Once he found the right camera and timestamp, he played back the footage of the main stage area.
In the grainy, silent black-and-white recording, the club could be one of many from its bright lights, nondescript décor, and neon-lit stage and catwalk.He’d visited every single one across the Lozano turf since Rubén had promoted him to second-in-command the previous year, when he took over the administration of the brothel and strip club franchises.
On one side of the screen, he spoke with Juana about the girls’ complaints—typical stuff like their irritation with the club policy that they get a health check every six weeks to work there.
As the de facto leader of the girls, Juana kept them in check.
At first glance, everything appeared normal.The dancers danced, the patrons ogled and raised money in the air for lap dances, the works.
He replayed the footage and narrowed his gaze at a man on the far side of the screen.A baseball cap partially shielded his face.He switched camera angles for a better view.Carajo.That was Salcido, one of Zayas’s enforcers.A faint flash of light beamed out from under Salcido’s table, so fast Enrique almost missed it.He replayed the footage again.No doubt about it.Salcido had snapped a photo with his phone.
Fury surged through Enrique in a flood of lava.Tulio wouldn’t have known Salcido worked for Zayas, and Domingo’s facial recognition software was only set up to search for the former capo.Of course, the coward would send his thugs to do his dirty work.After shooting up La Paradoja and setting fire to La Estancia Roja, the heat was on.The risk too great.Fuck, this betrayal burned on so many levels.Who knew how many Lozano enforcers had denounced their obedience to the jefe to do the bidding of a goddamned lunatic.
He grabbed his phone again and shot Rubén a text.
—Zayas’s enforcer, Salcido, was at Chicas Asesinas.Took pics of me.Zayas sent them to Lourdes.She’s here at the club.—
Seconds passed before his phone beeped.
—Salcido gone?—
—Affirmative.—
No response, so Enrique stuffed the phone into his pocket and met Lourdes’s glower from across the desk.“I understand you were upset.Areupset,” he corrected, striving for composure, “but you left the apartment against my wishes.”
“I’m not your prisoner, Enrique.I’m your wife.And I’ll go wherever I damn well please.”
He tensed.Never would she have spoken to Jacobo like that.He’d brought this on himself.Hadn’t he told her father he wanted a strong woman?“You can,” he forced out through gritted teeth, “but not without a bodyguard and not until Zayas is dead.Libertad Torre is under twenty-four-hour surveillance with security guards on the premises.You’re safe there.Coming here alone was dangerous.Anyone could’ve followed you, run the car off the road, and kidnapped you.”Dios mío.He could’ve lost her so easily, and he wouldn’t have known until he returned home that night to an empty apartment.“Did you take my SUV?”Once she nodded, he leaned back and sighed.“Found the club address online?”
“Exactly.”She shifted in the chair.“I had to see this place for myself.”
“Because you don’t trust me,” he reiterated.“Here’s a bit of honesty for you—I visit this club and the other four in the city once a month for inspections.When I’m here, Juana sidles up to me on the manager’s orders.That’s Tulio, the big guy who was just here.Usually, I don’t mind her attention.”Lourdes winced at that, but he couldn’t let it bother him.“I can easily juggle a manipulative woman and still find problems in the club’s management, ledgers, and day-to-day business.But I’m married now and off-limits.I told Juana that.The other girls, too.”
She shook her head.“Off-limits?You expect me to believe they’ll leave you alone?”
“You should.My word is law here.”Though he needed to take a stronger stance against Juana.As Lourdes scoffed, his temper flared hotter.What his wife needed was a good screw to subdue her inner harpy.“With the clubs outside of the Hermosillo plaza, I visit them once a quarter or every other quarter if things are quiet.Same with the brothels.I usually spend most of my time at the desert camps or at my office.Myhomeoffice,” he clarified, then swiped his arm around the room.“All this is a necessary evil.”
“How convenient for you.”
“You want to know how you can trust me?That’s simple.”He held up his left hand to show his wedding band.“I’m a married man who’s crazy about his stubborn, infuriating wife.You’re the hottest thing I’ve ever seen, even if you do dress a little prim.G-strings, pasties, and bras that can barely be comfortable don’t get me going as much as a pajama top on your body.Believe me, princess, you’re more than enough woman to keep me satisfied.”
She glanced away and dragged in air.“What about the future?What about when I’m older and wrinkled with gray hair?What if we have a stupid argument, and you leave angry and come here for an inspection?What if you give in to temptation?”
“So manywhat ifs.”He tsked, shaking his head.“Again, that falls into the realm of trust.Do you think I would risk our marriage, our future children’s happiness, over a meaningless lay?”
She winced again and squeezed her eyes shut.
Cristo.His heart rammed against his rib cage.She truly didn’t trust him.How was that possible?He’d risked so much to marry her.Defied his jefe, started a war.All for her.And she didn’t trust him to keep his cock in his pants.Fucking hell.
She rubbed her hands down the armrests as though to gather her courage.“About La Estancia Roja, I assume you went there today to examine the fire damage.”
A subject change?That suited him fine.He nodded, choosing his words carefully.“Two bedrooms and the office need remodeling.It shouldn’t take long once I get a cleaning crew in there.Right now, it’s an active crime scene, like La Paradoja.”
“At least no one died.That’s a miracle in itself.”
“A few women and their clients were treated for smoke inhalation, but that was it.”He massaged his stiff neck.“This morning, Rubén promoted one of Zayas’s councilmen to senior capo to take over the man’s responsibilities.Domingo tracked Zayas to a small hotel, but he hasn’t returned there after setting the fire.He hasn’t touched his bank account, so he can’t flee the country unless he has money on hand.”
“What about offshore accounts?Maybe he has gold or jewels that he’s fencing for cash.Have you checked the pawnshops in the city?”
