Page 53 of Vicious Savage

I already know what he doesn’t. What he won’t articulate or put a name to. But I feel it’s necessary to give him an out if I’m wrong. I can just as easily ensure her safety in the care of someone else if this is going to affect him. I work for him now, so he’s my priority. Yet I care enough about what happens to Luna to make sure she stays safe.

Attila shakes his head, walks to the window and plants his hands on his hips. He’s silent for the longest time, and I can feel the wheels turning in his head before he turns back and regards me carefully. He doesn’t say it, but unspoken words are there in his eyes, clear as day. He’s caught feelings for her.

“She was never part of the long term plan,” he explains. “But that doesn’t mean plans don’t sometimes change.”

* * *

My world shifts,my priorities change, and I’m slowly starting to reprogram myself to adjust to this new life. I now work for one of the most powerful organizations in the world; the fact that three men from the same world can come together in collaboration, pool their resources, and create the largest criminal enterprise in the world without killing one another or letting greed get in the way baffles me. But it’s happening, and successfully. Although they may argue that there’s nothing illegal about their business. They’ve done a good job of legalizing all their assorted businesses; elements of their criminal activity only come into play when necessary. Such as when they’re trying to protect their loved ones, or fight back an unsavory opponent looking for more. On the surface, these men are as legitimate as they come, but peel back the layers, and they’ll do anything it takes to protect what is theirs.

I fit right in to their practice and values. I can never go back to being a man sitting behind a desk, signing off on contractors and inspecting job sites daily. That worked then, but it won’t work for me now. For the simple reason that I rather enjoyed righting the wrongs in the world and cleansing the world of the scum of the earth. I’ve got my vengeance, there’s one damn cartel down, but there’s plenty more where they came from.

The upside for me is that the enterprise these men carry out doesn’t touch on what I consider morally gray activity like the skin trade or drugs. They don’t deal in body parts or murder for hire, and they, like me, have lines they won’t cross. We do, after all, have a moral code to live up to.

Marden checks in on me almost daily; asks when — if — I’ll be coming home. I’m no longer vague about the timeline of my return. He’ll always be my best friend and brother in law, but I think he finally understands that this is the break I need to make to move past Sisely and the constant reminders of her back home. He promises to come out for a visit soon if I don’t make it back home instead. This is not altogether an unwelcome trip; he’s previously done business with Caleph and I know the businessman would welcome him in with open arms.

When Maria, the former Castillo maid who led me right to Luna calls, I answer on the first ring, snatching my phone up from the counter without hesitation. Once again, I’ve enlisted her help to try to find the Castillo brothers, and I know she must have something for me if she’s calling. Even the vibration of the call somehow tells me she has something to say.

There’s no answer as I press the phone to my ear, only static as air breathes down the line from across the border. Until there’s a wave of words, cutting out at best, as she starts to talk. The line is so bad, I only get fragments of what she’s saying. But I pick up the most important words, the ones I’ve been waiting to hear.

“Cas…tillo…estor…live…casa…” the blur of words travels through the space between us before the line goes dead. I try to call her back — multiple times, but there’s no answer as the phone rings out over and over again. I mutter a curse and press my lips into a tight line. She’s my main contact in Mexico; I can’t lose her now.

54

ATTILA

Ibought her fair and square.That’s all I can think as I look across the room at Luna. Bastard that I am. It was a job, one I undertook willingly. But now I find myself in a precarious situation and I can’t find the door.

I find myself thinking about her, maybe more than I should be. I steal glances at her when she’s not looking. I’ve slept with this woman. But she won’t chance me a glance anytime she’s around me. Which is next to never. She’s holed herself up in her room and rarely comes out, except to eat or ask for any updates. She’s getting restless as she waits around for nothing to happen, and I try to put myself in her place to understand how she’s feeling.

When I talk to her, she answers in stilted, barely one word sentences, her attention focused elsewhere. Like she could conjure up her brothers out of thin air. The look on her face tells me she thinks they’re already dead; she wouldn’t put it past Coyin to have killed them, especially if they had tried to revolt against him.

I bought her fair and square.The words keep playing in my mind over and over again as I try to catch her attention. I’ve never had to force a woman’s attention. Contrary, I’ve always had to fight them off. Not this woman. When she looks at me, it’s like she’s looking right through me, disinterested. As though we never happened. Which makes me want her more. Which makes me all the more determined to win her over. But she’s built like a great wall, hiding behind her emotions, refusing to let me in.

And all I can think isI bought her fair and square. I’ve never had to force a woman onto me. I’ve never had to force a woman, period. But technically, I won her at that auction. We haven’t spoken about it since, but a fine dusting of fire prickles against my skin as devious thoughts start to take hold. The fact that I’m even thinking about resorting to that card doesn’t sit well with me. I’m not that man. I’ve never been that man. But thoughts of her screech through my mind like a car without brakes, muddling my senses. I don’t want to be that man, but if push came to shove, would I become that?

She resides for the most part in her room, depriving me of her presence. Even after I disappear for hours on end for work meetings, she’s nowhere to be seen. She’s either still dwelling in her corner of the suite or she’s in the private rooftop gym practicing her moves with Gabriel. I finally learnt that it was her eldest brother Enzo who had insisted on her learning martial arts when she was a child, even above his father’s protestations. She’d kept up with the sport throughout her teenage years until she’d mastered enough of the art to ensure she could always protect herself. And she’s been able to do so for the most part — except when her father held a gun to her head and forced her into a car to take her back home. Except when Nestor Gamboa also held a gun to her and tried to steal her away from me. Because that’s exactly what he tried to do.I bought her fair and square.

“There’s movement,” Cesar says, coming into the room. Luna turns from her place by the window and hurries over to join us, her fingers flying across her phone as she no doubt shoots off a text to Gabriel.

“What is it?”

Cesar shakes his head and tells us he couldn’t make out much because the line was so bad, but he believes Maria has information that could lead us to the Castillos.

“Call her again.” Gabriel says, catching the tail end of the conversation.

“Phone’s ringing out. I think it’s best I fly back and deal with it.”

“When? I’m coming.”

I turn to look at Luna in all her eagerness to find her brothers. That’s our priority now, but so is her safety.

“You’re not going anywhere,” I tell her, and she shrinks back in surprise. It’s already been decided that Cesar will travel to handle this when the need arose, but as I look at her, I realize I can’t bear to be in the same room with her and have her look at me with that indifference. Something has to give. “Cesar and I will handle it.”

Cesar throws me a surprised look. Plans change, and this one just got a whole lot more complicated. He hadn’t expected me to go along on this ride, but now I am. Just as quickly as his eyebrows shoot up, they slide back down as he moves his gaze towards Luna. He understands exactly what’s happening here; how could he not, when by all accounts, he’s lived out his love story and knows all the cues. He probably understands what’s happening here even better than I do.

“They’re my brothers,” she argues. I see Gabriel flinch, although it’s subtle. He’s wondering if she’d do the same for him. She hasn’t known him as long as the boys she grew up with. He’s a virtual stranger to her. But I’m guessing she’d fight just as fiercely, if not more, for Gabriel. For the chance to get to know him better and have him in her life.

“It’s not safe,” Cesar says. “It’s not safe for you when we don’t even know what we’re walking into.”

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