Page 12 of Sin and Seduction

“Wouldanybody care to explain exactly what the fuck is going on here?” Sergio shouts into the room.

He presses his fun further into James’s head, his shirtless torso vibrating with laughter. It makes me want to lay a few rounds right into the center of it. Gabriela is standing still, practically in shock. Not that I care, I’m too disgusted to even look at her right now.

“Ponte algo de ropa.”Get some clothes on.I snarl at her, and she immediately starts dressing.

“I promise, brother. It’s not what you think,” she says weakly as I press my gun into the back of James’s blond head.

“I don’t think anything, Gabriela. What Iknowis that my little sister was just getting eaten out by the enemy. Liking it no less!” I’m shouting now, disgusted that I even have the mental image and sounds in my head.

Some things are definitely better left unseen and unheard. This is one of those things. I look over at Gabriela, who’s standing in the corner. Shame etches her face, and she refuses to look at me or James, who is still laughing occasionally while both my and Sergio’s guns are pressed into him.

“The cars just arrived, boss,” one of my guards says behind me.

“Good. Take Gabriela to one of them. Don’t let her out of your sight.” One of my men goes to her side and grabs her.

He pulls her out of the room, and I don’t mistake her sudden tears as they fall from her eyes. She better be crying out of guilt and shame and not because she’s getting separated from her new lover.

I walk around James to face him, crouching down and pointing my gun to his head as he gives me a mischievous smile.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t shoot that grin off your face right now,” I growl at him, and he shrugs.

“I don’t know, El Oscuro. Why shouldn’t ya? I’m at your mercy after all.” His country accent is thick, more like a twang. The sound of it bruises my ears.

“You are. But I must know, Mr. Rowen, what exactly gave you the liberty to not only hold my wife at gunpoint but to also fuck my little sister?” I cock the gun, the click of it sounding across the room as James stares into my eyes with his smug blue ones.

“Some things are more appealin’ than others.” He smiles at me, and I punch him right in the jaw.

His head snaps to the right, and he takes a few moments to breathe deep before spitting out a glob of blood and smiling back at me once more. I ran my fist back, but Sergio suddenly reaches out to stop me.

“We don’t have time for a pissing contest Dante. Are we killing him here or at home?” He sounds impatient, and I don’t blame him, but I have so many mixed emotions running through my body right now.

I stand up and straighten my shirt, rubbing over my reddened knuckles as James looks up at me quizzically, anticipating my next move. I put my gun into my belt inside, cursing up at the ceiling.

“It smells like a dead animal out here, and all I can breathe is this dust. I want to shower and drink some bourbon before I deal with this asshole.” I walk toward the door, turning back to Sergio before I leave.

“Knock him out and load him with the luggage. I want to go home.” I turn around in hear James’s unconscious body hit the floor as I leave the room.

* * *

The plane ride is quiet. I made Gabriela sit up front, and I sat in the back behind the divider, unable to look at her. I must have drunk half a bottle of bourbon as I stared at James's unconscious body tied to his seat the entire way home. Blood trickled from his nose, his blond hair dangling over his face as his head hangs. I get angrier and angrier the longer I look at him. The unsettling images of his gun pointed at my wife, and his head between my sister’s legs makes my blood boil like lava. If we weren’t up in the air right now, I’d kill him with my bare hands.

We begin to descend, and I check my watch. It’s just after ten at night, and the dark sky twinkles with a few stars here and there. I will miss this countryside view. This mansion has always been my most welcoming property. Feels more like home than anything else I own. But I can’t risk people knowing this location. The recent ambush has me itching to leave no matter how much this place feels like home. The house in Belvedere has been rented by the same couple for over ten years. No one even knows that I own it. Although it’s much more populated than I would like, it’ll be easier to hide in plain sight. I have a feeling my ties with the Mexican cartel are yet to be severed. Being closer to the general public is a lot safer than out in the trees and hills. Plus, my new bride will have quite the schedule for redecorating and opening her restaurant after graduation. The distraction will be enough to keep her from questions and mingling in this new mess I’m in.

We land in front of my house, and I see Emmie waiting for me in the doorway. Her eyes are wide with fear, and all I can think about is how eager I am to get into bed with my wife. It makes me even angrier with James and my sister, angry that they are keeping her from me with their bullshit. Sergio and my guards grab James and haul him out of the jet.

“Tie him in the cellar. I’ll be down after I speak with Esmeralda.” Sergio nods as we leave the jet.

Gabriela whispers my name as we pass her, still seated in her chair, her eyes glued to James’s unconscious body.

“Dante...don’t hurt him,” she whispers, and I scoff.

I lean over her, my face inches from hers. She looks so much like our mother, but she’s much more careless than my mother could ever be. Much more impulsive and naive. I know it wasn’t her fault for getting taken. The fault is on me for not being prepared for a potential ambush. However, it is her fault for letting the enemy between her legs. It’s her fault for fucking welcoming it andlikingit. She should want him dead just as much as I do. Instead, she fears for the enemy’s life? How much bullshit did this idiot feed her?

“That man held my wife at gunpoint and held my sister hostage in a house where he murdered his parents,” I hiss, and she winces away, tearing her eyes from mine.

“You have no business telling me what I should and shouldn’t do inmybusiness. I’m not the one who let a murderer take me to bed.” I see her recoil at my words, staring at me with hatred.

“No, you’re just a murderer who takes other innocent girls to bed and forces them into a disgusting life without caring about what they want. You’re a murderer who doesn’t even give a shit about his own blood,” she hisses at me, and I slam my hand against her seat, her eyes widening with fear but then narrowing in defiance.

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