11. Chapter 10
Chapter 10
R amiro had picked Summer’s apartment for the security. It had a doorman, coded elevators, and securely locked fire escapes. Ash checked them out regularly for Ramiro. He’d also been the one to slip the camera into her neighbors’ apartment, a camera whose image Ramiro already had pulled up on his phone again.
Her two friends lay slumped on opposite ends of the couch while Summer picked up the room. Her face no longer held the fake smile, but showed the aching sadness he was used to seeing whenever she didn’t realize he was watching.
Summer was his light, but not because she was happy all the time. No, that sunshine persona she’d learned to put on wasn’t the real her. She thought she needed it to be liked. Ramiro tried to convince her she didn’t need it around him.
Diego often teased him about having some sunshine in his life. He thought that was what drew Ramiro to Summer .
It was the opposite. She was dark and sad and as broken as him. Ramiro’s jagged edges fit perfectly against hers, as if he were made for her.
There’d been a moment, after both Diego and Naz had fallen in love, when Ramiro started to think he could be with the person he loved.
He watched Summer place her hand over her stomach, deep worry lines carved into her face.
Ramiro had been fooling himself. Summer wasn’t meant for him. She never had been.
She left the apartment to return to hers. Once she was safely behind locked doors again on the feed, he exited his car.
Seb was hidden near the parking garage, with a view of both the front and back entrances.
Sebastian Guzman was still a bit of an enigma. Naz had vouched for him, and it didn’t hurt to have a Guzman on Ramiro’s payroll, even if he was a bottom-feeder relation with limited prospects. Seb was an opportunist, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
When Seb spotted him, his sardonic smile pissed Ramiro off like usual. Nothing seemed to rattle the man. He calmly calculated and either acted or stepped back as he saw fit.
The man didn’t seem to care about anything besides himself, and Ramiro couldn’t understand why Seb had supported Naz in the cartel conflict, if he even had. It was more likely that Seb hung back to see which way the wind blew .
Right now, it blew with Ramiro, as long as his newest message to the cartel held.
Ramiro leaned against the pillar beside him. “It’s been quiet?”
“You doubted it would be?” Seb asked.
“I always expect the worst.” Ovidio Guzman’s threats toward Summer hovered in Ramiro’s mind. “No one you recognized came by?”
“You give me too much credit. It’s not like I know everyone in the cartel. No one suspicious has lurked around the building, though. Hell, with all the security, I doubt they’d target her here at all. It’d be easier to kill her outside of your office building and would pack more of a punch.”
The too-easy-to-picture scenario made Ramiro’s stomach churn. Summer had been panicked and alone this morning when she’d come to the office. If they were after her, they could have easily taken her out.
The only reason they hadn’t was likely Ovidio Guzman’s need to be certain it would affect Ramiro. At the meeting, he’d become certain, but he was dead now.
“I stirred things up,” Ramiro warned, staring at the entrance.
Seb nodded. “Only way to send a message. Do I need to lie low again?”
“I was thinking the opposite.” Ramiro eyed him, but Seb just lifted an eyebrow and waited. “There might be room for you to wiggle back in now. It’d be good to have someone on the inside. ”
Seb shook his head. “I value my life more than anything you can offer me.”
Ramiro didn’t push. Not that long ago, he’d had little choice on what jobs he’d taken. There had been orders to follow, or there would have been blood to pay. He didn’t run things that way. He suggested, but any job was ultimately his men’s choice.
Loyalty grew better that way, something he was still growing with Seb.
“I’ll take over here,” Ramiro said.
Seb nodded, but paused as he eyed a man coming up the sidewalk, weaving as he walked.
Even shit-faced, Ramiro recognized Derek Laugerman, Summer’s current prick boyfriend and the father of her baby. His fists clenched.
“Someone you know?” Seb asked.
“A gift to round out this shitty night.” Delivering some pain seemed called for. It wouldn’t be all that satisfying. The asshole could barely lurch up the steps.
“I’ll leave you to it, then,” Seb said, walking away.
Ramiro stalked toward the front entrance.
It was late, nearing midnight, and the inner lobby was empty except for security. The doorman on desk duty tonight eyed Derek with distaste. “I’m sorry, sir, but you’re not on Ms. Johnson’s approved list of guests.”
“I was approved yesterday!” Derek shouted, his words slurring .
Summer had removed his access. Ramiro was proud of her, but it also made him more certain the prick had hurt her.
“I’ll take care of this,” he said from behind Derek. The doorman paused when he recognized him. Ramiro had most of them on his payroll as extra incentive to keep an eye on Summer.
She had more protection than she’d ever know about.
The doorman’s head tilted in acknowledgement. “Mr. Rodriguez.”
“Rodriguez?” Derek turned, eyeing him with a confused look. He looked back at the doorman. “I need to see Summer. Let me see her?” he whined.
Ramiro clamped a hand on his shoulder. “You and I need to have a talk first.” He forced Derek toward the door. There were too many cameras in the lobby. The two out front would be easier for Hayes to erase the footage on.
