Page 23 of Cartel Viper (The Cartel Brotherhood #2)

Chapter Twelve

Maddy

Just like Javi told me, we stopped at the hotel.

I’ve still been using my sleeping bag rather than mess up the sheets.

I have my own towels too, so I’ve left as little trace of me as I can.

He helped me wipe down all the surfaces before we headed out to the midsize SUV we’re in now.

We aren’t going as far as I assumed, only into Greenwich.

This part of Connecticut lies along the Long Island Sound and about an hour’s drive from Queens with some traffic.

It’s like an entirely different world, though.

The properties around here are estates, not just houses.

They have mansions and are on “grounds,” not front and backyards.

As we approach the gate to a particularly secluded one—it’s on a fucking island by itself—I realize my comment about a twelve-thousand square foot mansion wasn’t far off.

We turned off the main road and onto little more than a dirt path that would be easy to miss if you didn’t know what to look for.

It turns into a paved driveway as we emerge from a forest and approach a gate.

I can see it’s the first of two, the second standing across a causeway.

Javi pulls up to what looks like a regular tree, but I realize it has a keypad on it.

He punches in the code, and the gate slides open.

I watch guards step out of a hut tucked away against the tall brick wall. The two men nod at us.

They’re dressed like the ones who patrol Enrique’s property.

They have Kevlar vests and helmets with black fatigues.

They’re both armed with high-powered rifles and handguns in thigh holsters.

I’m certain they carry knives just like Javi and his family always do.

When I see more men like the first two as we approach the second gate, I breathe much easier.

“There are a dozen men who live here full-time. Four are always posted at the gates, and four patrol the grounds while the last four are off-duty. It might seem like a boring assignment, relegated to the middle of nowhere, but very few people in our organization know this place exists. The men stationed here know they’re among our most trusted because we can’t afford anyone to follow them here when they leave.

With only a dozen men here, they have to be among our best.”

I swallow because the implications are grave.

This place may be the pinnacle of luxury, but it could also feel like a prison.

I hope it’s more like a romantic getaway than a secret lair.

I don’t know yet. I scan my surroundings as we continue along the driveway until we circle around the side to the six-car garage.

I’ve never seen one so large. It’s more like a barn attached to the main house.

A guard materializes out of I don’t know where and holds out a remote, pointed toward the garage.

One door rises, and Javi pulls in. The moment he’s in park, the door closes.

“Wait.”

I look over at him when he issues the command. I haven’t even unfastened my seatbelt or reached for the door.

“You don’t get out until the door closes. I’ll turn off the engine immediately, and once I do, you’ll know it’s safe.”

I look over my shoulder as the door stops moving. Holy shit. The rule’s in place in case Javi needs to reverse out of here or in case someone or something rolls beneath the door before it closes all the way.

Fucking intense.

Not quite as much as the high-speed chase, but it’s another overwhelming thing to take in today.

I unfasten my seatbelt and reach for the door. He covers my left hand as I pull the handle.

“Maddy, when we’re outside somewhere, you either wait for a guard or me to open the door for you. We will have scanned our surroundings and are confident it’s safe for you. Only exit your car in a closed garage if the house is secure or someone you trust is inside.

“Are these the normal protocols, or is this because I was followed?”

“Unfortunately, these are standard. But they’re doubly important now.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“ Chiquita .”

He must hear the fear in my voice because his other hand cups my jaw, and he brushes a soft kiss against my lips.

I lean into it and savor it, even though it’s brief.

I climb out of the car and walk around to the trunk.

Javi already popped it open, and we both reach for my luggage.

He’s gentle, but he brushes my hand away before gathering all my things.

He has keys in his hand that he passes to me as we turn toward the door leading into the house.

I unlock it but then step back, knowing he won’t want me to go in first despite his hands being full.

He elbows the door open and immediately sets my stuff inside to the right.

He blocks my way in as he looks around. When he’s convinced it’s safe, he moves aside and holds out his hand.

