10
ME
You left without me.
AMALIA
I had some last-minute prep for this meeting.And you don’t dictate my schedule, Cain.
Rollingmy eyes, I stuffed the phone into my back pocket and leaned against a metal railing as the elevator ascended. Amalia had asked me to accompany her, but she was already gone by the time I woke up. Being with her was a constant game of whiplash—hot and cold. One moment, she was in my lap, spitting whiskey into my mouth, and the next, I was doubled over by an impressive right hook to the stomach. But I had to admit, I enjoyed every second.
When the doors slid with a ding, a tall blonde woman stepped inside. Her smile brightened, and she stood beside me instead of moving to a far corner. I shifted away, feeling slightly suspicious and uncomfortable by her sudden proximity.
“Eighth floor, too,” she said with an excited chirp. “You must be Kai.” Her gaze was on my signet ring. “Amalia said you were on the way.”
She had my full attention. “Oh, yeah. And who are you?”
“A friend,” she replied with a wink, patting the black briefcase under her arm. “She said you were handsome, and she wasn’t lying, but that bitch was definitely holding out on me.”
While it was clear she was speaking with affection, her choice of words regarding Amalia affected me in all the wrong ways.
Before I could ask any more questions, the doors shifted open, and she hurriedly moved forward, her eyes on her watch. “We’re a little behind schedule. Come on, Mr. Cain.”
Mr. Cain.
As curious as I was, I’d get my answers from the source, so I followed her down a short corridor until we reached slate metal doors. The woman threw them open without knocking, and a dozen pairs of eyes fell on us. I was immediately drawn to the front of the office space, where Amalia stood, one hand on her hip, the other braced against the table. My future wife wore a pantsuit with a plunging neckline, pulling my eyes down the soft, bare skin of her chest beneath a navy-colored blazer. Irrational as it was, I scanned the room, Glock at my hip hot, as I searched for wandering eyes. That’s when I spotted none other than that sack of shit, Rocco.
“Nice of you to join us, Kai.” Amalia’s lips were moving, but I heard nothing after she’d said my name. All I could do was stare as she glided across the room, stealing the attention of every swinging dick. I stepped closer before I was conscious of my actions, and she startled for a heartbeat when I crushed her to my chest.
“I might just have to gouge out the eyes of every man in this room.”
“Distractions are a necessity sometimes.”
“Not a fan of this one,” I said, trailing the back of my fingers over the exposed skin of her abdomen. “I don’t like men lusting over what belongs to me.”
She rose to her toes, one hand on my shoulder—her touch sizzling. “Like I said, you don’t own me, Cain,” she whispered, ghosting a kiss over my ear and sending a jolt of heat straight to my cock. “You’d do well to remember this is business. Nothing more.”
“That would be more believable if I hadn’t stuffed your dripping wet panties in my pocket last night,” I countered, rolling my thumb over the black engagement ring on her finger. “You’re wrong, vicious. You’re already mine.”
“Senorita Amalia, not to interrupt you and your—”
“Husband,” I finished, daring him to say the contrary.
“I wasn’t aware the ceremony date had been pushed up. Please accept my congrats.”
The tone of his voice and the daggers in his eyes let me know there wasn’t a shred of sincerity in his words. Alarms went off and continued to blare when his eyes shifted to Amalia.
I clenched my teeth.
“Kai.” The sound of my name on her lips a second time and the warm press of her hand against my chest cooled my rage. “Sit down,” she said with a tenderness to her tone I’d yet to hear directed at me.
Covering her hand with mine, I nodded and sat in an empty chair on the far side of the office, across from the woman from the elevator. I realized I hadn’t caught her name, but Amalia had greeted her with a smile when we’d entered, easing my nerves.
Everything and everyone in that room ceased to exist the moment she began speaking again. Maybe I should have been paying attention, but it was impossible to focus on anything but her painted lips and the smooth dip between her breasts.
She had to feel the heat of my gaze because her words faltered before she lifted her attention to me. We made eye contact from across the room, and I spotted the hint of a smile before it faded and her expression hardened. It was then I noticed the asshole from earlier had raised his voice and straightened in his seat. A little too bold for my liking. I wasn’t sure when I’d developed this sense of protectiveness, despite knowing damn well this woman was capable of handling herself. But with every harsh word he spoke, how his mouth twisted into a cocky smirk, and the way his arms came up as if he challenged her to disagree, the murderous heat in my chest swelled. I motioned to get to my feet, but before I could react, Amalia rounded her desk, and in one swift motion, she pulled a gun and sent three rounds into the now-dead bastard.