Summer had been crying that morning. This man had caused it. He deserved to be a smear on the sidewalk for that. It would have been better if the prick hadn’t drowned himself in alcohol first, but if he didn’t remember the lesson, Ramiro could always deliver it again when he was sober.
Derek tried to shrug off Ramiro’s hold, and Ramiro released him, letting him tumble down the steps to the sidewalk.
“You can’t trip me,” the prick whined, bracing himself on the concrete.
Ramiro stepped on Derek’s hand, the shriek of pain not nearly enough, but a start. He ground that hand into the sidewalk .
“Get off!” Derek bellowed, unable to pull free.
Ramiro added more weight as he crouched, gripping the asshole’s dark hair and jerking his head up. The edge of the man’s mouth glistened with drool from the pain.
The pain hadn’t even started yet.
Ramiro forced Derek to look at him. “Tell me what you said to Summer.”
Derek blinked, his eyes narrowing. “I remember now. Summer works for a Rodriguez.” The smile that spread on the prick’s face needed to be erased. “She’s been fucking you, too, hasn’t she? Lying slut.”
Punching the man in the face wasn’t as satisfying as Ramiro had hoped. He watched blood fly from his cracked nose, dotting the sidewalk. At least the smile was gone.
Ramiro ground his heel into Derek’s hand. “Say that again.”
The idiot was too drunk to think clearly, or he would have kept his mouth shut. “I always wore a condom. She had to be sleeping around. That makes her a sl—”
Ramiro aimed for his cheekbone, hoping it would crack as easily as the nose. The force of the impact had the man falling back.
“Summer wouldn’t sleep around.” It had taken her a year after sleeping with him to try to have sex again. A year of her eyes begging Ramiro to reconsider. When she’d finally moved on, he’d gotten blisteringly drunk with Diego. He’d never forget the way he’d felt that night .
She’d been with a handful of men since then. It took her months to trust the guys enough. And it took everything in Ramiro not to kill each one she’d been with.
He was a hypocritical psychopath when it came to her. He wanted her to be with someone better than him, but he hated each and every man who got to touch her. The one in front of him was turning out to be the worst yet.
“It’s not mine!” Tears streamed down Derek’s face. “It can’t be mine.”
Ramiro wanted to shake him. “She deserves better than you.” He stepped closer, blocking the glow of the streetlight, casting a shadow over the man. “Why did you even come here tonight if you want nothing to do with her?”
Derek’s head dipped toward the sidewalk. “She’s already knocked up. Might as well fill that hole while I have the chance. You came here tonight thinking the same thing, didn’t you?”
Ramiro crouched again as fury flooded his body. “It’s going to be a pleasure killing you,” he admitted, jabbing him in the throat.
The man’s eyes bulged as he failed to breathe. The follow-up punch to Derek’s already broken nose resulted in a wet moan of fear. Ramiro grabbed for his flailing arm. Snapping the wrist brought a shriek of pain.
“Don’t, Ram.”
Ramiro would recognize Summer’s voice even in a screaming crowd. The pain in her words made him pause. She still wore the simple skirt paired with a T-shirt. Her feet were bare, proving she’d rushed down without a thought for herself.
She didn’t think of herself enough.
“You should go back inside,” he said. “You don’t have to see this.”
“I don’t want you to kill him.” Summer’s eyes dropped to the sidewalk. “Please?” she added, her arms wrapping around herself.
She’d said the same about those teenage rapists back when they’d first met. Ramiro pretended to listen back then. He could pretend again.
His palms weren’t bloody. He rose and rested them on her shoulders, rubbing warmth into her arms. “No one gets to say the things he said about you.”
Her eyes shifted to Derek’s cowering form. “He doesn’t believe the baby is his.”
Derek continued to pant and shake, cradling his wrist against his body. “Your boss is crazy! He said he was going to kill me.”
“I’m sorry,” Summer murmured.
“Don’t apologize to him.” Ramiro hated that the prick no longer looked scared.
Summer shook her head, her arms tightening around herself. “You don’t want this baby?” she asked Derek.
The baby’s father groaned as he stumbled to his feet. He spit onto the sidewalk, blood mixed with the saliva. “It’s not the baby I don’t want. It’s you.”
Summer flinched .
Ramiro stalked toward the prick, but she scrambled for his arm, stopping him from leveling the fucker out.
To his surprise, her eyes were dry. “I asked,” she said.
Ramiro’s hand cupped her cheek as he shifted in front of her, blocking her view of the man who never should have been allowed to touch her. “You didn’t ask for this. Let me take care of it.”
Derek let out a drunken laugh. “You still want what I’ve already had? Trust me, it’s not worth it. She’s a lousy lay. Can’t even suck dick.”
Ramiro watched Summer’s face grow pale as her eyes dulled. His body shook from the effort to hold back. “Please, Summer,” he begged. The anger writhing inside him needed an outlet.
She closed her eyes. “He’s just drunk. Don’t kill him.” Then she turned away.
