“You can’t take that!” She lunges at him and in one smooth swift move he hands me the cup and grabs her by her shirt, fisting the front of it without ever removing his eyes from her face. Maybe the man isn’t as nice as I assumed he was.
“I think we both know what’s been happening here, Caden. You’ll be staying here with me until we work it out.”
“You can’t let him do this, Diego! I know what you’re doing! This is bullshit. I don’t need to be deprogrammed. You’re treating me like I’m some naive outsider who doesn’t know exactly what you’re doing.”
“It’s a necessary evil.”
“Fuck you, Diego.”
She turns her attention back to Tony, who holds her with ease even as she thrashes around. “That is my cup. It was a gift, he wanted me to have it and I’m keeping it.”
“What about this?” Tony asks, freeing up one hand to lift a slip of paper out of the backpack. Holding it between his index and middle fingers, he scans the words silently as a frown tugs hard at his brows. She makes a grab for it and he pulls it away just in time.
“That’s personal. You have no right!”
He continues to scan the note, then glances over at me with tilt of his chin. I take the note from him over Caden’s objections and read silently to myself.
‘Caden. I’ve entered Diego’s cell number into this phone, simply press Send to reach him. He will know what to do to see that you are home safe. There is nothing more beautiful than the sight of you sleeping as you are now. Your light shines bright even as you dream.
As you know so well, I am a selfish man. If I could, I would keep you to myself and never let you go. But perhaps you are right and there remains some decency within me. That can be the only explanation for my decision to let you go. You do make me wish I was a better man. I will continue to consider your words of redemption but I fear it is too late for me. My soul was claimed by Malverde long ago.
Any goodness that remains within me belongs to you now. Cuidar de si mismo, hermosa.’
“I hate you! You bastard!” she shrieks as she pummels Tony’s chest. With her chest heaving, she grits out, “I swear, I’m getting out of here the first chance I get. I need to get back to work, back to my life.” Turning her head toward me, she stills abruptly. “Diego,” she whispers, “don’t hurt him, okay?”
“What are you talking about, sweetheart?” I ask mildly, not wanting to let on that the next time I see Santiago, I’ll do more than hurt him.
“Don’t hurt him, that’s all. He’s…troubled. Misguided. He could have hurt me but he didn’t. He thinks he’s in love with me. For God’s sake, he let me go! He was going to take me with--”
When she goes silent, Tony closes his eyes for a long moment, then opens them to glance my way. “Fucking knew it,” he mutters. His lips press into a flat line and his neck is flushed. I rest my hand on Brook’s hip, silently nudging her toward the door as we prepare to leave.
“Caden, don’t worry about Santiago for now, okay?” I say gently. “Just rest and let Tony help you. You’ve been through a lot. No work for a while, okay? Just rest.”
“Don’t leave me here, Diego!” she cries, again struggling against Tony’s grip. When she finally tires herself out she breaks emotionally and falls against his chest, sobbing. He wraps his arms around her and tilts his chin toward the door, bidding us a silent farewell. It’s Brook’s and my cue to leave.
As I close the door, I hear Caden wailing, “Let go of me! I don’t even know you!”
“Yes, you do, beautiful Caden. You do…” Tony croons, and I leave them to it.
We leave the basement and venture up the stairs, where Ricardo and Antonio are waiting for us. We follow them into a sitting room where refreshments have been laid out on an elegant, wheeled cart next to a small sitting area. Ricardo waves his hand in the direction of the sofa. “Sit. Please, eat, drink.”
We both sit and sip on strong Colombian coffee and tea sandwiches. I bite my lip to stifle what would be an incredibly poorly timed smile as I contemplate Ricardo Ramirez serving fucking tea sandwiches. Cucumbers and shit. Really, what the ever-loving fuck has this world come to?
