Chapter 3
Shio Cuppacio
Four hours in the sky, and by the time we were on Mexico’s soil, I’d set shit in motion.
Guns. Grenades. Bulletproof vests.
Speeding down the dark streets of México City, I didn’t give Solana a second glance as she looked out the window at her hometown.
I couldn’t even process what I felt toward Solana.
I’d been feeling her. I’d thought that maybe, despite the circumstances of how she was placed in my path, we could build something.
I cared for her and felt I could fall in love with her.
But the minute I saw that powder residue on her nostrils, all that shit was dead.
I was off that with the quickness. I was off her, and I realized I shouldn’t have been on her to begin with.
The facts surrounding her being in my possession were still so cloudy.
My daughter and the good bullshit Bahati was on, by hiding her whereabouts, were my only priorities now.
Don could eat a dick if he thought I was going to continue to play his games.
Whatever he had going on with the Ledesma Cartel was his business—not mine.
Solana’s coked-out ass wouldn’t take up more space than she already had in my world.
I’d fucked up and let a pretty face, rounded doe eyes, and a fat ass cloud my judgment.
I knew her being sent to my home was straight-up bullshit and completely unorthodox.
Her father wanted her to learn how to be a wife, which was dumb because I’d never been married, nor did I have a pussy in between my legs to train a woman to be a wife.
All that bullshit was a red flag. His motive didn’t matter, though, because I was done with his daughter. She’d run her course in my presence.
It took us approximately twenty-nine-and-a-half minutes to pull up to her modest casita.
By the time we arrived, it was midnight, but I didn’t give a fuck if it was five in the morning.
I wanted answers. I came for my fucking daughter, and I wasn’t leaving without her.
Parking behind a black truck and two Mercedes, one older and the other brand-new, I looked over at Solana.
She was whimpering and shaking, but I gave zero fucks.
I didn’t have to tell her to get out, which was good because I wasn’t above dragging her by her ankles from this car.
I stood outside the driver’s door, waiting for her to walk up the pavement.
When she exited the car and looked over at me, I noticed her makeup again, the first time being on the plane.
It was completely ruined, black streaks staining her cheeks and lipstick smeared all across her mouth.
One side of her curls was drooping while the back and other side was smooshed into her head.
She pulled her dress down, closed the car door, and circled the Infinity.
Her heels were now in her hands as she walked barefoot across her father’s property.
She’d nearly collapsed on nothing but caught herself before she could hit the cobblestone.
She shot me a look as if I were the one who had made her stumble.
Solana, even in this state—coming down from a nasty high, hair ruined, makeup tarnished, and scared for her life—was still a fucking ten.
Biting down on my molars, I discreetly inspected her as she sucked her teeth and continued her walk of shame.
The way the dress hugged her hips and ass was sickening.
To think that tonight was supposed to end with me peeling the thin fabric off by the skin of my teeth had me heated.
Shaking my head, I ran my hand over my mouth and squared my shoulders.
I could never wife a fucking cokehead. That shit was dead.
And the fact that she was able to hide it from me for weeks was not only dangerous but telling.
It told me everything I needed to know about her: she couldn’t be trusted.
Solana didn’t give me another backward glance as she sauntered through the wooden door, granting us entry to her parents’ dwelling.
With my long legs, there were maybe a few inches between us now as I entered the house.
The scents of spices and cleaning solutions in the air couldn’t compete with the perfume she was wearing.
How a girl as pretty as Solana could indulge in such a nasty habit was beyond me.
Hours ago, being this close to her and smelling her pores would have made my dick stiff.
Now, the mere sight of her pissed me off to no end.
The walls were made of thick stucco, and from the front entry, we could see straight through the living area to the courtyard.
Their hacienda featured vibrant colors, stone floors, traditional wall paintings, and large windows.
Archways instead of doors led to each room, making it easy for me to look in all directions.
“Senorita!” A short and stubby, round-faced housemaid grinned at Solana. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the fucking druggie.
Solana placed a kiss on her cheek. “Hola, Mirna.”
When her eyes moved past Solana and landed on me, her smile faded, and she took a step back. I guess she recognized me from my last visit, which was good. She had every right to be afraid because this visit wasn’t friendly.