Ramiro waited until she was back in the lit lobby before he faced his prey.
Alcohol had dulled the man’s sense of self-preservation, but he must have read the promised pain to come in Ramiro’s eyes. He tried to run. Ramiro had him on the ground before he could take two steps, dragging him by his broken wrist far enough away that Summer wouldn’t be able to watch. The shadowed garage seemed appropriate.
Then he let go, driven by his own guilt. He should have watched out for Summer better. He should have never let this man touch her .
The crying and moans of pain had long since faded away by the time he stopped. The man’s chest still rose, proving he wasn’t dead.
When Ramiro looked up, Seb leaned against the short wall, smoking a joint.
“I thought you’d left.” Ramiro inspected his hands. The blood wasn’t too bad. He used Derek’s shirt to wipe the most obvious streaks away before standing.
“And miss the show?” Seb blew smoke out with a chuckle. “You told her you wouldn’t kill him.”
Ramiro studied the unconscious man. “He’s not dead.”
“Close enough. You want me to dump him?”
If they dumped him, the rattling breaths would slow. It would solve the problem, but she would know it was him.
Ramiro sighed. “Take him to the clinic.”
Seb snorted before taking another drag. “You’re soft on her.”
Suspicion weaved inside Ramiro. “Guzman thought the same.”
Seb’s smile faded. “I didn’t tell him. I only realized today.” He shrugged. “It’s nice, people falling in love.” He let his blunt hang between his fingers. “It’s not for me, but I don’t mind watching the fallout. Naz was especially sweet when he fell.” He studied the barely breathing body. “You have a different take on romance.”
“Fuck off. This wasn’t about romance.” Ramiro stared down at her broken ex, still wanting to kill him. He needed to be patient. Once she forgot about Derek, he could kill him. “Summer and I aren’t like that.”
“Keep telling yourself that.” Seb tapped out the blunt against the wall, pocketing what was left.
Even stiff and unconscious, Derek was more trouble than he was worth, but they stuffed him into the already lined trunk of Seb’s nondescript sedan. Sebastian Guzman didn’t do flashy, despite appearances.
Ramiro felt calm by the time he rode the elevator up to Summer’s floor. He sent off a quick text to Hayes as the doors opened.
‘Need a camera sweep.’
Approaching her door, his phone vibrated.
‘Already done. Entertaining.’
Ramiro shook his head. Hayes was getting out of hand. He’d have to drag him out of the house again soon.
The texts disappeared when he rapped on Summer’s door.
She opened it immediately, as if she’d been hovering there waiting. “He’s not dead?” she asked.
“No.” Not yet anyway, he added to himself. He closed the door behind him, locking up. The idea that she cared about the prick seeped inside Ramiro’s chest, tightening in a painful squeeze.
“Of course. You promised.” Her eyes shut as her tension seemed to snap, draining away and leaving her swaying on her feet instead .
Ramiro lifted her into his arms, carrying her toward the bedroom. She leaned her face against his chest, her hand wrapping around his neck to play with the ends of his hair. It felt so good to have her touching him.
“Would it really be so bad if I got rid of him?” Ramiro asked. He wanted to ask if she gave a shit about the prick but was scared of the answer. She’d dated Derek for six months. She must have liked him.
Jealousy dug into his heart. He really was a hypocrite.
He set her on top of the bed, hating when her hand pulled away and she scooted back. She frowned as he helped her pull down the comforter and sheets.
“I was thinking about the baby.”
The reminder that she was pregnant made his hands shake as he pulled the sheets over her. “The baby is better off without that asshole.”
She rested her head on the pillow and turned on her side, facing him. Her hand moved under the covers, and he imagined it resting over her stomach. “If I have the baby, they might be curious about their father.”
“If?” Warmth spread like hope. Ramiro brushed the hair off her face, his hand wanting to shake. “Earlier, it seemed like you wanted to keep it.”
“I—” She bit her lip and closed her eyes, her face beginning to crumple.
Ramiro crouched down, pressing his forehead against hers. “Shhh, don’t think about it right now. You’re exhausted and hurt, even though you’re trying not to be. Sleep. It’ll all be better in the morning.”
She nodded against him. He pulled away, studying her precious face, then rose to strip. Her eyes opened to watch him, but she didn’t protest. He left his dress pants on when he climbed into bed, his arm wrapping around her and pulling her back against his chest.
She pulled his hand tighter around her body. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Guilt mixed with pleasure. Summer would wake up hopeful again. He did this to her every time. He knew she wanted to be with him.
The idea that he could have her toyed with his mind, whispering like the devil in his ear.
His head nuzzled into her neck as he breathed in her lavender scent. They had this moment, added to so many others over the years. It had to be enough.
As he listened to her breathing deepen, he knew it wasn’t enough for either of them. She deserved better than the prick who had knocked her up, but she deserved better than him as well.
His hand covered her stomach. He was even more selfish for hoping she wouldn’t keep the baby. If she didn’t, he’d be able to hold on to her for a little longer, assuming he didn’t get her killed first.