit, Jacqueline." He released her with a small push. "Duffy can't sell a pool in Texas, he needs to find another gig."
She glared at him with indignant shock. What did she expect? He'd hug you and give you money? Not likely. This was a show for my benefit. She was trying to make it seem like they had that kind of relationship, but I believed Torrez when he said he hadn't slept with her since Peyton was conceived.
"Mmm. Interesting coming from you, Torrez. Duffy doesn't give up. He sticks with his commitments through tough times."
"Where're the kids?" He kept his voice even but sharp.
"At least you've stuck with Greco, right?" She used Greco's name like a weapon, her sword against the blade he had drawn with his voice. She turned her gaze to mine and said with intention, "Torrez is in the Mafia, you know?" Torrez flexed his fingers over his gun like he was doing everything he could not to pull it out and shoot her. "He's one of them. A gangster. A kingpin. Be careful with—"
"Lies. And you know it. I'm not in the Mafia. I wouldn't even be affiliated with Greco if you weren't fucking him and bleeding cash so fast, he was the only option to dig me and my kids out of the pit of hell you created. My association with Greco paid for this house, that kitchen," he pointed to a doorway through which I could see a chef's kitchen decorated in the same classy style as the rest of the house, "even though you got no idea how to use it."
She rolled her eyes and kept talking to me. "He's not an honorable man."
Oh that was it. She couldn't talk about my man like that, saying the words I knew would trigger him. "He's the most honorable man I know. He saved me many times over, sacrificing himself for my freedom. Just as he did for all his years of service in the military. If you think he's not honorable, you need to get yourself a dictionary and look up the meaning of the word because you'll see his face there. He took an ice pick in his balls for me!"
Torrez sputtered and smiled at me. "Thank you, babe." He turned a scowl back on Jacqueline. "And I'm here to inform you, Jackie, I'm out. It's over. I'm done with Greco forever. So tell your man to start selling some pools. As soon as the kids are out of your house, you'll never see another dime from me."
While he was talking, Jackie's mouth slowly dropped open, preparing to say something but only uttering a few grunts. "I—"
"And that could be as soon as tomorrow. We're moving into my beach house and the kids are welcome to stay full-time."
We were moving into his beach house? I hadn't even seen it yet, but the way he described it sounded amazing. Kids? Full-time?
"I have custody." Jackie crossed her arms under her boobs and finally formed a response.
"You have partial custody, and they're old enough to make up their own minds."
She grunted some more and flapped her jaw like a Koi fish.
"Now. Where're the kids?" Torrez disregarded her and looked around the house.
"Oh, they should be home soon."
"I told you what time we'd arrive."
"Yes, well, you know teenagers."
I wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't told the kids a later time so she could have her chance to get her digs into Torrez' back. I also guessed Torrez would have told his kids what time to meet us.
A squeaking on the tile in the hallway revealed a tall, handsome young man with green eyes and curly dark hair bounding into the room as he tucked his car keys in his pocket. His smile grew into a replica of Torrez' and he hugged his father. "Hey, Dad."
"Good to see you, Drew. Missed you."
"Missed you too."
Behind Drew trailed a shorter girl with lighter hair and brown eyes. Still beautiful, but she definitely resembled her mother more than Torrez.
"My Peyton." Torrez' face lit up as he held his arms wide for her.
She ran the last few steps and slammed her head into his chest. "Daddy."
He wrapped his arms around her, closed his eyes, and pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head. No matter the truth about paternity, she was his girl.
The love between father and children flowed like a visceral river through the huge room. Jackie stood stiffly as she watched the effusive family reunion. I swallowed the thickness in my throat. No one in my life, except Torrez, had hugged me like that. And I'd never hugged a child before. I'd spent very little time around children in my isolated life in the palace and boarding schools.
"This is my girlfriend, Soraya." Torrez pressed his hand to my back and moved to the side.
His what? I guess I was his girlfriend. I just hadn't thought of it in such official terms before.
Drew stepped in and gave me a hug that warmed me to my bones. Oh my god. I'd been missing out on children and hugs like this? If I'd known what I was missing, I'd have been even more miserable. I gripped Drew's shoulders and sniffled through an awkward laugh. Drew released me and stepped back.
"Soraya, this is my girl, Peyton." The pride in Torrez' voice, the hesitance in her eyes. Too much. Too much. If Peyton hugged me, the tears would flow. I couldn't embrace an adorable girl like her without balling like a baby.
I bent my knees and smiled at her with my arms slowly opening.
Her lips quirked and her head tilted to the side as she stepped in and gave me the sweetest hug of all time. Yes, the tears dropped. I spoke softly in her ear. "You're lovely. Thank you for the hug. I'm so happy to meet you."
We separated and looked around. Jackie's hard stare had softened. Torrez' eyes glowed with love and adoration.
