Page 84 of Cartel King

“How did things go with my wife and sisters?”

Is there an edge to Luis’s voice? Does he want to find out if they chewed me up and spat me out?

“I think it went well. They know what they need to know, which is more than any of you would’ve told them. We parted on good terms. If you believe nothing else I say today, know your mothers, wife, sisters are definitely far scarier than any of you can ever be. So, when they warned me, I took heed of it.”

I look over at Enrique to ask if I need to step out, but all their phones buzz at once. I know what that means.

“Do you need me to do anything? Do you have a go bag I can get for you? Do you guys need food?”

They all pause from pulling out their phones to look at me. I didn’t drop a beat when I made the offer. Enrique cups my face and gives me a quick, hard kiss before answering.

“No,chiquita, but thank you for the offer. You know what this means. I don’t know when I’ll be back. You can stay here if you want.”

I know he’d prefer that, but I’m not ready for that yet.

“I need to get Constantine. Hunt changed his plans at the last minute to stay down here and has been teleworking out of his friend’s condo in the city. But he’s got to get back to Boston. He’s already extended his time down here for my sake.”

Enrique knows I mean so we could have our sex fest this weekend.

“All right, I want Javier to go?—”

“Enrique, if all of you got this alert, you’re not going anywhere without all of them with you. If you need to assign an extra regular guard, I’m fine. But an alert that goes off for all seven of you is serious.”

“No, Ellie, I won’t argue with you over this.”

“I know. Don’t push me on this, Enrique. This is exactly what I was talking about. You will not pick me over your family. I’ll be fine. If anything, I can ask Hunt to spend one more night here, and he can stay at my house.”

I don’t intend to do that, but I can at least offer that reassurance to Enrique. He watches me for a moment as the other guys shuffle out the door. Luis closes it behind him as Enrique and I stand. He pulls me into his arms and devours me. I return the kiss in equal measure. I don’t want to let him go, even though I have no choice. I remember going through this with Tim over the years.

In the beginning, I feared for him. By the end, there were times I prayed he wouldn’t come home. But for Enrique, I’ll do more than he can imagine to ensure he does.

“You have a habit of making me hard at the most inopportune times. Your feistiness is arousing as hell. Then a kiss like that. Nobody in my family will doubt how attracted I am to you.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not exactly thrilled you have to walk away while I’m all hot and bothered, too. So, misery loves company, Daddy.”

I head into the living room with him and join everybody else. Luis is kissing Margherita. Alejandro is hugging his mom while Jorge, Joaquin, and Javier hug theirs. Then Margherita’s wrapping her arms around Pablo, making a sandwich of him when Luis hugs them around Pablo’s back. It’s a touching family moment, especially when I watch the five adults embrace.

Well, I suppose the younger generation are adults, too. But I see them the same way I do my own kids. They’re adults, except for when they’re around their parents.

Enrique comes back to my side as he makes a call. It must only ring once, but his rapid Spanish is way too fast for me to follow. I catch Carlos’s and Andrés’s names, then three others. When he hangs up, he pulls me into his arms again, and I rest my head against his chest. I knew the significance when he left my house in the middle of the night. I know this time, too. My heart aches, fearing this could be the last time I see him. Not just alive but see him at all. If something happens, it’s unlikely whoever this is will return his body.

I wrap my arms around him, wishing I could hold him forever. But it’s only a few seconds before we pull apart. This kiss is so tender my eyes sting with tears. I refuse to shed any in front of anyone. I’ll save them for when I’m alone with Constantine.

“I have three men coming. Two are our cousins. Luis and I have gone on countless missions with all three, so, I trust your safety with them. They’ve guarded my sisters before.”

I love how he includes Margherita in that. She’s not set off to the side as an in-law. She’s as much one of them as Catalina and Luciana.

“You can stay here until the town car comes for you. My sisters know all three of them. Don’t go with anyone unless they tell you it’s safe.”

“All right, I understand. Don’t worry about me, Enrique. I’ll be fine. I’ll go home and watch some crappy reality TV. I’ll also get some writing done. I’m falling behind on my deadline because this gorgeous man who insists upon ravishing me keeps pulling me away from the computer.”

“Gorgeous, am I?”

“Absolutely. You know it, Daddy.”

I whisper the last word, ensuring nobody can hear me except Enrique. A moment later, all the men are gone, and I’m left looking at three women who still don’t know what to make of me, and I don’t know what to make of them. Luciana walks up to me and shocks me when she offers me a loose embrace.

“You care for my brother more than I think even you realize.”

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