22. Santiago
Chapter twenty-two
Santiago
T he sounds I heard coming from inside my woman's house will haunt me to the end of my days. We knew he wasn't going to take the divorce papers well. Actually, we had kind of held out hope he would see it as an easy way out. He doesn't like his family, and Hannah and Matty wrote up the divorce making it appeal to Alan.
With her own income, she didn't even ask for child support or alimony, which she was fully entitled to, seeing as he was the one who stepped out.
But we agreed I would stay in the car. Seeing her with another man would just piss him off and wound his ego.
Big mistake.
Through the open car window, I heard masculine shouting, my woman scream, and the sound of something glass or ceramic breaking.
I've never moved so fast.
I flew out of the SUV, heart racing, leaving the door open, and dialed Rico as I raced across the street and through the front door. I wouldn't be able to talk to him, but hopefully, he would know something was wrong and come. I pulled my gun from my holster and pulled back the hammer, pressing it hard against that fucker's head.
His grip on Hannah releases and it's now that I take her in. Except, I almost wish I hadn't. She has a cut weeping blood from her eyebrow and lip, and a bright red splotch around her eye that I know is quickly turning into a bruise. Her face is streaked with tears and she's shaking.
Goddamnit.
Anger floods through me and I slam the butt of my gun against his temple, so I don't kill him with my bare hands. Red clouds my vision and I can't help but look away. I'm obviously pissed at Alan but pissed at myself, Rico, and Matty, for not protecting her better. Who gives a fuck if Alan got pissed? I should have been here to protect her.
The one goddamn woman in the world who thinks I'm worth a damn and I fucking failed her.
I hear muffled voices and turn to see my phone on the floor. I pick it up and hand it to Hannah roughly, shame making me unable to look her in her eyes.
I shut off my emotions, what I'm good at, and slide into work mode.
I haul Alan up from the floor under his arms and drag him into the dining room, where I manage to wrestle him onto a chair. I may or may not have been rougher with him than normal. Fuck that, of course I was.
"I'm okay," Hannah tells Rico, but it's strained and wobbly. She's a shit liar. I can't hear what he's saying on the other line, but it's obviously short. She hangs up while I go to her garage and find some jumper cables. The average American doesn't have rope lying around.
I wrap the cables around Alan's shoulders in a way that pins his arms to his side. It's the best I can do with what I have. Rico will come and we'll decide what we're doing with him then.
Hannah watches me, her arms wrapped around herself, but she's still shaking. I still can't look her in the eye.
"Santi," she whispers and my heart breaks with shame. I lower my head more. "Santi, please." She whispers again, stepping towards me. "Please hold me. I need you." She chokes back a sob. "Please?"
I hold up my fingers and wiggle them to sign 'wait'. I go to her freezer and find a bag of frozen peas. I tilt her chin up with my finger, taking in the damage that I caused. Or at least the damage I allowed to happen. Shame and guilt pinch my chest like a vice and I'm finding it hard to breathe.
She takes the peas from me and presses them against her cheek with a wince.
I take a step back. I don't deserve to be in her orbit, let alone touch her.
I fist my hand and rub it on my chest. I get, now, why this is the ASL sign for 'I'm sorry'. My chest physically hurts.
"Santiago, don't you dare apologize." She says with a cute little stomp of her foot. Her voice is still thin and watery, but it's louder at least. "You did nothing wrong. We all agreed it was best if you remained out of sight, and when things got bad you did exactly what you were supposed to do. You saved me. And if you go one more minute without holding me...I...I may just break up with you..."
She's still shaking, but I can't help the small smile that escapes me. I pull her to me, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and using the other to cup her cheek and wipe her tears away with my thumb. I wipe the tear and kiss her cheek as gently as I can. Wipe her other tear, and kiss her other cheek. I pull back, looking at her for any direction. She points to her chin, so I kiss it. She points to her lips, so I kiss them. There's no heat behind any of them.
Just two lovers, reconnecting after a scary moment and some doubts and fears.
I fist my hand but leave out three fingers, and press it into her back. Her eyes widen.
"I love you," I mouth. I'm not even afraid that she won't say it back. I don't need her to love me back. I just need her to keep allowing me to love her.
But she doesn't disappoint. She cups my cheek in her free hand and leans up on her toes to kiss me back.
"I love you, too." She whispers, her lips brushing mine.
A groan interrupts our moment and I spin towards Alan, keeping Hannah at my back. Logically, I know he's tied up, but emotionally, I can't stand having her near him. She shivers a little and I hate it.
I edge backward, pushing us toward the kitchen island. I slide behind her, propping myself up on the island and dragging her back between my legs, her back to my front. I wrap an arm around her shoulders and one around her waist, my pistol dangling loosely from my hand.
There's nothing he can do, nowhere he can go where I can't shoot him before he moves an inch.
We watch, a tremble working its way through Hannah every few minutes, as Alan comes to.
He blinks, dazed, his eyes unfocused, when Rico and Matty burst through the open front door.
Rico runs to Hannah before taking in Alan, and then Hannah, holding a bag of peas to her face. He goes deadly still. That's the thing about Rico. When I see red, I fly into action. When Rico sees red, he becomes deathly still, like a viper ready to attack. He slowly lays his hand over hers on the bag of peas and removes it.
