Chapter 19: Chapter 19

That Spartan scum had cost her thousands in repairs. That didn’t even cover the cost of replacing all those bodies. Luciana had had enough of those dirty bikers. They thought they ran this town, but they were wrong.

So very wrong.

Sitting at the head of the sprawling dining table, she sawed into the bloody steak, watching dispassionately as the mashed potatoes soaked up the red juices that flowed across the plate like a sponge. She was going to show them all that they didn’t own shit. She would be their lord and savior.

Or more like their destroyer.

Luciana was going to rule the world someday. One town at a time. She used to tell her papa that every night when he’d send her off to bed. He’d laugh that belly laugh of his as if he thought she was cute. He never took her seriously.

No, he saw her as his pretty princessa and Ricky as his heir to the throne. But who was sitting on it now? Not Ricky.

Luciana smiled grimly as she popped a piece of bloody steak into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully.

She was going to accomplish much more than any man in the family ever had in their too-short lives. Her great grandfather may have been the one to make Cruiz a household name, but she was the one who was going to turn it into a legend.

“The bodies have been fully disposed of. No one will ever find them,” Manuel informed her as he entered the dining hall with a clamor. His boots clomped across the tiles as he made his way down the table toward her. He was wearing that stupid smile of his again. The one that he thought made him irresistible while hiding his true intentions.

Luciana was so glad she was the brains of the family. Otherwise, she might have ended up just another dumb female falling for his lies.

Instead, she was giving them right back.

Returning an alluring smile of her own, she purred, “I knew I could count on you.”

“Always, mi reina.” He sat in the chair to her left and removed the silver dome from the plate that had been placed there in wait for him. The food was still hot, steam rising up as he unfolded the cloth napkin and placed it in his lap.

“Were you able to get the men outfitted and ready for the next phase?” she asked, taking another bite of meat into her mouth as she watched him start in on his own.

“Yes, everyone has been brought up to speed. They have been made aware of the changes in operations as well. There won’t be any more screw-ups. If anyone even thinks about entering the property, we’ll know about it.”

“That’s good,” she approved, her eyes watching his every move. He was devouring his meal. “Worked up an appetite this evening?”

“I’ve been on my feet all day,” he replied.

She reached for the glass of red wine and brought it to her lips, sipping it.

“It’s really good. I’ll have to send my compliments to the cook.”

“Yes, he really is good at what he does. I think I’ll keep him a while longer,” she mused. It was such an ordeal finding good help these days.

Luciana finished the rest of her meal and pushed the plate aside. “I want to thank you for all the work you’ve done here for me, Manuel.” His dark gaze flipped up, almost as if in shock. “You’ve done a wonderful job putting together a solid crew of mercenaries to help me realize my family’s dreams.”

His expression, though still somewhat suspicious, softened and he reached out to cover her hand with his. “Thank you, Luci. It’s my pleasure. Anything you need…”

Yes, anything she needed, he was willing to provide. And soon, she would need for him to give so much more. The ultimate sacrifice. For now though… “I will remember you said that,” she told him.

“And if you forget, I will remind you myself,” he promised.

What a smooth operator Manuel was. It amused her that he thought her to be wrapped around his little finger so tightly. She smirked. “How is it coming on the Spartans? Have you finished what I asked you to?”

“Yes, we’re almost ready. We have the numbers and the firepower to do some serious damage.”

Luciana’s eyes blazed and she yanked her hand back. “I don’t want them damaged,” she seethed. “I want them decimated.”

She wouldn’t rest until every Spartan scum, including their family members, were wiped off the map!

“That’s what I meant, Luci. It will take some considerable planning and time to make that happen, but it will happen. Of that I have the utmost confidence.”

“You’d better. I don’t keep you around to do things half-assed.”

Manual surged from his seat, planted both hands on her chair’s armrests, and leaned in until they were nose to nose. “You should know better than anyone that I never do anything halfway, Luci. I will get this job done, you’ll see, and then you’ll be on your knees sucking my cock in thanks.”

Luciana’s smile grew, spreading across her face, but not for the reason he obviously thought. While Manuel stood and unfastened his pants, springing his cock free and holding it out for her to take between her lips, Luciana was laughing inside.

She stared up at him as she leaned in and began to suck. He’d just shown his cards, and he didn’t even know it. Manuel had finally grown too big for his britches.

And he was going to pay.

***

“Why do we have to go?” Ash was upset and tired, making it all the worse. Gabby was trying her best to keep him calm while she struggled to get the baby and herself ready. Thank God Blake was here.

Pausing in packing, Blake took a knee and grasped both of Ash’s arms, looking him in the eyes. Gabby stopped to watch, loving the way her big, strong man got down to a child’s level to ensure that he heard him and felt heard himself.

“It’s just for a little while, little man. You’ll be back home before you know it.”

“But I wanna stay here with you. They don’t have the same toys and Grandpa only watches the old people talking on TV, and they smell weird.”

Gabby snorted. “They do not smell weird.” Okay, so her parents smelled weird. It was the odd combination of potpourri and moth balls. She hated it too, but right now they didn’t have any other choice.

Blake had explained the situation and how it wasn’t safe for any of the women and children to stick around right now. If they had a place to go, everyone was being sent there for their own protection.

And they were all hoping and praying it would be enough distance from the hot zone that it would keep them all safe.

Ash scrunched up his little nose and huffed. “Can I take my Xbox?”

“Buddy…”

“Please! I’m gonna be so bored there.” He stuck out his bottom lip, his eyes—so much like his dad’s—comically wide and pleading.

Blake folded like a stack of cards. “Fine. Go get it bagged up. But you’re setting it up yourself,” he called after him as Ash raced from the room.

“You just made his day,” Gabby told her husband.

Blake stood, sighing. “I don’t like this.”

“Oh, honey, no one does.” She went to him, and he embraced her. Combing her fingers through his hair, Gabby looked up into his eyes and felt that funny little flutter she got in her chest every time she looked at her husband. “You’ll come to visit soon?”

“Yeah, teach. I’ll be there as quick as I can.”

She hated that he was staying behind. The last thing she wanted was for him to be caught up in some blood feud and get hurt. If anything happened to him… Well, she didn’t want to think about that. Blake was her heart, her soul…her life.

Without him, nothing in the world made sense.

“Promise?”

His hand went to her swollen belly, rubbing its rotund shape. “Count on it. You have my whole life in your hands, teach. Nothing will stop me from making it back to you.”

A spontaneous rush of tears flowed down Gabby’s cheeks and she pushed to her toes, kissing Blake full on the mouth. This whole thing was a nightmare, and she couldn’t wait for it to end so they could reclaim their lives without having to look over their shoulders.

Pressing their foreheads together, Blake told her the only thing she wanted to hear. “I love you, teach. Always have and always will.”

“Me too,” she whispered back. Then, with a profound sense of sadness and loss, they collected their belongings and loaded them into the car.

As Gabby watched her husband fade into the distance in her rearview mirror, she reflected on their journey up to this point, and for a moment she thought it might kill her not to go back. But then she looked down into the back seat, to their little boy and their baby girl, and knew it could very well kill them all if they stayed.

So she turned her gaze to the road ahead and kept driving.