Page 22 of Naughty and Nice
Lowering my gun, I tried to read Emiliano’s body language. “What happened?”
“Two of our men were jumped down by the shipyard. You and I are on reconnaissance.”
“Jumped? Harmed?”
“Dead.”
Holstering my gun, I turned back to Liliana and then to Em. “This place is on lockdown.”
Em nodded. “Horace is taking Isabella home.” He looked at Liliana. “You should go with her.”
Liliana stood. “I should stay here with the residents.”
I turned, facing her. “You should go with Horace.”
She crossed her arms over her small breasts. “If the apartments are on lockdown, this is where I belong.”
Isabella appeared behind Em. “I’ll stay with Liliana.”
“Fuck no,” Em growled, turning to his wife. “You’re safer at home.”
She smiled with a tip of her chin. “Keep me safe here with Liliana.”
Chapter
Ten
Liliana
* * *
“Neither of you leave this building,” Em said gruffly before dipping his face lower and kissing Isabella. “You’re a stubborn woman.”
“Sí, jefe. Married to a stubborn man.”
Nick’s stare focused on me, his jaw clenched, and the muscles pulling tight in his cheeks, wordlessly giving me the same warning Em had articulated.
“Sí,” I said quietly. “What about the club tonight?”
“We’ll talk to el Patrón. You should know what to tell the whores soon enough,” Em replied.
Nick spoke. “And then you can inform the residents.”
They both turned and stomped away, disappearing from my office. I wasn’t certain that anyone else noticed Nick’s classification of the women residing in these apartments, but I did. Despite the obvious danger, his choice of one word made me smile.
Izzy’s voice brought me back to present. “Did Mia invite you to stay with her and el Patrón?”
“She did.” My thoughts were with another invitation, the one from the man who just left our presence. I walked to the window and watched as Em’s and Nick’s cars drove away. I turned back to Izzy. “Horace is still here, right?”
“Oh yes.”
“I need to let Reina and Celeste know we’re on lockdown.”
“I already did. Day passes were revoked. We have two residents out, but they’ve been summoned to return.”
“Out. Where?”
“Shopping, I believe. Martina and Darya applied for the day pass over a week ago.”
