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Chapter Twenty-Five
Enrique
“ Jesús, no me importa una mierda. ” Jesus, I don’t fucking care.
I continue the conversation in Spanish, too pissed off to think in English even though I’ve been speaking it for more than fifty years.
“We square up on your debt once and for all. You owe me for helping you secure your position. If you want to remain the boss, then you’ll fucking pay up. I want the Texas port and the border crossing in New Mexico for as long as I want. Your men not only won’t get in my way, they’ll also make sure my men can cross back and forth any time they want. Make sure Border Patrol doesn’t fuck it up.”
This cabrón thinks he has a leg to stand on to negotiate with me. He’s fucking out of his mind. I’ve listened to him give two excuses, and I’m unwilling to listen to a third.
“Shut up. I don’t care where your family is or who they’re involved with here. That’s your problem. You should have thought about that before you crossed the border. You can go back to Chihuahua and watch your plants grow. If you don’t, I’ll set fire to all of it.”
He knows I really mean all of it. Hundreds upon hundreds of square miles of crops that make his tequila, pot, and cocaine. I’ll leave nothing, and his enemies can pick him apart like he’s roadkill.
“Fine.”
“And?”
“And what, Enrique? You’re getting even greedier with age.”
“The ‘and what’ is that you apologize to my woman. You stay the fuck away from her and her family because they’re my family now, too.”
“You want me to apologize to the person who started all this?”
“She did a job just like any other mercenary any of us have hired. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”
“Fine. Should I send you a basket of pears or something?”
“You can apologize right now.”
Ellie came back down from our room after I strategized with my nephews. Luis had to fly down to Colombia this morning to sort out some shit with one of our mules. Fucker got himself locked up. Since I’ve been speaking Spanish throughout this call, Ellie’s just sat quietly. I don’t know how much she’s understood, but I don’t think it was much since I was speaking faster than usual.
“Speak.”
The call’s already on speakerphone, so Ellie can hear Jesus.
“ Senora , I apologize for drawing you into all of this. You wanted to get out, and you weren’t working for the Vizzinis anymore. I should have dealt with Tommaso since you just did your job. I’m sorry.”
He practically chokes on the first and last sentences.
“Let’s put this behind us.”
Ellie doesn’t accept his apology, and he knows it. But he also won’t push the issue. He’s lucky she isn’t assembling her rifle right now.
She was ready to go after her Registered Agent who hired Johann and Gérard for Jesus, but he took his own life when he discovered how badly he failed because even the obscene amount of money Jesus paid him wasn’t worth it. He didn’t want to give her a chance to find him.
She doesn’t need to know everything else I’m planning for Jesus. I’m certain she knows it’s not over, but her role is. She stands, and I press a quick kiss to her lips before she slips out of my office.
“Do we have a deal, Jesus?” I’m calm enough now that I lapse back into English.
“Yes. But we’re even after this.”
“Until you fuck up again.”
“Fine.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
“I’ll await your call, el patrón .”
“ A la chingada .”
I hang up. Patronizing fuck calling me el patrón . That title’s far beneath me, but he knows he can only push so far.
“Where do we stand on everything else?”
Alejandro crosses his arms and smirks. “The ships are well on their way to the Port of Nagoya, and there’s not shit Maks can do about it.”
Jorge’s already smirking as he drums his fingers on the armrest of his chair. “The IRS is breathing down Pasha’s neck, and he’s running in circles to keep them from digging in too many places. It’s great.”
Pablo looks up from the text he was reading. “Salvatore just got a pissed off call from Don Torretta about Tommaso doing business with the Razzanos. Salvatore was on his way to a meeting on Staten Island and turned around. From what I got from our guy in Palermo, Tommaso’s fucked every which way from Sunday.”
“Make sure he deduces this is his punishment for involving Ellie while leaving no proof we caused it.”
“Already taken care of.”
“Shocking the O’Rourkes actually had nothing to do with this. I was certain they were up to their asses in it when we found the O’Briens.”
Javier says what we’ve all thought since we rescued Catalina from their warehouse. One of our informants already told us Seamus lost his ever-loving mind and went on a rampage. The O’Briens are short another dozen men. Their newest pot shipment from Jamaica now belongs to the O’Rourkes. Gareth’s in the hospital and will be for at least another month from what Seamus’s ham-hock fists and size fourteen boots did.
