Her Wicked Desire

5: A trip to prime towers

ACE

The elevator made a soft ding as it's doors drew apart. I stepped out with three guards following me at a normal distance. I don't need their protection, but by Marcel's orders, I must have some. He doesn't want his best friend, and daughter's guardian, dying at the hands of one of his enemies.

And he has ALOT of enemies. If you're thinking fifty, you're on the right path. But those fifty are some of the strongest mother fuckers in the world, with deadly people at their disposal. They're that bad. If you take their guards, and armed forces, into account then you might wanna multiple that fifty by one hundred thousand. Being the strongest man in this business comes with its downfalls. You make alot of bad blood along the way, and the worst part is, you have to keep those people close for your business to bloom.

The Cisneros Cartel goes deeper than what anyone knows, only the six head families are aware of how big and important our return is. They're counting on Marcel's decision for Avalon to take over at this young age, but they also want her to fail. They want to watch US fail.

That's why I have to train her. It is my job to make sure Avalon does not crumble, and take the Cisneros name with her. Which is far easier said than done.

I spotted a field of blonde hair, and red dye at the tips. I'll go on a whim here and say the dye was Stephanie's idea.

"I have Intel, but we're gonna discuss it as school so Ace doesn't hear it." Avalon giggled mischievously to her two best friends. A red haired billionaire princess with rocks for brains, Stephanie Blake. And a millionaire child actor, and genuis, Jacqui Briggs. The girls formed a triangle, gossiping and laughing at certain things I couldn't for the life me understand what was hilarious about it.

"I have Intel too." Stephanie said, causing her friends to gasp. I stood not too far from them, waiting for at least one to notice my presence. "Nessa Harriet, has a crush on hunter murry but absolutely hates hunter stein. But I mean, who could blame her? Hunter's got areolas the size of saucers. I've heard, they touch in the middle."

"You are an i***t. That is not Intel, that is just gossip." Jacqui lightly tapped Stephanie on the back of her head. The red haired made a squeaking sound, turning to throw a mild glare at her friend.

I cleared my throat to get their attention, since Avalon was too invested in her friends theatrics to notice anything else. We'll have to work on that once her training officially begins, she has shitty senses. Anyone can sneak up behind her at this point and that isn't good for a Cisneros. The second that title is placed on her head, she becomes a walking target. Her freedom is as good as gone. She needs to get better at figuring out who is dangerous to her, and who she can trust. Not everyone are allies.

I give a narrow look to her friends, and then to the blue eyes currently glowering at my form. Her piercing gaze went down from my head, to my neat black shoes. She eyed my suit hungrily, I can't explain why my body felt a sudden heat from the way she stared at me.

Keep yourself in check Ace. Think about Marcel, and Avalon. She needs you to be at your top focus if you're going to protect her.

"Hello ladies." I greeted formally, like I always do. The girls giggles were soft and bashful, I could see their cheeks shading up.

"Good morning Mr Hendrix."

"Princess, it's Tuesday, you have a social economics test. Do you have your textbook and notes? A light study during your break would help refresh your mind."

Avalon twisted her bag to her front, dragging the zipper open and checking the contents. "Yep. Economics, Math, biology, and chemistry. My four subjects for today, and of course my notes and study journal. I'll be back an hour late today, I want to have a chat with my art teacher about the project he gave us. Although I won't be in school much longer, I'd still like some advice on how to get it done." She smiled ruefully. I know this change feels like a new pile of weight has been dumped on her shoulders, I want to be that polite guy and tell her ‘it'll get better’ but that couldn't be further from the truth. It will only get worse from here on.

Nodding my head, I asked one more question. An important one that I inquire from her each day. "Where's your weapon?"

I watched, a little bit too enthusiastic, as she reaches for the edge of her blue patterned skirt. Raising it up, just a bit, to show me the dagger strapped around her thick thigh. I reach for it, a repeated move I make every morning, but she yanks it out before I can get to it and points it to my neck. She's gotten better over time, I almost missed her movement from how stealthy it was. Her friends awed behind her, seeming just as impressed as I am.

"Good girl." I praised as she returned the knife to it's place. Color dusted her bronze skin, and her lashes fluttered making her irresistible. I straightened myself, placing my fingers at my side to prevent them from reaching for her chin. Or waist. Or any part of her really. "Alright, get going. I'll have Patrick pick you up this time, he'll be taking you to Mrs Barrett to get your dress." She hummed, keeping that information in her head. As part of the rules, Avalon needs to be informed of who would pick her up from school. It prevents incidents like when she was six and someone had pretended to be her driver. Marcel made sure that s**t never happened again. Now that he's gone, it's my job to ensure that it doesn't repeat itself. "Also, here."

I handed her a folded piece of paper.

"What is this?" She sounded wary of the paper but she took it from my hand.

"It's a list of questions the workers have complied about your birthday. You need to answer all of that during your break period and give it back to me once you return."

