Maid for the Mafia

**SANTOS**

I wait until the very minute he removes her pants, then I give the signal. Keeping my eyes on the screen in the next few moments is crucial. I don't want to chance Juarez hurting *mi reina*, but it doesn't seem I have much choice. When the limo in front of us skirts into the dirt and tucks behind a copse of trees, Juarez flies forward, slamming into the hidden camera near the partition. We skid to a stop inches behind them, our vehicle tumbling over a few low boulders and shrubbery, I leap from the backseat. My dagger and blade at the ready, I hear Luis exit behind me and turn my head just slightly, watching him in my peripheral, on the off chance he might choose to betray me.

In my line of work, you learn never to turn your back on anyone, no matter who they are or what they might mean to you. Red's trying to kill me, being a prime example of this.

The crazy truth is, should my plan to draw her back to me work, I can't say that it won't happen again. At least, not as far as she's concerned. She's the malignant cell, the exception to the rule, the mutation in the gene. She's the one.

And I can't see myself surviving her a second time, should she decide to end me, because no matter what - I refuse to hurt her ever again.

The moment I arrive at the limo, I yank open the backdoor and slip inside. Taking a seat next to my half naked Red, I'm pleased to see Juarez scrambling to put his clothes back on. It's not until he makes a dive for the console next to me, that I realize he stashed his piece.

I flash my blades, stopping him. "Portini," I shout. "Drive."

The limo lurches back onto the highway and I remove my coat, not once taking my eyes off the puto in front of me. *I'm going to start by carving out his fucking eyes.* Red is well dosed, so I'm fairly certain his screams won't wake her. Laying my jacket over the exposed half of her body, I glare at the dead man on the floor.

"I warned you, Juarez," I rumble, my fingers caressing the handle of my blade. "It's sad that you couldn't listen."

"What the fuck?" he snaps at me. "She tried to kill you *twice*. How can you justify this? Huh? How do you justify forgiving *her* and not me?"

I shrug. "I probably can't, but that's *exactly* why you should have known better than to touch her. Because the way I feel about her defies rationality. It defies all my rules. Everything for me now, is her." Then I smile. "If you beg me, I'll make it quick."

He spits at my shoes. "Never."

I chuckle, "I was hoping you would say that."

No one hears him when he dies. Because despite that I wanted to start with his eyes, I don't. I take his tongue first, then his fingers, then his eyes. Finally, after I've carved off his tiny balls and made an incision across the head of his dick, I allow him to bleed to death in front of me. Then, I turn toward Red.

She is resting peacefully, but even so, I could almost swear I see a hint of a smile on her face.

I order Portini to the side of the road where I get out behind a line of bushes thick enough to be a wall of green, then I remove the five gallon jug of water stashed in the trunk and cut off the top with my serrated blade. Washing the blood from my skin and my knives, I remove my clothes and set them to burn in the dirt. Luis pulls in behind me and hands me the fresh clothing from the other car. I redress, then deposit Red in my original vehicle just as a few more of my men roll up. They will deal with Juarez's body, and *I* will ride with my queen the rest of the way to Alex's gates. We still have much ground to cover, but I'll take every moment with Red that I can before I leave her. She is it for me.

Once Luis is back behind the wheel, I redress Red with *eager*, exploring hands, then set her on my lap and hold her close.

Whispering to her, I say, "I want you so much, my girl. If you can hear me at all - know this - everything that happens from here on out is on you. I can forgive you anything and everything you have ever done to me. I can even excuse your alliances to men that I hate and allow you to work for them if you absolutely wish it. But one thing will be non-negotiable. You. You are mine. I want you in every way a man should want a woman. No one else will do. I will burn the world down at your feet, if that is the price I must pay to have you as mine. There's no limit. None. I've just terminated my *best friend's life... for you. So *you* must replace him." I sigh heavily, peering down at her sleeping face and kissing the pout of her lips. "I should never have chained you up. You are not the kind of creature to be under lock and key. Your beauty is in your resilience. In your absolution." Again, I kiss her, this time more slowly and I could almost swear she kisses me back. "I can't wait until you come hunting for me. To rescue your cousin. I'm not going to make it easy for you, though. I can't. I want to see the lioness in you when you arrive. The beauty I saw in the dungeons. The female that refused to cower. The warrior in you that *refused* to be scared." I shudder, rocking her body against me and tucking her head against my shoulder. "I'm in love with you, Red. I just hope when the time comes, you remember I said so."