Page 78 of Cartel King

“Enrique, what about your family?” Will seems to have cooled off the most.

“My family knows I care a great deal for your mother. They know I wouldn’t bring any woman into my life if I didn’t see potential for it to be permanent. They also know after the problems I had in my first marriage, I’m wary about bringing in anyone who could sabotage my family. They’ll have the same concerns and complaints as you. There’s just more of them.”

“Do you believe they can accept Mom, or will she always be an outsider?”

“That’s a fair question, Hunt. I know and trust my family. It’ll take a little while for Ellie to gain their trust like it’ll take me a while to gain yours. They trust my judgment. I’ve been leading this family since I was younger than any of you. They know I’d never do anything to risk their lives and what I’ve built. So, they know I don’t enter this lightly. I’m not with your mom on a whim. If I were using your mother, my sister-in-law would never forgive me. Her opinion of me matters a great deal. My sisters wouldn’t forgive me either, and they terrify me.”

That garners a chuckle out of all of them. Hunt’s eyebrows rise as he speaks.

“So, in other words, they’ll get along with Mom like a house on fire.”

“Your mom’ll fit in perfectly, especially once she learns Spanish.”

Will jumps back in and ends the moment of needed levity.

“What type of protection are you putting in place for her? I saw the guy in your driveway. He stopped me. If I didn’t look enough like my mom for it to be obvious I’m her son, he wouldn’t have let me pass because I wouldn’t have told him my real last name. I wondered who he was and whether he was private security Mom hired. Then I saw you together, and it made sense. One man in the driveway and one man tucked away in the trees aren’t nearly enough protection for our mom.”

“I agree, it isn’t. Once we go out in public, it won’t be a secret we can keep. So, from here on out, your mom will have two regular bodyguards. She’ll also have a man from my family.”

Will shakes his head. “Your brother travels too often. He disappears all the time. What happens if he’s on the schedule and suddenly has to take off?”

Will’s concern is valid.

“I never planned to put Luis on the rotation. It’ll be my nephews. There are five of them. There’s no one I trust more with your mom’s safety than them. No one outside my family, except for you three, will ever be good enough for me to trust entirely with Ellie’s life. So, it will always be at least one of them if she’s not with one of you. I understand why you might not appreciate me insisting one of them join you if you’re out with your mom. I won’t insist upon that. But, besides you three, she will always have a Diaz with her.”

“Mom?

Hunt tilts his head as he watches Ellie. I can see us on the screen, but I look toward her when her youngest son speaks.

“Are you all right with this? You’ve never had bodyguards with you at all times.”

“I know, but I haven’t been in this position before. As senior as Dad is, it’s not like he’s the don. Stella always has one of the guys in the family with her. I see this as being no different. I appreciate Enrique wants me to have that level of security.”

“Before you accuse me of assigning them so I can spy on her or control her?—”

“No.” Steve interrupts me as he shakes his head. “It’s obvious from the way Mom started leaning against you when we began talking about her protection that not only does she trust you, but it’s obvious relief on her face. Mom’s no fool. It’s one thing for us to hear her say she trusts you and that we should too. It’s another to see it. She was never this relaxed around Dad. From the way you’ve wrapped your arm around her waist, you’re being discreet, not wanting to rub this in our faces. But you’re supporting her, and she deserves that. It’ll take us a while before we’re absolutely certain. We know you don’t blame us for being suspicious. It’s obvious how different things are between you and what our mom has known for so long. None of us wants to begrudge her finding somebody who will take care of her the way she deserves. Who won’t just expect her to give and is only willing to take.”

“Just because your mom can defend herself and take care of herself doesn’t mean she should have to.”

All three of them visibly relax when I say that. They don’t like that I’m me and all that I bring with me. But I think they’d be just as concerned about another man taking advantage of her.

Ellie and I remain quiet as we observe the boys looking at each other through the computer screens. It’s obvious how close they are and how they’ve learned to depend on one another in situations where they can’t speak. Some agreement passes between them before they look at us again.

As the oldest, it seems to fall on Will’s shoulders to pass the final judgment.

“Like I told you yesterday morning, do anything to hurt our mom—disappoint her even in the least—ruffle a single feather—and you’ll learn why I deserve my reputation. And my brothers may not be Mafiosos every day like I am, but don’t underestimate them because none of us will forgive you if you do anything we consider even a smidge wrong. One word, one thought, one anything, and we won’t care who you are, what your title is, or who could come after us. We won’t forgive you.”

“I believe you. And like I said yesterday, the moment you stop being that protective of your mother is when we’ll have problems.”

“Can you live with this, Mom?”

“Yes, this is better than I could’ve hoped for.”

Will sighs. “I don’t envy you having to face your family, Enrique, when there’s only three of us and six of them.”

“Nine. There’re my five nephews, my brother, my sister-in-law, and my two sisters. There’s no way any of them won’t have an opinion on this.”

Ellie looks over at me. “When will I get to meet them?”

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