Page 159 of Sinfully Savage Mafia

Nate told me the numbers are the Miami area code. The BC was for Becerra Cartel.

They carved their message into the driver’s seat to make sure we’d find it, to make sure it would haunt us forever.

For as long as I live, I will never be able to erase that image from my mind. I’ll never be free from the guilt that plagues me every day. I’ll never forget my last words to my father. I’ll never forgive myself for what I did.

And three years later, I’m still searching for a way to eradicate that guilt, to avenge my parents’ senseless death. They were innocent. They were good. They didn’t deserve to die.

Sergio motions for one of his guys to come closer. “Marvin, take Javier inside and get him cleaned up. Then get him a drink. I’ll be in later and we can have a little talk about how you’re supposed to behave when you’re looking to partner with someone.”

“I need to get to a hospital,” Javier moans, still hunched over. He spits at me as Marvin pushes him toward the back door of the club.

My hands tremble as I smooth down my hair. Javier works for the Becerra Cartel. Sergio is going to have a meeting with him to discuss a partnership. He’s sending him inside to get cleaned up and to have a drink?!

I bite back the words that are on the tip of my tongue. I want to lash out at Sergio so badly but I can’t. He’s meeting with Nate in a week. I can’t tip him off about who I am and why I’m here, even though I want to take a fist to his handsome face.

Swallow it down, Jae. Keep your shit together or you’ll rain holy hell on everything!

If Nate was pissed about me staking out Sergio’s office, he will probably skin me alive if I give him anything he can use against us. For all we know, Becerra is in on this buyout and they might be planning to make a move when we’re distracted by offers and deals. Tipping off Sergio now means their first attack may come a lot sooner than anticipated.

And we’re not about to give up the keys to our kingdom…not by a longshot.

“You’re pale,” Sergio says, peering at my arm. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I say stiffly, but my heart is thumping out of control and I can’t decide who’s more to blame…Javier or Sergio.

“You don’t look fine.”

“Yeah well, excuse me for being a little shocked that you’re not going to beat the hell out of him or anything,” I huff. “Clean him up and get him a drink. What the hell is that? You really want to work with someone like that?”

He levels me with a stare. “It’s business.”

“It’s bullshit,” I hiss, stopping with that because even though I want to say so much more, I know I can’t. I have a chance to get some information, real information that may actually help us, and I can’t jeopardize it.

“Come inside. Let me get you a drink,” he says, studying my face.

I swallow hard, the realization of what I just saw choking me almost as much as my throbbing pulse. Adrenaline floods my veins, and if I’d known about that ink when he was lying on the ground…holy crap, what I would have done to him! “I don’t need a drink.”

Oh yes, I fucking do!

He doesn’t listen and moments later, we’re back in his office, me still barefoot. He leads me inside before slamming the door closed.

“You didn’t have any security guys outside your office before,” I say, my voice thick. “I’d have figured the manager of a club like this would have been a little more careful, especially with guys like Javier skulking around.”

“Why are you so interested in him, anyway?”

I shrug. “Just an observation.”

He turns to stare at me before grabbing two shot glasses and a bottle of what looks like whiskey. “It wasn’t my choice to leave myself exposed like that,” he says in a dark voice, pouring the amber-colored liquid. “But it’s been handled.”

He hands me one of the glasses. I swallow it down fast and it singes the sides of my esophagus, scorching a path to my empty belly.

“Good?” he asks, lifting an eyebrow.

I nod. “Yes,” I choke out, gritting my teeth as he works. “So you run a nightclub, not very well, by the way, since it’s deader than a cemetery down there. And you work with some seriously nefarious people. Interesting life you lead.”

He chuckles. “That’s probably the tamest way I’ve ever heard it described.”

“So it’s worse?”

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