Whatever look he has on his face, I can feel Hannah recoil in my arms. I kiss her neck reassuringly. Rico may not be able to see her like this, but he still loves her. And bruises fade.
"What the fuck, Hannah!?" Alan shouts, now fully awake. The four of us stiffen visibly.
Rico turns slowly to Alan, who struggles with his bindings.
Rico says nothing to Alan. "It's your call, mami."
I can feel Hannah relax in my arms, but Rico, myself, and Matty are still on edge.
"What the fuck is this, Hannah?! Are you fucking gangbangers now?!"
Now she stiffens, but I wrap my arms tighter around her, hopefully giving her strength. I kiss her neck again, like I know she likes.
It's silent for a few minutes, but with the tension in the air, it feels like a lifetime. Rico will kill Alan, and Matty and I will hide the body if that's what she wants. But Rico's letting Hannah make the decision.
Finally, Hannah shakes her head. "He's a piece of shit, and I don't want him near my kids until they're adults..." she swallows hard and I rest my chin on her shoulder. I'll support her and protect her until my dying breath. I hope she can feel that. "But I can't take their father away from them. When they're adults they can talk to him, I guess, and figure out if they want him in their lives. But I feel like killing him now, I'm taking away their choice."
Alan's Adam' s apple bobs up and down as he realizes the severity of the situation.
Matty bounces up, grabbing the discarded divorce decree Hannah laid in front of Alan. I hold her tighter as if I can protect her now from the abuse she's already seen.
"Okay, here, mother fucker. You sign our agreement, in its entirety. Or...we fucking kill you. Your choice." Matty says, a little unhinged.
"What the ever-loving fuck is this, Hannah!? You're involved with the mafia now?! You think they can fuck you better than I can? I was the only sorry sucker who picked you up after everyone else passed. You're not worth..." Alan went to say, but luckily, Matty punches the shit out of him.
"Look, man, I know your IQ is in the single digits, so I felt like helping you out, because you clearly don't see what's happening here, and I kinda feel bad for you."
Alan huffs.
"Here's the thing," Matty continues. "We can kill you, dismember your body, and make it look like you ran away with your mistress and things went wrong. So fucking easily." Matty goes on. "But for whatever reason, my woman wants to give you a chance at being a decent father. Lord fuck knows you won't. But I love her, and will do whatever she says, so you're a fortunate fucker."
"I'll fucking sue you for this! For assault! For threatening me! I'll take you for every penny you think you own! I'll take you to the cleaners, take the house, take the kids! You're an unfit mother anyway! Fucking around with gangbangers. I knew you were garbage the day I met you. "
Matty balls up the divorce papers and shoves them in his mouth to shut him up. Alan gags and sputters around the intrusion.
Rico turns and squats in front of Alan.
"See...here's the thing, dumbass. You've put us in a precarious position, now. You could sue us, sure. You wouldn't win, but it would be a major headache and we've got better shit to worry about. Clearly, you don't understand how much we'd prefer you dead. I've killed men for much less than threatening me and my woman. So this is what's going to happen. My enforcer is going to beat you to within an inch of your life. He won't do permanent damage, but it'll send a message home. Then I'm going to go fuck your mistress." Hannah stiffens in my arms.
I wiggle my finger back and forth against her skin, trying to tell her ' no he won't ' without releasing her. She relaxes.
"Then I'm going to pay a woman you work for to file a sexual harassment claim. Knowing you, it won't be too hard to find someone willing. Then my lawyer here is going to tip off the right people and fabricate evidence of money laundering, so your assets will be frozen. You'll have no job, no house, no money, and no mistress." He turns to look at us. "That about it?"
Hannah nods.
"Great! Maybe we'll set your car on fire, too, just for shits and gigs, ya know?" Matty adds, tossing Hannah a wink.
Finally, Alan's tiny brain cells seem to have caught up and he looks the right amount of terrified.
Matty pulls the papers out and flattens them again so dumbass can sign them .
"And if I ever get the hint that you're anywhere near my woman or her children I will not hesitate to rip out all of your teeth, your fingernails, cut your dick off and choke you with it. Then I'm going to fuck your wife over your corpse. Comprende?"
Alan's face pales. His watery eyes finally turn to Hannah.
"Baby. Look, baby, I'm sorry. I know I wasn't a good husband, but I can try. I can change. It's not too late. You used to love me. Things were good before, weren't they?"
Ah...bargaining. Love it when they get to this part of the process. I love stomping on their hope when it's at its lowest.
I can feel the energy draining out of Hannah, though, as she sags against me. I push her gently forward so I can slide off the kitchen island and face her. I tilt her head back and give her one last, long, luxurious kiss, before passing her into Matty's arms.
"Hey, gorgeous." He whispers to her before kissing her.
"Slut," Alan whispers.
"Santiago." Rico growls. My turn up to bat.
Hannah grabs Matty's hand but looks to Rico and me. "Will you...will you all spend the night? I think I'd feel better."
I wince at the black eye forming and her cut lip, but I nod.
"Matty, take our girl upstairs. We'll take him to the basement."
"What!? No! You can't do this!" Alan screams at Matty and Hannah's backs.
After Hannah and Matty have fully retreated, I untie the piece of shit, letting Rico get in a few hits, before dragging him to the basement door and kicking him down the stairs.
It was a 50/50 chance that he'd break his neck or not.