Gunfire broke out in the small space, causing echoes of broken glass and ricochet to boom around us and ring in my ears as chaos erupted.
The men at the table hit the floor, their own weapons drawn as blood spilled around them. I couldn’t see Amalia anymore, and my heart suddenly felt weighted with worry.
“Amalia!” I shouted, disregarding my own safety as I let off round after round toward men behind chairs and under the long table.
A hand on my forearm made me jerk, and I hesitated just in time to realize it was the blonde woman.
“Let’s take care of these bastards first. Our girl can handle herself.” I took cover when a bullet exploded against the wall behind us. Crouching beside me, she dropped her mag and reloaded.
“What the fuck is going on? Where is she?”
“Hmm, that was fast,” she said, before taking off without answering a single goddamn question.
I sprung to my feet and scanned the room, eyeing a wounded man huddled in a corner. I didn’t know who the fuck he was or why my Glock was shoved inside his mouth, but at that moment, my priority was my future wife.
By the time I’d pulled the trigger, the gunfire had stopped. Twisting around, I was met with the barrel of Rocco’s weapon. I lifted mine, and we were suddenly in a tense standoff. I had no problem pulling the trigger, even if it meant I’d also take one to the chest, but he was a friend of the Montesinos, so I hesitated.
“Careful, Rocco. Put it down.”
Amalia stepped between us, her back to me as she confronted the man who’d been her childhood friend. I lowered my gun the second she walked into my line of fire, as did he. A sense of relief washed over me when I finally had her within my sight.
“Are you okay?” I asked, giving her a once-over.
“Of course.” Her focus was still on Rocco, but she squeezed my hand reassuringly. “Rocco, is there a particular reason you were threatening my fiancée’s life?”
He sucked his teeth and holstered his gun. “Just a lapse of judgment, mu?eca. Everything happened so fast. Didn’t know who he was for a second. That’s all.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course.”
He was full of shit. But I’d let it slide…for now.
I shot him a wink and slipped my hand beneath Amalia’s chin, tilting her head back and kissing her. She insisted we act the part, and I fully intended to take advantage of the opportunity, if only to see the look on that son of a bitch’s face.
“Holly,” she called for her friend. “I see you’ve met Kai.”
“I have.”
Holly said nothing else and began punching messages into her phone as she walked into the hallway. Rocco had slipped out before we realized he was gone.
“Why did we just kill a dozen men?” Amalia smiled and patted my cheek.
“I like that you shoot first and ask questions later, Cain.”
When she tried to push out of my arms, I tugged her back.
“I’m just Cain again?”
“You’ll always be just Cain.”
I read between the lines, her words meant to sting. But I knew better. “You’re a terrible liar. You stood between me and his bullet. Maybe you do care.”
Her laugh and the way her body shook against mine had my cock thickening.
“Now, Cain, who would take your place on such short notice if you’re dead?”
My teeth caught the soft skin of her ear, and she squirmed.
“Why is your heart racing?” I caressed between her breasts, and Amalia released a small breath of air.
“I just murdered three men.”
I pulled her closer, my hand now journeying down the length of her torso and hesitating when I reached the waistband of her pants. Feeling no resistance from her, I continued, dipping inside her panties and parting her with two fingers.
“Tell me, does murder also make your pussy wet?”
She let her head fall against my chest, eyes closed, and her face split into a grin.
“About as much as it makes your cock hard,” she replied breathily.
We were having a moment, both of us high on the adrenaline of what had unfolded minutes before, but when I caught sight of a pair of lifeless eyes, it was a bucket of cold water.
“What happened here?”
Amalia opened her eyes but made no effort to shift out of my arms.
“Our families have been doing business with Fernando and his men for over five years. But they can’t be trusted.” She placed her hand on my forearm and pulled away. “I received word he had plans to double-cross my father and sell him out, and one of the plates recovered from the highway was traced back to one of his men, which made him the prime suspect in the ambush. But now, I’m not so sure.”
“So why kill him before getting answers?”
“He threatened to fuck me into submission, and I don’t tolerate disrespect. You missed all that?”
I’d been too distracted. Guilt made my stomach heavy.
“How about a little heads-up next time?”
Her eyes were on my hand and the way my wet fingers glistened. “I wasn’t sure which way things were going to go. I trusted your instincts would kick in, and I was right.”
“You trust me?”
Amalia looked up at me from her thick lashes, red lips curved into a smile. “I trust you’ll follow through with our contract.”
“What makes you so certain?”
She tightened her grip around my wrist and nudged my fingers against the seam of my mouth. Our eyes locked as I slipped them inside and sucked them clean.
“I just have a good feeling about you.”