“When Jesus is out several million over the border deal, they’ll have something to say, especially Cormac.”
I’ve been watching the last man standing in that family. Cormac’s getting way too close to Jesus’s family for my comfort, so I’m waiting for the perfect opportunity to shake shit up. There’s going to be a reckoning between the Mancinellis and the O’Rourkes one of these days, and I pray I’m there to see all of it. Maybe Ellie and my wedding reception since they’ll be on their best behavior, and I’ll consider it a gift from both families.
I need to propose before I make plans for the wedding and reception, but that’ll happen soon enough. For now, I’m content the pieces have all fallen into place to deal with the other families.
“That fucker can go to hell.”
Javier shrugs at my scowl and proclamation. I’m going to kill Salvatore. This might be the year I really do it. That hijo de puta just can’t leave well enough alone. He came to Tommaso’s defense and is trying to smooth things over for him with the Torrettas. Now I have the Vizzinis and the Torrettas planning to fuck me over because I’m pissed the Vizzinis fucked Ellie over.
“ Tío , we’ll deal with them another way. When God closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.”
“Or you could just leave it alone.”
I turn toward Ellie as she walks into the dining room. She comes to stand beside me, and I greet her with a peck on her lips. We’ve only been apart ten minutes, but I love how I can do that whenever I want. We finished moving her in two weeks ago, and it’s been bliss being together whenever we want. We’re good at reading each other and knowing when we each want space but gravitating toward each other when we want to be together. We’ve fallen into easy routines of dividing the household tasks, and it’s as though we’ve always lived together.
“Enrique, let it go, please. He’ll fuck up some other way soon enough. Deal with him over that, but move on from this. It’ll freak him out more if you drop it. It’ll leave him worrying and wondering what’s coming next. It’ll distract him, and he’ll open himself up to something else. Strike then. No one will think you lost. They’ll think you’re plotting. Keep them guessing, but in the meantime, don’t let him occupy your mind.”
I want to believe Ellie, and she’s right to an extent. Much of syndicate life is machismo. No leader wants someone to one up them. None want to appear weak. None want someone else to get the last word. It’s better to change the subject.
But Salvatore is the one I’m super pissed at. He could’ve let me deal with the Vizzinis and stayed out of it. He could’ve even helped repair the rift after it happened. But the nosey fucker just had to butt in. And that fucking complicates shit.
“Javier, check on the sparrows and get back to me.”
“ Sí, tío .”
My nephew offers us a smile before heading out, leaving us alone. The Italian sparrow is the national bird, so when we can’t use the Mancinelli name, that’s how we refer to them. The sparrow is a sturdy bird that can survive much, but they’re small and can be crushed or scooped up and torn apart by a larger bird of prey.
The nickname’s fitting because I intend to crush the Mancinellis’ Bronx new housing project. They’re about to have a walk out. None of those construction workers will show up. Fuck their union. I’ll make sure they’re paid—not to go to work. Salvatore’s budget will skyrocket once he has to find people willing to work for him—which he won’t—not to mention the hit he’ll take on wasted equipment and supplies. His client will shit a brick, and it’ll look horrible in front of the city, who he’s pandering to for a large, low-income, bond-funded project.
“Daddy, I’m serious. I know things are always in the works, but I don’t want the constant reminders of the life I tried to leave behind. I don’t want it to be the focus of our new life together.”
Then I’ll have to do a better job of not discussing it around Ellie .
“Daddy, don’t you think I’ll know you’re still dealing with them? There’s no way I won’t know that my boyfriend is engaged in a feud with my old boss.”
“I don’t want you caught in the middle, Ellie. But I won’t let this go. It’s not about Tommaso right now. It’s tangential.”
She stares at me for a moment before nodding, and I can tell she’s retreating. I don’t want this to be our first fight, and I don’t want this to put distance between us. I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close, but she doesn’t relax against me like she usually does. I rest my free hand heavily at the base of her throat, causing her head to tip back. I feel a sliver of tension ease from her. I increase the pressure, and her shoulders relax. I squeeze a little more, and her body presses into mine.
