The Slayer (Untamed Hearts #2) (36 page)

She thought he had gone back to sleep too, but then he whispered into the darkness, “You have to find someone else, mami. I need you to do that for me.”

She grabbed his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. “But I love you.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he choked, and she thought for a moment he was crying, which was something she wasn’t even sure he could do. “I can’t ever be what you want. I can never be more than your friend. I won’t let myself.”

“I can wait,” she argued, feeling her chest tighten as she stared at his hand intertwined with hers. “I can wait for my love story.”

“It’s
never
going to be a love story,” he assured her with such grim confidence she felt tears sting her eyes. “It’s never going to be more than this. Do you want to live out the rest of your days like this, mami? Waiting for something that is never going to happen?”

She turned in his arms. “I don’t believe that.”

“It’s been four years,” he snapped at her. “When are you gonna grow up and start believing it? When are you gonna catch a clue?”

She sat up in bed and glared at him. “You’re being mean ’cause of your dream.”

“No, I’m being practical,” Chuito shot back as he sat up too. “I am not going to be your love story. I’m your friend. I’ll be your friend until I die, but I am not going to give you a happily ever after. You are wasting the best years of your life waiting for something that isn’t going to happen.”

She gaped at him, because there was a raw honesty in the way he said it. “So if I go off and date someone else, it won’t bother you?”

“I would be relieved,” he promised so intensely she believed it. “I would be so relieved, Alaine, you have no idea. I want you to have the love story. Go find it. Go to your father’s church. Find someone you’re supposed to be with, because it is not me. Your love story is with your people in your church. That’s where you’re gonna find it. Not in this prison.” He pointed to the window. “It’s out there.”

“Fine.” She jumped out of his bed and glared at him. “I will. I’ll go date a dozen men. I’ll have sex with all of them. Is that what you want?”

“Not a dozen. Just one. The right one. Someone who is
not
me.”

“This hurts my feelings,” she whispered as she choked back a sob. “It hurts my feelings that you don’t care if I see someone else, just like it hurts my feelings that I know you probably have sex with all those groupies every time you win a fight. I hate that. I hate that you touch women who aren’t me. What is wrong with me?”

“Nothing.” He reached out to her, but she smacked his hand away before he could touch her. “You see what you’re saying? The problem is me. Hate me if you have to, but go find your love story. You’re too strong to waste away in this prison for a pendejo you think is sleeping with groupies instead of you. Don’t you see how fucked-up that is, mami?”

“Don’t call me that,” she whispered as she covered her mouth and for one moment allowed herself to really absorb what he was saying. “It is dumb, isn’t it? Loving you when you don’t love me back.”

“I love you,” he said softly. “But—”

“You’re just not
in love
with me,” she finished for him. “You’re never going to be in love with me.”

Alaine turned and left before he had to agree.

* * * *

She had made up her own mind that she’d been stupid and silly to love a man who would never love her back. She’d shopped in her father’s church for men who wouldn’t ever be able to make her happy, because she had fallen for someone else a long time ago.

If Alaine had stayed that night, she would’ve known Chuito wouldn’t have been able to deny that he was in love her. He’d never denied it. He’d never lied to her. Not really.

He’d been in love with her all along.

And there hadn’t been any groupies.

She’d just made that up in her mind like she made up so many other things.

She looked at her wrist again, seeing the mark he had left there, and let out a sob because the dream was still dead. The happily ever after. The house and kids and a quiet, peaceful life here in Garnet.

She could have it…with someone else.

But without Chuito, it just didn’t feel like a love story, not even close.

It felt like a desperate, sad reality that would stretch out into years of unhappiness because she had fallen in love with a gangster instead.

One who had killed people for revenge.

And had stolen cars.

And sold drugs.

And was stuck in the mafia whether he wanted to be or not.

She closed her eyes, because she was so very tired. She dreamed of the devil after she cried herself to sleep. It was hot and terrifying and everything she had been brought up to fear.

It scared her to death.

But she still asked him how she could buy a ticket to hell.

The happily ever after died.

But the love story didn’t.

It was still very much alive.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Alaine didn’t sleep that long.