“Aye.” Solana’s shoulders tensed at the sound of my voice, but she kept her face on Mirna.
“Move,” I said, giving her a few seconds to peck Mirna’s cheek again before moving around her.
The middle-aged woman dropped her head and scattered off, mumbling a Spanish prayer. It was going to take more than God’s covering for everyone in this household if I didn’t get what the fuck I came for. I’d already made peace with the Most High, so I was good with however this shit turned out.
Solana’s bare feet slapped against the stone flooring as she switched with an attitude that I didn’t give a fuck about. I’d already wasted too much fucking time by having to drive to the jet and fly to this country. I needed a location on my daughter immediately.
Reaching over her head, I pushed the door to the yard open.
She sucked in her breath, and I inhaled that damn scent of hers.
Humid night air that tasted like summer, bugs, and fertilizer floated around us.
Stringed lights outlined the perimeter of the paved courtyard, and on the sofa, her stepmother sat at the far end.
Maura was sipping from a glass of wine, wearing a dark green gown, which accentuated her boob job and stopped at her crossed knees.
“Where is Papa?” I didn’t miss the shakiness in Solana’s breath.
Maura did a double-take before her face went stoic. “Why the fuck are you here? I thought we’d gotten rid of you?”
“Maura, please. I need my father—”
“Aye, where the fuck is yo’ husband?”
I didn’t have time for this evil stepmother bullshit. The more time that passed and I didn’t have my baby, the more deadly my thoughts became.
“How the fuck did you get in my home, and why the fuck is she here? My husband will not be taking her back, so you may as well leave. She’s your problem now.”
Maura’s English was ass, all of her sentences running together with her Hispanic accent. It didn’t help that she had probably had several glasses of wine, causing a noticeable slur.
I was out of fucking patience, and evil stepmommy had struck my last nerve. Reaching for my waistband, I pulled out my gun, aimed it at the target, and fired. Screams pierced the air, but my attention was on the sting in my hand. This gun had some power.
Two sets of feet approached, and I turned my gun in the direction of the newcomers. Ines shot his hands up, but the man beside him stood there, wearing a menacing grin.
“What is the meaning of this?” Ines screamed.
His attention went from his daughter to his wife, and then back to his daughter.
With Solana’s appearance, one would think she’d been dragged through the mud.
Just hours ago, she’d looked like the best thing to grace this God-forsaken earth.
But now, she was from a scene right out of What’s Love Got To Do With It.
Solana was Ike, however, with the way she’d been stuffing her fucking nose.
Besides those little hits, as I carried her onto the jet, she knew better than to try to make me Tina.
Solana’s sad demeanor didn’t help as Ines eyes continued to shift between the two women. Maura’s frail ass was screaming as if I’d killed her. Ines didn’t know what to do or who to attend to first.
“What the fuck have you done to my daughter?” His face turned a reddish-orange hue as spit flew from his mouth.
He hadn’t run to his wife, like I would’ve thought, and instead grabbed Solana’s face.
She turned her head, removing it from his grasp. “I’m fine, Papa. He did nothing.”
It was true. I hadn’t done shit to Solana besides get her the fuck out of my crib, but if this nigga didn’t believe that, I had no problem putting a hot one in his ass too.
“Arrrrgh!”
Maura’s screams prompted Ines to move past his daughter to his wife.
Kneeling beside her, he grabbed the blanket from the outdoor furniture and pressed it into her knee.
It was no use, though, because the cartilage in her knee was shattered.
The bitch would need a knee replacement if she didn’t want to hop around this bitch looking deformed.
“What is the meaning of this, Shio? You shot my wife. You harm my daughter! Demise, this is the man you speak so highly of?”
Maura was now gasping, sweat dripping down her face, while her husband assured her that everything would be fine. I could feel Don’s glare, but my focus was on what the hell I came here for.
“Yeah, Shio. Fuck you out here, blowing bitches legs off for?” Don derided.
I hadn’t expected Don to be here, but when it came to him, I’d learned to expect the unexpected. Cracking my neck, I lowered my gun, folded my hands at my waistline, and continued to give Ines my undivided attention.