The Slayer (Untamed Hearts #2)(103)

Chuito could have even tried to live the lie for Alaine.

Now that dream was dead for both of them, and he mourned it more than he really knew how to express.

It was an open wound in his chest, painful and exposed, reminding him of what it was like in the early days after the drive-by, when every breath he took hurt from the loss.

He was right back where he’d started.

Karma had caught up with him after he’d hidden from it for five years.

He was in mourning, and hunting down the motherf*cker who took his life from him.

Jesus, Tino was right.

All he needed was the blow.

How long would it take before he went looking for it?

Not very long, because he had already searched Tino’s car twice.

All he’d found was this stupid f*cking phone and enough firepower to take out Angel and anyone else who stood between Chuito and revenge.

He looked away from the front door to the club and stared across the street, eyeing a drug deal.

“What are we doing?”

Chuito jerked when someone pulled out a chair and sat across from him. He blinked, because for one second he thought his mind was playing tricks on him as Tino rested an arm casually on the table and looked across the street to the drug deal.

“Oh, look at that. Candy,” Tino mused, still staring at the drug deal. Then he turned back to Chuito and arched one dark, annoyed eyebrow. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to take candy from strangers?”

“What?” Chuito just gaped at him in stunned shock. “How—”

“Remember when your cousin Marcos said he was gonna jack my car,” Tino said as he looked at Chuito. “What did I tell him?”

“I disabled the LoJack,” Chuito said, still stunned that Tino had found him. “That’s the first thing I did.”

“What did I tell him?” Tino repeated.

“You’re gonna make me eat your Beretta?” Chuito let out a dark, bitter laugh. “Good luck, motherf*cker. What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

“Are you f*cked-up?” Tino countered, narrowing his gaze as he studied Chuito.

Chuito shook his head and gestured to the porcelain demi cup in front of him. “Just caffeine.”

“Okay,” Tino said with another skeptical glance at Chuito, as if judging for himself that Chuito was telling the truth. Then he looked over Chuito’s shoulder and waved. “Come here, baby.”

Chuito followed Tino’s line of sight and felt his heart drop when he saw Alaine, wearing a blue, spaghetti-strapped dress that made her look like she was born to party, with high heels to match, and her hair pulled up on one side with a clip that sparkled under the city lights.

It wasn’t something Alaine would normally wear, not even close. It made her legs look miles long, and honestly, if his pulse hadn’t just deafened him with the fury, he would have been hard as a rock.

’Cause co?o, she looked hot as f*ck.

“I’m gonna kill you,” he said to Tino, who had borrowed a chair from the table behind them and pulled it out for Alaine, who sat in it like this was all very normal. “I’m serious. I have to kill you now. How did you find me? Wha—” He took a deep breath and gestured to Alaine. “You know why I’m here. Why would you bring her? What the f*ck, Tino?”

“We’re causing a scene. I sorta thought you were better at this. Don’t destroy my illusions,” Tino said with a pointed look and then leaned his arm against the table and glanced back at the club. “Why are we here if we aren’t shopping for candy?”

“Were you shopping for candy?” Alaine asked in concern as she looked at Chuito. “Is that true?”

“Do you—” Chuito blinked, feeling like he had just fallen into an alternate universe. “You know what candy means?”

“I can discern what it means,” Alaine said, still studying him, worry showing on her beautiful face.

“This is my lawyer,” Tino said as she gestured to Alaine. “Who I have on retainer in case I should get into an unfortunate situation. I had to give her a brief rundown of the issue and the circumstance surrounding it. Well”—he glared at Chuito—“not so brief. Fourteen f*cking hours. Speeding the whole way. Do you know how hard it is to avoid getting a ticket in a Ferrari? Did you even stop to eat?”

“I—” Chuito frowned at the two of them. “Alaine’s your lawyer now?”

“On retainer.” Tino nodded and then looked back to the club. “Feel free to talk in front of her. Attorney-client privilege. Are we looking for someone?”

“You put her in bed with you?” Chuito was seriously going to kill Tino. “You brought her into the fold?”

“No, motherf*cker, you brought her into the fold,” Tino countered. “I just made it legal.”

“Legal is probably a stretch. A huge stretch. As in, completely nonexistent,” Alaine added with a wince and then looked back to Chuito. “Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not okay.” Chuito shook his head and studied Alaine sitting across from him at a cigar bar in Miami. “I left for a reason, mami.”

“This has to be him,” Tino interrupted them as he let out a laugh. “Oh, please tell me it’s him, ’cause any motherf*cker who wears a shirt like that needs to die.”