Claimed by the Cartel

Chapter 6 : Catching Up

Roman

“So you're assigned to Congressman Whitlock's daughter?" Enzo asked, getting me a glass of water while he poured himself a rock's glass of bourbon. I leaned back against the leather couch in the sitting room while Mercedes and some of the other groundskeepers kept up with the vineyard.

A nice front. Easy to wash money with a massive vineyard. As a plus, Dante loves wine. I always catch him sampling the product and giving feedback to vintners.

Luckily, I knew Honey had dinner with her father today, which means I had at least a few hours to catch up with my baby brother before I needed to go back to the flat and Honey got to grace my eyesight again.

“I am," I answered, the corner of my mouth turning up into a smirk.

Enzo's eyes narrowed. “What's with the grin?"

I waved him off, smiling to myself as I thought about Honey's cute flush. The way her rosy lips parted when she gasped. She was so receptive to all those soft little noises she made.

I liked the way her throat felt in my grasp and I liked the way her knees trembled. All I wanted to do was bend her over the hood of Dante's car.

But I'd always been impulsive. If I wanted something, I took it. I didn't care about other people or how they felt about it. I was constantly told that I wasn't sympathetic enough.

I didn't know what sympathy was.

Twenty-nine years of my life and I'm still trying to control my impulses. The meds help, but all they really do is dampen my intrusive thoughts. Less likely for me to act on them. One of the several reasons I don't drink. A cocktail of pharmaceuticals and alcohol turns me into a version of myself that I don't like.

At least right now I have control over myself. A vague idea of what is right or wrong, or I at least know enough to pretend.

And for some reason that I don't understand, I wanted to pretend more around Honey. It wasn't just the cover. I wanted her to like me.

Strange. Why the f**k would I want this woman to like me when I didn't give a flying f**k about anyone else?

Then, I realized it after fantasizing about her being on her knees for me in the shower. I couldn't stop thinking about her soft body against mine with my c**k in my hand. I could taste her on my tongue, like honey blossom nectar.

Honey would look so f*****g pretty on her knees. Even prettier with my c**k in her mouth. I didn't care if she didn't know what she was doing. I'd kill to feel her soft pink tongue lapping at my head, tasting me and moaning about how good I felt in her mouth.

That wasn't an exaggeration. All she had to do was point a finger and I'd kill anyone for the opportunity to experience her warm, wet, mouth.

I bet she liked to be told what to do. I'd tell her to suck.

Lick.

Gag. Oh, I wanted to feel her gag around me.

Fuck her throat until her nails bit into my thighs and I'd give her a short reprieve of breath before I'd do it all over again.

I wanted to control her breath. Tangle my fingers in her curls and pull her hair. I wanted to overstimulate her so much that tears would stream down her pink cheeks. f**k, I bet she was f*****g breathtaking when she cried.

It made me ridiculously hard to think about.

As badly as I lusted after her wide eyes, that wasn't why I wanted her to like me.

Honey surprised me at the bar. She saw the world the same way I did. During our date, when she read people, noticed little things that anyone else wouldn't notice. For the very first time in my life, the world didn't feel so lonely.

I didn't realize how painfully lonely it was to see everything. Be able to point out someone's deepest secrets with just a look.

Sure, I had my brothers. But they didn't get me. They didn't understand.

A small attachment was forming inside of me. Barely there, but enough that I saw that quirky, sweet girl a little differently.

Honey was like me. Different. She was thoughtful. Incredibly smart. Sure, she clearly felt more than I did. She had feelings and insecurities. Normal processing emotions. But she was just as observant as I was. An overthinker. Locked in her head. I wanted to let her out.

Join me in this painfully lonely world.

To surprise me further, instead of answering my question about what she read when she looked at me, she kissed me. Maybe she saw through me. Maybe she saw nothing at all. Either way, she knew I was different too.

“Earth to Roman," Enzo stated loudly. Snapping his fingers in a way that annoyed Dante, but I found it hilarious.

I grinned at him and raised an eyebrow. Enzo was only a few years younger than me and I liked to joke that he felt enough for both of us. When he was a kid, our mom would say that he had big emotions for such a small body.

Unfortunately, in our line of work, feelings like that could get you killed.

Dante knew that, so he locked everything away. It weighs on him, but I didn't have the emotional capacity to take any of that away. I cared about my brothers. I wanted to be there for them, but in this aspect, I couldn't be that person.

“Don't tell me you're keeping secrets from me now." Enzo kicked my shin with a wing-tipped shoe.

“Oh, never. I'd never keep things from you." I paused, still smiling. “Congressman Whitlock's daughter. I like her."

“You like her? Your mark?"

I hummed, nodding. “I've been getting closer to her. She's really quite adorable."

Enzo gave me the most incredulous look. “Roman…hermano, I've never heard you call anything adorable. Not even puppies." He paused, running his hands through long, shiny hair that cascaded down his shoulders. “Or babies!"

