Palermo, Mexico City
Twenty-four Hours EarlierAt twenty-seven, he was ready to die. Revenge was bittersweet yet he had accomplished what he had set out to do, his one goal when he found out he was among the living.
For years, he had suffered in torment. The dreams. Their cries. His father's dead eyes blurred by tears and blood.
He carried them all. Sanity was a privilege. Long had his been gone.
The demons crave blood. Plaguing him. Whispering. Tempting.
He had served his purpose. He had killed them all. No regrets. No remorse.
He didn't know why they had to save him. Dying would have given him peace.
"Urg!" His loud growl reverberated in the four corners of his room. He was alone. So alone. Months had passed since he almost died from saving a friend and it was getting harder and harder to recover. He wished they left him to die. He would have found peace then.
Those voices again. Like swarming bees. He would do anything for peace to find him. Anything. Distractions didn't work.
Women. He tried fucking them. Taking and discarding them. After a year. He stopped. He couldn't bear their whining. And it just wouldn't work. They were a temporary relief. But he felt ashamed of his actions. SHE wouldn't approve. They wouldn't approve.
Killing. He tried killing his enemies and traitors, as brutally as possible. Bathing in their blood. It still didn't work.
Since his last kissed with death, he locked himself in his room. Shunning everyone.
His organization kept him busy. The empire his father left him was the only thing preventing him from ending his life.
Their people banked on his success. In his direction for their future. Many of those came from poor barrios all over Mexico. His father took them in and gave them a secure and better life.
He will do anything to live up to his father's legacy.
Deep in the darkness of the night, his wound throb, he gritted his teeth. "Puta!" Cursing the pain, he stalked to his liquor cabinet, pouring himself a hefty amount of aged brandy.
The grandfather clock had struck midnight. His full fleshy lips thinned.
No sleep for him. Work it is then.
***
It had been a week since his return from The Americas, a lot of paperwork had piled on his desk.
He had no second in command. No secretary and no able-bodied men capable of helping him run his lucrative empire.
Those around him these days were his underbosses and his hardened private army. Though he knew they can be trusted, with what happened to his former second in command, a blood cousin, he became overly cautious. No. He didn't fear for himself. He feared for his people. Those who depended on him and his leadership.
Maybe he should call a very trusted friend of his late father. He required the old man's expertise.
Dawn was approaching and his time spent on work had not done much damage to the huge pile on his desk. His deep brown eyes were bloodshot and there was a constant frown marring his forehead.
Fuck! I need help.
Resigning to the inevitable, he grabbed his cell phone and dialed a familiar number.
It rang five times before his call was answered by a gruff sleepy voice.
"You better have a fucking good reason for calling me..."
He smirked. Always the grumpy old bear. "It's me, tio."
Frantic movements were heard, rustling sheets and a soft womanly voice groaned in protest. Always the attentive lover, his tio.
"Is something wrong, mijo?"
"No. I...ah...I decided to spend time at the hacienda." Their deep Spanish accent was loud in the silence of dawn.
"I see." A hesitant and vague answer.
He frowned. "Is something wrong?"
"No...no...everything is fine. Do you want me to come and get you?"
This time he couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm more than 8, Tio Ramon."
"Cheeky boy. Si, bueno. I will have everything ready when you come home, mijo."
"I know. We will close this place. Everyone will be coming home with me. It's time for me to choose my second in command. I hope you had prepared our men well, tío Ramon." He had the utmost confidence his esteemed caretaker had followed his edicts to a tee.
"I did, El Patrón. Only the best for our organization." The confidence in the old man's voice settled any misgivings he was feeling.
"Gracias. I always knew I could count on you." He trusted his father's friend with his life for he had proven his loyalty time and time again. Ramon even nurtured him back to life.
"Your Tia Juanita will be excited." Ah. Tia. A very important woman in his life. The only one he had allowed close to him after what happened to his....suppressing a snarl, he stood and paced to the opened windows.
When will he have peace? -When I die.-
He cleared his throat. Quashing his growl. Going back to his past was dangerous.
"I'll be there soon." He responded in a rough voice. Deigning not to respond to the enthusiasm in Ramon's voice, he ended the call without saying anything else.
Puta! He was a lost cause.
***
Three firm raps on his study, a sign of respect before a familiar woman entered.
