“I don’t need babysitting.”
“I never said you did. I won’t risk your life too by sitting back again.”
He means Juan. He trusted my younger brother to make better choices than he did. He trusted my brother to accept the consequences of his piss-poor choices. He made me carry out those consequences. He believes he should’ve intervened and reined in Juan. I doubt there’s anything in life he regrets more. He doesn’t want another nephew to die.
“I’ll update you every few hours. It may just be texts.”
“That’s fine. You may be an adult—a nearly middle-aged adult—but I still worry about you,sobrino.”
“If I’m middle-aged, then you’re ancient,Tío.”
I used to tell him that when I was a teenager. He was in his forties when his hair started to gray around the temples. He let it go the first time I said it. The second time, he made me go on a six-mile run and smoked my ass. I’m the second fastest runner in the family. I didn’t learn my lesson. The third time I said it, we were boxing. Not only did I wind up flat on my ass, I sported a massive bruise on my kidney for two weeks. My cousins teased me mercilessly. My parents told me I got what I deserved. My othertíoand mytíasjust gave me “I told you so” looks.I knowTíoregretted landing the punch so hard, but it taught me to only tease him with love.
“You’ll worry me into an early grave. Do you really want to faceTíaElle?”
“Definitely not.”
My newtíais remarkable. There’s no better way to describe her. We all adore her, and she fits into the family like she’s always been part of it.She is one ofus.
“Do you want me to tell yourmamáthat you’re taking more risks than you need to?”
“Hell, no.”
My mother still terrifies me even if she’s the only person who can make the world right again when everything goes wrong. Plus, she’s still recovering from cancer. She’s been in remission for a while, but she’s not as strong as she used to be. I don’t need to add to her worries or mypapá’s.
“I’ll be careful,Tío. I’ll check in, in a few hours. I need to go. Flora didn’t get a chance to pack anything, so she needs some toiletries and clothes. I’m going to ask Daniel’s wife to pick up some things before he comes over with groceries. They’re about the same size.”
“All right.Te quiero.” I love you.
“Yo también te quiero.” I love you too.
Chapter Eight
Flora
I fell asleep, but not for long. I’m still tired, but it’s more emotionally depleted. I lie in bed as I consider everything that’s happened in the past couple days.
Humberto and I had a conversation that opened my eyes to family history I didn’t know. I also wound up with a bounty on my head for arguing with him.
I went to my club and fucked myformerDom and pictured Pablo the entire time. I nearly said his name instead of sir.
Pablo broke into my apartment, kissed me, threatened me, carried me out to his waiting car, kissed me some more, and nearly fucked me before taking me on a private plane to an isolated-as-fuck fortress. He finger fucked and ate me out and made me come harder than I ever have in my life. He held me and gave me aftercare like an experienced Dom. We already agreed at some point to a twenty-four seven D/s relationship when I barely know him. I barely remember when that happened.
It took me months of meeting Roberto at my club and scening with him before I was ready to agree to a monogamousagreement. I was with two other men during that time, but only ones I scened with regularly. I hate knowing Pablo’s hadménages, but so have I. I don’t know how well that’ll go over when it eventually comes out. From the way he was talking, he sees there being an “us” after all this fucked-up shit ends—assuming we both survive.
I agreed to submit sexually and even emotionally to a man I’ve barely known three days.
I’m fucking certifiable.
But something about him makes me feel things I’ve never felt before.
Maybe it’s his aura of self-assuredness. He radiates confidence that he can control any situation he’s in, that any and everyone will bend to his will. He exerted that when he hefted me over his shoulder and basically kidnapped me. But he did it because I refused his help. It wasn’t because he’s using me as a pawn. It wasn’t just because he wants to fuck me—though it would be hot if that was part of it. Hot in a fucked-up and warped kind of way.
He’s told me several times he’ll protect me and take care of me. What makes him different from everyone else who’s made that promise is that he’s actually proving it. He doesn’t say it just to say it—he means it.Mamá’staken care of me all my life, and I know she’s protected me as best she could. She thought not telling me the truth about my father’s past was the right thing to do. But she also did that to protect herself from talking about something that’s painful to her. She gave in to myabuelowhen he demanded I serve as repayment to that old debt. She didn’t protect me from him or from Humberto.
Pablo is.
My grandparents on both sides didn’t tell me the truth either, making my father sound like nothing short of a superhero. I knew they exaggerated, but clearly, I had no clue just how much.Abueloindentured me to Humberto. I’m certain he knows about the hit, but he wasn’t the first to warn me. Maybe he’s tried and can’t because I don’t have my phone. Maybe he sent someone or even went to my apartment and didn’t find me. But deep down, I know he didn’t. It’s not that he wants me dead. At least, I don’t think—don’t want to believe—he does.