Brook discreetly kicks me in the ankle and clears her throat awkwardly. I take a bite, fully prepared for a Herculean battle against my gag reflex…but it’s not bad. And neither is the second one. Turns out, I’m hungry as fuck and these prissy sandwiches are hitting the spot. Who knew?
“I trust the refreshments are to your liking?” Ricardo asks blandly. Nothing gets past him.
“Yes, thank you.”
“Good, good. Now, Diego…I’m sure you’ve already figured out that Caden will be staying here with my son for a while. Santiago eludes us for the moment but we are making inquiries. His recent activities are, of course, of great concern. He must be dealt with. In the meantime, I expect you to take care of your end of things as far as she is concerned.”
Intimidating doesn’t even begin to describe Ricardo Ramirez. His mammoth size, the scar on his face, and his well-earned reputation as a brutal killer are enough to send anyone running with their tail tucked.
“If I find out your woman’s emotions are interfering with my business, she’ll find herself on lockdown. Maybe worse. I think we’ve established that I’m not a patient man.” He turns his attention to Brook. “Good luck to you,” he says quietly. Then to both of us, “That’s all for now. You may go. We’ll be in touch.” He waves us away as if we’re pesky flies that warrant no more of his important cartel time.
That works for me. I can’t get Brook out of there fast enough. But when I reach the door, I can’t resist turning back to ask one more question. “Am I safe to assume you won’t harm Caden? She didn’t ask for any of this.”
“You should know better than that. You should assume nothing, ever. Simply hope she responds to my son’s tactics in a favorable way.”
I feel like someone just reached inside my chest and gripped my heart, squeezing my life’s blood from it. Leaving Caden in the hands of the Ramirez brothers is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. The only things we have in our favor are that Tony has a gift when it comes to working with victims of trauma, and that he’s already developed feelings for her. I hope his feelings are enough…
Chapter Fifty Four
Brook
“What the fuck just happened?” I ask, still reeling from the events of the last several hours.
“We rescued Caden, that’s what happened. What’s happening now is a classic example of deprogramming, like what you would see after someone’s rescued from a cult. You’ve got to work fast to confront their irrational loyalty to their captor. In this case, Santiago is a persuasive man and highly motivated, considering his fascination with Caden. In a short time, he twisted her perceptions of her world. Tony is going to dismantle Santiago’s influence piece by piece.”
“Did you see the way she lunged at him when he took that cup away from her?”
“Exactly why they’re confronting the situation the way they are.”
“Maybe I should have taken a Psych 101 class because it looks like Santiago got inside her head.”
“You got that right,” Diego agrees.
It grieves me to know that, on top of what Santiago’s already put her through, now Caden must endure a grueling deprogramming regimen to get her head on straight again. I hate this for my new friend, but I agree with Diego that it’s got to be done.
“How in the hell does a monster like Santiago get a woman of Caden’s caliber to bond with him?”
“Show her his human side.”
“Then bonding with Tony should be easy enough.”
“Yeah, after he shows her his dark side.”
I lean my head back against the head rest and study the profile of this man of mine as he drives us home to The Club. I can’t resist reaching over to caress his jaw, and smile when he leans into my touch like a big, sexy cat. His five o’clock shadow is a permanent fixture now, ever since
I told him I liked it. Yep, bonds can be formed from small things.
I’ve seen so many sides of this man in a short amount of time. He’s shared things about himself with me that people who have been around him for years don’t know about him. I’ve seen his laughter and today I saw a hint of the grief he’s struggling with after leaving his friend in the care of two men who will show no mercy if the situation warrants.
“You’re staring.”
“I’m studying,” I clarify. “Will Caden be okay?”
“Do you think I would have left her there if I didn’t think so?” he asks indignantly, and I know I’ve struck a nerve.
“I’m not questioning you. I’m questioning them. I know Tony cares about her, but Ricardo and Antonio Wayne don’t give a shit about her. How can you be so sure she’ll be safe?”
