Malo - Page 70

And besides, I have Malo to spend time with now. My heart flutters excitedly in my chest when he crosses my mind—it’s that warm, sparkling feeling, the first flush of being in love, and I am addicted to it, addicted to him. Addicted to waking up beside him every morning, as we share his room now; addicted to falling asleep next to him every night, exhausted, after we’ve tired each other out.

I still can’t believe the feelings I have for him. After the way we met, it’s hard to believe that it could have turned into something so honest, so real. But it has, and I’m grateful for that. He’s a different man to the one I met behind the bar all those weeks ago, and the man he’s becoming, I adore.

He went to incredible lengths to help me, doing everything he could to get me through the nightmare the cartel dragged me into. That has to count for something. I don’t know exactly what our future looks like, but maybe it doesn’t matter right now. Maybe what matters is that I’m happy, and I don’t want this to end.

The warmth of the sunshine soaks into my skin as I head inside to find Malo, and I feel a smile curl up my lips once more. I smile a lot these days.

And I’m starting to get used to it.

CHAPTER 48

MALO

“Hey, pass the chile,” I tell Maria, pointing to the small container on the counter next to her. She hands it to me, our fingertips brushing for the briefest moment, and she flashes me a flirtatious smile.

It’s early in the morning, barely past five, and the sunlight is just starting to filter through the large glass doors beside the kitchen. Maria is wearing one of my old shirts and a pair of panties and nothing else, after we rolled out of bed together after waking up in the best way possible. I’m getting used to these early mornings with her, clear-headed and sober, instead of crawling out of bed at midday with my head pounding, regretting what little I could remember of the night before.

The rest of the clubhouse was quiet and had been since the rest of the troops were shipped home, the Cafarellis took off as soon as the Rosas hideout went up in flames. The weight of my addiction still hung heavy over my head, but I was putting in the work. Every once in a while I still got those intrusive thoughts that told me just one hit would help me or feel that urge, that tingle at the back of my head. I had too much to lose now not to fight it and Maria was with me every step of the way, holding my hand when the urges hit, always finding new ways to help me cope. There was still so much we needed to do, and I was well aware of how pressing it was.

Beast was quick to remind us that there are still plenty of cartel members scattered around Mexico, many of whom will be searching for the chance to fill the power vacuum El Serpiente left behind. We’re going to need to put an end to that before any of them can. But right now, we’re recouping, getting all the information we can get out of the still-imprisoned cartel leader, and planning our next move. I doubt Beast is going anywhere until the baby comes along. He’s been extra-protective of Bella, even though she doesn’t need it.

“That smells so good,” Maria murmurs, wrapping her arms around my waist and hooking her head onto my shoulder to look down at the huevos rancheros I’m making. Her father taught me how to make them exactly how she likes them, and I’ve been enjoying making her breakfast, bringing it up to her in bed when she’s too tired after our shenanigans to come down herself.

It’s so… peaceful these days. Something I’m trying to get used to. For so much of my life, chaos has surrounded me, and the thought of finally leaving at least some of it behind is a lot for me to wrap my head around, but I think it’s in a good way.

Suddenly, a noise catches my attention. I turn to see what it is, and Maria steps away from me so I can get a better look.

But I hardly get a chance to see what’s happening before the glass door to the kitchen explodes inward, covering the floor with tiny glass shards.

“Shit!” Maria cries out, and she darts to the side to try and avoid them. But, as soon as the air clears, I see who’s smashed the window, and my heart drops.

El Serpiente. He might be covered in bruises, and caked in blood, courtesy of Beast I’m sure, but there is no doubt it’s him. I don’t know how the hell he got out of the shed, what he’s planning to do here, but he’s holding a gun, and his eyes are wild with a frenzied madness that isn’t going to stop for anyone.

“You fucking puta!” he screams at Maria, and he lunges for her, grabbing her by the neck and stuffing his gun into his jeans to use both hands. He doesn’t want to finish her quickly, no, he wants to make her suffer. He forces her back to the counter, his hands locked around her throat, squeezing, his gaze fixed on her with pure, seething hatred.

I dive toward them, but skid on the glass, the shards digging into my bare feet. Fuck! I need to get to her and fast.

But I should have known she already had this under control. Her hand is sneaking towards his gun, her gaze still fixed on his, making sure he doesn’t catch on to what she’s up to. Her breathing is labored, but her movements are steady, controlled. All that training she’s done with Harley has paid off. Her nerves are steely, and I snatch a cleaver from the knife stand on the counter. El Serpiente doesn’t even look my way. He’s just high on revenge, needing nothing more than to make her pay for her part in his downfall he hasn’t even noticed me.

It all happens in a split second. She snatches the gun from his jeans and fires off a shot at his leg. It blows a hole in his knee, and he lets out a guttural roar of agony, grasping for the counter to keep himself upright. Maria swerves out of the way, drawing in a gasping, throaty breath and clutching at her neck, and I swing the cleaver high above my head, and bring it down on El Serpiente’s right wrist, severing his hand with a sickening thud of bone and flesh.

He falls to the ground, cradling the bloody stump of his arm in his hand, just as Thor and Beast arrive in the kitchen. It’s a mess in there, blood and glass scattered all over the floor. I drop the knife and rush to Maria, pulling her away from the chaos so she doesn’t get hurt.

“

You okay, muñeca?” I ask her, clasping her face in my hands, looking at her intently in the eye.

She nods, rubbing a hand across her throat. “I think so,” she croaks. “I… it hurts.”

“How the hell did he get loose?” Beast bellows, as he grabs El Serpiente and drags him to his feet. The once-powerful leader mewls in agony as his bloody stump sprays gore across the kitchen.

“That was for messing with Harley,” I spit at him.

That’s the revenge I needed. Fuck, it feels good to have hurt him that way. I know it’s not exactly the smartest move, taking him out like this when we probably need more information from him, but he came after Maria. Nobody lays a hand on my girl. Nobody.

Thor drags him toward the door, as I explain as quickly as I can what happened.

“He came in here and tried to throttle Maria,” I tell Beast. “He’s a risk to have around, Prez. We need to get rid of him.”