Chapter 6
6
“ W e’ll see you tomorrow.”
Alejandro watched as Camila and Miguel hugged warmly.
“Congratulations again, hermanito . You’re both lucky to have found each other.” Camila kissed her brother’s cheek.
“I wish Mommy and Daddy could have been here,” Miguel said wistfully, his speech slurred.
“They are. Right here,” Camila assured him, placing her palm over his chest.
Miguel beamed at Alejandro over her head. “You see why I love this woman right here? She’s the best sister in the world.” He flung his arm around Camila’s neck and squeezed her tight to him.
They and the rest of the wedding party spent a few more minutes talking, and then there were hugs all around. Finally, Alejandro and Camila left the group, who wanted to stay behind to continue partying.
“Are we old?” she asked with a laugh as they walked through the casino.
“I think so. They’ll probably be up until morning while we’ll be fast asleep. I’m driving, by the way. You have had enough to drink tonight.”
“I’m not drunk, but I’m not going to argue with you. I’m tired.” She scowled at him but handed over the valet ticket.
They didn’t have to wait long before the valet brought her purple car to the front, and they climbed in.
“You look great behind the wheel of my baby. Lavender and rhinestones suit you,” Camila teased.
“I’m secure enough in my manhood to appreciate that compliment,” Alejandro said, with exaggerated seriousness.
She laughed and rested her head against the seat.
The ride back to her house was completed in silence. Each time Alejandro looked at her, she had her eyes closed, her deliciously round breasts rising and falling as she breathed softly.
He wondered if he should stay longer. Camila was right, he had plenty of vacation time available. He’d sleep on it and make a decision in the morning.
When he arrived at her house, he pulled under the carport and put the car in park. The neighbors’ houses were dark, and all around them the night was quiet, except for the distant sound of traffic going by on the main road.
“Camila?”
“Hmm? I’m not sleeping.” She turned her head, giving him a heavy-lidded look between her lashes.
“You need to go to bed. It’s been a long day,” Alejandro said, though sleeping was the last thing on his mind.
He wanted to kiss her ruby-red lips and sink his fingers into her silky hair while she rode his dick. Panting, begging him for more. He’d never been more tempted by the urge to kiss her. How did someone manage to look so delectably sexy while drowsy?
He ran a hand down his face. The fantasies had become graphic in the short time he had been there. Decision made. No need to wait until tomorrow. He was getting the hell out of Dodge on Sunday as planned, or he’d end up doing something he regretted.
Camila groaned. “I’m coming, I’m coming.”
They climbed out of the vehicle, and he opened the door to the house and let them inside. “Go to bed. I’ll lock up.”
“Thank you.” She flung her arms around his torso and rested her cheek to his chest. “You’re a good friend, Alejandro. Good night.”
She raised up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. The soft touch landed on his skin with the explosive power of a detonated grenade. Then she walked down the hall, leaving him to look after her with a semi-hard penis and a clenched fist.
“Good friend. Yeah, that’s me,” he mumbled.
As he told her he would, he checked the windows and the doors, frowning at the flimsy lock on the door leading from the carport. He’d replace it before he left. He peered out the kitchen window at the night. Everything looked calm and peaceful.
Satisfied, he went into his bedroom and stripped off his clothes, changing into loose-fitting sleep shorts. He tightened the drawstring and then removed a bottle of pills from his bag. He tapped one of the multi-vitamin tablets into his palm and made his way to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water.
Sitting on the sofa, he tossed back the water and swallowed the pill. Lying on his back, he absentmindedly rubbed the spot where an empty ache settled in his chest.
He stared up at the ceiling and thought about his relationship with Camila. Violence had been a part of his life from a young age. He met her when he was a sullen, angry eleven-year-old whose mother was dead and whose father had been shot down in the street like a dog. Instead of fearing him, she approached and said, “ Hola .” Then she smiled and handed him a flower, the same bright reddish-orange as the one tucked into the curls behind her ear.
He had believed, because his parents had done horrible things, he too would become a horrible person. Yet she saw something different in him.
From that moment, he had wanted to be what she saw him to be. A good guy. But he wasn’t a good guy. Another reason why he couldn’t touch her. He was no good for her, and she’d made her choice—Emilio. He was the good guy. Gone too soon. Leaving her a widow at twenty-nine. Leaving Alejandro without his friend.
With that last thought, his eyes lowered as sleep came over him.
The faint creak of a door hinge broke the stillness of the night.
Alejandro’s eyes opened, and as they adjusted to the darkness, he listened, his brow furrowed in concentration. He heard the faintest sound of movement and then the snick of the door leading to the carport closed.
Someone was in the house.
Not one person. More than one. Two.
One of them crept past the sofa, his body casting a moving shadow across the room. Alejandro’s heart pounded in his chest. Whoever they were, he’d be able to take them by surprise.
He stood and saw a big man dressed in black near the door, and a shorter man—also in black—heading down the hall.
The shorter man must have sensed Alejandro’s presence because he suddenly swung toward him and lifted a gun with a silencer on the tip. A second before he fired, Alejandro flung himself to the floor, and the lamp across the room shattered into pieces.
What the hell?
