"No," Alejandro said coldly. "Get back in the jeep, turn around and wait for me at home."Gina stared up at her formidable husband in dismay. He was wearing his military-style fatigues and his face looked as though it was carved from stone, there was no softness for his wife. She hadn't anticipated this barrier to see the prisoner once she had permission from his boss. Of course, the prisoner and prison fell under Alejandro's jurisdiction, so he could stop her from having this visit if he wanted."Please, Alejandro," she begged him. "I need to see him.""No," Alejandro said coldly, steel threading his voice, "you don't. I've been back for two days and you haven't come to see me.""That isn't fair!" she cried. "I thought you were avoiding me. I didn't want to push myself on you if you didn't want to see me. I was trying to be…""What?" he demanded, pushing himself against her and backing her into a concrete wall. She clutched the muffin tin against her chest and lifted her chin.
Alejandro flung her into another room. She'd been marched through the sterile halls of the prison building in such a hurry that she couldn't tell at all where she was until she got a good look around. His office. There was a large desk, impeccably tidy with an ashtray for his cigars. She smiled fondly, tilting her head so her hair covered her expression. He didn't need to see the peace on her face while he was in such a towering rage. Actually, worry was probably a more accurate emotion to describe her love. Only he didn't know how to do worry, so anger was the next best thing, as evidenced by his next words and actions. First, he used his hand to wipe her all around her mouth, though she knew there was nothing there. Then he gripped her arms in a hard hold and snarled, "The poison, Gina. What kind?""Cyanide," she told him right away and cringed when he slammed his fist into the desk next to her hip. She placed a shaking hand against his chest and said quietly, "I'll be fine. He di
Alejandro resented being put on babysitting duty. The woman had been on her own for years. There was no reason she couldn't board an airplane and make her own way to the meeting point with her cousin. But Casey hadn't wanted Angelina to fly alone. She'd wanted her cousin to feel taken care of, special. So, as the most trusted person on Reyes' payroll he'd been appointed her official escort.He stepped off the airplane and into the cool, sunny day. He brought a hand up to shade his eyes, looking around. He saw a car and assumed it must be her ride since it was the only one on the tarmac. He strode toward the vehicle just as the back door opened and a long, curvy leg slid out, then the rest of her. She gripped the edge of the door and stood, looking around uncertainly.If he hadn't had years of combat and military training he might have stumbled. Angelina Giancarro was perfection. From the top of her flyaway blond hair to the bottom of her heeled sandals. She clung to the car door as i
Book One: Scarred QueenDon't see no colours like you, but you ask me to,Ask me to see the things you do,Think the way you do.Fuck the way I feel, the way I feel for you.Loyal is everything to you, but you want me too,You take me too, I ain't gonna be for you,Not loyal no more, not if I go.Fuck the way you do, obsessed with you too.Why you gotta take, take everything for you,Push the way you do, take the things for you,Make me love you too,Make me do the things you do, feel for you.Why you gotta make, make me feel things for you,Can't hold on to you, make me go,Make me hate you too,Push me to go, make me hate you too.Not strong enough to go, but you gotta push me to,Make me fuck off, fuck away from you,Loyal is everything to you, fuck the way I feel,Make me go, fucking obsessed with you.Ignacio Hernandez had never before brought a woman to a meet. Then, they'd never met at a club before. The entire scene was unprecedented. Reyes didn't d
Casey Hernandez, the beautiful and untouchable wife of Ignacio Hernandez, did not leave his mind for the next several months as Reyes negotiated trade with her stupid fuck of a husband. He'd left most of the footwork with Alejandro, while he retreated to his compound, deep in the mountainous Altiplano region of Bolivia. Alejandro and several of his most trusted men had been back and forth between the two countries, discussing terms and moving product. Building business in the safest, smartest way possible.Reyes continued to do what he did best. Manage his kingdom with an iron fist. Though it burned him to leave the woman alone, he'd learned patience over the years through the most brutal of methods. Learned to understand his prey before making a move. Reyes moved to his desk and sat. He reached for a Cohiba, lit it, took a long draw and leaned back in his sturdy leather chair. He rarely smoked or imbibed alcohol, preferring clarity, but indulged once in a while, particularly when agi
"Boss wants to see you."Casey jumped and dropped her concealer stick. It clattered against the top of her makeup table, rolled from the smooth glass surface and onto the carpeted floor. She took a calming breath before turning slightly in her seat and bending over to pick it up. Her long, pale blond waves swished around her shoulders as she reached for the tube, snatching it up. She set it back on top of her vanity and then glanced over her shoulder at the rugged, stocky bodyguard standing in her doorway. He hadn't knocked to announce his presence. She would have heard and been able to prepare herself for the intrusion of her private sanctuary.They never knocked. It was like they took deliberate pleasure in walking in on her any time they wanted, interrupting her private moments. So, she made damn sure those moments were few and far between. She locked the washroom door when she was in there and always changed in the closet. When Ignacio's respect for her had nosedived it was like
Casey shuddered and turned away, satisfied that they were finished. She strode toward the study door and waited for Alonzo to open it for her. He joined her and reached past her, his hand brushing the bruises of her arms ever-so-slightly. She stepped quickly to the side and glanced swiftly under her lashes at the man that had stood next to her side for the better part of a decade. She didn't understand him. Sometimes she thought he hated her guts and sometimes… she didn't think he hated her at all.Alonzo knocked and waited for Ignacio's summons before ushering her inside. Casey entered the large, opulent room and took a seat across from the husband she hadn't seen in a week, not even in passing. Partially because she avoided him like he had herpes, rabies and bird flu all rolled into one. Plus, their schedules differed significantly and Casey lived reclusively, choosing to take most of her meals in her room. Unfortunately, Ignacio would insist on these meetings where she would have n
She'd had a bad night. Emotionally. Physically. In every possible way. She knew what was waiting for her when she opened her eyes. She wanted to be grateful, but fuck them all, she wasn't. It was their fault she was a pitiful wretch of a human being to begin with; a frail ghost who was too useless to function without an army of prescription pills and vitamins. Speaking of which¡ she managed to crack an eye open to survey the dim lighting of her bedroom. Oh, thank goodness, the maid had left the blinds closed. Alonzo must have warned her about Casey's terrible night.She shifted carefully under the blankets, as much as she dared, and snaked an arm out, reaching for the plastic cup on the table next to her bed. Just as her fingers closed around the smooth surface, slippery with condensation, Alonzo's voice rumbled from the doorway, interrupting her peace, "Take the meds as well, Mrs. Hernandez."Casey flinched and nearly lost her hold on the precious drink. She slapped her other hand