Page 38 of El Malo

Michael glowers at me, his face turning bright red. I have to fix this before Michael ruins everything or gets himself killed.

“I have dinner plans tonight with Javier, but I will catch up with you on my day off,” I tell him, shooting daggers at him. “We’re about to leave, so…”

His eyes drop to where Javier holds me possessively and his jaw clenches. “I’m sorry,” he utters again. “Saturday sounds good.” He turns on his heel and stalks past the open gate to the road.

When he’s gone, Javier speaks. “I don’t like him.”

Turning in his arms, I attempt to distract him. “Do we have to go shopping? Can’t we stay here?”

His irritation melts away as he smirks at me. “You can sit on my cock later. I want to buy you some dresses for while my father is visiting. You’ll be on my arm as my lover, not as my maid. Understood?”

My cheeks heat, but I nod. “I’m not going to turn down free clothes.”

“Who said they’re free?” he teases as his palms grip my ass through my dress. He kneads my flesh, spreading my ass cheeks apart, which quickly makes me wet for him.

“What do I have to do for them?” I bite my bottom lip as I slide my palms up his dress shirt. “I should start on my payment plan.”

He lifts me and I squeal but in a way that feels natural. I wrap my legs around him. He presses kisses to my exposed flesh as he walks over to the carport. When he sets me down beside a black Challenger, I pout.

“I thought we were going to, you know…”

He throws his head back and laughs, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “Mami, you’re a temptation. It is so hard to deny you when you hit me with those pouty fucking lips.”

“So don’t deny me.”

He opens the car door and motions for me to sit. “If I gave you what you wanted, I’d never get a damn thing done. Later, I’ll be back inside of you. Now, we do some business.”

I let out a sigh but sit in the car. He gets in beside me and fires up the loud engine. It’s a standard, so he doesn’t hold my hand this time. His focus is on shifting gears and maneuvering the streets that are scattered with potholes filled with rainwater from the storm. Thankfully, today, the sun is out and shining. I assume he’ll drive us into the city, but he takes us to the shed. This is the second time he’s brought me here.

“What’s in there?” I ask as we pull up and park.

He flashes me a dark look. “Business.”

“I don’t want to stay out here alone.”

His brows crash together as he considers my words. “I suppose after what you saw last night at the club, nothing should surprise you. You can come with me, just stay clear of the piss puddles.”

I inwardly cringe but give him a quick nod. We get out and I follow behind him. He’s wearing black slacks and a white dress shirt with his sleeves rolled up. I love that his tattoos are on display. His black hair is slicked back today, giving him a bad boy mobster look. I definitely approve. He keys in the code and I memorize the number. When he pushes into the building, someone wails.

He grabs my hand and pulls me after him. We make it to a room where the noises are coming from. When he opens that door, I’m assaulted with a disgusting smell. The first thing I notice in what looks like a torture room is a man sitting in a chair, his head slumped forward. Naked. He has metal twisted around his balls. I cringe. Another man hangs from the ceiling, his eyes wild but very much alive.

“Rosa, meet Velez and Angel.” He points to each one. “Guys, meet mi amor.”

Velez lifts his head and groans. “Help me.” He has a scabbed over E and M on his forehead.

Javier chuckles. “He likes little boys. His wife was not pleased. She paid me to do this,” he explains. “And Angel? He thought he was on the right side with Mendez. Remember Mendez, manzanita? I gutted him last night. Angel was very wrong. The right side is the only side and that’s with me. Everyone that’s not with me is a dead man walking.”

My blood goes cold. If Javier ever discovers who I am, he won’t just let me go with a slap on the wrist. This room is a real possibility. Bile rises in my throat and I choke it down.

“You’ll get used to the smell,” Javier tells me as he pulls on a rubber apron. “Hermosa, can you bring me a razor? They’re in the toolbox under the hammer.”

Velez starts crying as I walk over to the toolbox. I pluck a razor out and hand it to Javier. He grabs my wrist and pulls me close. His lips press to my forehead.

“So brave,” he murmurs before releasing me.

I watch with horror as Javier carves a large E and an M into Velez’s chest, matching the ones on his forehead. He screams as blood runs down and puddles in his chair between his legs. Javier squats and looks at Velez’s purple balls. Then, without warning, he digs the razor into the man’s flesh between his balls and cuts deep.

Screams.