The Latino man met me as I exited my car.
“Kelly, right?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“I’m Jefe, the president. Thanks for coming out. We appreciate it.” He was more welcoming than I expected.
“Of course. How is she?”
“Still unconscious. My enforcer is really worried about her so if he’s short with you for taking so long to get here, just ignore him.”
“Okay.” My eyes widened. Damn, I’d gotten here as fast as I could. But I understood how he must have felt. A patient’s family wasn’t their normal selves when a loved one was injured or sick. “I’ll do my best to put his mind at ease.”
“Good. Follow me.” He headed for the building, and I couldn’t help but notice his long strides and tight ass. His cologne floated in the air, and it wasn’t awful in the least. “Jesus…”
A crowd of people were hanging out at the door.
“Make room, for Christ’s sake,” Jefe barked. His booming voice made me stiffen. “Never seen a nurse before?”
“Not one as fine as this one,” one guy said, winking at me.
“Mind your p’s and q’s, ese,” another guy said.
“She’s okay, if you ask me.” A woman in booty shorts and high heels glared at me. “Her purple scrubs are tacky.”
“Shut it, Yoli,” Jefe hissed. “Come on, Kelly.”
“Oooh, Kelly. I like her name.” The younger guy blew me a kiss.
“Y’all know I can hear you, right?” I rolled my eyes. “Surely, you have better things to do than gawk at me.”
Jefe snorted.
“Not really, Kelly.” Young guy followed behind me. “Gimme a holler if you need help.
“Get lost, Skillz. Dom already called dibs,” Jefe told him.
“But no worries, Skillz. I’m here to work, not to play.”
“We’ll see about that, Kelly baby.”
I rolled my eyes.
Jefe turned around sharply and I nearly bumped into him. Skillz rubbed up against my back… intentionally, I presumed.
“What did she say?” Jefe asked him in a severe tone. He grabbed me by the arm and moved me in front of him. “She’s here to work, not play.”
“I heard.” Skillz grinned at me. “Catch you later, Kelly baby.”
Jefe growled and pushed me along. “The room is down this hallway and back the other way is the bar. There will be food available if you get hungry. Feel free to help yourself to anything in the bar. Beer, whiskey, tequila.”
“Thanks. Um… Do I need to be worried about him and the others?” It was an honest question. I wasn’t full of myself or conceded, but these guys were more aggressive than I was used to. The vibe I was getting from them was that they wouldn’t take no for an answer and that was more than a little concerning.
“Probably. But if you don’t want anyone to touch you, just tell me. They’re harmless and will respect your wishes.”
“I don’t want anyone touching me,” I blurted out in rapid fire. “I’m only here to help the woman.”
Jefe hiked his eyebrow. “Damn. The guys are going to be disappointed, but okay. Nobody will touch you.”