“Ricardo Ramirez is smart enough to know how Tony feels about Caden. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s been monitoring their online conversations all along. He also values my loyalty and he knows he’ll lose that if any harm comes to her. People don’t get in positions of power by killing everyone who gets in their way. They think about every possible outcome to every decision they make before they act. He has to live with his son, and he has to work with me. I’d be willing to say she’s safer there with Tony than she is anywhere.”
“It isn’t like you had a choice, though.”
“Don’t be naive, Brook; there’s always a choice.”
Diego pulls up in front of The Club and cuts the engine before giving me my marching orders. “Not one word, Brook. As far as anyone is concerned, Foxy just hasn’t been coming to work and you have no idea why. In this line of work, your body language should always convey to everyone around you that everything’s okay. I don’t care if your world is falling apart, you always present an attitude of control.
“If anybody asks about Foxy, tell them you don’t know and to ask me. Watch. Listen. And learn. And above all, remember…everything is always okay. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“Good.”
Chapter Fifty Five
Diego
I bring her straight to the bedroom and strip off her clothes with almost clinical detachment. I lead her to the bed, chain her hands together and hook the links onto the headboard. Her eyes follow me as I cross the room, discarding articles of clothing as I go. I grin as I stand with my back to her, naked, knowing she’s staring at my ass. I pour two shots of tequila. Turning to face her, I toss mine back, never taking my eyes off her. She, on the other hand, never takes her eyes off my cock.
I’ve been holding myself under tight control ever since the beginning of this rescue operation, and now I need to rid myself of this nervous energy. I can only imagine how Brook feels. No doubt she, too, would like to take the edge off after one hell of a few days. Yeah, we both need this. And there’s an important matter that I intend to settle, here and now.
I sit on the edge of the bed next to her, shot glass in hand, and gently lift her head forward. “Drink, Arroyita.”
She drinks it down. I light a spiff and take a long, delicious drag, letting the smoke coil deeply in my lungs before releasing it. I lie down next to her on my side and take another drag, holding it in, then pressing my lips to hers. There’s something sensual about the way her lips part, trusting me enough to take what I’m giving her.
“In the beginning, chains were necessary to hold on to you. Your instincts have always been to run. When you got scared, you ran. When you got confused, you ran. When you began to form any attachments, you ran. But the true test comes when you’re no longer chained, when all restraints have been removed -- and you choose to stay. When I’m deep in your heart, when I’m inside your head, that is when we think and operate as one and physical chains are no longer necessary. Then and only then, the ties that bind are from here”—I stroke a fingertip lightly over her temple --“to here.” I lay my hand over her heart.
The earnestness in her eyes makes her look so innocent. A small corner of my heart grieves for the naiveté that I know will, inevitably, be sacrificed to the cartel life.
“Is that what Tony is doing with Caden right now?” she asks.
“I’m not talking about Caden and Tony. I’m talking about you and me, but yes, I hope so. Do you know why I hope so?”
She shakes her head no, hanging on my every word.
“Because in those chains, in that cocoon, she’ll be safe, protected, and, I suspect, even loved.”
I trail my hand up her inner thigh. Her eyes widen when I slip my middle finger inside her silky-smooth pussy with no warning. “I want you to move in with me,” I whisper as her back arches beneath my hand.
“I think it’s pretty obvious I already have,” she says on a sigh.
“No, I want you to move in with me, and live with me in my house.” I slowly dip my finger in and out as I roll my thumb around her clit. “I won’t take no for an answer. You’re in too deep already. You’ve wrapped yourself around me and I’m just as trapped as you are. I love you and I think you love me. It would be unwise to play with my emotions or try to manipulate me. Are you playing with me? Are you toying with my emotions?” I pinch down on her swollen pearl of nerves just enough to send a jolt of pleasurable sensations through her.