He slung one arm around my shoulder and one around Peyton's. "We're going to Kemah Boardwalk. I'll have them back by…"
"What do we have here?" A man entered the room from the hallway and kept his eyes on Torrez as he stopped next to Jackie. A pleasant looking man. Slim, with thinning brown hair. He wore khaki slacks and a striped blue and white button-down shirt. Nothing exciting like my Torrez and his camo pants and black tees that looked like they were made to be worn by him.
"Duffy." Torrez kept his voice respectful.
Jackie had to bend down to kiss Duffy on the cheek. Duffy's ey
es glanced in Jackie's direction as if that were enough to greet her.
"This is my girlfriend, Soraya." Torrez spoke in a deep authoritative tone. "We're taking the kids out for the night. We'll have them back at eleven."
"Alright then." Duffy tried to make it sound like he had a say in the matter when it was clear he didn't.
"You kids ready?" Torrez asked them with fun in his voice.
"Yes!"
"How'd you like to ride in a bigass RV?"
"Torrez," Jackie scolded him.
"Excuse me. How'd you like to ride in an RV that is pimped out as fuck?"
"Yes!" Peyton jumped on her toes and Drew grinned at Torrez. Oh yes, they adored their dad, they didn't mind him cursing, and they loved the goodies he brought home for them.
"Let's go." Torrez didn't say goodbye to Jackie and Duffy, but I waved to them as we turned and walked out the front door.
Chapter 20
"Night, Peyton." I hugged Peyton as we stood together inside the door to the RV. It was ten minutes before eleven, so they would be home exactly on time.
"Night, Soraya. I had so much fun." Peyton smiled at me and glanced at her dad. "I'm glad my dad found you. You make him happier than I've ever seen him."
"Really?"
"My dad, he hides it good, but I can tell he's lonely. He's never brought a girlfriend home before, but he looks at you like you could light the moon."
"Aww, thank you so much. Your dad makes me happy too."
"Yay!" She clapped her hands.
I had noticed Torrez' perma-grin as I ate my first funnel cake—which was delicious—and rode my first roller coaster—which was terrifying. I'd attributed his joy to being with his kids, but it was nice to think I contributed to his contented demeanor.
"Will you be here tomorrow?" Peyton grabbed the giant stuffed bucking bronco Torrez had won for her at the shooting gallery.
My gaze flitted to Torrez in the front seat where he was saying goodnight to Drew. Torrez nodded.
"Yes. I'll be here tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be here a lot."
"Awesome! Bye."
She burst out the door of the RV and ran up the long drive of the ranch house. Drew followed behind her. "Later, Raya." Drew had given me the nickname as the night started out. He'd tried to act like he didn't like kid stuff, but he'd smiled and had a blast all night.
Torrez checked his phone as the kids reached the door. "Fucking shit!"
"What?"
"Nothing."
"It's something. Let me see."
He held up the screen. An app showed a live camera image of the inside of Jackie's house. I jutted my finger out and hit the button to un-mute it.
Jackie's grumbling slurs filled the cab of the RV. "Damn Torrez and his shiny new toy." Jackie stumbled up the grand staircase, Duffy trying to hold her up—by her ass—while her back rubbed on the wall.
"Jackie, baby. Let's get you to bed." Duffy pulled up on her butt, and her arms flopped over his shoulders. He grunted as he tried to lift her, but her body slouched like dead weight, and he only raised her one inch before she fell back into her position against the wall.
"I was his new toy once," she slurred.
"Can we stop talking about this?" Duffy replied.
"She's big and curvy. Do men even like that?"
He hesitated. "Most men like curves."
She stared up at him with her mouth open, her eyes drawn. "I had two men. Greco couldn't get enough of me. Maybe Torrez wanted me to be rounder."
"Okay. That's it. I was gonna try to fuck you, but now my dick is totally soft with you going on about your exes. Walk your skinny ass up these stairs and sleep it off." He slung an arm around her waist and tugged her side up against his in an awkward dance.
"Oh my." A giggle escaped my throat.
"Don't worry," Torrez said.
"I'm not," I replied. "I'm sure he'll get her to bed eventually."
"No. You never need to worry. If you're drunk, I'm taking you to our room and fucking you. No dicking around on the stairs. Unless, you're too drunk, then I won't fuck you, but either way, you got a man you can rely on to carry you to bed."
The giggle grew to a full-on belly laugh. "That's certainly comforting. What girl doesn't want to be carried to bed when she's drunk?"
He was serious at first, but my laughter drew a chuckle out of him.
"I mean we all have needs, right?" I said, teasing him. "Food, water, get carried to bed drunk…"
His smile spread across his beautiful face and I memorized it. He'd been happier tonight than I'd ever seen him.
