We’ll see

RICARDO

I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this fucking good.

Last night was a blur of pleasure and euphoria, and this morning? Damn. I hadn’t felt this alive in years. The second I woke up, hard as a rock, I knew something had changed. And it was all thanks to the man currently standing in front of me, looking like he wanted to disappear into the floor.

I grinned at him, my good mood making me almost giddy. “You’re a fucking genius, you know that?” I clapped a hand on Ryan’s shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. “Not only are you good with a syringe, but damn… you were pretty damn good in bed too.” I smirked. “Can’t remember the last time I felt that way.”

I let the words hang for a moment before my expression darkened.

"And about yesterday," I said, my voice dropping just enough to make my point clear.

"You should never try that kind of stunt with me again. Because, Doc, the next time you pull some sneaky shit like that, I won’t just be giving you a friendly wake-up punch."

I leaned in slightly, lowering my voice so only he could hear.

"I’ll be putting a bullet between those pretty eyes of yours."

Ryan swallowed hard, but to his credit, he didn’t flinch. He just held my gaze. “Yeah, about that…” He pulled away from my grip. “I’m not staying. I’ll be on my way now.”

I blinked.

Then I laughed.

Was he serious?

I tilted my head, studying him as if he had just sprouted a second head. “You’re joking, right?”

Ryan’s expression didn’t waver. “No, Ricardo. I’m leaving. I did what I came here to do. I never agreed to anything beyond that.”

My smile dropped. Ryan was rejecting me.

I clenched my jaw, my fingers twitching at my side. No one rejected me. No one told me no.

Slowly, I reached for the gun at my waist, pulling it out and pressing the cold barrel against his forehead.

Ryan didn’t flinch. His eyes flickered, but he stood his ground.

I let out a humorless chuckle. “You think you have a fucking choice, Doc? I don’t ask people to work for me. I tell them.”

I took a step closer, my grip firm on the gun. “And you? You just got yourself a promotion.”

Ryan’s brows furrowed. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It means you’re staying,” I said smoothly. “Not only as my personal doctor, but as the head of my brand-new hospital. Just finished building the damn thing for my men. And guess what?” I smiled, lifting my head. “You’re in charge.”

His lips parted slightly, as if he wasn’t sure he heard me right.

I leaned in, my voice dropping to a whisper. “You can recruit whoever the fuck you want. Bring in the best people. I don’t care. But you? You’re mine now.”

Ryan exhaled sharply, and clenched his fists. “You can’t just...”

“Oh, but I can.” I pressed the gun harder against his skin, just to make sure he understood. “No one saves Ricardo Moreno and then just walks away.”

He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

For a second, I thought he was going to fight me on it. That he’d say something stupid, force my hand, make me do something I didn’t want to do.

But then, he exhaled.

His shoulders slumped slightly, and I knew I had won.

I grinned, patting his cheek before finally lowering the gun. “Good boy.”

Just as I turned away from Ryan, satisfied that he finally understood his place, a voice stopped me in my tracks.

"That’s not a very good way of showing gratitude, brother."

I stiffened.

Rafael.

I turned to find him leaning casually against the doorway, arms crossed, his eyes flicked between Ryan and me.

Rafael hardly interfered in my business. He never cared about how I ran things, never questioned my decisions. So why the hell was he speaking up now?

I narrowed my eyes. "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

Rafael shrugged. "I mean, you’re forcing the man to stay, but you’re not even giving him the chance to grab his things? How’s he supposed to recruit people if he can’t even leave the building?"

Ryan’s eyes darted between us, clearly caught off guard by Rafael’s unexpected defense. Hell, I was caught off guard too. Rafael never gave a damn about who I hired, fired, or killed… so why was he standing up for someone he didn’t even know?

I studied my twin, searching for any hidden motive. Nothing. He just looked mildly amused, as if this was all one big joke to him.

But then again… he had a point.

Ryan couldn’t do his job properly if he didn’t have his things. And if I wanted him to build the best damn medical team for my men, I had to let him out… at least temporarily.

I sighed, rubbing my temple before turning back to Ryan. "Fine," I said grudgingly. "You’ve got five hours."

Ryan’s brows lifted slightly, clearly not expecting me to agree so easily.

I stepped closer, my voice dropping to an icy tone. "You take your personal shit. You say your goodbyes. And then you meet me at this location." I slipped a small piece of paper into his palm. "Five hours, Doc. No more."

Ryan hesitated before glancing down at the address.

I smirked. "And just so we’re clear… if you don’t show up, we will find you." My expression hardened. "And we will kill you."

Ryan exhaled slowly, gripping the paper.

"Understood?" I prompted.

A tense silence stretched between us before he finally gave a small nod.

"Good." I patted his cheek mockingly before stepping back. "Now, get out of my sight before I change my mind."

Ryan didn’t need to be told twice. He turned and walked past Rafael, who merely smirked as he watched him go.

I crossed my arms, narrowing my eyes at my twin. "Since when do you care what I do with my people?"

Rafael chuckled, pushing off the doorframe. "I don’t," he responded. "I just thought it was funny watching you get so worked up over one man."

I scowled. "I’m not worked up."

"Right." He grinned. "Which is why you pulled a gun on him."

I rolled my eyes, ignoring his amusement. "He’ll come back."

Rafael shrugged. "I guess we’ll see."

But I already knew the answer.

Ryan would come back.

Because he knew the consequences if he didn’t.