Page 35 of Fighting for Julia (Laguna Beach Cops #6)
General Escobar poured two glasses of sangria and pushed one toward Julia.
She took several gulps of the sweet drink.
It was hard to reconcile the head of a ruthless drug cartel with a loving father and grandfather.
Her stomach growled, so she reached for some grapes, juicy pineapple chunks, and cubes of cheese.
“Well, Julia, where do we begin?”
“At the beginning. Why did you send Felipe to kill my father?”
“I didn’t. Felipe was supposed to bring you home to us. I hoped Julio would at least agree to talk to me if I had his child.”
“I wasn’t with my parents. They’d left me at a fire station a couple of days after I was born.”
General Escobar emitted a deep sigh. “Sí. Felipe was…what is the expression? Trigger happy.”
“And so you lost a son and a nephew and sent Lola straight into the arms of Axel Anderson, a psychopath with a God complex. Four years ago he and Lola planned to destroy America from the inside out. Miguel and his fellow officers stopped them. Lola and Axel were killed in the raid on their underground compound.”
“Sí, I read about it online.”
“Your pride and your ego caused this, Gramps. Lola and Axel experimented on their own children with brainwashing techniques that fractured their minds so badly they’ll never be whole. When their oldest son targeted the cops who killed his parents, they killed him, too.”
“Gramps?” he scoffed. “You dare to disrespect me?”
It was a tactic to avoid acknowledging his role in this tragedy that had yet to end. “I didn’t mean to disrespect you. I call my other grandparents ‘Gramps’ and ‘Grammy’, and they love it.”
“You do?” A ghost of a smile crossed his face.
“Sí.”
“You know Spanish.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Sí.” In Spanish she continued, “ I’ve been well-educated. All my brothers and sisters are bilingual. My sisters are also studying Chinese and Arabic to prepare for international careers. We’re all adopted. ”
“You are? And you and your brothers and sisters were treated well? Equally?”
Julia switched back to English. “Sí, Gramps. The Washburns are wonderful parents. I suppose I should thank you, but I wish you had been as generous with my bio dad as you’ve been with Alejandro.”
He looked surprised. “You’ve met?”
Julia nodded. “Just a few hours ago. We took refuge with him after the Jalisco gang attacked us.” She paused and sipped more of the delicious sangria. “Now, Gramps, can we get back to the subject of Axis and Axalia Anderson? Did they tell you what they want from you?”
“No. They refused to tell me. The question is, what do they want with you?”
“I can only guess. They want you to destroy my soul and turn me into?—”
“A monster like me?” he cut her off in a voice rough with disappointment.
“No, Gramps. A monster like them . You’ve done your share of killing in the Mexican army and otherwise, but so have I in the name of duty. But you don’t lack compassion or remorse, do you?”
“No, Julia, I do not, though they are often interpreted as weaknesses, which I must hide from my men.”
“Yes, I can understand your point of view. But Axis and Axalia are incapable of feeling either, except perhaps for each other. Gramps, I think they want to continue their parents’ mission to topple America, and they want you to help them.”
General Escobar swallowed a chunk of pineapple. “Well, that poses a dilemma, doesn’t it? I have no intention of taking on the might of the United States. So, what do we do with the Andersons?”
The moment had arrived. Julia gathered her courage. “We kill them. Specifically, you eliminate them. And…and if you stop transporting illegal drugs across the border, I’ll make sure the DEA leaves you alone.”
He choked on his sangria. Julia pounded him on the back as he tried to catch his breath. “Gramps, are you okay?”
He coughed and shook his head. “No, Julia, I am not okay. Your suggestion poses another dilemma. First, you don’t have the authority to make any promises in the name of the DEA?—”
“But—” she interrupted.
General Escobar held up a hand. “Please allow me to finish. Second, this quarrel with the Andersons is yours , not mine. Therefore, it is up to you to resolve it.”
“How?”
“A fight to the death.”
Julia would have laughed out loud if her grandfather hadn’t been deadly serious. “A fight to the death.”
“If their deaths are what you want, then do it yourself. Miguel and Axis. You and Axalia. In a ring. A fight to the death.”
Julia shivered as a cold chill crept up her spine. “But Miguel is recovering from a gunshot wound and Covid. He lacks the strength to fight Axis.”
“I’ll give him three days to train and regain his strength. Besides, Axis isn’t without his own injuries. He said you shot him in the leg.”
“Gramps—”
“If that’s distasteful to you, then I will help you take them into custody and transport them to the border.”
“And then what?”
“And then our business is concluded. You have satisfied my curiosity, my longing to know you. It is enough.”
To Julia’s surprise, pangs of regret stabbed her heart. “Gramps, you know?—”
“Sí.” He rose to his full height. Regal and imposing.
“Go. Discuss this proposal with your fiancé. In the morning we attend Mass at the chapel in the mountains, if you and Miguel would care to join us. Much later in the day, we will dine and celebrate. I will have my personal doctor look after Miguel.”
“Thank you, Gramps.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. Kissed the cheek of the man who represented everything she detested, yet she couldn’t deny the familial bond.
General Escobar reciprocated the gesture. “One of my guards will escort you to Miguel. Your room is across from his.”
She nodded, and they parted.
Miguel paced his room like a caged animal.
He’d taken a much-needed shower and dressed in the clean clothes that Alfredo had provided.
He also brought a light repast of fresh fruit, cheese, and a carafe of sangria.
He’d drunk too much of it, and it went straight to his head.
At least his room was spacious and comfortable.
A set of square windows without the bars he’d expected overlooked a well-lit courtyard with a fountain.
Miguel checked his watch for the hundredth time.
Where was Julia? Was she safe?
He gazed out the windows again. The two-story, rectangular buildings were placed in a U around the courtyard.
They’d gone through a wrought iron gate to get onto the property.
Miguel suspected the fence stretched for miles around the land owned by the Escobar family.
Atop the second-floor balconies, armed guards patrolled the perimeter.
Miguel occupied his mind by counting the number of guards and the number of passes they made during their sentinel.
A key rattled in the lock. Startled, Miguel turned toward the door and took a defensive stance. He’d clock the intruder over the head with the half-empty carafe of sangria to protect himself, if necessary.
Julia slipped inside and rushed into his arms. Their mouths crashed together.
Miguel tangled his fingers in Julia’s hair and held her head.
His mouth explored hers with feverish intensity.
Her lips parted in an open invitation. His tongue slid into the opening and danced with hers.
She tasted of sweet sangria, and it intoxicated him even more.
Miguel’s hands traveled down Julia’s ribs and cupped her bottom.
He pressed into her, allowing her to feel his erection, as hard as a rock.
She broke their hot kiss long enough to yank his T-shirt over his head.
Julia ran her hands up and down his chest as she pressed kisses against his neck and across his shoulders before claiming his mouth again.
Miguel removed her blouse and unhooked her bra.
He dropped it on the floor and bent his head to suck her nipples, those tight little buds he’d been fantasizing about.
When he grazed them with his teeth, she moaned low in her throat.
It was the sexiest sound he’d ever heard.
His mouth left her delectable breasts and moved up from her neck to her lips. He kissed her long and hard.
Finally, he lifted his head and murmured, “I want you, Julia. I’ve wanted you since I first laid eyes on you.”
“I’m sweaty and dirty,” she protested albeit half-heartedly.
“I don’t care. We’ll shower together afterward, and I’ll take you again.”
“Oh, my God, Miguel. I’m so hot right now.”
They wasted little time abandoning the rest of their clothing, and, their mouths clinging together, they fell on the bed.