She sighed, not too fond of the small task.

"Anything else?"

I shook my head and she thanked the stars. Her cheeks pushing out to form a small dimple as she smiled. Avalon walked up to me, leaning her body upwards on her toes so she could reach my cheek. She planted a kiss there.

"Bye Ace." She waved, rushing down the steps with her friends following closely.

To most, that kiss would seem platonic.... it used to be. Years ago before she started to see me in a different way. And now that she's, well stunning and sculpted like my worst temptation come true, those kisses hold a new meaning. This is dangerous, and as her guardian, I'm going to make sure she gets over it.

"Sir, now that the princess is gone, I can show you something her bodyguard gave to me yesterday."

First question, why didn't this incompetent rat give me whatever it is he was handed, yesterday? Why wait till the very next day? I swear, some people make question humanity and common sense. Or the lack there of.

I kept my expression neutral, and bored, it's important to never react to anything. The guard, a man with a huge gash tracing from his cheek to his lip, pulled a white envelope out of his jacket.

The first thing I noticed when I took the envelope was the lack of a return address. No stamp, nothing but plain white with what feels like a thin sheet of folded paper in it. I didn't open it until we were out of the house, and in the car driving to Prime Tower. Also known as, Cisneros headquarters. It's not too far from the mansion. But it's far enough that it doesn't raise suspicions.

When Marcel was arrested, the feds couldn't tie anything else to him. They didn't know how deep his cartel went, and they're still unaware.

I forced the letter open through the top, cutting it out neatly with my nail. My hand pulled the thin sheet out. It doesn't look like there's anything in it, no powder, nothing toxic. If there was, the guard would have found it. Rasta wouldn't give the envelope to anyone unless he was 99.9% sure, it didn't contain anything deadly.

But humans aren't perfect, that I know too well.

The letter had nothing but one sentence in it.

Happy birthday in advance, princess.

And a jester face, smiling at the end. It was typed out and printed so no handwriting can be retrieved from it. I'll have it dusted for fingerprints, I doubt they'll find anything.

Avalon hasn't turned eighteen yet and they've already began. But who could this be? The beagle boys? They're on good terms with Marcel. The Italian Mafia? s**t, it could be anyone of Marcel's enemies. Over the history of this cartel, no one has been more successful than Marcel. Not his father, or his father's father. No one. And that's probably one of the reasons alot of mafiosos hate him.

I need to make sure Avalon is safe. If this person knows where her school is....I can't imagine what else they know or what they'll do next.

I thumbed the button next to my seat, activating the coms. The driver and guards are blocked from my sight thanks to a divider, that's remote controlled from the array of buttons in the back seat. It's also soundproof and tinted.

"Kyro."

"Yes sir." The gruff tone of the driver emanated back to me.

"Ask the guard with scar what else he knows about this envelope."

"Roger that sir." He responded immediately. They can all hear me, obviously, through the speaker in the dashboard. But I only know kyro by name, and for a good reason too.

Grabbing my phone out of the front pocket of my suit, I dialled the number to one of Prime Tower's ‘assistants’.

"Mr Hendrix, how may I be of service?" A feminine voice spoke through. They don't hesitate to pick up my call because I'm at the peak of the hierarchy.

There's Marcel.

There's Avalon.

And then there's me.

I've gotten myself deeper into my friend's cartel that any of us intended. So deep that they'd have to find a different way of keeping me quiet if I ever tried to ditch.

"I want you to pull up the files to an assassin from Elm street." I told her.

"Okay sir. What's their name?"

"Tanner Fox."

"Got him. He's currently unmarked and working a solo mission for his squad, Falcon. Should I pull him back and bring him to Washington?"

God do I love someone who knows how to do their job, and the workers of Prime Tower know exactly what they're supposed to do before you even tell them.

"Yes. Get him to Washington before the princess's birthday, and send him directly to the mansion."

"Understood. I'll get right on it."

I disconnected the call just in time to here kyro's speak.

"Sir, he says Avalon's guard found the envelope when she opened her locker yesterday. It fell out and he was quick to grab it while she was distracted by her friend. The red haired one."

Hmmm, interesting.

I pressed my thumb to the button once more. "Thank you, Kyro."

Shortly after that, the car pulled up into the large building situated in a busy part of Washington. Marcel believed in hiding in plain sight, and for years, no one had discovered that this regular workplace was a housing ground for Cisneros operations.

They assumed it was some law firm because most people that walked in where suited up.

One of the guards, peeled the door open for me to get out. I rolled my eyes at him but didn't say anything, I got out of vehicle without a word. The guards maintained the same distance as before, while we entered the building through the parking lot elevator. The lift took us to the top floor, and I ordered them to stay in the hallway as I made my way down to the only door on this floor.

My fingers turned the knob to the right, the door opened with a tiny creak.

