21. Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Miguel
I wake up from the morning light shining through the open door. The boat sways back and forth as I get out of bed, searching for Marcus. A surge of panic has my heart beating way too loudly. “Marcus?” No answer comes so I call him again, rushing up the steps to the top of the boat.
The lake is clear of other boats and any signs of people. The air is less chilly than last night. Marcus is sitting near the end of the boat staring out toward the water, gripping the rail.
"Morning, Mi conejito. I wasn't expecting you to be out of bed so early. Especially not as much as you kept me up."
He doesn't look at me and the only response I get is the blowing of the wind. "Marcus?"
I walk closer, placing my hand on his shoulder and his head falls back, blood pouring from a hole in the center of his temple. I jump, almost tripping over my own feet with my mouth agape in horror. "No. I made a promise to keep you safe."
I drop to my knees and blood pools around me, rising above my legs. I stare back at Marcus's limp body leaning over the seat. His eyes are wide and empty, no life anywhere in sight, but it doesn't stop his mouth from moving. "Come back to me, Miguel. Open your eyes."
My lids flutter open, and I'm drenched in sweat, back in bed with someone's fingers running through my hair. Marcus is staring down at me with worried eyes, stroking my cheek. His hair is a mess, face flushed, and lips bruised. He's never looked more beautiful. "Come back to me, mi amor. You're okay, I got you."
I reach for his face afraid he'd disappear the moment I touch him. He nudges his cheek into my palm, his lips shifting into a weary smile. He’s real, he has to be. I almost pinch myself to make sure I’m actually awake and not trapped in a dream still.
"Morning, precious. You're still here."
"Were you hoping I'd be gone already?" He grins cheekily.
"Of course not. I'm just a little surprised to wake up not tied to anything."
"I guess I was feeling generous this morning and I can’t leave until I get my good morning kiss."
I grin, dragging him on top of me to press my mouth hard against his. I move my lips to his nose and then to his cheek, pecking him on every inch of his face.
Laughing, he presses his hand to my stomach to put some distance between us. "Okay, okay. I need to breathe, you know. I should also probably call Germo and check in. He already thinks I should kill you as it is."
"Kind of hard to do that without your phone, isn't it?"
He arches a brow. "You left it behind?"
"I didn't want to risk it being traced."
"Does this mean we have no way to contact the outside world?"
I tuck a loose strand of hair behind his ear. "I bought a burner phone and radio in case there was an emergency."
"In case I ran again?"
"No. More like in case you tried to kill me.” He smirks.
"Maybe I still will. It's too early to tell and I have trouble thinking straight without my coffee,” I deadpan.
"You never were a morning person."
"Depends on the reason I'm awake." He leans closer, rubbing his nose on mine. "Bèsame."
"Show me where."
His bottom lip sinks between his teeth and he slides higher until his hole is rubbing over my mouth. "Aqui."
I grab his hips, digging my nails into his skin and my tongue darts between his cheeks. He moans, rocking him forward and I tease him with my mouth, licking and nipping at his pucker before thrusting inside his hole. A part of me lingers inside him and the taste of us together has me feasting on him more. He convulses on top of me, bouncing up and down while reaching for his cock. His movements slow as the muscles bulge in his neck and cum covers his stomach. I keep my eyes open the whole time, not wanting to miss a single thing.
"Fuck," he groans, and his body tenses. I'm not ready to let go of him, so I keep holding on until he pulls away, reaching for the wipes on the small nightstand built into the wall. He tosses one my way, standing off the bed. "Clean yourself up. I'm going to go see if there's anything edible above. I'm starving."
I sit upright, watching his tight, perfect, plump ass as he walks up the stairs. I may have just had him for breakfast but I'm already hungry for more. A running motor not belonging to our boat has me jumping out of bed and running up the steps naked with my gun in hand. Marcus freezes with a cracker dropping from his lips, staring at the approaching boat. He's already dressed in his clothes and is reaching inside his coat. I must have missed him taking his suit and gun with him, too distracted by the perfect view.
My shoulders relax once the person sitting behind the wheel of the fishing boat becomes clearer. "I hope you had a good morning, because it's time for you to come back to the house, pendejo."
Marcus glances back at me. "Who all knows we're here?"
"Only the people who needed to."
Able and Isaiah both glance around frantically with their guns in hand. "They tried to attack Marcus's house. Luckily Germo was only slightly injured. One of the other guards got burned in the face from a small explosive." Able grips the boat's steering wheel.
"They didn't attack to kill. It was a warning," Isaiah adds.
"Probably the last one we'll get," Marcus says, sliding his gun back in his pocket. "Did anyone see who it was?"
"One of the men throwing firebombs passed out from the fumes, and he didn't take much convincing to tell me who sent him when he woke up." Isaiah runs a hand through his hair. "He was supposed to check in with one of Mario's men when the job was done. Turns out the man waiting for him at a truck rest stop right off the interstate was Mario’s brother. I doubt he’ll stand back and let us kill him.”
“You think he’ll come out of hiding?”
“I think he already has.” Able stands up straighter, clenching his jaw. “This morning someone was following Cesar, hoping you were in the car. They shot through the back window and luckily Cesar was able to lose them when he swerved off an exit. People get sloppy when their family’s lives are at risk.”
“Not everyone.” It’s my family’s safety that has me thinking with a clearer head. “We will follow you back to the docks. Did you two come in separate cars?”
Isaiah nods. “We thought it would be safer. I came with Carlos and Able came here with Cesar.”
I glance in Able’s direction, tilting my head. “Why aren’t you in Mexico? I thought I gave you a job to do.”
He grins. “Must mean it’s been completed.”
“Julia’s sister?”
“Dead and delivered in pieces to each one of Del Rae’s night clubs and massage parlors.”
“Good. Hopefully he will be ready to make the next move soon.”
“Gabriel said Del Rae’s men were hanging around a few of your clubs, doing a horrible job at blending in. One left behind a card on the bar with the information to Peaches. There was a message on the back. It said, come home. ”
I clutch my fists. “He wishes I made it that easy for him. How’s my son?”
“Back to his old self and was able to have a tracker placed on one of the guy's cars.”
“Any leads to Del Rae’s location yet?”
“Not yet, but we may have found his lover.”
“His wife?”
He cocks his head. “I don’t think she knows about him.”
My lips twist into a smile. “Then we should make sure she does.”
Marcus and I follow the boat Isaiah and Able are in. We get in our separate vehicles once the boats are docked and cleared off. Marcus tugs at my hand when I head in the opposite direction of him. “Vamos.”
I glance between the cars. “It’s better they don’t find us together in the same vehicle. It will make their life too easy.”
He frowns, sighing. “Come back to me.”
I pull him against me and kiss him slowly on the lips until we are both pulling away, gasping for air. “Just a little bit longer.”
We break apart. It’s hard for me to not turn around and take him in my arms again. When this is all over, I plan to give Marcus the vision he used to paint for us in his mind. “ One day, we will go far away to somewhere we never have to hide or fear for our lives.”
One day can’t come soon enough.