Page 70 of Shifting Hearts
FOUR
Alejandro
I grab her by the arm and keep my eyes ahead while I pull her to the waiting SUV. I open the door for Uncle Angelo before I shrug off my jacket, hang it around her shoulders, and usher her into the car.
Breathing in deeply, I steel myself before I open the passenger side door and get in.
What did I get myself into?
All I know is I have this burning desire in the pit of my stomach to touch her and make her mine. And I know for a fact that I will burn this world down if something were to happen to her.
There is no way I am letting that asshole lay a finger on her.
On my cue, the driver pulls away, and it takes all my restraint not to turn around to check if she is comfortable.
When did I start caring about the comfort of others?
Since I found another Basilisk that could change the whole projectory of the coming war about to ensue.
If we stand any chance of winning the war on trafficking, I will have to be a weapon of reckoning, and she can give me that power, however fleeting it may be. Besides, she is a prostitute. I have already saved her life, and I will make her a job offer she can’t refuse.
Because with our powers combined, I would be unstoppable, and if she wants to go back to her life afterwards, who am I to stop her?
When I walked out and saw that piece of scum screaming in her face, I wanted to crush him with my bare hands. Then, when I felt her delicate hand on my shoulder, it felt like electricity pulsing through my body. The only way I could think of to protect her was to claim her for myself.
I didn’t miss the amused eyebrow pull on my uncle’s face. Thank fuck he backed me up in there; otherwise, this might have played out very differently.
“Are you sure about this, hijo ?”
He only calls me son when he is very worried.
I turn slightly in my seat to see him. “You heard him in there? He wants to dominate the…trade. And we can’t allow that. What do you think he would have done with her?”
“I know. However, this will be a significant responsibility. Are you sure you have time to divide your attention like this?” he counters.
Snorting, I say, “You know, for a second there, I thought you were interested in his proposal. I almost saw myself taking you to a secluded spot and kissing you goodbye.”
His smile is devious, although we both know what I am hinting at. “Always better to know your enemy’s plan than have to guess. Besides, his arrogance played right into my hands.”
I turn back around. I almost stepped away from the only decent man I know today. Luckily, it did not come to that. However, we now face an entirely different problem.
Alvarez.
In the rear-view mirror, I see my uncle scrutinizing the girl before he asks her point-blank, “What is your name?”
She stares at him for a few seconds before she answers in a fearless tone, “What is that to you?”
I growl, “Do you know who you are talking to, little girl?”
Without flinching, she turns her head to me and says, “Last time I checked, you forced me to come with you; therefore, I owe you nothing. And before you say, 'I saved your life', I can assure you that I can look after myself. You can drop me off around the corner. I can find my way from there.”
Where I was expecting gratitude, all I get is attitude, and I see the poor attempt from my uncle as he tries to hide his smirk.
“You will be going nowhere except with me. And if you don’t want to give me a name, then I will give you one. How does ‘Viper’ sound? I like it,” I say to myself, clearly trying to bait her.
She acts oblivious to my obvious taunt. She must be a better actress than dancer. She stares out of the window, and my uncle continues the conversation in Spanish. “She seems like more trouble than she is worth. Why is she so important to you? Do you know her?”
No! But it feels like my soul does.
Instead, I keep my voice level and say, “She saved your life back there. Doesn’t she deserve the same courtesy?”
He shrugs and then says, “Fine, but you must keep an eye on her and explain this to your aunt. You know how she is.”
I certainly do. She can be a tough cookie but only when you mess with her loved ones. I am sure if I tell her the truth, she will welcome this girl with open arms. But first, I will need to make her presentable.
“Button up the jacket. I’m not going to explain why I have a half-naked woman in the back of my car at the border,” I demand.
She huffs but does as instructed.
I catch the driver staring at her in the rearview mirror, and I hit his shoulder. Hard. He winces slightly but doesn’t react. Just keeps his eyes on the road.
We are close to the border when I notice an unmarked car behind us. “How long have they been following us?” I ask.
The driver starts whipping his head around frantically, looking for the culprits. I take out my knife and plunge it into his thigh with one sudden movement. “What the fuck were you doing while our enemies were closing in?”
Unexpectedly, she pipes up from the back, “Looking at my tits. Just like you. Now, are we going to die in a fiery crash? Or are we going to cross the border and take these goons out on your home turf? Just asking for a friend.”
The sass coming from her is making me so hard. I must adjust myself before I can pull the knife from his leg.
“You might think she has saved you, but I will deal with you later,” I hiss in the driver’s direction.
Letting her stew for a little while, I attempt to regain my composure.
