14. Chapter 14
Chapter 14
D iego had left the garage open at the same house as before, and Naz pulled straight in. He knew he should close the door as soon as possible. The less he was seen there, the better.
When his legs lowered to balance the stopped motorcycle, Meg started to pull away from him, and his hands closed over hers to keep them resting on top of his stomach.
He wondered if having her cling to him would ever get old. He’d never slept better in his life than the nights she wrapped her body around him. Feeling her at his back on the ride was almost as good.
She gave him a squeeze, that giggle of hers barely audible through the helmet, but it soothed something inside him.
He released her so she could climb off, then settled the motorcycle to join her, moving toward the open garage door to shut it.
A single bulb burned above them, keeping the space from being dark.
When Meg reached for the helmet, his hands stalled her. He shook his head, moving away from her.
Meg understood. She stayed where she was while Naz made his way inside.
It wasn’t that Naz didn’t want Diego to meet her. He was just a little nervous about the teasing that would come. Diego would think it was more than it was.
Only Diego didn’t seem like he was in the mindset to tease anyone. He looked like shit, hunched over the monitors and not even turning his head toward Naz.
Naz frowned as he drew closer. Diego’s eyes were bloodshot, his fingers buried in his messy hair. The room was dim, only the light from the rows of monitors flickering across his tattooed shoulders.
Naz had never seen Diego with a dullness coating him before. Even when he’d found him, Diego had been terrifying, the way he’d killed in a frenzy, but he’d been full of energy.
Naz didn’t like it. He shifted behind him, studying the monitors. Nothing much had changed since the last time he’d watched them. The kids were still there, the woman with them ignoring them to scroll through her phone.
The other woman sat on a couch, a book in her lap.
Everything seemed calm and normal enough. Well, it was a house bigger than Naz had ever seen, but they were probably used to it.
Nothing on the screen explained the tension in his friend’s body.
Naz closed his eyes, concentrating on the shape of the words.
“What…wrong?”
Diego slowly turned to face him. He stared at Naz, as if startled that he’d talked, but also like he hadn’t even known Naz was there.
Diego shook his head, reaching for a packet of papers. “Here. Bring these to Ramiro.”
Naz ignored the papers, folded his arms, and waited.
Diego’s lips tilted up. “I guess I have a thing for stubborn people. Nothing’s wrong.” He ran a hand over his hair, flattening a bit of the mess. “I’m just distracted.” He glanced at the monitors. “I’m about done here.” The words came out in a monotone. He sounded almost numb, but that wasn’t how he looked.
Naz didn’t know what words he could even try to force out. Asking what was wrong again wouldn’t make the answer any clearer. He unfolded his arms, taking the papers. Diego was as careful as always not to touch him.
His friend turned back to the monitors. “I’ll check in next week.”
Naz knew a dismissal when he heard it and made his way back to Meg.
“That was quick. We came all this way just for that?” Her smile was hard to see through the helmet, but it settled Naz as he tucked what he’d been given into his tank bag for safekeeping.
He considered bringing Meg inside. She could cheer anyone up.
Unless they didn’t want to be cheered up. Diego looked committed to his mood. Naz decided it’d be best to leave him alone.
That didn’t mean he wasn’t telling Ramiro. Of course, knowing Ramiro, he already knew.
R odriguez Security looked like the front it was. Ramiro had set it up in an unassuming, one-story building, with a handicap ramp and everything. Naz parked his motorcycle in the handicap spot nobody ever used, gesturing for Meg to take off her helmet and come inside with him.
Ramiro found jobs that made Naz show up about once a month at the business. It was another way for the man to check on him. Ramiro was someone who needed to see things with his own eyes sometimes, even if there wouldn’t be a lot of conversation.
“Welcome.” The secretary of the security business had been around longer than Naz. Her smile and bright voice made him uncomfortable. Nobody could be happy every time you saw them, but Summer pretended well.
