Page 22 of Ink

I couldn’t breathe clearly until he dropped me off at my own place. Even then, I said nothing as I went forward and closed the door behind me.

Thankfully, my mamá didn’t wake. Not even as I stripped and hopped in the shower.

I washed the day off and let my tears mingle with the water.

And let my sins roll from my back. Tomorrow would be a new day.

Chapter Nine

Ink

Fuck.

I shouldn’t have said a word. But she’d been so close. Drenched in blood, knuckles split, eyes burning with an anger that made my cock go hard.

Her deadly rage was a turn-on. Had I thought competence made my dick hard? I took it back. It was the sight of that goddess of a woman, drenched in blood, filled to the brim with feminine rage, that made me want to drop to my knees and make her my Vieja.

I’d been fighting my urges for a while. Ever since I’d rehired her, I paid more attention. I noticed more. And I’d begun to crave more. And the fraction of a touch I’d given her, my lips touching hers? It only opened the floodgates of desire and made me crave like I’d never craved anything else.

The next day she came into work, even after I’d texted and told her she was allowed to take the day off. When she walked through the shop doors, her gaze settled over the clean floors. The lack of bodies and blood.

I’d promised her Loco would take care of it and he had. He was also sending hermanos by the shop later. I think they were all just curious about what had happened, and they found it hard to believe Xiomara had ended their lives herself with a bat, but the evidence didn’t lie.

She ignored me as she placed herself behind the counter and began doing her job. I tried not to let that rejection sting or piss me off, but it did. Especially when Loco came through the door a moment later and stopped in front of her. She must’ve realized who he was simply by looking at his cuero, but I was sure his appearance was staggering.

My prez looked fresh out of fucking prison.

He whistled low, his eyes taking in the black eye she’d tried to hide behind makeup. “Shiner,” he said. Then his gaze raked lower, taking in the whole of her body. I recognized the appreciative gleam in his eyes. “So, you’re the one that beat three bitch ass gringos to death with a bat, huh?”

Xiomara cleared her throat. “Um… yeah.”

Loco leaned against the top of my desk, smirking at her. “That’s hot, nena.”

A growl rose in my throat. Possessive, feral, when I had no fucking right to be. I crowded behind her, looming after her tall frame to stare down at my president.

Loco eyed me, then her, then me again, that smirk curling into a knowing smile. “So it’s like that, huh?”

“It’s exactly like that.”

Loco knocked his knuckles against the desk and pushed himself away. “Alright. Well, Xiomara, we are having an asada over at the clubhouse. You went to bat for us–literally–so your cute ass better be there. Bring your family, too. Don’t worry, though. We won’t tell them what you did for us. It’ll be our little secret.”

Xiomara nodded and Loco shot a devilish smirk in my direction. Even though he was my prez, I’d never wanted to punch him in the face more than I did in that moment.

There was no explanation for why I was getting possessive over her. I’d made it clear the night before that nothing could happen.

No matter how badly I wanted it to.

Chapter Ten

Xiomara

TheDiablosclubhousewaspacked with people of all types. Some wore cueros, others wore street clothes. Some of the women wore leather with the wordsProperty ofon the back. So many of them sported tattoos, and a lot of them didn’t.

I took it all in with curiosity, while my ma whispered a prayer next to me. This was a culture shock for her, but she’d been nothing but polite so far.

So had everyone else. I guess I hadn’t expected everyone to be so welcoming. Loco had been the first to greet me, wrapping me into a hug like we were family. After his initial flirtations at the shop, he didn’t hit on me again. It was a damn shame, too. The man was fucking fine. His tattooed face and neck only added to his appeal, and the mischief gleaming in his eyes was endearing and sexy both.

Most of the Diablos, even those I hadn’t met, said hi. A lot of them came up to introduce themselves to me. I figured word had gotten out about what I'd done, and instead of the shame that had previously filled me, I felt welcomed. Like I was among people who understood, and instead of being upset, they were proud. They probably wouldn’t have even blinked twice if they knew I didn’t feel guilty about taking three lives.

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