“No,” she gasps. “I don’t fuck with people’s emotions. It’s just that I don’t think I know what love is—I’ve never been in love before.” My hand stills inside her as I struggle to understand what she’s trying to tell me. It’s make or break time, as far as I’m concerned. Whatever she says next will set the course for the rest of our lives. As usual, she does not disappoint me.
“What I do know,” she offers in a tremulous voice, “is you’re the first thing I think about when I wake up…”
I lean down and kiss her forehead.
“…and the last thing I think about when I drift off to sleep at night.”
I kiss her neck.
“What I do know is I can’t imagine my life without you.”
I press my lips to hers in a chaste but lengthy, solemn kiss that conveys my profound satisfaction at her words.
“Is that what love is, Diego?”
“Querida, we are like the blind leading the blind here, aren’t we?” I chuckle. “I never knew love before you, either, but I think I knew the first time I saw you that what you stirred in me could be nothing else.”
My woman’s blue eyes shine up at me. “Then, yes, if that’s what love is, I love you too. So much.”
“Then be with me,” I whisper seductively as I slide on top of her and blanket her body with mine. “Come live with me in our little house.”
“I’m sure it’s hardly a little house, Diego.”
Her sarcasm and arched brow completely shatter the seductive moment I have been so carefully crafting, and I can’t resist laughing out loud because she’s right. “Move in with me anyway. All we’ll need is the bedroom.” All humor falls away, leaving me more serious than I’ve ever been in my life. “Be with me in the house I’ve never lived in and let’s make it our home.”
“You’re not being fair,” she moans as I cup her breast and roll my hips, rubbing my erection between her slick lower lips. “You’re all big and sexy and you’re teasing me with your big--”
“Fuck ‘fair’. Tell me yes.”
I position the head of my cock at her entrance, pulling away slightly when she lifts her hips to meet me. “Tell me yes…I’ve got all night to convince you.”
I claim her in a single thrust that sends her over the edge. She cries out as her body bucks beneath me. I wait until the final aftershock of her climax has eased before I speak.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“It’s not like you gave me much of a choice,” she gasps as I begin to thrust, bringing her along with me as I seek my own release deep inside her.
“I’ve told you before, there is always a choice. Did you just roll your eyes at me? No? Oh, I think you did. Arroyita...”
/>
Brook
I like the idea of living in a place where we can be alone without other people constantly around. I need solitude sometimes and I’ll never get that at The Club. The perpetual drama is almost overwhelming at times. Sometimes my old hiding place in the dressing room closet looks quite inviting.
“Ready to go in?”
He waited until the next day to show me his house. He parks in front of a mansion that is similar to the Ramirez property but has a more contemporary style. I like it.
It’s far from the main road and surrounded by woods, which provides privacy and the advantage of being able to see anyone coming up the driveway long before they get here. The circular drive in front of the house has a fountain – shaped like an Equis snake, of course. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful, more unusual. When I think of fountains, I think of angels, but this…never. The serpent’s bright colors and open mouth with bared fangs remind me of our tattoos. It’s unorthodox but, somehow, it works. Just like us. Somehow, we work.
“Diego, this place is huge…”
“Don’t even start. C’mon. It’s show time. Now get the fuck out of the car. And don’t even think about slamming my car door.”
“And don’t even think about slamming my car door,” I mimic him childishly.
“Okay, I’ve changed my mind,” he says, taking my hand and heading up the front steps. “You don’t have a choice after all. Just because Santiago has gone underground doesn’t mean you’re safe. The only way your safety is guaranteed is if you’re with me. So, with me you will stay.”
We’re standing in front of the massive, wooden double doors that lead into the house, and his hand is on the door knob. He narrows his eyes, seeming to weigh his next words carefully. “I don’t think you get it. You can’t just come to the States, shoot a drug lord, run away and then go about your business as if he can’t find you. The man has access to private planes, more money and muscle than you can imagine, and has eyes and ears all over the world.”
The Pimp (Colombian Cartel Book 2) Page 22
