Desire & Deception (Entangled Ignite) (14 page)

CHAPTER TWELVE

“Almost time to go,
primo
.” Felipe’s nameless companion said in an annoying monotone. They’d established a rule of anonymity so “
primo
” would have to serve as a catch-all.

Felipe unwrapped a piece of chewing gum and popped it into his mouth while giving his pain-in-the-ass partner a sidelong glance. He’d avoided using his truck for the patrol to keep anyone from messing with his stuff. A mistake he wouldn’t make again.

They had a few minutes before the next shift came in to relieve them. The guys couldn’t arrive fast enough. He’d been drowning in silence all damn night. The guy sitting with him wouldn’t say a freakin’ word, and he’d turned off the radio, saying he couldn’t concentrate with the music on. Concentrate on what? Nothing around them but darkness, shrubs, and more darkness. With the airport closed, the only life out there besides them was crickets and cicadas.

“Yeah. Kris probably set up security for so many days just to annoy the crap out of me.” One of his many fuckin’ talents.

Primo
turned in his seat, a grin tugging at his mouth. “Hey-hey, do you know who this Kris guy is?”

Felipe eyed
Primo
. The first sign of life came from mentioning Kris. What the hell?

“I was kinda hoping I’d get to see him during one of the patrols.”

“Guess not today,” Felipe sneered. Great. He was stuck in a vehicle with another one of Kris’s freakin’ fans.

The corner of
Primo
’s lips tightened. “Yeah, guess a guy like him wouldn’t be out here doing grunt work, huh.” He turned to face forward, his shoulders slumping dejectedly.

Pfft
. “Yeah, that son of a bitch is no better than anyone else.”

The other man stiffened, giving Felipe a narrow-eyed look. “I don’t think we’re talking about the same guy.” Felipe glared back, but the guy went on unaffected. “The Kris I’m talking about runs this area and everything going through Nuevo Laredo.”

Anger heated the shell of Felipe’s ears. He didn’t like being overlooked. “No. I’m the one that runs this area.” The guy didn’t need to know Kris was second in command of the cartel
.

“Oh.” He shrugged. “Well, I musta heard wrong. Guess he must be from another outfit.”

Damn straight. The only guy in charge—

“I heard he’s gonna be running a special division from
all the people hooking up this week.” The world came to a dead stop for Felipe. A move like that would put him at the top of a whole new food chain. “I want in. So if you hear anything let me know, okay?”
Primo
tapped his palms on the steering wheel. “I talked to a couple of the guys on my crew. We were gonna let each other know if we get paired up with him.”

The skin around Felipe’s nose tightened. No wonder a couple of the guys had looked put-out when he reminded them they weren’t sharing personal info. That would also explain why the son of a bitch kept going out to get a friggin’ progress report from everyone in the surrounding towns. He was already pilfering the crews in the area.

Felipe sat back. One idea after another rolling through his head.
This isn’t over
.

…

Kris’s boot heels slammed each concrete stair. He stomped into the kitchen half-dressed then went down the hall.

Felipe barely spared him a glance as he tossed his keys on the table next to a bag with his breakfast. Cruz looked up from the table where he sat playing a shooter on a handheld. “Morning, Boss.” When he received no response, he went back to stalking his electronic prey.

Kris slowed, then backtracked to the kitchen doorway. “Put a spotter on Blondie’s boyfriend.” The angles of his face were stark, his brow furrowed, one hand hovered over a button he’d been pushing through the eyelet. Yeah, like he needed a reminder that Kris was rolling around with his bitch all night.

Cruz nodded. “Armed?”

Kris shook his head absently. “Just need eyes on him for now,” he said. “I’ll need regular updates on what he’s up to.” He continued through.

“I’ll see if I can scrounge up a honey to keep him warm while…” Kris was long gone. Cruz shrugged. “Hmm, must be trouble in paradise.”