The dreams of hell and brimstone shook her to her core. The image of the devil was still in her mind, because he had looked a lot like Chuito.

That disturbed her most of all.

She didn’t know what to make of it. She didn’t know what was rolling around in her subconscious. Maybe the sheer petrifying knowledge that she was willing to live a dangerous existence tinged with darkness and crime for Chuito rather than be forced to live out something much more sensible without him.

She couldn’t possibly be considering that.

But a part of her was, because she showered and cleaned up with determination. Then she drove to Jules’s house at a little past ten, knowing Chuito had probably gone to Tino’s.

Walked there, apparently, because he didn’t have a car.

That was quite a walk.

She parked in the driveway.

Jules and Romeo had one of those fancy four-car garages; each spot had its own door, and all but one was closed.

The one where Tino’s Mercedes GL was usually parked.

She stared at the open garage door into an empty space where a big black SUV was supposed to be resting.

Her heart jolted, and she hopped out of her car and ran up the stairs on the side of the garage. She tried the doorknob, finding that it was open, and burst in without knocking.

She looked to the couch, seeing a blanket and pillow, making it obvious this was where Chuito landed, but he wasn’t there now.

“What the hell!”

Alaine turned around, her eyes wide when she saw Tino standing at the doorway to the bedroom in nothing but his underwear.

“Are you crazy?” he shouted at her. “You don’t just burst into my house! I could’ve shot you! Chu could’ve shot you!” He gestured to the couch, looking confused when he stared at it. “Where is he?”

“You don’t know?” she asked him in surprise.

“I—” He paused, looking to the open door. “Oh fuck!”

He ran out the door so fast she couldn’t stop him. She wasn’t nearly as quick as Tino, so by the time she got down the stairs, he was just standing there in the cold autumn morning, wearing nothing but black boxer briefs as he stared at the open garage door.

“Motherfucker jacked my car,” he whispered as he looked to Alaine. “He jacked my car! Your boyfriend jacked my car!”

“I—” She looked at him and then pointed to the garage. “Are you saying that’s my fault?”

“Yes. I’m saying it’s your fault. This is all your fault. Pussy will ruin shit faster than anything. My brother was right about that. Motherfuckers will do the dumbest shit for pussy. Look at this.” He gestured to the garage. “He stole my car.”

“
Pussy
is a very derogatory term,” she couldn’t help but mention. “You’re sort of a pig. I cannot believe I have to give up my happy ending because he’s stuck working for your family.”

“I have to go,” he said as he turned and walked back up the stairs.

Alaine followed him, but he was in his bedroom when she got back to his apartment. She just stood there, listening to Tino having a conversation with himself.

Mostly in Italian.

Though occasionally he’d say something in English. Usually along the lines of, “I’m gonna
beat his ass
.”

Tino reappeared faster than she expected, dressed in jeans and one of those black, long-sleeved, formfitting shirts that showed off his cut, muscular body and made him look like a supermodel. That wasn’t what was shocking; it was that he had a gun holster on, with an actual gun in it.

He had another gun tucked into the back of his jeans, shiny and silver against the black of his shirt.

He put on a leather coat, one that was probably worth more than her entire wardrobe combined.

“Why do you have guns?” she asked him in concern. “Where is Chu going? Is he in trouble?”

“Come on.” Tino grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the door. “We’ll talk on the way.”

“On the way? Where are we going?”

“We’re going to get my car back,” he said as he gestured to the door. “Move.”

“I don’t…” She shook her head in denial. “I’m not going with you. Not when you have a gun and—”

“Sweetheart.” Tino pulled the gun out from the back of his jeans and pointed it at her. “You
are
coming with me.”

“Are you kidnapping me?” she asked in disbelief.

“Yes.” He looked at the gun in his hand. “I guess I am.”

“You can’t kidnap me.” She shook her head. “Just no.”

“Yes.” Tino nodded. “I am.”

“No.” She stood her ground, because she did not for one minute believe Tino would shoot her. She knew Tino. He’d been part of her life for two years. “You bought me a Christmas present last year. You cannot point a gun at me and kidnap me.”