The door leads into a mud room, but I can see through the far door to a living room.

Peeking down the hall, I see the kitchen door open.

We don’t exactly creep through to the main entrance area, but we move with caution.

Even with the security, Javi’s natural tendency toward caution is there.

I didn’t realize how large the foyer was from where we entered through the garage.

The living room is even more expansive than I thought.

It has to be to fit Javier, Joaquin, Jorge, Alejandro, Pablo, Luis, Margherita, Luciana, Catalina, Matáis, Enrique, and now Elodie.

There are a dozen people in his family, and none of the men are small.

Alejandro has the broadest frame, and most people consider him the hottest in the family, but I disagree.

I think Javier is hands down more attractive. Alejandro’s almost too good to be true.

He’s a near replica of Enrique, but he sounds like and has Matáis’s mannerisms. He has Catalina’s personality.

He’s a perfect blend of his parents. I never met Javier, Joaquin, and Jorge’s dad since he died before they moved to America, but their mom, Luciana, is a firecracker.

None of Tres J’s are as extroverted as her.

Margherita’s genes got little say in Pablo since he’s a mirror of Luis from looks to attitude.

As I watch Javi continue to assess our surroundings, I have a brief thought about what kids with him would be like.

I used to wonder the same thing about Drew when we first got serious.

Then I made sure I did everything I could to never get pregnant.

I’m certain he would have liked me to just so he could trap me.

He thought he had when he threw out my birth control four months after I moved in with him.

I’d already seen a hint of who he really was, so I’d had one of the OBGYNs I worked with insert an IUD for me.

He was irate when he found out, but he couldn’t get it out, and he knew he couldn’t march me into a doctor’s office and demand they remove it.

He punished me for it, but I refused to give in.

I consider whether I’d remove it for Javi if we got serious enough to marry.

The idea of kids with a Cartel member is unappealing.

The idea of a family with Javi makes me imagine dark-haired little kids with perpetual suntans running around.

He catches me smiling to myself and pulls me into his embrace. Our gazes lock, and I could drown in his whiskey-brown eyes. The sunlight from the window above the front door is lightening them from the milk chocolate they usually are.

“You’re so damn beautiful, Maddy.”

That came out of nowhere.

“Thank you.”

“The sunlight on your hair looks like a halo, and your eyes match the water in summer. I know I should give you a tour of the house, but all I can think about is stripping you, so I can finally see all of you.”

“The rooms aren’t going anywhere, Daddy.”

“I know, but are you tired after everything that’s happened today? Are you hungry?”

“Your mother’s etiquette rules are great, but I don’t want polite Javi right now. I want the man who promised to do dirty things to me.”

I squeal as he pounces, backing me against a wall.

His kiss steals my breath as he presses me into the hard surface.

Aggressive is the only way to describe him, and I’m here for it.

His possessiveness makes me feel protected.

His certainty that he can do whatever he wants promises me pleasure, but it also reminds me there’s nothing he won’t do to keep me safe. I feel cherished.

When he leans back and our gazes meet again, I recall the crush I had on him in high school. It started before he rescued me from the fucking sack of shit who locked me in the car. It got stronger after that, but I never imagined in my wildest dreams everything I daydreamed about would come true.

“Maddy, I’ve wanted this since I met you.

I was angry at the world that someone murdered my father, that we had to move to a country where I didn’t speak the language.

I just wanted to be left alone most of the time.

I was a dick to everyone until I met you.

Even when I scowled, you smiled at me. You did your best with your Spanish to make me feel welcome whenever I was at Tío Luis and Tía Margherita’s the same nights your family was there for Sunday dinner.

I wasn’t appreciative enough, but I had a massive crush on you.

I’d never spanked a girl before I did you, but I’d never feared for one the way I did for you that night.

That spanking made me realize things about myself I never believed I could have with you.

Just the opposite. I believed there would never be a chance to do it again. ”