“Oh?”
It sounds like one deep voice that makes that single syllable, but I know there’s six of them there since I can see all of them on my phone screen.Papáis withTíoEnrique and my four cousins.TíoLuis is in Bogotá right now.
Papárarely attends meetings like this since he’s the forward face of our biggest legal enterprises. Since this involves me, there was no way he’d miss the meeting. I might be thirty-five, but it still reassures me to seePapá’sface and hear his voice.
I look so much likeTíoEnrique that throughout my life, people have assumed I’m his son. That is, until they meetPapá. Our expressions, our tone of voice, our sense of humor, andhow we walk and stand are exactly the same. Even though my looks come from the Diaz side of my family—which are certainly among the strongest genetics I’ve ever seen since we all look so much alike—the Dos Santos family genes had just as much say in me. They just aren’t as obvious.
“There was a dancer at the bachelor party.”
“You don’t say.”
“Papá, it was a bachelor party.”
I may be thirty-five, but my father can still make me feel as guilty about something as I did when I was six.
“This dancer struck me as different. I don’t know if she was a local cop or a fed, maybe even someone from another family, but it felt weird.”
I’m doing my best to keep my tone neutral, so they don’t guess how much she affected me. I keep telling myself my reaction’s entirely physical. That the jealousy I felt was more about me not wanting to share her cunt than it was anything about her personality.
Pablo leans forward, so he’s clear for me to see. We use a teleconferencing system that has a three-hundred-sixty-five-degree camera. It sits in the center of the table inTíoEnrique’s office. When we are on calls like this, we can see and hear everyone.
“Just how tempted were you?”
My cousin laughs, but I don’t. Joaquin can’t let it rest either, so he takes a turn as well.
“Were you distracted enough that you wouldn’t have felt a needle in the neck for all your troubles?”
So much for hiding my thoughts. The problem with such a close family that has five guys all within a couple years of each other is you can’t have a private thought without everybody else knowing. We were all trained by ourtíosand fathers who’re just as close as we are.There are no secrets, not even mental ones.
“Well, it doesn’t matter whether I thought she was attractive because I definitely think she would’ve drugged me if she’d had half a chance.”
TíoEnrique isn’t exactly dour, but I can tell he’s ready to move on now that my cousinshave teased me a little.
“Is she worth investigating?”
“I’m not sure yet. Maybe.”
“Keep an eye on her, Alejandro, even when you get back here.”
“Sí, tío.”
The call ends, and I flop back on the bed, ready for a nap.
Chapter Four
Vita
It’s been a shit-tastic morning with a call from my employer.
Demanding fucker that he is wants to know why he got reports that Alejandro made it onto his jet home looking just fine.
“Sir, my disguise was as a stripper. Where exactly was I going to hide the needle while I was naked?” He doesn’t need to know I had a plan.
“I hired you for your beauty and for your many talents. You should’ve gotten Alejandro alone.”
I don’t need him to spell out what he means by talents. I would’ve fucked Alejandro because I wanted him that much, not because of my job. My talents aren’t being a good lay, even if my asshole employer makes it sound like they are. I may not have many limits, but I’m not a prostitute for anyone.
I’ve played the part of a stripper before. I’ve had to get naked in front of informants and targets as well, and it took me a while to get over how embarrassing and intimidating it was to be that vulnerable. But work is work, and sometimes you just gotta get on with it.