I was still snickering when Torrez' shoulders got tight, all his attention zeroed in on his phone, and a glacial ice hit the space between us. After several frantic taps on his phone and some zooming, he muttered, "Fuck."
"What is it?"
He tossed me the phone and raced to the closet by the kitchen area. "Speed dial Jackie. Tell her there's an intruder." Oh no. An intruder? "Looks like Helix. The bounty hunter. West side of the house. Tell her to get the kids to the safe room ASAP." He spoke quickly, an experienced Navy SEAL in charge in an emergency in seconds. I fumbled to get the security app on his phone closed and searched for the phone feature. "No. Fuck!"
"What?" My head snapped up and we locked eyes.
He had gone into fight or flight mode, and my Torrez was preparing to fight. He slipped a bulletproof vest over his head and tightened it with quick ease. "Call Drew first. Tell him to get Peyton to the safe room and buckle down."
"Call Drew first?"
"Yes! Call him now! This is it. I'm taking down Helix. It ends now. Don't panic. God, whatever the fuck you do, do not panic." As he spoke he moved to the door of the RV. I found Drew's number in his priority contacts and hit his call button. "Watch on the phone," Torrez told me. "But stay here. Let me handle this. Do not come after me, understand?"
I wanted to ask more questions, but Torrez had asked me to act quickly if something like this happened. I just nodded and he left.
"Hey, Dad. What's up?" Drew answered my call.
"Drew. Get Peyton to the safe room now. There's an intruder on the west side of the house. Your dad's coming. Hurry!"
He didn't answer but I heard fast footsteps and his voice calling, "C'mon!"
Peyton grunted and I heard a door close.
Drew came back on the line, panting heavily. "She's safe."
"He wants you in there too. He said buckle down."
"Where's my dad?"
"Drew. He told me to stay put and let him handle it. You should do the same."
"No." I heard a door creak open and his breath hitch. "I have my gun."
"Oh no. No. Just hide and wait for him."
"Lavontes don't run. We face the bull by the horns. If you're going to be part of this family, you'd best accept that now."
"Uh. Um." Part of the Lavonte family? The terror in my gut mixed with the warmth of love, which ratcheted up the tension. I finally had a family. I couldn't lose them now!
"Where's my mom?" His breath came through the phone like he was running.
I switched over to the video monitor. Duffy and Jackie had left the stairs.
"I think she's in her room with Duffy."
"Good."
"I found my dad." The phone flashed. A red button on the screen told me the call had been disconnected.
I held my breath and watched on the security app as Torrez and Drew approached a man standing in the kitchen. They both had guns drawn and the intruder was heading straight toward Drew. Holy cow. If they got hurt...
I could run. I could run to him and help.
No. He told me to stay put.
So I hunkered down with my phone lifeline and watched my man and his son face down a man who was there to kill him. But first I had one call to make.
"Falcon."
"Yes, Teimosa? You lonely?"
"The bounty hunter is at Jackie's ranch. Torrez and Drew have him cornered in the kitchen."
"I'm five
minutes out."
Chapter 21
Torrez
No sign of Helix at the kitchen door where I'd seen him. My stomach sank at the thought of him inside the house.
I found him in the kitchen, slithering in the dark along the counter toward the doorway that led to the living room.
"Helix. Over here," I whispered.
Too smart to fall for it, he hit the ground and got a shot off in my direction. Miss.
"Stop!" Drew's voice came from the other side of the kitchen. Chancing a glance around the corner, my heart leapt into my throat at the sight of my son pointing a gun at a lethal bounty hunter, who was pointing his weapon at me.
"Drew. Back off," I warned.
"No, Dad."
Fucking Drew. Eager to be the hero but nowhere near old enough yet.
Helix glanced between us, assessing the risk. He made his decision and switched his aim to Drew. Fuck no. This was not going down that way.
"Helix!" He didn't look at me. "You want me, right? Here I am." I placed my weapon next to my feet, spread my arms wide, and walked into the kitchen.
Drew's barrel shook but he held Helix's gaze. His game face was spot on. He got that from riding the bulls. You show a hint of fear, the crowd will catch it, the bull will smell it, and you're a loser before you're out of the gate.
"I got him, I got you," Helix said stupidly, yet totally accurately. "He's your son, right?"
"Let's take this outside." I wanted any chance to get that barrel pointed away from Drew.
"He's your son. You'll give up yourself for him." Helix stared at Drew.
"Absolutely."
Darkness flashed through Helix's eyes. A muscle in his neck twitched. I found it. His weakness.
"A father gives his life for his son, no question," I said, trying to touch the human part of him.
He glanced at me for the first time and must have seen the veracity in my face.
"Your dad willing to do that for you? Or is your dad a prick?"
"He doesn't exist."
"I'll take that as your dad's a prick. You can see I'm his world, so you kill me, you kill all three of us here."
