“So you have family around town then?” she asked.
Chad looked at Michael and Michael turned away and toward the wall.
“No. No family around here,” Michael stated and Chad moved his hand from her thigh to her hand then brought it up to his lips. He kissed her knuckles and held her gaze. She shyly lowered her eyes until his brother, Michael, placed his fingers under her chin so she would look at him.
* * * *
Michael couldn’t help himself. She smelled so good and looked so beautiful, like a porcelain doll. She was too perfect for the likes of him. He was trying to act calm and not get all caught up in his attraction to her, but he just couldn’t wait. He had to taste her lush red lips.
“Baby doll, I can’t hold off on this. You’re so pretty and sweet and especially your lips.” He leaned closer and she closed her eyes right before he kissed her softly on the lips. He pressed his hand against her neck and shoulder as he kissed her mouth fully before slowly pulling away. He didn’t want to scare the heck out of the woman.
He opened his eyes and caught her eyes fluttering open.
“Very nice,” he whispered as the waitress delivered their food.
He saw her cheeks redden and her head lower. She was so shy. God, she was just so damn beautiful, and like a wrapped package, he wanted to take his time peeling away the paper and getting to the good stuff.
The waitress asked if they needed anything else after placing their burgers and Alexa’s soup and sandwich down in front of them. As she left she smiled and Michael looked back at Alexa.
“This looks incredible,” she stated.
“Sure does,” Michael replied and she looked up to see him staring at her. It was a corny thing to say, but he meant it. She was more appealing that anything on this table.
“Well let’s eat so we can take advantage of the good weather and start using that new camera of yours,” Chad said.
Chapter 6
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Nate yelled as he took another punch to his stomach. His hands were tied above his head to a rope attached to a metal ring in the ceiling. He could barely remain on his tiptoes.
“Liar! You work for US government. What are you after?” one of Francisco Santos’s enforcers yelled at him. This time the guy kicked him in the gut. Nate swallowed the pain best he could. He wouldn’t give up the operation or his friends. He had to escape.
“We want to know what you saw and why you are spying on our operation,” the man yelled at him just as the door behind Nate opened. He wasn’t going to give them shit. The pictures were on a thumb drive that was hopefully on its way to his friends. They would know what to do. They would know who needed to die.
“I saw nothing. I’m a tourist. I don’t understand why you are doing this. I want to go to the US embassy.”
“Fuck US embassy.” He struck Nate repeatedly, causing him to lose focus. His head hung down now. The blood dripped from his lips and from the gash in his cheeks. He could hear someone else approach, and looking down to the concrete flooring, he saw the designer black boots. Fear hit his stomach. They were going to kill him. This was it. They didn’t fear that he could identify him, a man the CIA searched over two years for.
“You think you tough American,” the man with the black boots stated in a very thick Spanish accent. He sounded gruff and mean but young. Nate tried not to look up. He was as good as dead, but he didn’t want this man’s face to be the last thing he saw before he died. Nate was a good soldier and a great asset to the United States government. Dying while on a mission had been one of the possibilities that came along with the hefty paycheck. His sister and the kids would be well off. He left them everything he had made over the years, including the ranch and the property.
The man gripped his head, forcing him to look up into his eyes. Holy shit. He was staring into the face of Solandro Cruz.
“I know about your operation. I know about your piece-of-shit American friends. You cannot destroy my operation and I’m going to send a clear message.”
Cruz gripped Nate’s hair tighter, making Nate’s head go back so that his throat was fully exposed. The other guy handed him something, and Nate blinked his swollen eyes as he tried to see what it was. He realized too late when the sharp blade of the knife sliced across his throat.
* * * *
“This is so beautiful. Look at all the leaves and the trees in the distance,” Alexa stated as she snapped pictures with her camera.
Chad came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She lowered the camera and stared up at him.
“My turn, baby doll.” He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. She reached up and cupped his cheek with her hand as his forearm brushed across her breasts where his hand cupped her cheek. Her nipples hardened and she instantly felt aroused. Chad and Michael had been causing those sensations all afternoon.
He slowly released her lips and smiled at her. “Perfect,” he whispered. She blushed. It felt so right to be kissed by both Michael and Chad. She didn’t like one more than the other. They were both so different, yet together they were whole. It was so strange to see. Chad released her and pulled out his camera. Across the way she saw Michael and he had been taking pictures of her. He probably even caught her and Chad’s first kiss on camera. Now that was a hell of a memory.
He put down his camera and pulled out his cell phone. She snapped a few pictures of him and of Chad. She watched Michael’s expression change to concern once again. His small smile was gone and was now replaced with worry.
“I think we should head inside somewhere. I’m tracking the storm and as it’s approaching it’s increasing in speed and intensity,” Michael stated.