"El Patron," she bowed and stood before his desk.
Some part of him twisted in pain. She reminded him so much of his sweet little sister.
"Lucinda," he acknowledged in a controlled voice and went back to perusing an important document - more like to compose himself- and he glanced once again at the concerned look of his and his sister's niñera. It's a rare thing he allowed anyone inside his sanctuary. "We are going home."
That's all he had to say. She will know what to do. He could feel the happiness radiating from the caring woman before him. He couldn't fault her. She must have missed her sister, Juanita.
"That is wonderful news, hijo. I will have the household prepare at once." He grunted and kept his attention to his work. "When are we leaving?"
"Tomorrow morning. Have everything ready."
"Si. At once, El Patron. Anything you need before I go?"
"No."
"Bueno. I'll bring your breakfast in a little while." With lighter steps, his nanny went back to the kitchen. He could hear her rapid-fire instruction in her customary general-like enthusiasm. His mother would be so proud of...
He sighed heavily. They all reminded him of his lost family. Even going home, where he grew up, where his father and mother shared their unconditional love with their children was a painful reminder of what he had lost. It had been years since he was home. Truly home.
The household he was protecting tried to fill the gap but something was missing. His soul together with his sanity had long since left him.
No purpose. No future.
***
Sonora, Mexico
Rancho de MonteroIn daylight, it was an easy drive navigating through towns and villages. Everything was familiar. From an old butcher's post to an old pub, his former sire frequented together with the ranch's hands, and his mother's favorite local bakery.
The road led to dips, dust, and hallows then a familiar clearing. A mountain range surrounding a magnificent Spanish Villa. He knew of a river he retired to whenever the training was too much.
Everywhere his dark eyes fell, recognized his dead mother's loving touch. His heart squeezed. Tia Juanita had everything conserved even after all these years.
Their convoy turned south and carefully crossed the stone bridge. Old remnants from the past, his father had carefully maintained it.
Scattered buildings and quaint cottages were passed by before a change in the landscape made him grit his teeth.
He was home. His car stopped right at the entrance.
His mansion, large and majestic, stood proud before him. Waiting for its owner.
He felt like snarling. With a heavy heart. He counted to ten before he allowed his driver to open the door for him. His people were gathered to greet him.
Juanita and her sister Lucinda embraced before him. Excited and happy. Then they both turned to him with a wide and welcoming smile.
His face remained hard and his jaw was ticking. No! He was not game for an affectionate embrace. In all his legendary career, he had not even kissed a woman. He just fucked them then leave them.
Sensing his hesitation, Tia Juanita widened her smile even more and inclined her head. "Rafael, mijo."
"Tia." That was all he had to say. "I don't want to be disturb."
Without a backward glance, he left them to celebrate a much-awaited reunion.
Where he would never belong.
__________________
Angelina This was the kind of peace she was looking for. The tranquil waters, sunlight creating sparkling jewels like diamonds made her inner turmoil vanished. But not her curiosity. People around the compound were busy the whole day. Juanita referred to it as organized chaos. Even Ramon was up at dawn supervising the ranch hands. Odd to see them in vigorous exercise and training. Like on a military drill. And gunshots resounded in the air. Her pulse throb with the sound. Exciting her. She had wanted to join the group but she didn't trust anyone to show this side of her personality. Better for them to get used to her sweet persona. Not the frenetic one urging her to fight or train or go on an adventure somewhere. She just felt so antsy lately. How to pass the time until it was safe for her to go back to the villa? Tia Juanita had wa
Rafael Montero Cartel Leader Demons. He was plagued by them. No matter how much tequila he consumed, he couldn't block the memory of her baby sister crying. Her pain. Her lifeless eyes staring back at him. -When will it end?- Monette. She would have been a teenager now. Fuck! Some big brother he was. He was good for nothing. He couldn't even save her. In the darkness of his bedroom, heavy drapes blocking the outside world, he gulped the remaining contents of the heavy liquor. Though he was feeling the buzz of the alcohol, his mind was on full alert. Too active. Too much. Too many painful memories swirling inside his head. He could do some paperwork to pass the time. But... Rafael squinted his eyes, trying to read the time. Puta
Angelina "Dios Mio! What happened, Angelina?" Tia's frantic voice made her feel guilty. But only a little bit. It was 2 AM and she had to disturb their sleep. That was her only regret. The man sprawled on the kitchen floor was unconscious. Her doing. And she was glad. He deserved it. "His fault, tia. He attacked me and threatened to lock me in a cell. I mean, I already told him you will speak to El Patron about me in the morning but he wouldn't listen. I did what I had to do...." Angelina stopped. Everyone was looking at her in shock. Another lady, a carbon copy of tia Juanita was smiling from ear to ear. Tio Ramon was struggling not to laugh. "What?" Tia clucked her tongue. "As if she needs more encouragement, hermana. Ramon, get some of our men so we can transfer Rafael to his quarters. And prepare a bath. He stinks of tequila." Her nose wrinkled.
