Page 236 of Wild Card

“No, Rosa, you will learn there are consequences.”

“Consequences? I’m not one of your subordinates, Ricardo!”

“No, you’re my sister, which makes you an easy target.”

“I’m not in your business, Ricardo. I have my own life.”

“Rosa, don’t be naïve. A man in my position makes enemies.”

“That’s on you, not me. Maybe if you didn’t piss everyone off, you’d have friends.”

Ricardo chuckles. “I have friends.”

“You have gofers who do what you say. There’s a difference.”

“And your friends are exemplary, Rosa? Minions who hang on your every word and pretend to like you? That guy tonight, do you think meeting a random American tourist at a bar was going somewhere?”

“He was hot! And nice.”

“He wanted to fuck you.”

“What if he did? Maybe I want to get laid.”

There’s a low grumble followed by an exhale. “Never mention getting laid again.”

“You brought it up! You always ruin everything!”

There’s a long silence before he speaks again. “Rosa, you are my baby sister and I love you. If anything happened, it would kill me.”

“What would happen? What have you gotten yourself into?”

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

“I love you, too, Ricardo. But you have to back off.”

“Noted,” Ricardo concedes.

“No more storming into bars and beating the shit out of men who are interested in me.”

“Noted,” he repeats.

“Liar.”

“Not apologizing for protecting you.”

There’s another silence as the screen shows them approaching the large building.

“Really, Ric, you brought me to the jail?”

“You know it’s not a jail anymore. It’s my home and place of business.”

“That’s true, but it’s creepy at night.”

“I have to tend to the business I was called away from.”

“Can’t one of your associates take me home while you tend to business?”

“It won’t take long. You can hang out in your room.”

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