Page 37 of Miguel

“Desiree, we have to go.”

“Where?”

“To their compound.”

Her expressive face scrunched up, showing her displeasure. Her eyes then flicked over the bikers that were currently working together to clean up our trashed living room. Her attention stopped briefly on the one they’d called Mayan.

I was surprised when I first saw them all on our doorstep. The Diablos all varied in different degrees of sizes, colors, and tattoos. He’d introduced them quickly and the first thing I noticed was that they were all, each and every one of them, attractive.

Whereas Miguel had soft, full lips and curly hair that he slicked back with gel, the one he introduced as Loco looked to be his total opposite. He looked… well, as crazy as his namesake suggested. Like someone straight out of a Netflix show. His tattoos twined up his neck and the side of his face like barbed wire. I’d never really been attracted to bald men before, but he was attractive. At least I thought so when I got past the crazed gleam in his eyes.

The one he introduced as Cubano was the prettiest of them all, I thought. With rich brown skin and tight coils of hair, his eyes were light brown flecked with specks of green. They were the type of eyes females envied. He had a soft demeanor about him, if not the soft features. There was no mistaking he was anything but masculine, but he seemed… gentle. If I had to describe him at a first glance.

Then there was Mayan, the one Desi whacked with the frying pan. I should have felt bad since I’d given her the weapon, but the way his eyes softened as he took her in only had me smiling. He was one of the tallest men I’d ever seen. With thick, black locks that trailed down to his lower back and was swept into a low pony. With a curved nose, full lips, and skin that was a warm, earthy shade of brown. His dark eyes kept straying in Desiree’s direction, flaring in a way that made me wonder what was going through his mind.

“Lorena, we don’t even know these people.”

I sighed. I knew it was going to take a while to convince her. She was right. I knew that. But how could I explain that I felt safe with Miguel? Was it selfish of me to want to drop everything and go with them, even if my friend was wary?

“I know Miguel.”

She heaved out an exasperated breath. “Barely. Are you sure we can trust them?”

I wasn’t sure about anything, really, except for the pounding of my heart when Miguel was near. Except for the fact that I was drawn to him like I’d never been drawn to anyone else before. He was like a magnet, and I was his opposite end. I wanted to drown in his dripping voice and I hated myself for being so weak.

“They can protect us,” I said. “Do you really want to go to a motel?”

The flash of her eyes let me know she didn’t. Desi was hard to read, but she was feeling vulnerable, and her expressions were open like they’d never been before. I knew there were walls around her. Walls that I’d tried to break through. But sometimes when you were met with silence, you had to accept that there were just some fences we weren’t meant to look over. Not until the owner brought them crumbling down on their own accord. So I’d been patient and knew she would talk to me when she wanted to, if ever.

And while she sorted through what had happened tonight, I wanted to protect her. I knew a motel wasn’t going to make her comfortable.

“The compound has high walls,” I tried to explain. “Guards at the gates.”

“So like a prison?”

I gave her a rueful smile. “Something like that. But we will be safe.”

“Or trapped.”

She was being stubborn. “Do you really want to go to a motel?” I asked again.Because I don’t.I didn’t need to sign that part. My eyes probably conveyed it. “If you do, then we will go. Whatever you want. I won’t leave you alone.”

Her contemplation stretched for a few minutes. When she did answer, she seemed resigned. “Fine,” she conceded. “I’ll go pack a bag.”

She turned and went into her room to do just that. I worried it would upset her being in there since it was so trashed, but before I could follow, Mayan was doing so, hovering in front of her door. He was quiet as he watched her, and for some reason he reminded me of a doberman sitting guard.

I hurried and went to pack my own bag, throwing in pajamas, socks, shoes, and a couple of outfits with my toiletries. We weren’t going to be staying at the compound forever. Just for tonight, maybe two nights. I didn’t want to think beyond getting the heck out of here.

I didn’t even want to think about what the consequences of going with them would be. If my boss found out I would be staying the night with Miguel?

I froze as fear for my job overtook me, but shook it off just as quickly. I wouldn’t think about that. Not right now when there were more important things to be done. If he found out and said something to me, I’d cross that bridge when I got to it. I didn’t need to create problems where there were none.

When I was done packing, I walked out of my room with my duffel bag slung on my arm. The minute I did, Miguel was there, taking the bag from me and slinging it around his own shoulder.

“Ready to go?”

I managed a nod, my attention going to Desi’s door. She filed out with a huff, her hands flailing in the air with annoyance. Mayan walked after her, her own bag around his shoulder. I smirked, knowing that he probably took it from her and Desi, being the independent, mistrustful woman she was, was upset about it.

We walked out of the apartment after I swept one last look around at the place. They’d tidied up pretty quickly, but it still felt different now.

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