Christine was right behind me, her entire body tense. She obviously believed I would seriously allow anything to happen to her son.

  I was a fucking monster, but even I had my limits.

  I carried him up the stairs to the bedroom already selected for him, waiting as she pulled down the covers so I could lower him onto the sheet.

  When I backed away, she immediately moved to the suitcase she’d brought with a few of his things inside, pulling out pajamas. I was struck by the colorful bears covering the material.

  Just watching her with him was touching, maybe too much so. Having lost my conscience years before, I was ill equipped to handle the strange array of emotions.

  “I’ll be downstairs when you’re finished. I’ll have the rest of his things brought up in the morning.”

  While I waited for her acknowledgement, something told me she had no intention of doing so. Sighing, I headed to the door, stopping once to glance over my shoulder.

  She was kissing his forehead, whispering something to him I couldn’t understand as she removed his shirt.

  Close by was the stuffed bear he’d cradled on the plane and I was struck by the way the bear’s cloth eyes were staring back at me. There was something even more haunting about the moment, a reminder that what I was doing would alter several lives. The thought weighed heavily on my mind and I leaned against the wall in the hallway where I remained for a full minute.

  Benito was waiting in the living room when I walked in, immediately scratching his head.

  “What? Just say it, Benito.”

  “All I was going to say is that I’ve never seen you eat at McDonald’s before.”

  “Maybe it’ll become a new habit.” The joy on Maverick’s face had been a happy, simple experience.

  “Was the food delicious?”

  I snorted. “Surprisingly yes.” I wasn’t lying.

  “Maybe I’ll try it next time. How many soldiers do you want around the house?”

  As I walked to the bar, I thought about his question. “Three, but make certain their weapons are completely concealed and remind them never to leave their guns unattended.”

  “Sure, boss. They are normally pretty good about that. Why the reminder?”

  Grabbing a rocks glass, I poured a hefty amount of whiskey. “Because we have a young child in the house. Accidents can happen.”

  “Right. Gotcha. I’ll remind them. Anything else you need?”

  “That should do it for tonight. I have some furniture deliveries coming tomorrow. Check the men thoroughly before they’re allowed inside the house.”

  “Furniture?”

  “You’re full of questions tonight, Benito.” I gave him a hard look as soon as I turned around.

  He backed away, immediately looking anywhere else but at my annoyed face. “I’m not used to seeing you like this.”

  “Like what?”

  He shrugged.

  “Fucking say it, Benito. It’s been a long day.”

  “You’re just different. I mean since you’ve been around Ms. Callahan.”

  Different. I wasn’t certain whether to take that as a compliment, so I left it alone. There was no reason to pick a fight. After all, he was correct. In the few hours she’d been inside my world completely, I’d felt different. The future was nothing like I’d plotted out years before.

  Not that I knew what that meant.

  “I meant no disrespect,” he added. When I became unusually quiet, he knew I was angry.

  “Christine’s parents,” I stated. “Make it a priority to learn everything you can about them.”

  “Why the rush?”

  “Just covering all the bases. Besides, I’m sure Jago wants you back at his house. I want to utilize your expertise prior to you returning to your regular duties.”

  “Actually, he told me I was best served by being your lieutenant. He said I needed to protect your new family at all costs. And I will.”

  Family.

  Jesus. The term was being tossed around far too easily now that Jago was married. Soon, he’d have more than one kid on the way. What then?

  With the responsibilities increasing based on the high volume of business the last few months and our attention to diversification, additional soldiers had been needed. Ranks had been shifted, promotions given.

  Hell, Morales-Torres Enterprises was becoming dangerously close to turning legit. I softly laughed to myself and swallowed a shot of whiskey. The stories I could tell about the good old days of walking the streets at all hours of the night, collecting fees from businesses and individuals, breaking bones and crushing dreams in the process. We’d advanced to running every drug operation, our methods of interrogation turning to acts of torture. Even the simplest of exterminations had been bloody.

  Done on purpose just to keep the peace.

  And to prove our worth.

  I’d been called a twisted fuck more than once during the years Jago and I had controlled Barcelona. I’d enjoyed almost every moment of the brutal time. Would I want to go through it again? Fuck, up until a week ago I would have said in a heartbeat.

  Now?

  I shook my head and looked away. Yeah, I was very different than even a week ago, something that should concern me. “Fine. I’ll hold you to that. Take off for the night, Benito. We’ll talk about some changes needed in the morning. But I need to learn everything there is to know about Christine and her family. Any close friends or business associates as well.”

  “I’ll call in a few favors if necessary.”

  I nodded before I spoke, thinking about how I could make the transition easier. There was no chance I could keep Christine and her son protected twenty-four hours a day. First of all, she wouldn’t allow me to shadow her. Second, doing so wasn’t practical for business. “Okay, good. Incidentally, the guest quarters on the back of the property. I want you to take a look at the building tomorrow to ensure the infrastructure is adequate. There are two bedrooms. Two bathrooms. A full kitchen. I’ll want round the clock guards, and they’ll need some accommodations.”