The secretary looked like a Summer. She had long, blonde hair, bright blue eyes that crinkled when she smiled, and she wore flowery dresses, or she had for as long as Naz had known her.
Summer’s gaze slid past Naz, and she beamed at Meg. “You brought someone.” She rose from behind the desk, moving around it to hold out her hand. “I’m Summer.”
Naz shifted. Summer was a short thing and reminded him of what it was like to be breakable.
Meg stepped up beside him, helping to ease his tension just by being there. She smiled, taking the secretary’s hand. “Meg.” Her eyes flitted around the clean and organized office space. “This is not what I expected at all.”
Summer beamed. “It’s nice, isn’t it? Mr. Rodriguez has let me add some of my own touches.” Her expression looked even softer, and she reached out to tap a leaf on a nearby plant.
Naz had always assumed the plants were fake.
“Mr. Rodriguez is expecting you, but not…” Summer smiled at Meg again. “Not with company. Let me go tell him you’re here.”
Her skirt swished as she moved to one of the office doors, knocking on it before pushing inside.
“She’s nice,” Meg murmured to Naz, her arm brushing against his from standing so close.
“He what?” came the startled, loud voice from the office.
Ramiro was a big guy, even bigger than Naz. He wore fancy suits that didn’t really match his beard and wavy hair, but that looked good on his tall frame. The jackets hid the muscle he was packing; not that Ramiro ever looked anything other than dangerous.
Meg shifted slightly behind Naz.
When Ramiro came out of his office, he blinked at her as if he’d never seen a woman before.
Summer stepped up beside him. “I can’t believe you called me a liar,” she muttered under her breath, though her lips still smiled.
“I had to see it to believe it.” Ramiro squeezed his secretary’s shoulder, and she relaxed, her smile becoming more natural.
Meg laughed. “I’m Meg. Don’t make too much of me being here. Diego’s just keeping an eye on me. He’s been on babysitting duty.”
Naz looked at her with a shake of his head. Meg patted his arm.
“It’s fine,” she whispered.
“It seems like we’ve got a few things to catch up on,” Ramiro said, giving Naz a pointed look. “Summer, can you keep Meg company while we talk?”
Summer waved toward a nook in the corner. “Would you like some tea?”
“Sure,” Meg murmured, following her.
“Inside.” Ramiro didn’t sound too happy as he turned back to his office. He didn’t sit behind his desk but leaned against it, glaring at Naz even before he closed the door.
“Explain,” Ramiro snapped.
Naz held out the papers he’d been sent to retrieve. Ramiro snatched them, dropping the packet on his desk with barely a glance.
“I swear to God, Naz, I’ve got enough to deal with from Diego right now.”
Naz pulled out his phone, typing.
‘He doesn’t look good.’
Ramiro sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I know. I’m working on it.” His eyes lasered in on Naz. “Do I have to work on you as well? Who is this girl?”
Naz hesitated, not sure what to type. He ended up shrugging.
Ramiro glared. “Not good enough. What the fuck is going on?”
Memories of Meg flitted through his mind, each one feeling impossible to describe. There was only one thing that was easy, and it was the thing he should remember most.
‘She belongs to Julio Guzman.’
“Well, shit, Naz. We can’t afford to piss the cartel off, and the Guzmans run everything. Why the hell do you think I placed you with that low-level thug?” He scrubbed his hand over his jaw, his beard rasping. “You kill him, shit is going to go down fast. Don’t do it for a quick fuck. I get it, if she’s making your dick work, but—”
Naz slammed into Ramiro, taking him to the floor as his vision edged black. A snarl filled his ears, the sound of it startling him as he realized it came from him. It was enough to edge his awareness back. Ramiro shoved him away.
“For fuck’s sake!” Ramiro heaved out a breath, wincing as he dragged himself into a sitting position. “I’m sorry. Just breathe, kid.”
