Page 114 of His to Bedevil

Yanking on the wheel slightly, I jerk us back over into our lane, and we barely miss the other car. “Stop the fucking car, Irma. Or so help me God.” I’m seething, and my heart is pounding inside of my chest.

Irma slows down, pulling off on the side of the road into the grass, and puts the car into park. I gawk at her as she continues to gaze straight ahead. Then her body abruptly jerks, and she slaps her hands over her face. Her body begins convulsing, and her breath is coming sharp and short.

“Irma,” I say softly, and reach over to lay a hand on her back, but she yanks her seat belt off and launches herself into my lap. Curling up in a tiny ball and wrapping her arms around my neck as tightly as she can. Instantly, I wrap my arms around her entire body, completely engulfing her, burying my face into the crook where her neck and shoulder meet. She doesn’t cry, but she clings to me, shaking and close to hyperventilating. Her hat fell off in the process, so I stroke her hair over and over. “Irma, why would you scare me like that? Were you trying to kill us? Kill yourself? Please,mi amor. Please. Tell me what to do,” I plead with her, asking again and again what I can do and how to make this all better, but she just continues to squeeze me and shake. “I love you,mi esposa. I love you so much. Please come back to me. Please,” I whisper.

As we sit there, I keep a lookout around us. I know there’s a drone that followed us and is constantly checking the perimeter, but I still feel like we’re sitting ducks. I don’t want to let her go, but I can’t risk her life or her safety. “Mi amor, we have to go home. It’s not safe sitting here like this. Will you let me put you down so I can drive us home?” She doesn’t answer or move. She keeps her arms locked around me and her face buried in my neck while I pet her hair. “Irma, my love, I’m so sorry, but we have to go. You know this isn’t safe for us to be sitting here out in the open like this.” Still nothing.

I manage to dig my phone out of my pocket and dial Berto. “Hey, I need you to send someone to pick us up and someone to drive the car back home.”

“Already have a couple guys on their way. Sent them after a minute of you guys just sitting there,” he responds with a sigh.

I’m thankful to have Berto watching my back always. Even when I don’t ask him to or order him to. He’s like family, and it’s hard to find men like that. Loyal down to the bone.

A couple minutes later, one of my SUVs pulls up behind me. I keep my hand on the gun that is holstered to my side just in case. I can never be too cautious when it comes to my wife’s safety. One of my guys hops out to confirm they’re my men, and I relax a little. With Irma in my arms, I cradle her to me and carry us to the waiting SUV. The door is opened for me, and I slide into the back with her.

When we get home, I carry her up to our room and lie down in bed with her. I hold her until I feel her muscles relax and her body sag against mine, her breathing evening out. “Irma, I love you. I love you more than I ever thought was possible,” I murmur against the top of her head. “I thought when you love someone, you can’t be selfish with them. But I was very wrong, and I’m so sorry for that. I’m so sorry I let you go, thinking I didn’t love you. And I’m so sorry for abandoning you when I promised I wouldn’t. We’ll get past this. I know we will.”

I kiss the top of her head and keep my lips there for a long moment. Then I gently untangle her body from mine and slip out of the bed. After I slip her shoes off, I kiss each delicate toe before I cover her up.

It’s only midday, and I said I would take a few days off of work, but I can’t sit here. I’ll go insane. The woman is driving me mad. I know she still loves me, and I love how strong she is, but it’s frustrating when I am on the receiving end of her wrath.

Deciding against pacing my room like a caged tiger, I change into workout clothes and decide to get some of my pent-up energy out. I haven’t had sex in too long. The only thing that comes close to being as satisfying as sex has been spilling blood or hitting the gym so hard my entire body aches.

I skip my daily visit to my prisoners and head straight to the gym instead. As I finish sparring with one of the guys, Lucas shows up. He chuckles as he looks at me, shaking his head. “Jesus,hermano. They aren’t your personal punching bags.”

I’m a little out of breath as I turn to face him. He tosses me a water, and I catch it and crack it open to chug half of it. “They’re whatever the fuck I want them to be. You take care of Marco?”

“Yup. He’s gone and replaced. Had to get rid of his second hand too. They were both skimming off the top. So, how’s Irma?” he asks with genuine concern.

I shrug my shoulders. “Still pissed as hell. I can’t get through to her.”

“Did you apologize?” He arches his eyebrows and crosses his arms over his chest.

I scoff. “Of course I fucking apologized. Over and over.”

“Then that’s all you can do, Alejo. She needs time. Be patient.”

I run my hands through my sweat-soaked hair. Patience isn’t exactly in my DNA. But for Irma, I need to do whatever it takes. “I’m trying,” I mutter.

“Maybe get her a present,” he suggests.

“A present? Like what?” The thought is stupid, really. Irma doesn’t care about material things.

“I don’t know. You know I’m clueless when it comes to that.”

“I don’t think any amount of money could buy her something that would make her come around anyway.”

“Then maybe do something for her. Or hey, why don’t you tell her about her mom?”

I shake my head. It’s tempting, but it’s not time to do that yet. I don’t want to get her hopes up. “She still has a couple of days left in rehab, then we have to see how she does after she’s released. She could go right back to drugs, for all we know. I can’t tell Irma yet.”

“She likes dancing, no? Take her dancing.”

I nod my head, contemplating the idea. Then an idea of my own pops inside my head. I remember something she said on the way home from our wedding ceremony.

“I hate how common stray dogs are in a lot of countries. It makes my heart sad.”

“You like dogs, my love?”

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