31. Grey
GREY
G rey
Valentina’s party was at Gonzalez’s house. Not surprising. He’d been a fucking suck-up since I was a teenager. Maybe about a decade older than me, he climbed the ranks by stepping on as many people as possible.
He started as a guard, and we’d sparred once. The memory was a sweet one. I pounded his face until he passed out, and the way his blood arced over the mat was a masterpiece. I loved when the sprays went wide.
For months after that, he’d undercut me to Vicente whenever he could. But I’d already made a name for myself as a ruthless fighter by that point, it was that year Vicente told me I’d be taking over the fights in the Institution.
It had grated Gonzalez. I had eaten it up.
I grabbed a shot from a tray as it passed. The crowd parted, and there was Gonzalez, chatting with some of the other heavy hitters in the Institution. His gaze met mine, and I saluted him with my shot before tossing it back.
We’d been saints lately with Lafe, but dealing with Vicente tonight was going to test me. I needed something to take the edge off. I wanted to fuck it out on our wicked love. Except I’d had her that morning already, and when I went searching for her, she was already fucking.
Lafe.
I wasn’t even surprised. He wanted her bad and did nothing to hide it, although he probably thought he did.
When I heard their moans through the door, I waited for the jealousy to hit. It never did.
The more time passed, I guess the idea of sharing wasn’t so crazy.
Andre knocked my shoulder, ruining the burn from the alcohol. “What?” I snapped.
“Vicente is with Valentina.” He nodded to the far side of the room, where a few chairs were on a platform. Not a tall one. It was a miracle we could see them at all with how packed this place was.
The lights were dimmed but still classy, but the music was club music. Vicente wasn’t the raging lunatic he must have been earlier, either. Right then, he was all smiles for his darling daughter. "I see them.”
Matías pushed through to the front of the group. “We might as well get this over with. If we don’t, Vicente could try any number of things to take you four down a notch.” His gaze lingered a little too long on Amorette. “You have one blaring weakness he’d enjoy tormenting.”
“Lead the way.” Parker threw out his hand.
His eyes were still hard. He was pissed at Mia.
Fuck, I was pissed at Mia. She knew how we felt about those two, and she still fucked Valentina.
Knowing my half-sister, she would have seduced Mia just to fuck with us.
Life was a game to her, and people were pawns.
Before he started across the room, Matías held out a hand to Amorette. “It would be safest for her if she were on my arm.”
“Fuck that. I don’t care about getting on his good side that much.”
Andre scowled at him, but it was Lafe who fucked us.
“He should take her on his arm.”
“Excuse me, what the fuck did you just say?” Parker’s face was twisted in betrayal.
Lafe brushed Amorette’s hair over her shoulder with so much reverence, I blinked hard. Twice. This wasn’t Lafe. I was the one who didn’t give a shit about what others thought of me. I also wanted everyone to know Wicked Love belonged to me in every way a man could possess a woman.
Not my brother. He protected himself as much as he could while still fronting that he was not to be fucked with. Yet, here he was, showing the room just how much Amorette had twisted him around her pinky.
Where was the fucking shots girl? I needed another one to deal with Vicente. He was going to have a field day. That cabrón was already staring right at us with a gleam in his eye.
“Killer is the most vulnerable of all of us. Vicente will hurt us, but he’d rather hurt someone who means something to us. We haven’t made it a secret that she’s different. Special. Let Matías take her up on his arm. What the fuck will it hurt? Other than your pride?”
“It doesn’t hurt yours?” Andre asked drily, scanning the room before dropping his gaze back to our wicked little love.
“No.” He swallowed. “What hurts me more is the thought that something could happen to her.”
I moved in closer, pushing his shoulder until he looked up at me. His eyes were normal. He wasn’t trembling. He seemed calm. But he also seemed emotional. Like he was crashing.
“Have you been hitting the powder?”
His gaze shifted. That motherfucker. “No.”
I wouldn’t call him out on it here, but I wasn’t going to commit to no alcohol in the house if he wasn’t going to make an effort.
“Fine. Matías, she’s yours for now. If you make one move I don’t like, you’ll have a blade in your spine.” I pulled away from Lafe, giving Matías the full weight of my stare. Parker scoffed, but he was pissy. He acted like a baby when he was pissy.
“Can you make it believable?” Matías held out his hand to Amorette.
“Can you?” she shot back.
