“Well, you look like you’ve barely reached twenty, and that fucker over there has gray hair coming in. Shouldn’t you be in college or something right now?”
“Clark,” El Jefe warned, and Clark looked back with an inclined brow. “Shut the hell up."
“For fuck’s sake. You fucking Hispanics are always so serious.”
I fought a smile while the woman rolled her eyes.
El Jefe put his eyes back on the computer screen again. He was sitting on the edge of Cane’s desk, watching everything Cane did carefully. The man was truly intimidating. He sat with his head high and looked down, like everything beneath him was worthless. Even with the hair on his jawline, I could tell it was a strong jaw.
My eyes dropped to his finger, and I noticed a wedding band there. He’s married? Wow…what kind of crazy woman would marry a man like him—a man who wasn’t afraid to point a gun at a nineteen-year-old girl?
“Did you think about what I said?” El Jefe murmured to Cane.
“Yeah, I’ve thought about it.”
“And?”
“And I need more time to think about it.”
El Jefe scoffed. “Don’t be a pussy about it. You either want it done or you don’t. It’s that simple.”
“Shit, I apologize for not being a natural born killer like you.”
El Jefe looked amused, but I was curious what kind of conversation Cane had with him to bring up the word “killer.”
“Natural born?” El Jefe repeated. “Nah, the world made me this way.”
Cane muttered something under his breath, and with a few more taps of his keys, he said, “I’m done. I got in touch with my accountant, and she has created one account in Canada, one in Russia, and one in Japan. I’ll give you the account and routing numbers when I have them, and take the money to her so she can have it all deposited safely.”
“Good.” El Jefe stood, and Cane pushed out of his chair. He was about to speak again, but then a car door slammed shut outside.
Patanza grimaced, rushing toward Cane. “Who the fuck is that?” she demanded.
Cane frowned, walking toward the window. He pushed one of the blinds up to take a look out, then let out a sigh of relief. “It’s my sister, Lora.”
“Tranquilo, Patanza,” El Jefe commanded, but her shoulders didn’t relax. He said something else to her in Spanish, and with every word, she became less tense.
“I need to let her know you’re here,” Cane said, and walked my way, grabbing my hand and leading the way downstairs. Of course they followed, moving like trained assassins. God, looking at them made me shiver, and not in the good way.
Cane met up to the door, but Clark was already standing there with a gun in his hand.
“Put that shit away,” Cane hissed. “It’s my sister.”
“Put it up,” Jefe ordered behind us, and Clark groaned, tucking it in the holder on his waist. “I swear to God, if I don’t get any action soon, I’m going to flip. It’s been boring as fuck ever since the shootout.”
“Shootout?” Cane questioned.
“Long story,” Patanza muttered.
Cane released my hand to open the door. Lora walked toward the house, dragging a suitcase on wheels by the handles. “So glad to see the house isn’t burnt down!” she yelled. “I tell you, Q, I don’t think El Jefe is ever going to show! I’m pretty sure we can relax now since that motherfucker—” Lora’s sentence was cut short as Cane opened the door a little wider, just enough for her to see El Jefe standing in the middle of the foyer. “OhmyGodholyshit!” she gasped loudly, stopping right on the porch.
El Jefe raised a brow, looking Lora over. “I see you still have that filthy mouth of yours.”
Lora stared at him behind her round, yellow sunglasses, and it was the first time in my life I had ever seen her so speechless. “Jefe,” she breathed. “I guess I spoke too soon.”
“I suppose you did.”
“Where’s Mama?” Cane asked.
“At one of her meetings, and I’m kinda glad I took her.” Lora looked from El Jefe to Clark, and then to Patanza, who was giving her a death glare.
“Who is she to get the right to disrespect you?” Patanza snarled at her.
“Calm down, Patanza. We’re leaving,” El Jefe announced. “Cane had to take care of a few things for me.”
“It’s done now,” Cane announced. “But next time you show up, make an announcement first. I don’t like surprises.”
El Jefe gave a small smile. “What is life without a few surprises? Before I go, I need to speak with you and Lora. Patanza, Clark, wait out in the truck.”
Patanza nodded and turned to walk away, but not without glaring back once at all of us. Clark followed her, smiling once at us before disappearing around the corner. They were complete opposites. I wondered how a guy like Clark even worked for El Jefe.