I watch her in the side mirror and hear my uncle say, “This will be a first. I have never seen him back down like that.” He is warming up to her and his allegiance has clearly shifted.
A whimsical old man he is, having been married to his wife for thirty-eight years.
She leans closer and whispers loudly behind her hand, “I think that is because no one dares to challenge him.”
I whip my head around to pin her down with my infamous death stare, but she hardly reacts. She just leans back in her chair, pulls my jacket’s lapel up to her nose, and takes a deep whiff.
This is doing nothing to calm down my raging hard-on, and I subconsciously will the driver to drive faster.
We are too close to the border to be involved in a shoot-out, which means the unwelcome party behind me intends to follow us through somehow.
I see the border posts to Juárez before us and know I need to make a decision because we will have more control over them on our own turf. And who am I to deny them the pleasure of my company if they were foolish enough to try this trick?
The car before us goes through the checkpoint, past the man who has been in our pocket since the day he started working here.
That is what this cartel is all about. Family and family ties work together to keep everyone safe and prosperous.
This guy at the border is a distant cousin of one of the aunts who married into the family. He is just related enough to have his mother taken care of in the best frail care unit in Juárez.
And in return, he follows any and all instructions we give him. And I have a special instruction for him today.
I let the window wind down. “ Mi amigo , how is your mother today?”
Even if it is a subtle reminder of the power we have over him, he is still grateful. “She is having a good day. The nurse sent me a text early this morning saying that she wanted me to come and visit after work. That rarely happens anymore.”
I nod, knowing exactly how hard it can be to see the parent you love slowly disappear while being alive.
“Well, that is good. Listen, seems we have lured a stray, and we would greatly appreciate it if you could let me know the names of the men in the second car behind me. Get a photo while you are at it, won’t you?”
He nods fervently and we drive through.
I instruct the driver to slow down so as not to lose our tail, and I call the driver in the car behind me to instruct him to pass us. That way, I could get a closer look at the vehicle and its occupants before leading them to the Warehouse.
Everyone in the car is silent while I attend to business, and I glance back to see if our new guest is nervous.
Oddly enough, the look on her face is filled with exhilaration. Could she be excited?
My uncle shakes his head when he sees the same thing and gives me that look.
That look that says, 'You have met your match, and she is just as crazy as you are.'
If he only knew that wasn’t all we might have in common.
Juárez is a bustling metropolitan area, and I get a good look in the rear-view mirror at the men in the car behind me while we wait for a green light. There are three of them, and the two in front look very solemn as they try to avoid looking suspicious.
The text from our contact at the border comes through just as we turn into the area where the Warehouse is located.
“The passports were fakes. But he let them pass anyway. He said they were not good enough to be government, and he saw they were armed.” I say as I turn to look back to reassure my uncle when the message comes through on my phone.
At least we are not on any agency radar. We wouldn’t want to make it too easy for them to catch us, especially if we are going to war with the Alvarez cartel. We can’t let their plans stand, and as it is in the world these days, we might be their only opposition.
I address my uncle without looking at her. “Can you take her home and find her something to wear? I will come pick her up a little later after I have concluded business here.”
“What! I don’t care what business you have; I am not leaving your side,” she chirps.
I sigh. Somehow, I knew she would be difficult.
“It will be safer for you to go with my uncle. Just do what I say,” I growl.
She leans forward and the jacket slides open to reveal much more skin. “You took me, and that makes me your problem. And until I know what the plan is, you are going nowhere without me.”
Hearing my words being repeated back at me frustrates me endlessly. I press my fingers against the throb that starts in my temple.
“Since I saved your life, I would think you would be a little more grateful and a little less difficult. Does this look like the kind of place that has a waiting room for you to wait in?”
I point at the building at my side when the car stops in front of the door. She huffs and simply opens the door, sliding out of the vehicle.
“Take him straight home,” I instruct before I follow her out and practically run to catch her before she makes a fool of herself, half-naked on the surveillance cameras. I will scrub the footage later. But first, I need to deal with the obstinate woman before me.
I grab her by the arm and yank her back into my rigid body. “What the fuck do you think you are doing? This isn’t a theme park. And I am not your park guide. I am a dangerous man in a perilous situation, and you want to tell me what to do. Are you fucking insane?”
She leans into me, and I can smell the imitation smell of strawberries in what must be cheap shampoo.
“I don’t like being underestimated, and you are sorely mistaken if you think you are the only one who is going to have fun. I know what the Alvarez family is involved in, and thanks to you, I am precisely where I need to be.”
Speechless, I watch her smooth down the jacket before she opens the door to enter my domain.
What the fuck have I gotten myself into with this woman?