“Because there is nothing cute about diapers or a messy yard," I stated, rolling my eyes at his ridiculous comment. “But you haven't met this girl, Enzo. I think she'd be great for us."

My baby brother took in a sharp breath, a flicker of remorse in his eyes. “She's a mark, Roman. That's a big, fat, no."

“What if I told you Dante liked her too?" I pressed. We were a package deal. Everything always worked out for us better when we shared. Separately, we became disjointed and those relationships were doomed to fail.

Enzo blinked a few times. “Then I'd say that there is no way in hell Dante would set himself up for failure by getting involved with a mark. You might be able to switch it off and put a bullet in her head whenever you're given the order, but Dante and I can't."

I sighed, leaning back into the couch, lips turning down into a scowl. The thought of hurting Honey made me nauseous. And I'd fed a man his own guts once. I didn't like this feeling at all.

It felt…bad. I rolled my shoulder. Ugh. I hated this feeling.

“I kissed her last night," I admitted. “Well, she kissed me."

That comment got a wide-eyed response from Enzo. Kisses were always too intimate for me. I'd prefer to get to the main event. I'd save all that gushy s**t for Enzo. He liked all those romantic gestures while I didn't even let my flings stay the night.

“How long was I in Mexico?" Enzo asked. “Who are you?"

“You should meet her, Enzo," I suggested. “She's something."

If Enzo met her, he'd get just as hooked as me. Honey was bright, like a light shining through crystal amber. Golden and warm. I liked her. That wasn't something I could say about anyone.

“That's a classic Roman trap and you know it," he rolled his eyes, taking a swig of his drink.

“Aw, you think you'll get attached after one look, don't you?" I teased, purposefully baiting him. It worked on Dante.

“Yeah, I'm not falling for that one again." He paused, scrubbing his stubble with his hands. I shaved because I hated the feeling of stubble, but Enzo liked the look. “Keep that s**t quiet. I don't want anyone hearing you. Especially Alicia. She flew in with me."

“f**k. Really? The Don wants her to stay here, doesn't he?" I huffed, a spike of anger welling in my belly. I couldn't f*****g stand her. I f****d her and now she had it in her head that she owned me.

Even when we dated she thought I worshiped the ground she worked on. f*****g narcissist.

“Uh-huh. You think that's bad, try sharing a hotel room with her for three months," Enzo sighed.

“You didn't, right?" I asked. “Don't get me wrong, she's a good lay, but not good enough to have her claws in you."

Enzo laughed. “No, of course not. Not that she didn't try. She probably only wanted to make you jealous."

To that, I chuckled a little under my breath. Like that would ever happen. “So how was Mexico? Aside from the she-devil."

“Same old s**t. You know how it is. Watch the shipment. Count money. If it's so much as a cent off, kneecaps get broken. I'm glad to be back," he answered.

“Glad to have you back."

We drank in silence for a little while before Dante walked in.

“Dante!" Enzo greeted, standing up.

Dante hooked a beefy arm around Enzo's shoulders, considerably narrower than Dante's. But our big brother packed on muscle much easier than we did. “Good to see you, Enz," Dante said as Enzo grinned, returning the gesture of affection.

“How have you been?" Enzo asked, pulling back. “Want a drink?"

Dante seemed off. Bothered after meeting with the Don. He always seemed withdrawn, but this was different. The side of his mouth dipped, a clear indication that he had bad news.

Fuck. What was it this time?

“No time, I have new orders from the Don," Dante stated coldly. Whatever the Don was making him do now, he really didn't like it.

“I just f*****g got back," Enzo sighed exasperatedly. “What is it?"

Slowly, Dante turned to me, giving me a knowing look. “Change of plans with Whitlock's daughter."

“What?" I snipped. “She's with her dad right now."

“No, she's not. Her father canceled last minute," Dante said. “Whitlock's check bounced and instead of writing a new one, he decided to call Don Sierpiente's bluff and threaten him like a f*****g idiot."

Are you f*****g kidding me? “Does he have a death wish?"

“He thinks he's smarter than the Don, so we need to show him that we mean business," Dante said slowly.

Enzo looked over at me, watching me closely to see if I show any emotion at all. I keep my expression neutral, even though my mouth tastes sour. “Don't make me kill her, Dante." I took a deep breath. “I don't want to kill her."

For once, I saw a flicker of relief on my older brother's face. “We're not killing her. But, we need to bring her here and hold her until Whitlock pays. Then we take her home. Those are our orders."

The idea of being in close proximity to her 24/7 appealed to me, but I also knew she was going to f*****g hate me for it. But at least I didn't have to lie anymore. She would see me as the stone-cold killer I was.

Maybe she'd still find me intriguing.

I pulled out my phone, pulling up her contact. “What do you want me to message her?"

“Just get her outside. We'll do the rest," Dante decided before tossing me his key fob. “Take my car. We'll meet you there."