"What do you mean the new batch vanished? It left the docks from Rio didn't it?" A tall, curvy, female with long brown wavy hair, stood towering over a pale man with her hands balled into a fist. She placed them in each side of her hips.

"Miss Rafaela-"

"Answer the goddamn question!" She shouted, her accent showed thickly whenever she got angry. Like now.

The man gulped, looking to the other men in the room for help, but they stared at everything else but him.

"It did leave Rio, the loaders there marked it."

"So explain to me why it never made it to the DC?" She took one frightening step towards the man and he fell to his knees, tears ran down his face as the fear of the what Rafaela would do to him settled in. "What a pathetic b***h? You can't answer me, can you?" She squatted to his eye level, and pulled his chin up tightly with her fingers. Manicured nails dug into his jaw, tiny trickles of blood roll onto his suit. The man shook his head, his body shivered. I watched with amusement.

There is a really good reason why Rafaela is Marcel's second in command. Avalon needs to be like her, people fear Rafi. She's been running this whole operation in silence, following every order Marcel gives to me to pass on to her. Obedience and loyalty, she's a killer at heart. Everyone, besides the Cisneros family, is disposable to her.

"Ugh, disgusting." She released his chin only to shove those same fingers into his hair. Using it as leverage to drive his skull hard against the wooden desk, not to kill him, but to hurt him. He held in his scream of pain like it was a reflexed action, absolutely wonderful. "Listen here, you ugos," she rose up, standing on her pink cameo boots. "You are going to order a new batch of the la flor del diablo(Translation: the devil's flower), and make sure it docks this time. If it goes missing then all of you should do the same because I will HUNT YOU DOWN LIKE ANIMALS. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"Drag you buddy out of my office. Also, you." She pointed one of the men amongst the other seven. I spotted relief washing over the face of the others, happy that they weren't chosen.

"Yes, Miss Rafaela." He tried to sound unphased but it didn't work. A smirk was already on my face, I love to watch Rafi work. She's exactly what Marcel expects from Avalon. A fierce woman that will not stand for any bullshit, and strikes fear into anyone who sees her.

"Go to one of the assistants and tell them to get detective Cortez on this case immediately. I want to know who took a shipload of my shipment, and then I want to drink wine from their skulls."

The man swallowed audibly but he nodded.

Rafaela snapped her fingers twice ushering every one, including the pale man with blood trickling down his forehead, out of the room. As they left, they all bowed their heads to me muttering ‘Good morning Mister Hendrix.' I love the respect. It fuels a part of my soul.

"You like to stare Ace?" I blinked for a second, then a chuckle fled out. I turned to shut the doors, locking them to avoid any disturbance.

"You look beautiful, Rafi."

She leaned her butt against the oak desk, and crossed her arms over her breast. I eyed them happily. I have a rule against sleeping with the same woman twice, that's why I haven't touched Rafaela yet. She's beautiful, thick in every part. A physique that draws me in like a shark to blood. I have a type, although I've been with with almost every type of woman. I wonder why I still act surprised why people call me a playboy, it's quite frankly the truth.

"Please tell me you've come to seduce me into having a bit of that fantastic s*x you're known for?" Her grin was seductive and charming, I almost keeled over to offer her a chance to warm up my bed but I resisted. My control isn't on the fritz this time, and I have something urgent to complete.

"I'm sorry, gorgeous, maybe some other time." She huffed, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth. "I need to go to Elm street."

Her brow raised, asking me the obvious question. "I can't find Cisco on my own, it would take time. You know where he is, and Marcel wants me to collect the box for Avalon."

Her eyebrows drew up, disappearing under her bangs. "He's not serious. He doesn't actually intend on giving that flashdrive to Avalon, does he? She's too young for that. She can't handle the knowledge hidden within that piece of tech."

Finally, someone else besides me sees that Marcel is not making the smart decision. Giving Avalon full control over a regular cartel would be easier than running his, because it is huge. He's getting her involved in his choices, at a very young age. But he's my best friend, I know him well enough to know that he won't change his mind unless proven wrong. And I would hate for Avalon to get hurt before his eyes finally opens.

"I have a plan to keep most of the big work away from her. You'll control the drugs for the time being, until she's ready."

"When will that be?"

"When I'm sure she isn't going to have a mental breakdown if she finds out what the layers of Cisneros is."

Rafi nodded in agreement.

This Cartel has its peels like onions. Each layer is deeper, and far more dangerous than the last.

There's the club, crimson layers, the nightclub/meetups.

Elm Street.

Prime Tower.

Cleaners and sweepers.

The underground.

And then, HELL.

Through each of those, Avalon is going to have to prove she can run everything. I control two out of the layers, but that doesn't rule out underground. She isn't ready for the proving. That pit of blood hungry beasts is only one step from becoming HELL and she's going to have to go through there before she's ready to really run her father's empire. I'm not looking forward to any of this.

"Shall we go?"

"Yeah."