"It will take a sizeable chunk of money, but I think we should do this right," I tell the brothers who are gathered around the table. We've moved three tables together so all the men can sit and talk comfortably. I want everyone's input on this. "The permits will take about four weeks if everything runs smoothly. We need to begin ordering building material and have it dropped here so it doesn't disappear. I have several building plans and need everyone to voice an opinion. We need to know exactly what we want in order to get started."Skull is the first to give his input. "We need a bay for repairs, men and women's bathroom, along with the store area."I lay several pages of designs on the table and point to the one I like. "I agree. We might want to consider having another section to possibly rent out. It wouldn't cost that much extra and we can leave the inside unfinished for whoever rents it. They can handle the buildout.""What kind of renter?" Vampire asks."I'm not sure. Maybe so
Dagger's such an asshole.He ordered me to clean the main room. I'm hot and sweaty and my muscles ache from moving tables and chairs with only Rufus' help. I've been here for six days and all I do is cook, clean, and fuck. I visit Red in the morning before it's too hot in the trailer. I have no idea how they stand it. Has anyone heard of air conditioners around here? The fucking thing they call an evap cooler does a piss poor job. At night it's too damn hot for Dagger to touch me after we've fucked. I'm barely sleeping and the asshole constantly seeks me out during the night like he's afraid I won't be there. I grumble and move away from his body heat. Then each day is the same. There's no TV and whoever has the iPod took it with them because there isn't any music either. I need fucking music to clean.Poor Rufus takes the brunt of my bad mood and still manages to smile and whistle to some unknown beat in his head. I swept and mopped. The fucking guys will start spitting their chewing
We hold church to discuss the drug buy tomorrow. All of us are feeling antsy and I don't remember it being this intense before. We settle on the final plan and eat dinner in the big room.Skull and I managed to install both units before the meeting began. The trailer was actually easy because the unit fit perfectly where the cooler was. The whores are able to enjoy dinner in a cool place while the rest of us suffer. Food is good, though, so I won't complain.The brothers clear out early, and I fuck Sofia for more than an hour with the steady hum of the air conditioner keeping us cool. She's been pushing me away because of the heat, but tonight I fall asleep with her curled against my side.The knock on the door wakes me a few hours later."Dagger," Red whispers. What the fuck? I slide the gun from under the mattress and uncoil myself from Sofia's arms. She doesn't stir. I slip on my jeans, move to the side of the door, and open it."I need to talk to you," Red whispers."What the fuck,
Shouts of, "Sheriff's Department," come from the front and back of the building. I raise my hands when the bedroom door flies open. "Get on the floor, get on the floor. Keep your hands where we can see them."Sofia cries out as she's jerked from the bed. I should have told her to immediately follow their instructions. I try to control my anger as she cries out again when they jerk her arms behind her back and snap cuffs on her. I'm shoved to my stomach and my face is pushed to the floor. Fucking assholes."What the hell did I do, shithead?" Sofia yells."Clear, clear," can be heard coming from all the rooms. One of the deputies roughly lifts me to my feet and walks me into the front room, where another deputy pushes me so I sit down against the wall by the front door. "We have a warrant," the deputy says. He could have told me to fucking sit down and I'd have complied. They like putting on their show and shoving everyone around. I hate these motherfuckers. Controlling my anger is near
The cops destroyed the place. It takes us more than an hour to get everything back in order. Brothers start showing up and Rufus runs his mouth repeatedly. I'm a pretty hot topic right now. I guess my job was to play the nice, quiet Latina while the white man fucked me over. They don't know me well because I'll never be intimidated by those assholes. I haven't done anything and the secrets I hold are between me and God.I was pissed off about Dagger's wrist and that they handcuffed him. He doesn't wear the brace to bed, but I've seen him massaging it since the cuffs came off. He hasn't put the brace back on and the last thing I'll do is whine at him for it.Some of the guys who weren't too fond of keeping me around are now giving me chin lifts. I've concluded that men have an entire chin language that females are ignorant of. I give my own lift back, but it just doesn't work for me like it does for them.The cops even attacked the refrigerator. At least they threw everything back insid
It's been three weeks since the warrant. Sofia runs hot and cold and I have no idea what the hell her problem is. She has issues that far exceed my issues and I don't know what to do.She works the club like it's her lot in life, but I can tell she doesn't enjoy cooking and cleaning so much. I told her a few days ago to ease off and she didn't speak to me for the rest of the day. She wraps anger around her like a shield.It's also hard to get any real privacy in this place because someone is always underfoot and the walls are paper thin. After dinner and while the guys are partying, I'm bringing her back to this room until we settle whatever the fuck is going on.She went all out and served lasagna with bread sticks tonight. They melt in my mouth. The guys love her for her cooking alone. She told me a few weeks ago that she worked off and on in different restaurants. She clammed up when I started prying deeper. The woman has more secrets than anyone I've ever known."Come on," I tell h
