Page 48 of Dirty Lyrics
chapter 19-rico
I hate that I have to leave her alone, even for a minute.
Every instinct in me screams to keep her glued to my side, but I can’t.
I’ve got obligations, people I owe, a performance I promised.
So, I do the next best thing.
I pull Chuy close, my oldest friend, the guy who’s had my back since the barrio. “Watch her,” I growl low, sharp enough to cut.
“Her and the baby. I don’t give a fuck what happens out here, you don’t take your eyes off her. And get your guys on board. No one gets near her, you understand?”
He nods, steady as always. “I got her, Boss. Already hired a couple extras to run cover, but I’ll reach out first thing tomorrow. Sigma International Group, maybe. Real pros.”
That quiets some of my fear. But only some.
When I glance back toward the VIP area—the spot that’s supposed to be safe, reserved for family and the people who matter—I see too many faces crowding in, too many strangers with greedy eyes.
My fury spikes.
I stalk toward the guy running the backstage setup and snarl, “What the fuck is this? VIP’s supposed to be locked down. My wife is standing in there, and if anything happens to her because of your lackluster bullshit security, I’ll end you so fast you won’t fucking know what hit you. Are we clear?”
His eyes go wide. He stammers, nodding fast, and bolts to clear out the riffraff.
And yeah, I notice the way everyone else looks at me after.
Wide-eyed. Nervous. Respectful.
Maybe my clout’s growing faster than I realized.
I head back to Maya.
There are a couple women by the curtain—hard-looking, plastic smiles, smirking at me like they think they’ve got something I want.
Newsflash: they don’t. No one does.
No one except her.
My Songbird. My wife.
She looks up when I reach her, her hand automatically going to the swell of her belly, and I swear to God I feel my heart squeeze.
“Chuy? See to it Mrs. Véliz has a chair.”
My guy nods and speaks into the comm located on his wrist.
“You good, Wife?” I ask, turning to face her, my voice softer now.
“Yeah, I’m good.” She smiles—and just like that, all the bad shit goes away.
Fuck. I need more of that. More of her light. More of her sunshine. More of her. Period.
“I gotta work,” I say, like I’m going to the office, and her grin gets wider.
“Yeah, you do,” she says, her golden eyes shining brightly despite the lack of light over here.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell her, brushing a thumb across her cheek. “Wait here for me, yeah?”
