Chapter Four
Eagle
God, she’s stubborn—and incredibly hot when she’s pissed off. We’re sitting in the kitchen drinking bottled water. Diaz sent someone to get Lazaro. I have no idea where Tony and the other dancers are. A few minutes later, Lazaro appears—he’s buzzed.
“You found her.”
“Yeah.” I hand his keys back. “This is Serafina.”
Lazaro gives her a lopsided grin and offers his hand.
She reluctantly shakes it. “Nice party.”
I grumble to myself. Why can’t she be polite? Is she going to push his buttons the way she has mine? Does the girl understand who she’s talking to? Stupid question, she’s completely unimpressed.
Lazaro scratches his head. “About what happened . . .” My best friend’s good ol’ boy charm fades. He takes things as personally as I do. Lives by the same laws. Responsible for any guest under his roof, the disrespect and violence Serafina has been subjected to must be rectified.
“How about I save you the trouble of an apology,” she offers. “Can you make arrangements for me to catch a ride home?”
Lazaro throws me a look.
“I don’t think you understand,” I say. “Lazaro intends to make things right.” I try to settle her down with a reassuring smile. She deserves every consideration after what happened to her. That’s why I demanded she return with me. I know she’s not thinking straight after what Tito did—I’ll protect her, see her safely home.
Her lips form a straight line. “Where’s Tony?” She has no intention of acknowledging my friend’s effort.
“Downstairs,” Lazaro answers. “I didn’t feel the need to stop the other girls from dancing. I sincerely apologize for my cousin’s cruelty. He’s been disciplined.”
She looks at him in confusion. “You’re related to that psycho?”
“Hey.” I wrap my arm around her waist, wanting to provide more comfort. Lazaro isn’t the bad guy here. “Take it easy,” I whisper in her ear. “Let’s get through this together, then you can do whatever you want.”
She pulls back and stares at me, but her body relaxes slightly. “Okay.”
“Where did you get ready for the party?” I ask her.
She looks toward the dining room. “One of the bedrooms off the hallway.”
“How about we head that way, then I’ll get Tony.”
“Great idea,” Lazaro says, rubbing the back of his neck, getting soberer by the second. I’m sure he appreciates my effort to get Serafina out of his face. “Stay with her, bro. Diaz will find her escort.” He gets up, slaps me on the shoulder, then disappears down the stairs.
She stands abruptly and pushes me aside. “I did my duty, kept you out of trouble with your friend. I’m leaving now.”
“No, you’re not.” I grip her wrist, still hoping she’ll see the wisdom in staying with me for now. But since she wants to stir the pot some . . . “What the fuck were you thinking? He was trying to be nice to you.”
“Nice? Sorry I’m an inconvenient reminder ofhisfuckup. The thugs in that guest house weren’t the kind of guys I expected to see here. Pretty sure a few of them are regularly featured on the FBI’s Most Wanted list.”
My shoulders stiffen at her continued rudeness. “Am I supposed to believe you typically entertain the kind of men you’d take home to meet your parents? Get over it, darlin’. There’s more important things to worry about.”
“Like what?” she slants her head.
“Like what I’ll do to that beautiful mouth if you don’t shut it.” Her eyes go wide and I can’t hide my satisfaction at seeing her struggle to find the right words to shoot back at me. “Come on.” I grip her arm and lead her out of the kitchen, through the dining room, and down the hallway. “Which bedroom?”
“Third on the left.”
We stop and I open the door, gesturing for her to step inside. “Ladies first.”
She makes an unattractive snorting sound and shuffles inside. “I can’t wait to get out of here.”
