Page 54 of Morally Corrupt

I look up at Theo's sleeping form, taking in his chiseled jaw with just a hint of stubble and his so exceptionally long lashes. My fingers itch to trace the planes of his face, but I don't want to wake him. Not when I've worn him down so much. I smile to myself, just remembering the feeling of his massive body on top of mine. Ever since we'd discussed our attitudes to sex more in depth, Theo's tried to treat me less like a porcelain doll and more like a woman. Which, in turn, has left me in a state of perpetual satisfaction.

I slowly and carefully get out of bed and make my way to the bathroom, intent on brushing my teeth. It's a split of a second later that my instincts go into full attention mode. Creaking. I hear creaking. There's no one else in the house and no one else in the area. Dressed only in a satin nightgown, I quietly go to my bag, searching for the hidden compartment where I usually keep a pocket pistol. I check for ammo, grimacing as I count only five bullets.

I take another look at Theo in bed and decide against waking him. Treading carefully, so I don't make any type of noise, I look over the baluster to see a few men looking around the house's bottom floor.

"Ay cabrón, tenemos que terminar esto antes de que el jefe se de cuenta de lo que pasó," one of them says.

"Estúpido," one of the men insults the other. "Si no fuera por tus ideas no estaríamos en esta situación. ¿Quién te dijo que puedes disparar a cualquiera? ¿Si alguien escuchó?"

"Carnal… Estamos en el medio de nowhere. ¿Quién podría escuchar?"

"Ay cállate. Sabes qué pasa si nos regresamos sin prueba que este gringo esta muerto."

I understand enough to know they're after my husband. Theo, what did you get yourself into?

From what I can tell, the men each carry a 9mm. And I still don't know how many there are. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I quickly shoot a look at the master bedroom door and debate what to do. If any gun goes off, Theo will wake, and he might come barging in the middle of the shooting. I'm torn, but as my mind wrestles with what to do, I know I can't waste any time. The men are already on the stairs. I see three.

Three men. I'll have two bullets left. I just have to hope they didn't send more than three people. The men are still bickering, not very quietly either. It's quite apparent they're low-ranked cartel people.

Taking advantage of their lack of attention, I take position and aim.

I manage to hit two of them, with the third moving around as he sees his partners fall to the ground.

"Hijo de puta," I hear the other say as he takes a few stairs at a time to reach the landing, making him on the same level as me. He points the gun towards me.

Simultaneously, the master suite door opens, and Theo looks at the cartel guy and then at me, his eyes widening in understanding. It all happens in less than a second. The cartel guy immediately changes his focus, turning his gun towards Theo. I move as fast as I can to push Theo back inside the room, and with a cry, I shoot the guy, luckily hitting the hand holding the gun. His own gun goes off, and whether it's my movement or his lack of aim, the bullet only grazes my sidearm.

"Bianca!" Theo screams, but I try not to mind him. I turn once again towards the intruder and put a bullet through his head.

I open the door to the room and see Theo on the floor, looking in horror at me.

"You're bleeding." He points towards my arm, but I wave it off.

"We need to leave now!"

"What…" he starts, but I just drag him, quickly picking up the car keys from the vanity.

"Now!"

Theo frowns but doesn't argue. He pulls on a pair of sweats, and we immediately leave the room, making our way downstairs and towards the car.

While we go down the stairs and over the other two cartel men's dead bodies, Theo surprises me by picking up their weapons and taking them with him.

"Wait here," he says, and I'm almost tempted to tell him off, but seeing Theo take charge in this situation is practically unreal. His stance changes almost immediately, checking the premises for any other intruders. When he's satisfied there's no one else, he waves me over, taking my hand.

We quickly dash towards the car, him in the driver's seat and me in the passenger. He doesn't waste any time putting it into gear and driving us off.

There's one second where I realize just what happened and the fact that I slipped from character. I immediately try to rectify it by making my body shake and willing myself to cry.

"I killed them…" I say in what I hope is a shocked voice. "What happened, Theo? Who were those men? I…" I let my tears flow freely.

Theo is intent on the road ahead, but he pauses just enough to give a command.

"There's a phone in that compartment. Take it out and dial Marcel."

Internally, I'm frowning at his request (not a request though), but with shaky fingers, I do as Theo says.

"Put it on speaker." I do.

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