  He seemed caught off guard. The damn guest house had never been used. Who the hell did I have come for a visit? I reminded myself that the changes were necessary.

  “Yes, sir. I’ll make the arrangements and change schedules.” He headed out just as Christine was walking in.

  Her expression hadn’t softened. If anything, she appeared angrier than before. Perhaps because I’d also taken it upon myself to invade the privacy with her son. At some point, she’d need to get used to it.

  I was now a mainstay in her life.

  “You wanted to see me?” she asked.

  “I thought we should talk away from Maverick. Is he asleep?”

  “Yes, just waiting for the boogeyman.”

  I resisted the bait she so charmingly tossed out. Perhaps she’d figured out how easily she could get under my skin. “I’m glad he’s resting.”

  “What did you do to Malcolm?” she pressed, dark eyebrows slanting into a frown as she wrinkled her nose.

  “You only need to know he won’t be bothering you any longer.” While I appreciated her desire to learn the truth, she’d soon learn pushing for grueling details would never be in her best interest. “Would you like a drink?”

  “No, thank you. I’m fine.” Very curt. Very unemotional. At least she walked closer. “What do you need?”

  “Have you made a decision on our business arrangement?”

  Her exhale was forced. “Not yet.”

  “I’ll expect one in the morning.”

  “Of course you will. Mr. Impatient along with everything else.”

  The more time went by, the more I craved forcing her to surrender.

  “I’m certain you’d like to know about the sleep arrangements so you can get some rest.”

  Christine bristled, her lips pursing in a way that highlighted her freckles. She took the time to fold her arms across her chest before responding. “Fine. What are they?”

  “You have the bedroom next to Maverick. In the several deliveries coming tomorrow is also a baby monitor. I thought that might provide you with some ease and comfort.”

  “Alright. Yes, it would.” She eyed me warily as if waiting for the flipside to my offer.

  “Tomorrow you’re going to travel with me to the Morales-Torres corporate headquarters. Genevieve Morales, or Torres, is married to the man who runs the combination of operations.”

  “You mean the drug lord, the man who thought teaching a lesson should be done so with a knife.”

  She’d been doing her homework. “We’re growing and changing as many businesses do.”

  My statement brought a laugh. “Alright. Why am I going with you? I thought I’d be locked in a room somewhere.”

  Her antics were growing even more irritating. “Hardly. You’re going to be working there. I’m hopeful you can find something appropriate to wear.”

  That caught her off guard. “What? Let me guess. You and your cronies own an elementary school and you’d like me to be creative in teaching the next generation how to wrangle the best drug deal. Maybe I’ll even throw in some classes about the best use of poison. Oh, wait. I forgot. You guys prefer methods of slaughter. Right? I could learn and become a full-service teacher. Imagine. Teacher of the year.”

  I tamped down the anger even as my cock twitched. She had no idea what I wanted to do to her. “Genevieve handles various aspects of business consulting for struggling businesses. Some she purchases and makes needed changes. She’s also considering getting into the diamond selling business.”

  Her laugh was unexpected. “Diamonds. You mean as in selling to swanky jewelry stores?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Fascinating. Very legitimate, but a perfect way of laundering money, especially since some of the finest jewels come from South Africa and certain small mines in Brazil. However, you should know that Russia is the top diamond mining country followed by Botswana and the Republic of Congo. While you might be able to wrangle deals, albeit dangerous ones from those countries, I doubt you’ll be able to work with the Australians or Canadians, numbers four and five on the list.”

  I could barely contain a smile. “And why is that?” This would be the perfect opportunity to ask what she’s hiding from me and about her parents, but I preferred to know what I was dealing with before bringing the conversation to the table.

  “Because they don’t take kindly to European swine determined to swindle them. You’d do much better importing your diamonds from smaller countries. While more dangerous, my guess is their operational skills and lack of governance will be more to your liking. In other words, you might be able to work a better deal.”

  My look of surprise was obvious, which pleased her tremendously. “Impressive.”

  “You mean for a little ole elementary school teacher? I do read, Kruz.”

  “Nothing would surprise me about you.” Why was it that everything about her comment told me she had far more knowledge about subjects that she shouldn’t ordinarily be interested in?

  “I’m glad to hear that. If you don’t mind, I am tired. I’d like to head to my bedroom.”

  Mi pequeño pastel was drawing another line in the sand. “Of course.”

  She eyed me carefully before turning toward the door, every step full of tension. This was when I needed to put my foot down and help her understand a few things.

  “One last thing, Christine.” I walked closer, noticing the clenched line of her jaw when she tipped her head. “Just a reminder that you agreed to come with me. You were not forced to do so. Now that you are in my house, I do expect you to be civil.”

  “Alright. That I can do.” She started for the door again.

  “I’m not finished yet. I realize everything that’s happened in the last few days came out of the blue and disrupted your life. You’ll need some time to process the events and your new life. I can respect that. However, you will be my wife and as such, you’ll be sharing my bedroom. With me. But I do want you to know I heard what you said about Maverick.”

  She tipped her head further.

