The Slayer (Untamed Hearts #2)(104)
Chuito looked to the club, seeing a large entourage arrive, and in the center of them was Angel. “Actually,” he whispered, because he was seriously impressed with Tino right now for a number of reasons. Even though he still wanted to kill him, he was very impressed. “That is him.”
“I am so good at this. I really am wasting a unique life skill by living the good life in Garnet.” Tino gave Chuito a wide smile before he turned back and watched, asking conversationally under his breath, “Why are we watching him?”
“I don’t know where the new warehouse is. I drove by the old one, and it seemed empty. I think he’s got a new spot,” Chuito whispered, because it was sort of an extenuating circumstance with Angel standing there. He couldn’t beat Tino when he was trying to lie low. Angel could spot him from a mile away, and getting spotted would put them all in danger. “The old one’s just a decoy now.”
Chuito brought his phone up, pretending to be staring at the screen as he watched too. He didn’t know any of the guys in Angel’s crew. Most of them were young, too young. Angel would probably have to buy their way into the club, but he seemed to know the doorman and likely bought his crew’s way in on a regular basis.
All their old crew had left on Chuito’s insistence once Nova muscled his way into Los Corredores. Chuito couldn’t risk Angel retaliating against the takeover by hurting one of Chuito’s old crew.
Because they had always been Chuito’s crew and loyal to him first.
Chuito didn’t advertise that he was behind the Italian takeover of Los Corredores, but he suspected Angel knew, and he couldn’t afford the risk. It wasn’t exactly a secret that Chuito was friends with the Morettis.
A part of Chuito wanted Angel to know he was behind it.
“What does the saying on his shirt mean?” Alaine asked as she looked over to Angel’s crew. “Papi Chulo.”
“It means he’s a tool,” Tino supplied before Chuito could answer, his eyes still on Angel. “He’s basically wearing a shirt that says I’m sexy. If you have to stamp it on a shirt, that’s just sad.”
“Is that true?” Alaine asked Chuito.
“That he’s a tool? Definitely,” Chuito agreed just as another group of six men walked up to Angel and greeted him like they knew him, as if they were meeting Angel there on purpose. “Who are those gringos? Why is he hanging with them? And it looks like the one on the left is strapped. Do you think he’s gone to the heat?”
“They’re all strapped.” Tino sighed, his hand casually on Alaine’s chair, as if he was leaning into her instead of spying. “That’s not the heat. Those are Russians.”
“Russians are bad?” Alaine asked.
“Russians are very bad,” Tino said as he looked back to Chuito with wide eyes. “Why are you here?”
“Marcos thought he was going to start a war with your organization,” Chuito admitted as he met Tino’s wide-eyed stare with one of his own. “I guess he was right. How did Angel find Russians? How did he even know to look?”
“I don’t know,” Tino mumbled as he looked back to the club. “We need to find that warehouse.”
“I was gonna follow them.”
“In a GL?” Tino turned back to him in disbelief. “That thing screams Cosa Nostra. You might as well follow them in an Escalade.”
“It’s your car, motherf*cker.”
“I have a better idea.” Tino grabbed Alaine’s hand and jumped to his feet.
“No.” Chuito grabbed Alaine’s other hand, giving Tino a hard glare. “What are you doing?”
“It won’t work without her.” Tino gave Chuito a wide-eyed look as he leaned down and grabbed the phone out of Chuito’s hand. “Trust me.”
“I don’t trust you,” Chuito whispered, tightening his hold on Alaine’s other hand, but Tino was already pulling her away. “Motherf*cker, no. NO!” He was forced to let go when people started looking at them, and he turned his head, putting his hand by his face, and growled, “Te voy a matar, te lo juro. I will kill you deader than a f*cking doornail, Tino.”
“I got this.” Tino yanked Alaine to him and draped his arm over her shoulders. “Follow my lead.”
Chuito’s pulse was throbbing in his ears as Tino walked up to the front of the club like he owned the place, draped all over Alaine like she belonged to him.
Chuito wasn’t even sure how or why this was happening.
Why was he watching Tino walk up to Angel like it was nothing?
With Alaine.
But Chuito was stuck. He couldn’t just run up and pull her back, because that could start a f*cking gang war right here in the middle of the street, and he couldn’t risk Alaine getting caught in the cross fire.
Chuito slipped his hand to his back and grasped the gun tucked in the waistband of his jeans. He turned away but kept looking out of the corner of his eye as Tino laughed and leaned into Alaine, saying loud enough for everyone to hear, “Oh my God, baby, you are so hot. I can’t wait to feel you move against me.” He lifted his head, looking to one of the Russians, and said, “She’s hot, right? My woman.”
The Russian just stared at him, his gaze icy and unimpressed. He said something to Tino and gestured down the street, probably telling him to move on.