She’s giving me control. She may not agree with how I’m handling this, but she needs to feel someone has control without it having to be her. Or maybe she feels like the situation is still out of control, but she’s glad I’m controlling something. She’s called me Daddy twice. That should have been my clue.
“ Chiquita , I’ll sort it all out. I’ll keep you and my sisters safe.”
“I know you will. I just wish you could move onto the next disaster. One that doesn’t involve me or the family I once belonged to and worked for.”
“Do you still feel guilty about this?”
“How can I not?”
“Because what’s going on now isn’t because of you.”
“Don’t treat me like I’m simple. Whatever you planned to do to Tommaso made its way to Salvatore. You’ve probably already dealt with Tommaso for his role in things getting fucked up with Ignacio, or maybe you were going to hold him harmless for that. But whatever you tried to do, you did it because you’re pissed about how he treated me. Now you’re pissed Salvatore protected him somehow. I may not have been privy to all the Vizzinis’ inner workings, but I knew enough to accomplish my missions. I know how syndicates operate. I know what slights can be overlooked and which can’t. I could ask you what happened, and I could ask what you plan to do. But I won’t. I know you won’t tell me, and I won’t make you lie to me. How this plays out isn’t me guessing. You might keep the specifics secret, but don’t think you can keep how things work from me.”
“And if I don’t want you thinking about this? If I want you to let me worry about it?”
“The only way you can control my thoughts is to make sure there’s nothing to think about.”
I squeeze her throat tighter and pull her fully against me.
“Or I give you something else to think about.”
I dive in for a kiss, and she surrenders immediately. Rather than return my embrace or run her hands over me, she crosses her wrists behind her. I adjust my arm around her arms and waist. I keep increasing my grip on her throat until she has to pull away. She tilts her head back, and I nip at her right earlobe.
“You’ll let me worry about that for now. All you need to think about is how I’m going to fuck you until you scream. Until you beg me to stop because it’s too much. Then you’ll beg me for more. I’ll watch your beautiful ass turn bright pink. I’ll play with your sensitive nipples while I suck on them. And I’ll make your cunt ache for me while I play with your clit.”
“When, papí ?”
“Right now, chiquita .”
I shift us until she’s leaning over the dining room table. I pull her yoga pants down and enjoy the view. I love looking at her ass and thighs. I love thinking about her legs wrapped around my waist. I love sliding my hands over her ass, always having something to cup and hold.
She angles herself, so her top half presses into the wood. She’s kept her hands at her lower back the entire time. Her left cheek rests on the table, and her eyes are closed. She trusts me and whatever I do. She shifts onto her toes to get more comfortable, and it pushes her hips back. I can’t resist the temptation. I grip her hips and grind my dick against her ass. When I take a step back, her fingers uncurl, and she snags hold of my shirt. I move out of her reach and bring my hand down across her ass.
“OW!”
It wasn’t a light tap. It wasn’t a medium one to warm her up. It was a sharp crack she wasn’t expecting. I land another and another, her ass blossoming into a rosy pink immediately.
“Do you know why I’m spanking you this hard?”
“Because you can?”
“Yes. Because you love it. You love knowing that when you give me control, I take it. I’m not a man to be toyed with. When something’s given to me or I take it, it becomes mine. I take care of what’s mine and treasure it. I hold on to it. You belong to me, Ellie. You have since the moment I saw you, and you will until my last breath. I will find you in the next life and the one after that until eternity. When I want to fuck you, I will. When I want to make love to you, I will. You can always tell me no, but if you don’t, I will take what I want when I want.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
We both know there are elements of truth to what I’m saying, but much of it is role play. She loves it as much as I do. I’ve never been so possessive of anyone or anything in my life. I have three siblings, and as the oldest, I’ve always felt responsible for them. It’s meant sharing even when I didn’t want to. Most of the time, I enjoy sharing with them now. It’s the same with my nephews. But I want Ellie all to myself.
I don’t want to lock her away from the world. I don’t want to take her out of some gilded cage just to parade her around town at events. I want to know I can make her happy and protect her. That she doesn’t need to turn to someone else because I can’t do those things. I want her to know she has all of me. That she possesses me heart, body, and soul.