A slight smile appeared for a second before it disappeared. “Absolutely.”
Of course, he could. He wasn’t playing at anything. The more we were around him, the more he tracked Amorette like she was something valuable to be acquired. He might have had different motives initially, but I’d bet my fucking hotel that he was developing lust for her.
The bigger shock was that he hadn’t tried to fuck her when he had her.
She placed her hand in his, and he brought it to his lips and kissed her knuckles. Her gaze was locked on his and my hand itched to box his ears. This was going to go great.
“Then let’s go.” He tucked Amorette close to his side and moved us closer to the fake-ass dais. Lafe and I fanned out on one side, with Andre and Parker taking the other.
The crowd parted effortlessly. Not only for Matías but for us as the enforcers—the bastard sons no one acknowledged.
Valentina was done up completely in her shimmering, slinky ballgown. Her hair looked professionally done, and her face was a blank mask. Since we were kids, she always played up the part of the cartel princess.
Then there was Vicente. Beaming as we approached. His dark hair was swept over to the side, and his black tux was impeccable. This was his thing. Vicente wanted everyone to know he was the wealthiest, most powerful man in the room. He got off on it.
He leaned back and flexed his fingers over the ends of the chair arms. “My, my. This is a surprise. Tell me, son, why are these traitors with you?”
“Father,” Matías spoke with all the emotion of a rock.
“These aren’t traitors. They’re my men. I’ve worked out a deal with them, and it’s come to my attention that the acts you thought they committed were false.
Just to cover my bases, I had some of my own personal men investigate the poorly staged coup. ”
Parker was a seething ball of rage on the other side of him. Without looking, I knew his eyes were black pits of hate.
“Christian Montego and Regan Riviera were the instigators. Proof has been sent to your office.” Matías dipped his head when he finished speaking. Those were two of the men who had been spiked during the parade.
Was this Vicente’s idea, or had they cooked up this bullshit together?
“I’m not sure I believe it. I’ll review the facts tomorrow.
These men still have crimes to pay for, no?
I believe there was an incident at the warehouse not long ago.
” He leaned forward and linked his fingers between his knees.
“That can’t go unpunished, son. That would set a bad example with our people and business associates. ”
Matías raised his head. “I haven’t heard about the warehouse.
I’ll send my men out, and if they are, in fact, guilty of any acts against you, they’ll be appropriately punished.
But, that will wait until I have evidence suggesting their guilt.
That’s only fair." He glanced over his shoulder and met my gaze. Then he smiled coldly up at Vicente. “If they turn up to have committed any crimes against the Institution, I’ll be the first to swing the whip. They love their time at the whipping post.”
Fucking asshole.
Vicente laughed. “Fair enough. Now, what’s going on with this little girl? I didn’t think you wanted her.”
“Oh, I want her,” Matías murmured. He pulled Amorette’s hand until she took a few steps forward.
I had to hand it to her; she was a better actor than I gave her credit.
She did a better job hiding her loathing than Parker.
“How could I not want her?” Matías trailed his hand down her back and over the curve of her ass.
Parker’s ire increased tenfold. For a man who never gave a fuck about women, he was letting his jealousy get the better of him. On the other hand, he’d never shared well.
Interesting that he wanted us all to share Amorette.
Vicente’s gaze darkened as he soaked in every single curve her dress showed off.
Which was all of them, considering it was skin-tight.
Disgust rolled through me, but I refrained from walking up to him and taking my anger out on his face.
We’d all pay the price, and I had a different focus now, other than pissing him off.
"I see the appeal.” Vicente licked his bottom lip, and Parker made a choked sound. Andre shot him a glare. “Do you have something to say, Parker?”
“No,” he bit out. Then smirked. “I’m just happy to be here. Gonzalez puts on the best parties.”
Vicente squinted at Parker. “He does.” After a beat of severe tension, Vicente let out a breath and turned his smile back to Matías. “Enjoy the party. Nothing will happen to these men tonight. Not until I’ve had time to review your report. Find me tomorrow.”
We were dismissed. Matías wasted no time leading us to the far side of the room. He kicked men out from one of the tables so we were clear from Vicente’s view, and when Amorette rested her elbows on it, he moved in and bracketed her body with his own.
Everyone gave us a wide berth, understanding that they might earn a taste of pain if they disturbed us. Our reputation was at least good for something.