  “I will make certain your son has no opportunity to locate anything considered toxic or dangerous. I’ll have my housekeeper install childproof components. All weapons will be locked away when not in use. I’ve also instructed Benito to have the men keep their weapons out of sight. I know that’s not much, but perhaps that will give you some comfort. I promise you to protect him the best I can.”

  Christine shivered visibly and that pained me. “Yes, it does. Thank you. If I agree to this deal, which now appears to include a job, I’ll want a significant salary with benefits.”

  How could a man like me not smile from her twist on the deal? I should have expected no less. “You’ll need to talk with Genevieve about a salary.”

  “No, you will. You created the deal, you’ll proctor the terms.”

  “Alright. I’ll have a discussion with her. Anything else?”

  She faced me fully, allowing her gaze to fall to the floor. The woman was calculating how much she wanted to push. I admired her spunk, eager to see what else she came up with. “That’s all for now.”

  “Then I’ll need your answer and the final terms in the morning.”

  “I’ll see what I can do. Now, I want you to know that while you may force me to become your wife, that will be in name only. That’s my promise to you.”

  CHAPTER 19

  Kruz

  I’d been told more than once I was obsessive.

  I knew for certain I was a possessive man, but not usually with regards to people.

  Maybe all I’d been doing was finding excuses to make Christine my wife.

  Why? Or maybe the better question was why now.

  Companionship could easily prove to be damaging to my livelihood and potentially the Torres organization. My thoughts drifted to how successful Jago and Genevieve had been in navigating muddy waters where women were generally seen as whores and child bearers.

  The good old days.

  I rolled my eyes. From what I’d seen and experienced, women could kick some ass.

  A conclusion drawn.

  I preferred powerful women who could go quip for quip, sword for sword.

  That clearly included Christine.

  While there was a good reason and the timing seemed right, the truth was something more carnal and even darker than just fucking her into submission. I wanted to own all of her, body and soul. That wasn’t like me in the least but was something that remained firmly planted in my mind.

  My thoughts were filthy, with images of my body dominating hers, tasting every inch of her ruthlessly, refusing to take no for an answer. I wanted to leave her aching and destroyed while begging for more.

  I was forced to adjust my cock, the thoughts far too arousing when the phone rang.

  Navarro’s interruption was irritating, but likely necessary.

  “What is it?” I answered.

  “In a shitty mood, I see,” Navarro huffed. “I thought you’d like to know I located Gio Farrelli. I think it’s time you and I had a chat with him.”

  I glanced at my watch. We did some of our best work at night. Always had. There was something delicious about the cloak of darkness. My hesitation in wanting to leave Christine surprised me. “Is he on ice?”

  “Nope. We’re going to pick him up and take him for a nice long ride.”

  If I insisted the timing sucked, there was more than a chance he would leave the area. I had no other choice but to return to work. “Fine. Where do I meet you?”

  “He’s holed up at his favorite bar.” He told me the location and I snorted.

  Full of people, no doubt. This couldn’t be handled quietly. Perhaps that was Navarro’s plan.

  Send a message.

  “Twenty minutes,” I told him, ending the call. I moved through the house, heading to the safe installed in my office, grabbing additional ammunition. As I did, I thought about the promise I’d made to Christine.

  How childproof could I make the house? At least my housekeeper could handle the latches on cabinets. What about the locks on the doors? What about the pool? If he managed to wander outside unnoticed, he could trip and fall into the water.

  And drown.

  I grabbed my keys, heading to the foyer. And what about gates? I’d seen somewhere, maybe on a television program that gates that could be put across doorways. But Christine said he was smart. I could easily see him breaking free.

  A smile crossed my face as I headed outside. No, I wasn’t a man who knew anything about kids. It should prove interesting. Almost immediately, Carlos approached.

  “Going out, boss?” he asked.

  “Business. Should take only a couple hours, but make certain no one is able to get into the house. And do not allow Miss Callahan to leave.”

  “You can count on me. Do you need an escort?”

  “No. This I need to do alone.” I headed toward the carport where I stored two of my six vehicles. I was certain Christine would call me a vehicle whore. I couldn’t help myself. My love of sports cars had been a part of my life since I was a boy. When I’d been able to afford them, I’d bought several.

  And I didn’t plan on curtailing my activities just because I was about to have a family.

  As I climbed into my Maserati, I rubbed my jaw. At this point, I’d need to coerce if not force Christine to the altar. I’d do that if necessary, but it was not something that appealed to me. The best way of handling the situation was to convince her what an asset she’d become. She would serve several purposes, including presenting forward movement to the world. I’d learned over the years that reputations were everything. We were moving from the Stone Age into one containing not only computerized operations and internet banking, especially for foreign operations, but also hacking and the use of artificial intelligence.

  How many times had Jago and I made fun of crime syndicates who’d all but abandoned their initial actions when handling business? Jago’s father had all but painted the town of Barcelona in red. While we’d attempted to follow in his footsteps as young men, we’d quickly discovered the very finesse Genevieve had accused us of not including was a requirement when dealing with foreigners.