It's been two weeks since Sofia's meltdown. That's what she jokingly calls it. I watch her carefully and I'm glad to see her dark mood that led up to what happened is gone for now. She's happy. The real change has been in her not holding back her feelings when something pisses her off. She's my feisty hot Latina again with strong emotions. The guys can handle it and the rest of us enjoy watching when one of us is singled out and she goes off. She's using her voice and keeping her fists to herself."I've always been a throwaway. I was just waiting for it to happen again," she told me the morning after the meltdown.Those words broke my heart.When she apologized to Bear, he pulled her in for a crushing hug. She baked him a cake that night and told him he didn't need to share. He did of course.The whores are back working the bar and front room. Sofia's message regarding cheating on old ladies made an impact. The attached men keep their hands to themselves. No one wants to face the wrath
I have no idea what's happening, and no one has heard from Dagger. Skull and Charlie showed up for a short time. Skull read the paperwork from the county and offered an explanation to why their permits were turned down."Some asshole, most likely the agent who handled the search warrant, mouthed off to the county board," he said. "We all have criminal records. No way we'll get those permits now."I'm pissed off and have been since Dagger stormed out."Dagger will be back when he's cooled down," Skull told me before leaving. "He needed a ride to get his head on straight."It's so easy for him to say and nearly possible for me to understand. It hurts that Dagger didn't at least take me with him. Fuck, I'm his old lady and he should have me there when things are going good and bad. I refuse to allow my personal doubts to cloud my mind for long, so I spend two hours on the computer reading articles and blogs about ex-felons. The county is idiotic. The recidivism when felons find good jobs
I stayed with Mr. Loche for two hours. When I came back to the cabin, Father Andrews and Madison were cooking dinner together in the kitchen. She was laughing and he was telling her that anyone can learn to cook, it just takes practice. I don't add my two cents that the meal Mrs. Loche prepared would have been safer. I word it a little more carefully, "Please don't encourage her. Gabriella will throw a fit if Madison moves in on her territory." They stop what they're doing and I receive my first genuine smile from Madison that I've seen in weeks."It's a simple lasagna. Mak can make it when you're here at the cabin. Even I wouldn't do anything to piss off Gabriella." He cringes with great exaggeration and Madison laughs.She looks at him with a huge smile. "You didn't tell me you know Gabriella.""I know her daughter. I've heard all the stories from her and I'm terrified of her mother."I walk to my wife and wrap my arms around her from behind. She leans into me and places her hands on
It's three more days before our guest arrives. I'm actually tongue-tide when Moon introduces me to Father Andrews. He's American but lives in Mexico and drove all this way to return a favor he owed my husband. He's younger than a priest has a right to be and he's too damn good looking for his job. I place him in his early thirties. It's strange because he looks oddly familiar even though I'm sure I've never met him.The three of us walk into the living room where Mrs. Loche put out cucumber sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies. Father Andrews's eyes light up. "I haven't eaten since breakfast and these look delicious," he says while filling a plate.Moon doesn't sit with us. "Mr. Loche and I are working on a new garden and clearing some land. I'll be next door if you need me." He leans down and places his lips on mine for a short kiss. It actually embarrasses me because Father Andrews is watching. Moon taps me under the chin in understanding because of the heat traveling up my neck and
With revenge motivating me, dealing with what happened was easier. The need for blood became a driving force that allowed me to put my thoughts and feelings on hold. Now my feelings, doubt, and shame overshadow everything. My mind is a dark hole with a smoky mist that Moon stands in to beckon me out. His hand is there. I can almost touch it, but my fingers slide away, a millimeter short, and the darkness covers me once more.Sleep is the worst. Nightmares make me toss and turn throughout the night. Most center around blood on my hands. They drip the red, congealed mess onto everything I touch and when I open my eyes it's still there. Or so the dream goes.I find it strange that I don't dream about what Fernandez did to me. It's his laughter, though, that wakes me night after night. Moon is always there to comfort me during those horrible hours. He pulls me close to his body when I give the slightest gasp. I breathe in his scent and fill my lungs with his strength. Until I fall asleep a