Felipe pointedly ignored the comment, unpacking his breakfast. Fat-ass kept talking while he flipped through the numbers in his phone directory. Within minutes, he’d arranged for around-the-clock surveillance on Heather’s boyfriend.

Damn. Felipe fumed while he chewed on the first taco. He’d gone from sitting with a mute to tolerating annoying chatter.

Cruz pulled a beer from the refrigerator and twisted the cap off. He frowned. “What’s up?”

Felipe shrugged. “Long night.”

Cruz scratched his chest as he took a drink. “That’s it?” He asked with a cynical huff. “Kris comes through acting all distracted. Now you come in acting all weird.”

Felipe froze. He was going to crash at the house for a while so he could plan. But Fat-ass could tell something was up. He’d have to come up with some BS or Cruz would latch on like a pit bull. “Maybe Romeo’s having second thoughts about keeping the girls until after the meeting.”

“Doubt it.”

Felipe picked up the game, ignoring him. He double-tapped a button and grimaced as the machine shook, indicating he’d been hit. “Shit.”

Cruz craned his neck, trying to see the monitor. Unsuccessful, he swigged his beer and belched. “Nah. She ain’t going nowhere. Boss has a major case of the hots for that piece.” He smirked. “Damn. I’m glad Jaime called him down and not me.”

Felipe restarted the game. He didn’t need to hear Cruz talk about them fucking.

“The guy was pulled from the room half-naked and pissed off.” Cruz paused in an obvious attempt to have him take the bait. “You wouldn’t have come down?” Cruz’s voice was laced with amusement.

“No,” he scoffed. “Like you would have?”

“No,” he snorted. “But that’s why
he
is the boss.”

Felipe glowered at him then went back to the screen. Maybe he should plan on bringing Fat-ass down a notch. The idea died before it came to fruition. He didn’t want to contemplate what Cruz would do if he got wind of his plan.

After a few minutes, Cruz tossed out his empty bottle. “You think he’ll keep her?” He asked with concern.

“Don’t know. Kris doesn’t say shit to anyone.” He’d known there would be trouble when he figured out Kris tricked him into handing her over. That was before he paraded her out wearing a damp shirt. Then Cruz, asshole he was, announced Kris was upstairs fucking her. “If you ask me, he’s gonna end up screwing himself over.”

“Yeah, but you can’t blame the guy.” Cruz grinned. “What a way to go.”

“The son of a bitch needs to lighten the hell up. No piece of ass is sacred in this business.” He went back to his game.

“Bah! She’s too much trouble.” Cruz grunted. “How do you deal with a woman who can take on three men, and not in a good way?”

Felipe’s smile faded. The bruise on his arm still stung where she’d landed a blow the first day. Even Kris came away with a reminder of her aggression. While she was a fine piece, he preferred the willing women surrounding men in his profession.

Kris didn’t have regular ties to anyone, which proved to be smart in their business. Though, he talked to a woman on occasion. Their sexually laced innuendos left him wondering if she was a standby or provided women to meet his needs. What’s better than paying a woman to go away after fucking her? Genius.

“You know, he may get off on the fight.”

Felipe shrugged. “Sounded like he tamed her.” While the guys continued watching their damn game, he’d left. No use in watching if there was no chance of his team catching up. He’d stepped out in time to hear her scream Kris’s name. The thought of
him
being the one between her thighs made his blood boil. The guy always turned up his damn nose at the women the crew had available. His eyes narrowed. Why this particular girl? What made her so goddamn special?

Cruz cackled. “So we have him coming around for some pussy a while longer.”

Felipe glared at him.

“Come on, like you didn’t get some blondie last night.”

“
I
still shared.” Not one to pass up an opportunity, he vented his lust in the willing arms of their other guest. She was a poor substitute, but the act helped curb his appetite for the time being.

Cruz scratched his stubbly jaw. “He’s more than due to take a piece. Let him screw her brains out. You gotta admit, she’s even chilled him out.”

“Well, I’m glad we hand over both of them tomorrow.”