Naz’s lungs burned. Laughter filled his head. He focused on the next breath, making it the only thing in his mind—the unsteady inhale followed by a whooshing exhale. He could do better. The next wave of air pulled deeper, and the next, until he’d settled enough to look toward Ramiro again.
Ramiro gazed steadily back. “You with me?”
Naz nodded.
Ramiro prodded at his stomach. “Your punches still hurt like hell. This is on me. I should have watched my words.” A smile twitched his lips. “I was just surprised. You looked comfortable with her.” His gaze shifted back to Naz. “I’ve never seen that before. You’re not even comfortable with me. Diego, maybe, but I don’t get to see it.”
Naz leaned to the side, snagging his phone from where it’d fallen and tapping at the screen. He turned his new message so Ramiro could see.
‘Because you’re an asshole.’
Ramiro choked out a sound before his head fell back against the desk and he started laughing. It was loud and big, just like the man.
Naz hadn’t been joking. His eyes narrowed as Ramiro wound down, wiping at his eyes.
“Shit, I needed that. Summer told me I’ve been an asshole lately, too. Everything’s just been a bit much. Not only with Diego, though he’s gone fucking crazy, and not like he did with you.” Ramiro considered it. “I need to get him out of that damn house.”
He shoved to his feet, reaching for the papers Naz had picked up for him. “This should help.” He let the packet plop back down to the desk. “What will help you? Should I get you out of there?”
Naz shook his head. He was fine. Before entering the office, he would have said he was better than fine. He’d lost a lot less time recently. Each moment with Meg seemed to draw out, cementing him into the present more and more.
“Fucking hell.” Ramiro moved away from the desk and toward the door. “At least let me meet her properly.”
For a big man, he moved fast. Naz was left scrambling after him.
Meg and Summer were laughing together on the couch, holding the tea cups that Naz always declined. It wasn’t like he could drink the tea, it’d just dribble down his chin, and the cups looked delicate as hell.
Somehow, the blue-designed etching looked even more delicate in Meg’s hand.
Summer shot a tight smile toward Ramiro. “Did I hear fighting?”
Naz ducked his head.
Ramiro sighed. “I poked the bear. It’s fine.”
Meg laughed. “Naz is the bear? Maybe a teddy bear. A cuddly one.”
A prickly heat crawled up Naz’s neck. He ignored the way Ramiro and Summer stared, focusing instead on Meg’s smiling eyes.
“You two…cuddle?” Ramiro asked, his voice sounding tight. He was going to burn a hole into Naz if he kept staring like that. Ramiro cleared his throat. “I thought you belonged to Julio Guzman.”
Meg turned to set her cup on the table, her smile tightening. “He told you that? It’s true enough. Naz and I are just…friends.” Her mouth twisted around the word, but she pushed to her feet, smiling at him again. “He’s a good person to have at your back.” She faced Ramiro, her eyebrow lifting. “You don’t agree?”
“He’s a pain in the ass,” Ramiro said.
Naz gave him the middle finger.
Meg burst out laughing. She moved around the couch, her arms wrapping around his arm. “We should get going. We wouldn’t want Julio thinking we ran off together.” She squeezed his arm, her smile not fading this time.
Ramiro still stared at him when he said goodbye, and Summer waved at them before shutting the door.
“You really punched that big guy?” Meg hissed in his ear.
Naz didn’t deny it. He didn’t remember exactly what he’d done during the scuffle.
“Sometimes you really surprise me, Ignacio.” Meg hummed in her throat, as if extending the sound of his full name. She released him to pick up the helmet and let him buckle it beneath her chin.
“I think that guy has a soft spot for you,” she murmured, her chin moving against his fingers. “Just like me.”
Naz’s phone vibrated as he climbed onto the motorcycle. He pulled it out to see a new text from Ramiro.
‘Summer says she likes Meg. Be careful.’
Naz shoved the phone away. A short life had once been what he’d hoped for. With Meg’s arms wrapped around his waist, the idea no longer felt like the escape it once had.