Part of my heart-stopping fury recedes when I pull Madison back into my arms. Her entire body is shaking and she's still clutching the knife I handed her. Alex takes it from her hand after I scoop her into my arms and cradle her against my chest. I breathe in the scent of her hair and try to gain more control.This woman is everything. She's the reason I wake up in the morning. Everything I hold dear is wrapped up in her. Cori meets my eyes and she tips her head in acknowledgement. When she turns away, Duke is standing behind her. He pulls her into his arms and walks her toward the front room. He stops when Goose is dragged closer by one of Dax's men and places himself between Cori and Duke. Duke casually pulls his gun and fires, striking him between the eyes. Goose blankly stares at the ceiling by the time the sound of the gunshot fades from the room. Cori spits on Goose's body before Duke leads her forward. Alex gives orders to clean up the bloody mess."Please take me home," Madison
She steps forward and Fernandez spins and tries throwing a punch at my head but misses. He moves quickly even with a bullet through the foot and gets between Cori and Sofia's rifle. Melina takes the opportunity to bring her gun down on the back of his head. He stumbles and I kick the tibial pressure point in his good leg. He drops and I kick Celina's gun away from him. She grabs it and aims it at him as he wiggles around like a flopping fish. I hand Melina my gun and slam down into his back with my cuffs primed. I practically pull his arms from their sockets in order to secure his hands behind his back while he's stunned."Help me get him up on the kitchen island and I'll cut off his fucking clothes." We drag him back to the kitchen minus Celina who stays at her post, which is the front door. He struggles but it's not enough for four women on a mission.The sick feeling in my stomach stays and I turn slightly and rub tears from my eyes. Not a minute has gone by that I haven't thought a
We park a half mile from the home. Melina and I run up the street, carrying the post driver between us because it's so damn heavy, and check out the property. Like the house he kept me and Cori in, this one is away from other homes and on a nice sized piece of property. The desert foliage on the north side of the area gives us a good vantage point to see the back door. I call Celina."Send Cori north to our location. The front door is on the south side of the house and you'll have about twenty-five yards from the truck to the door. Sofia will be your driver and leave as soon as you're inside. She'll park and meet us. We'll come through the back five minutes after you enter." We covered all of this in the car, but it helps me to go over the plan out loud again. "Give Cori ten minutes to get in place before Sofia drops you off.""Cori just took off. We're set," Celina says before ending the call.After Cori meets us, we stay low and wait for Sofia to text me that Celina is in the house.
Alex brings the car to the front. Austin jumps into the back and I take the passenger seat. I told the men to put Gabriella in our safe room until everything settles. She can cuss them out in Spanish, I don't have time. Sirens can be heard in the distance and we need to be completely clear of the house before they hit the street that leads to my private road.I've also notified additional men to meet us at the warehouse. As soon as we have Fernandez's location, we'll be moving out quickly. It suddenly occurs to me that Dax is totally out of the loop, so I dial his cell."You're fucking kidding me," he practically yells when I tell him his wife ran over a man and picked up the women. "I'm on my way." Another call comes in and I look at the display. It's Caleb."Start heading here with reinforcements," I tell Dax quickly. "I'll call as soon as we have a location. It won't be long."The man in the trunk is moaning loudly. There are metal plates over the taillights and nothing he can do to
Madison is up to something. The strange feeling persisted while she dressed and then at breakfast. Sending her off to the service without me was nearly impossible. The fact is, I need to get my head out of my ass and take care of Fernandez once and for all. The thought of him taking Madison again is eating me alive.While she's at EE, I can focus on what it takes to keep everyone safe. The Frontera Cartel is out of the picture and now we can focus on one man. I have everyone but our outside security in the conference room. Austin joins us too."How do we bring him out in the open without risking one of our women as bait?" I ask the men. It didn't matter how much Madison complained, there was no way I would give into her plan.I've never reached my current level of frustration as we debate the best scenarios. Alex hasn't said a word since entering the meeting, which surprises me. When I look at him, his eyes are on the door leading to the hallway."What has you worried?" I ask him when
The women with Celina give whoops and atta-girl shouts. I can't help smiling. "We'll be another thirty minutes. There's a building supply store not far from you and I need you to pick up two metal fence post drivers." I never worked Cave Creek as a cop, but one of the officers lived there and loved having barbeques, so I'm familiar with the area."We're on it. Meet us in the parking lot."I disconnect the call and decide to join Cori in the front. I wiggle between the seats and then lean back and exhale after I attach my seatbelt. "I'm worried Moon could beat us there."Cori puts her foot on the gas and shoots forward on the freeway. The 51 is one of the lighter trafficked freeways if you're not driving it during rush hour and we're pushing the witching hour. It's the most direct route from central Phoenix to the north valley and we're in luck because it's wide open. If that luck continues, highway patrol won't have units in the vicinity.We make it to the building supply store in twen