“Think we’ll get a ride before he gets rid of the Fox?” Cruz grinned, slapping a meaty hand on Felipe’s shoulder. “Cause I have a feeling someone I know wants to be the first one in line.” His belly bounced as his laughter echoed in the small room.

“Fuck you, asshole.” Felipe swung back, knocking Cruz’s hand off his shoulder. He stalked out, his jaw clenched. He wasn’t getting in any damn line for a woman Kris was leaving behind.

He got in his SUV, slamming the door harder than he normally would have. Rap music blared when he started the vehicle. Irritated, he jammed his finger against the power button before he pulled out into the street. He needed to think. To plan. To make Kris pay for every humiliation he’d suffered because of him.

Everyone had a weakness. He’d been able to ferret out and use a few to his advantage over the years. His predecessor had been a control freak. All he had to do was call in a tip when he went to pick up the payment for a big load. He’d been busted with the boss’s cash. Even if he’d managed to buy off the cops, he’d be hard-pressed to explain the missing payment to the boss. Good thing the guys he contacted were a better shot.

His maneuvering had still taken a toll. The boss knew someone in the group was providing information on their dealing, but he hadn’t figured out who. Cruz’s search had turned bloody, until Kris came in.

While he’d eluded the interrogations and taken over operations, he’d had to share control of his area with Kris and, to some extent, with Cruz.

The job, with its limited power, had become the biggest pain in his ass. Kris was always there, looking over his shoulder, questioning his decisions, making him look like a fool. It was time for him to go. But how? So far, he hadn’t been able to trap Kris or find his Achilles heel. He didn’t drink, didn’t party, didn’t have a steady squeeze, and had no family to speak of.

The key was the girl. She was special to him. Maybe he could talk to the Juarez boss. It wouldn’t take much to convince him she wasn’t part of the double-cross. Heather was talking so much shit she couldn’t keep it all straight.

If he got his hands on her, he could sell her off to a whorehouse. A smile split his face. Eventually, he’d even tell the guys where he’d “found” her.

He could wait a few more hours.

…

Tessa was leaning against the pillow, staring at the book in her lap without seeing the words, when Kris walked in carrying a couple of bags. He looked devastating in a charcoal gray shirt that made his eyes stand out.

“Hungry?” he asked.

“Not particularly.” She put the book down, pulling her knees up to her chest.

He set down the bags and fished out a coffee for her. She accepted it with a mirthless smile.

“I can’t blame you for keeping what you told me to yourself.” His eyes skimmed her face.

She swallowed, still stunned by what he’d told her about Heather’s actions.

He put his hand on her knee. “I want to help you, Tessa. But you make things so hard sometimes.”

She nodded. What could she say? “Thank you, for anything and everything you’ve done. This was a mess I ended up dragged into, and I didn’t mean to get anyone else involved.”

“I hope your friends realize what you’ve sacrificed.”

“I won’t be seeing Heather after this.” She blinked back moisture. “My BFF will be royally pissed.”

“You think?”

Her stomach rolled. “I don’t own anything other than the house.” She paused, gathering courage. “But I’ll sign the documents over if you can get your hands on them.”

“Losing everything to avoid inconveniencing the friend who left you behind?” He shook his head.

She could still see Moni’s expression as she shared the details of the night her cousin came to live with them. Could Kris ever understand the pain of losing loved ones to the violent life he was part of? No. If he did he’d understand why she wouldn’t risk putting Moni in danger. Couldn’t. “My decision has nothing to do with convenience. I’d go back home. She’d be stuck here, dealing with any consequences.” She cupped her hands around the coffee, needing to chase the chill from her extremities. “I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to her. She’s as close as it gets to family for me.”

Kris studied her, his expression inscrutable. “You’re an amazing woman, Tessa. I can’t decide whether to shake you or kiss you.”

A smile filtered through Tessa’s sadness. “If you shake me, you’ll get coffee all over your side of the bed.”