Page 37 of Reign

The first wave starts and I swear it goes on and on and on.

“Cas, I’m –” I claw at his thighs, unable to finish my sentence.

“I know, Princess. Me too.”

And for the first time, I let myself think about keeping this manforever.

Sixteen

Casper/Dominic/Casandro

OVER THE NEXT COUPLE of days, the girls and I barely leave the house after I make a call that will get our ball rolling one way or the other. Nikita and I talked about it long and hard but ultimately decided we needed someone on the inside.

While I’m working out downstairs in the basement, I hear the doorbell overhead.

I race up the stairs two at a time to get to the door before either of the girls, but Camila beats me to it.

“Oh my god!” I hear her squeal and immediately know he came through.

As I come into the foyer, Diego has Camila in a bear hug four inches off the ground. Her laugh is high-pitched and carefree, like I haven’t heard since I got back to Venezuela. “What are you doing here?” she asks as she kisses his scarred cheek.

Libby enters the foyer from the kitchen to see what all the fuss is about and her eyes go wide.

Diego sees me over Camila’s shoulder and looks at me as he answers her. “One time, in the recent past, I stupidly told Dom that if he ever needed anything, he could call me and I’d be there.” He sets Camila down, gives Libby a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek, and finally comes over to grab my hand and slap me on the back.

“Diego, thanks for coming.”

“Anything for you, Pollito. You know that. My absence raised some questions. You know I don’t travel much. Care to tell me why I’m really here?”

I couldn’t tell him anything over the phone because I have no doubt Mateo has his lines tapped. I laid it on thick, telling him Camila wasn’t adjusting well and that I was having a hard time with the hit while managing the girls and needed some help from someone I could trust. Diego asked a million questions I couldn’t answer but thankfully, it was enough to get him here.

Seeing him now, only a week after leaving, he looks like running an empire suits him. Dressed in dark jeans instead of his usual cargo pants and a nice button down instead of a muscle tank, he looks good. I’m surprised he was able to find regular clothes that fit him but I guess now he can afford to have a whole new wardrobe tailored if he wants. I can’t help but messing with him just a little as we all grab his stuff and pull him into the living room eager to catch up.

I reach up and flick the sunglasses sitting on top of his head. “Prada called. They wanted to know when I was going to return their model.”

He laughs and swats at my hand. “I knew you’d give me shit for these.”

“They’re nice. Just not used to seeing you covered in anything except blood and weapons.”

He grows serious. “I run a business now.” I knew leaving him in charge of my family’s empire was the right move. Yes, I mistakenly gave it to Mateo first, but soon, Mateo won’t be a factor anymore and Diego can run the entire thing.

I sure as hell don’t want it.

“D, you’re about to be an even richer man.”

He narrows his eyes at me but doesn’t say anything until we all get settled in the living room. Looking out the large windows that offer an incredible view straight out to the ocean, he lets out a whistle.

“Rich like this? Look at that view.”

“Wait until you see the rest of the house. It’s pretty from the outside, but also a little deceiving,” Camila says with an odd hint of pride in her voice. The brief moment of normalcy is nice, but short-lived.

“The girls can give you a tour later. Right now, I need to fill you in.” I begin the sordid tale of truth, telling Diego everything. The more light I shed on the whole story, the angrier he becomes. He, too, feels played after he switched sides to join Mateo once Adriana was gone. Finding out Mateo’s role in her death has him ripping a couch pillow in two before shouting into it.

It takes him several minutes to be calm enough to speak. We all just wait patiently, knowing it’s a lot to process. Camila rubs his back to calm him down. The vibrating floor a byproduct of his bouncing leg.

“I can’t believe I didn’t have any idea this was going on. How does someone hide the fact that they’re trafficking women?” He trails a hand down his face and hangs his head as he sits back on the couch in the living room, knees spread wide, forearms on top.

“None of us knew, D. Not even my parents, and you know how closely they watched him. Mateo’s been playing us all.” It isn’t shocking. He is who he is. “He kept his ventures separate. He couldn’t let word get out at home because otherwise he’d have a harder time getting girls. I can guarantee this was a move that none of us anticipated.” I can’t help but think were my parents alive, they’d be both impressed and furious that he’d made this move.

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