An all-consuming need to be inside her sweeps over me. Every thought I had a moment ago on how to tease her evaporates. I unfasten my pants, pushing them and my boxers down. I grab her hips and thrust into her.
“AH!”
Her mind’s unprepared for my force, but her pussy is slick. It’s easy for me to enter her. She wants this already.
I fight not to thrust repeatedly until I come. Not yet. I reach around her, my fingers seeking her clit. When I find it, I roll it between my thumb and index finger. I pinch and pull her pussy lips until I come back to her clit. I rub slow circles that soon have her shifting with impatience.
“You come when I say you can. Your orgasms belong to me. I can give them, and I can take them away. You need me as much as I need you.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“You crave this as much as I do.”
“More.”
“Impossible. No one can want another person more than I want you. I’ll do anything to make you happy, Ellie. Anything.”
“Marry me.”
The words fly from her mouth, and we both take a moment to realize what hangs in the air. When it sinks in, I pull almost all the way out. I see the immediate hurt on her face. She’s unprepared for how I hammer her cunt, thrusting over and over. My hand tangles in her hair as I lean over her body.
“If that’s a proposal, I accept.”
She looks over her shoulder as best she can.
“Do you mean that?”
“We’ve always been on the path to marriage. I will love you for the rest of my life, Ellie. You have all of me, and I want you to keep it. I want to grow old with you beside me. I want to fall asleep and wake to you. I want to love and cherish you, hold you in good times and bad, care for you in sickness and in health, until death parts us only to do it again in the afterlife.”
Her hands grip the edge of the table as she moves her hips with mine, pushing them back to allow me to bottom out when I’m in her the deepest. Her clit rubs against the hard surface, and I know she’s straining to get off. I don’t stop her because I want her to come.
Just not yet.
“May I come?”
I pull her away from the table and pull out far enough to spank her.
“No.”
I push her back over the table, my hand in the middle of her back.
“Will you marry me, Enrique?”
“Yes.”
This isn’t how I thought a proposal would go. I’m not such a prince that I’ll turn it down because it isn’t the fairy tale I envisioned.
I retreat, keeping her from the pressure she needs on her clit, before I spank her again.
“I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, chiquita .”
It’s like every spank—every dominant action on my part—frees something in her while she submits. Her feelings aren’t a surprise or a secret she’s suddenly revealing. But it’s the dynamic, the openness. It’s what we need because when this is over, we’ll go back to me keeping secrets. We’ll go back to her not having control over what happens outside our door.
This is who we are, and this works for us. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Daddy, please. I need to come.”
I trap her between the table and me. I plunge into her over and over, forcing her clit to grind against the table. She holds onto the edge, and the weight of our bodies makes it creak while the power of our bodies moving together inches it across the floor.
“Come, baby girl.”
She rubs her clit faster until she screams.
“ Ay, papí! ”
Fuck. I love hearing that. I don’t hold back. I explode inside her, feeling rung dry by the time my cock’s done. I draw her arms out in front of her and stretch over her, entwining our fingers. I kiss the back of her shoulder, along the top to the crook of her neck, then her cheek. We stay joined until my body refuses.
“Don’t move, Ellie.”
I see the flash of sadness as I pull up my boxers and pants. I know she wants me to stay with her, to hold her. I will in a moment. I rush to my office then hurry back. I help her off the table and turn her toward me.
“Keep all my cum inside your sweet little cunt. Catch any that drips on your thighs. Know that body belongs to me.”
I drop to one knee and fish out the ring box I just put in my pocket. I snap it open.
“My body belongs to you just as much, Ellie. You have my heart and what’s left of my dark soul. The only light I have comes from you shining on me. I love you, and I want you to know that’ll never change. That when I pledged to take care of you—when I started the moment I met you—it’s because I’ve always intended to do it for eternity. Will you marry me, chiquita? ”
“ Sí, papí. Sí a million times.”
I slide the ring on her finger, but she’s watching my face not my hands. When I stand, she launches herself into my arms. I sweep her into them and carry her to our bedroom. It’s only as I climb the stairs that she looks at her ring.
“Oh my God, Enrique. This is exquisite!”
“I hoped you’d like it.”
“I love it. It’s stunning.”
My sisters helped me pick it last week.
“Did I ruin things by asking in the middle of sex?”