Rafael Waking up with a fucking hangover was a terrible way to start his day. The warmth and rays of sunlight streaming from his open windows made him groan. The throbbing pain in his skull made him squint his dark brown eyes on the grandfather clock steadily ticking, mocking him. Rafael stifled a savage curse. Too early in the morning to be cursing his life. Besides, he had a lot on his plate. The first was to meet the disguised angel from last night. He didn't trust her. Like recognized like. She, the Angel was something more. Fuck! He had to stop calling her that. Her name was...Angelina. An apt name for such a delicate face but she was not from the heavens. He might have been drunk when he met her, his intuition though had deemed her as a threat. To what? To his sanity. Damn it! -Who was she really? How
Angelina Later in the afternoon, Angelina found herself in her favorite spot. A place where she could be herself. The dense forests, the calm waters, and the quaint little cottage, a haven she was determined to make her hideout. Inhaling deeply, thoughts in disarray, she tried to calm her jumbled nerves. Did she always have a thing for insanely handsome brooding men? She doubted she had truly grasped how deeply she was affected by him. A challenge. -Is that how she sees him?- Her mind refused to formulate a response. If she did, it will only confirm how she felt and she wasn't sure she was ready to risk it. The path she had made for herself was absolute. El Patron was never a part of it. As she promised earlier, she would be gone in a few weeks. No matter the distraction, she would not waver. From a distance, she watched the man haunting her
Rafael -What devil had tempted him to do this?- He was courting danger and he was not referring to the sparring session with her. His blood was boiling but not from the excitement of the fight. The adrenaline coursing through his veins was from something else. More from his baser needs. He thought the cold morning shower would help. He was so fucking wrong. His blood was simmering once more and he had to exercise utmost control not to yank her to him and kissed her senseless and wiped the smirk of confidence on her angelic face. -Arrogant little minx.- Rafael's dark eyes couldn't keep from hungrily assessing her svelte, supple curves lovingly covered by a spandex sports bra and tights. His mouth went dry and he cursed his stupidity. These types of female sports attire should be banned forever. Angelina's stretching exercise could be classed as one of th
Angelina -What the fuck was wrong with her?- But El Patron looked so delicious without his shirt on, muscles hard, glistening, and flexing, she had to do something to end theincessant torture. Watching his movements had been more painful than his occasional jabs and kicks. Arousal crawled on every part of her sensitized skin, he was driving her crazy. The only solution her addled brain offered was to kiss him. Which she did. Which they both enjoyed. Too much. If only they weren't interrupted. The frustration she felt when he stopped- she felt like screaming. Trying to suppress her shivers from the memory, she glanced sideways at tia Juanita haggling with a vegetable vendor. She had not seen hide nor hair of him since the incident and to her disappointment tia dragged her along to the market. She would have loved to speak to Rafael and struck with some t
Rafael -What the fuck was wrong with him?- He could have sent his most trusted men instead of going himself. But the thought of Angelina in danger made him sick to his stomach. It doesn't matter she knew how to take care of herself. He just needed to know she was safe. Of course, she was tia Juanita's niece and it was his responsibility to take care of each member of his household. Rafael tried to rationalize his actions. And it has nothing to do with her hot kisses and even hotter-than hell luscious body, right? Who was he fooling? He wanted the woman underneath him, on top of him or whatever way he could fuck her and slake his lust. He just wanted her. Period. Five bulletproof SUVs in total. Almost at the town's center, people turned and stopped what they're doing to look at their procession of black tinte