Page 32 of Spider
“I don’t think I made this clear enough for you, Gomez.Luciana isn’t just my property, she’s my wife now.You so much as lay a finger on her, even breathe wrong in her direction, and I will fucking end you and anyone else you send after her.Do we have an understanding?”I was ready to rip the fucker’s throat out.
“Wife?”the man asked, his tone biting.
I didn’t give a shit if he liked it or not.Luciana was mine, legally thanks to Surge, and I wasn’t letting her go.Even if she hadn’t been my wife, there was no way I’d send her back to that hell.Violeta wasn’t going anywhere either.It didn’t matter to me that she was underage.We’d find a way to keep her here, no matter what it took.
“I didn’t give permission for Luciana to marry anyone,” Gomez said.
“She’s a grown-ass woman and doesn’t need to ask you or anyone else if she can marry someone,” I said.“So if you take her -- my legally wedded wife -- then that’s kidnapping.The police in Colombia might look the other way when you sell women or force them into prostitution, but the local boys won’t be too happy about it, and neither will the Feds.”
“You’re threatening me,” Gomez said, sounding somewhat amused.“You, a nobody in some insignificant place in America, are threatening the great Mateo Gomez?”
“Spider isn’t a nobody,” Yankee said.“Probably should have done your homework before threatening the man’s wife.”
“And who are you?”Gomez asked.
“Yankee.I’m a part of this club, and I can assure you that if Spider comes after you, he won’t be alone.You think we’re small and easily squashed, but you’d be wrong.”
“If I can’t have Luciana, then I’ll just have to take one of my other daughters and hope Pedro Lopez will be content with Violeta or Sofia.You choose, Mr.Spider.My sweet little Violeta or Sofia?Which will warm Pedro’s bed?”
“You sick fucking bastard,” I said.“You won’t touch either of them.”
“We’ll see,” Gomez said.
The line went dead and I stared at Yankee and Gunner.They both looked as pissed and worried as I felt.Luciana started sobbing and I cursed the man who had ruined our day.I tipped my head toward the door and Yankee and Gunner both made themselves scarce.The doctor’s words from earlier had me concerned over Luciana and the babies.She wasn’t supposed to be getting upset.She needed rest and good meals.
“Baby girl, I need you to take a breath for me,” I said.She did, though it was broken with more crying.“Again.And again.”
After a few minutes, the tears slowed and she seemed to have her emotions under control.I ran my hand up and down her back, but I felt her grip on me loosen a little.She tipped her head back and looked up me with swollen eyes and a runny nose.And I still found her fucking beautiful.
“Everything will be fine, Luciana.I meant what I said.You’re mine, and I’m not letting you go.Rocket will keep Violeta safe, and I’m sure Saint is protecting Sofia.”
“I can’t let him take them,” she said, her voice a near whisper.“If he has to have someone, it should be me.I’ve endured Pedro before.I can do it again.”
“No.You’re not giving up, and you’re sure as fuck not turning yourself over to that asshole.”
“Not to interrupt,” Gunner said from the doorway, “but what if they just think she’s surrendering herself?”
“What the fuck does that mean?”I asked.“Because I’m not handing her over to them.”
“I meant we could make arrangements to give your wife to Gomez, except we don’t actually let him have her.We just need to his ass on US soil, and then we can take him out.Get Surge, Wire, and any of their other hacking buddies to look into Gomez and the disappearance of any underage girls he might have snatched from the US.As much as I know you want to get your hands dirty, I say we gather enough evidence and let the Feds handle this shit,” Gunner said.
“Would that work?”Luciana asked.
“I recorded your call,” Gunner said, lifting up his phone.“The audio isn’t the greatest, but you can hear Gomez clear as day demand you hand over your wife, Sofia, or their underage sister so he can give her to a man.It’s implied well enough that he plans to use them for sex.Since Luciana, Sofia, and Violeta are all US citizens thanks to Surge, that should make the Feds sit up and take notice.”
“Or I could get the fucker here and bleed him out,” I said.
“What happens if your Feds get their hands on my father?”Luciana asked.
Gunner hesitated, but I already knew the answer.I knew he wanted to keep things legal and not bring heat down on the club, but this wasn’t the time to toe the line.
“He’d likely be deported and banned from returning to the US.They would probably contact law enforcement in Colombia, but we all know your father has them in his pocket.And since he isn’t coming here legally anyway, nothing would stop him from returning, or sending someone after you,” I said, which is why I didn’t want the damn Feds involved.I wanted Gomez in the damn ground.
She sagged in my arms.
“I’m going to handle it, Luciana.I’ll get him here, but I’m not involving the Feds or anyone else.This is club business pure and simple.If taking your father out of the equation helps other people too, then all the better, but that’s not my main focus,” I said.
“Whatever you need to do, you have my support,” she said.“My father is evil.If you need to kill him, I won’t think less of you.Just know that another will rise in his place.It’s never-ending, Spider.If any of his men who hurt me and my sisters claim his position, they could come for us too.You can’t fight the entire Colombian cartel.”