I grin and steal a kiss.
“I knew you didn’t ask because you were carried away. It’s one of the most intimate things we share with just each other. I think that was a perfect time to ask.”
“Are you bothered I asked you rather than the other way around?”
“I just asked you, and you said yes.”
“You know what I mean.”
“No. It might be traditional for the man to ask, and as old-fashioned as things are for our family, I see no reason a woman shouldn’t ask if that’s what she wants.”
I lower her to the bed and lift off her shirt before unfastening her bra. I pull down the covers for her, and she slips beneath them. I strip off my clothes as she watches, her eyes feasting on me. My dick twitches back to life. When I get in beside her, she wraps her hand around my length and slowly strokes.
“When do you want to get married, Ellie?”
“Soon. Will it be the way it is in Boston? The ceremony is private, but the reception is for everyone and their mother?”
“Pretty much. The ceremony will be our family and my most senior men. Then the reception will be the who’s who, including the other families. My brother will be my best man. Can you come up with eight bridesmaids?
“Eight?! I don’t have eight female friends.”
“My five nephews and your three sons.”
“My boys? You’d ask them to stand up with you?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
She swallows and smiles.
“Ellie, I’m never going to parent them or try to replace their father. I hope the four of us can be friends. But they’re my family now and have been since the first time I kissed you. Just like everything else has been a foregone conclusion, so is them being part of my immediate family.”
“Thank you, mio caro .” My darling.
“You must have eight female friends or even four.”
She averts her gaze, her hand no longer stroking me.
“Ellie?”
“The only two women I’m close to are Tori and Stella.”
Shit .
Me persecuting Tommaso puts Ellie in an even shittier position than I considered. The don’s wife and sister won’t even come to the wedding, let alone stand next to Ellie, if I keep going after them. Even if it’s through Salvatore, it’ll put a rift between them they may never overcome.
I have only seconds to work through this as she speaks. I can put the past where it belongs for Ellie’s sake since my grudge against Tommaso really is about how he treated her. He knows I don’t like him, so that should be enough to keep him on his toes. Salvatore’s been a pain in my ass for decades, and the old goat will remain that way since he and I are both in great health. We’ve survived into our late fifties for a reason—to piss each other off to no end.
“What about Kathleen?”
Ellie’s chin draws back as her brow creases and lips turn down.
“I don’t know. The O’Rourkes didn’t disown her, but she’s no longer one of them. It doesn’t mean it’ll thrill them to see her sitting with Frank and the others at the reception. I assume if I invite Kathleen, then Frank will come. If I invite Tori, then Santino will be there. And if I invite Stella, that means Tommaso too. There’s not a chance in hell those three men would send their wives down here and not be there to guard them the entire time. It means the Boston don, consigliere, and former underboss who was the capo dei capi before that would be at our wedding. That’ll piss off everyone in your organization.”
“Not if I tell them it won’t.”
“You know that’s not how it works. They’ll resent me and question you.”
“Ellie, I’ve been el jefe for thirty-four years. I’ve lasted longer than nearly anyone else anywhere in this hemisphere. I’ve been questioned, doubted, and resented the entire time. I’ve also put the Cartel ahead of me in everything. Every decision I make is with everyone else’s wellbeing in mind. I considered them before I pursued you. I’ve thought about the organization and my family throughout this. I’m not pussy whipped. You don’t lead me around by my balls. My love isn’t blind. I know I’m a better man and a better leader with you by my side.”
I’m hard again. No surprise with Ellie on my mind and her body next to mine. I draw her over me, and she takes me into her slick cunt. I cup her ass as she rests her head on my chest. This is how we’ve always been meant to be.
One.
No end.
No beginning.
“I love you, Ellie. Whatever comes up, we’ll figure it out together. But the future—ours personally and the organization’s—is us united as one.”
“I love you, Enrique. I’ll stand beside you when I can. But I’ll also stand behind you to support you whenever you need me.”
“Plan your wedding, little one. I’m marrying you in a month.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
It’s only mid-morning, but we doze off. Syndicate life is back to homeostasis, but Ellie and I are just beginning our life together. There’s no direction but forward. I’ve been a king on his throne alone. Now I have the perfect queen to rule alongside me.