I cover the phone. “Hector, come with me. I’ll be back.” I bend down and kiss Dove’s lips. Then she raises an apple slice for me.
Seeing my surprise, she says, “You didn’t eat either.” I bite down on it and smile before walking out of the kitchen.
“Watch them. No one goes in there,” I tell Vicente.
“Understood.”
As soon as I’m in my office and Hector has the door closed, I put the prick on speaker.
“So who the fuck are you?” I hiss out.
“I told you who I am!” he roars, like I should be intimidated by that weak bastard.
“No, you didn’t. I don’t know who your daughter is, but I didn’t kidnap anyone.”
“You lying, rich sack of shit. My daughter deserves better than you, you Spanish scum.”
“I will speak with you when you learn some manners, pinche babaso.”
I end the call. I will not tolerate being spoken to like that. He already has a death sentence headed his way. Now he’s made it a slow and painful one. “He’s a dead man walking.”
“Who the hell is that?”
“I presume it’s Dove’s father—the son of a bitch who put her up for sale to Avanti in the first place.”
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to put a bullet in his head in good time. I have to play it smart, but after what he's done to her, there's no way he's getting anything less than a death sentence."
"Please tell me he didn't..."
"No. Of course not. It's not like he could sell her for so much money if he did. That asshole Avanti is on my list too. The money Falcone owed was to Avanti himself. He knew that and laughed in my face. If I'd known at that moment, I might have shot him between the eyes." I still might. He sold my woman and disrespected me multiple times. The fact that Falcone got my number tells me all I need to know about Avanti. He’s a dead man.
"He'll pay, brother. We'll make them all pay. She seems sweet—too sweet for you."
"She is. I don't know much about her, but she's strong. Her temper will get her into trouble with me, but I've got the feeling she'd love my hand on her ass. I know I can't wait for her to act up."
"Oh shit, bro. Didn't know you had that kinky shit going on." He laughs, then claps my shoulder. “Oh wait. I hope that didn’t turn you on?”
“Fuck off. She's changed me in ways I never expected. I don't know how I'll ever make her fall in love with me when now I'm sure as fuck that I'm in love with her."
"Get to know her. Give her some freedom. Talk to her. You're not an asshole all the time."
"I suppose I could give it a shot. I don't know about the freedom, but I'll see if there's anything she's interested in and get it for her. Maybe she likes to draw, paint, or binge watch television."
"Netflix is the way to go with that."
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Now to get rid of my guests and find Dove so I can spend the day getting to learn about my wife.
“Everything okay?” Dove asks after swallowing a bite of her food. I come up to her and pull her into my arms and kiss her.
“Yes. Now, Mama. I am starving.” I rub my hands together and pull up a seat next to Dove. My mother sets a plate for both of us boys. “Gracias.”
“So I’m going to have Hector take me home in a bit, but I just had to meet your wife.”
We dine, and then my mother takes my brother by the arm and drags him out. “I’m not even done, Mama.”
“I’ll make you more later. Come. They have a baby to make.”