Alejandro snatched the glass from the table, and when the man edged around the sofa, he tossed it at his head and leaped up. One foot landed on the sofa cushions, springboarding him into a flying leap onto the man.
They slammed into the wall, and he gripped the man’s throat with one hand and encircled his wrist holding the gun with his other. He slammed his hand twice against the wall to force him to drop the weapon.
“Drop it!” he growled.
He heard the big one behind him move and jerked the arm of the shorter man in the direction of his friend. Alejandro covered his finger with his and squeezed the trigger. The big man fell to the floor with a loud grunt.
He and the shorter man continued to wrestle. He could see the man’s piercing blue eyes in the darkness, and his rancid breath was hot against Alejandro’s cheek as they grappled for control. They crashed into the counter, the edge hitting hard against Alejandro’s side. But he ignored the pain and took that opportunity to knock his opponent’s hand on the edge of the bar. This time, the weapon slid across the bar top and onto the floor.
He landed a vicious right hook, and the bones in the intruder’s jaw cracked and gave way. Then he slammed the man’s head against the edge of the counter. He cried out in pain and made a half-hearted attempt to swing at Alejandro who dodged the blow and grabbed a handful of his dark hair, then banged his head on the counter again.
The door down the hall opened, and Alejandro turned in that direction. Camila was barely visible through the cracked door.
“Stay inside and lock the door!” he barked.
She quickly shut herself inside.
He spotted a pen left on the counter and stretched for his fingers to grab it. With a quick twist of his wrist, he drove the pen into the side of the man’s neck. There was a sickening pop, and warm, sticky blood oozed from the side of his neck onto Alejandro’s hand. He collapsed to the floor, his body twitching as the life drained from him.
Alejandro faded left at movement from the corner of his eye. The big man was on his feet, and the silver blade in his hand was marred by a thread of blood. Son of a bitch had cut him.
He swung the knife again, missing Alejandro’s head by mere inches. The big man charged but slipped on his friend’s blood, and Alejandro took advantage of his imbalance to land a throat punch. The blow would take down a lesser man, but not this guy. He was either impervious to pain or high as hell.
The guy swung the knife, but Alejandro blocked the blow and followed up with a punch to the gut that didn’t seem to faze the intruder at all. Back and forth they went, Alejandro keeping his distance, lighter on his feet than the man who was several inches taller and at least fifty pounds heavier.
He grabbed a pot from the counter and swung, knocking the knife from the man’s hand. That infuriated the giant. He charged with a growl filled with anger and adrenaline. He seized Alejandro by the throat and hit his head against the wall. The world blurred as pain exploded inside his skull.
But he quickly retaliated with a knee to the gut. The impact forced a grunt from the intruder, but he didn’t let go. They twisted and turned, like two ancient warriors fighting to the death. They bounced off the counter, banged into the sofa, and knocked knickknacks to the floor.
Punch. Block. Grapple. Twist. Gasp. Grunt. Neither willing to give in.
They wrestled their way down the hall, stumbling into the wall and knocking a photo to the floor. The bastard was strong, and Alejandro’s muscles burned with the effort of fighting him.
He shoved Alejandro through the half-open bathroom door, and they crashed into the small space, the sound of their grunts echoing off the walls. He swung, and Alejandro ducked, sliding behind him to grab him in a full Nelson—arms under his arms, hands locked behind his neck. He stood on his toes and applied pressure to force a compression choke.
Arms flailing, the man fought for air. He twisted and turned, but Alejandro tightened the hold, his fingers in an unbreakable S lock. He thought for a moment he had him good, but the giant had a burst of energy and flung himself backward.
Alejandro lost his balance, and they crashed into one end of the tub. His back hit the tiled wall and pain shot through his shoulders. The curtain yanked the rings and they snapped, clattering into the tub with the rod.
Thinking fast, Alejandro wrapped the plastic curtain around the man’s head and used his strong legs to force his arms flat against his body. The intruder thrashed wildly and roared like an angry bear, but Alejandro wouldn’t let go. Muffled screams filled the bathroom, and Alejandro’s muscles burned as he tightened his grip on the body jerking between his thighs.
The struggle seemed to last for an eternity. The giant continued to fight, his movements violent as he fought for breath, forcing Alejandro to grit his teeth and hold on tight. He held firm to the shower curtain and kept his legs locked around the man’s arms. Muscles tight, his fingers strained with the effort, and his knuckles turned white as he used every last bit of strength he had left.
Finally, the giant’s movements slowed and then stopped altogether. In the ensuing silence, only Alejandro’s ragged breathing could be heard. Chest heaving, he rested his head against the tile and momentarily closed his eyes.
He took one deep, calming breath and then shoved the lifeless body off him. The smell of sweat, blood, and fear lingered in the air, a reminder of the brutal fight for survival that had taken place.
Alejandro pushed to his feet and turned on the light. He stared at the dead man—his black T-shirt soaked with blood from the round that had torn through him. Incredible. He had fought as if he hadn’t been shot.
He stepped out of the bathroom and listened to the quiet of the house, making sure no one else had entered. All threats had been eliminated.
Satisfied, he flicked on the hall light and went to knock on Camila’s bedroom door.