“I can, though, ’cause I am.” He jammed the gun toward her as he said it. “I’m the motherfucker with the gun, and you’re the one who is going to get in the car and come with me to save Chuito from doing something stupid, because I can’t leave you here. I can’t risk that. Hopefully you have a brain inside that pretty head, and you’ll walk before I have to get mean.”

“What happens when you get mean?” she asked as she eyed the gun. “I need to know my options.”

“You have no options.” Tino grabbed her arm and pulled so hard she had no choice but to follow him.

There wasn’t much room on the stairs, and she had to walk behind him, but his hold on her wrist was iron tight. He had just stepped off the bottom stair when Jules opened the front door to the house and frowned at the two of them.

Tino slipped his gun into the back of his jeans before Jules could see it and said under his breath to Alaine, “Do you love him?”

Tino looked at Alaine, his dark eyes narrowed as he studied her, and she couldn’t help but nod. “Yes, very much.”

“Lie,” he whispered, giving her one more intense look. “Help me save him.”

“What is going on?” Jules asked as she tied her robe closed and walked out to the driveway. She stared at the garage and frowned. “Where’s your car?”

“Yeah, funny thing.” Tino walked over, pulling Alaine with him as he pointed to the garage. “Chuito sorta borrowed my car.”

“What?” Jules turned back to them in horror, glancing from Tino to Alaine, and then stared at Tino’s tight hold on her wrist. “Was Chuito here?”

“This is very complicated. It’s”—Tino turned back and looked at Alaine—“kinky. You don’t want to know about it. I need the Ferrari.”

Jules gaped at them. “Kinky?”

“We need the Ferrari,” Tino repeated rather than explain. “We gotta go get him. My car broke down. He went to go get—”

“Patrón,” Alaine added when Tino seemed at a loss.

“At ten in the morning?” Jules tilted her head and gave them a look of disbelief. “On Saturday?”

“That’s the perfect day to drink Patrón at ten in the morning,” Tino said simply. “Alaine doesn’t have to work tomorrow, and we were just gonna, you know—”

“No, I don’t know. Explain.” Jules raised her eyebrows.

“We were gonna get fucked-up and party all day,” Tino said as he pointed to Alaine. “I mean, why not make a few poor life choices? We’re young—”

“And healthy,” Alaine added with a smile.

“And healthy,” Tino agreed with her. “And good-looking. Very good-looking. You think I’m good-looking, don’t you?” he asked Alaine as he gestured to himself. “Sexy.”

“Very much so,” Alaine said, and it wasn’t a lie. Tino
was
handsome. A total pig, but handsome. “I’d have to be blind not to notice.”

“And I think she’s hot,” Tino said as he winked at Alaine. “I have a thing for redheads. You know that, Jules.”

“There is no way in hell I believe this,” Jules cut them off. “Let’s try again.”

“It’s true. It is. Look.” Tino reached over, tugging on the neckline of the sweater Alaine was wearing. “Madonn’.” He stepped up and pulled it down more, exposing all the love bites on her neck and shoulder. “Holy shit, it was kinkier than I thought. I’m sorta impressed with myself.”

Alaine pushed him away with a glare.

“I’m gonna go get the keys. I’ll be back.” Tino stepped up to Jules, whose eyes were wide as she stared at the love marks on Alaine’s neck. “Not too many questions, mama. It’s sorta like an experimental thing for her. Strong, independent woman. Bossing around two men. Just breathe. It’s a good thing. Girl power. You’re into that.”

Jules just stood there as Tino ran off, and then opened her mouth, as if searching for the right words. “Did you sleep with both of them?”

Alaine grabbed the neckline of her sweater and pulled it up. “Like I told you at the office, my life is sort of complicated right now. I’m going through a thing after breaking up with Edward.”

“A thing?”

Alaine nodded. “Pretty intense thing.”

“What is going on with you?” Jules asked in disbelief. “Really, what is happening to you, Alaine? This
is not
you.”

“Okay, thank you, mama.” Tino ran back up to Jules, the keys in his hands. He kissed his sister-in-law’s cheek. “We love you.” Then he reached forward and grabbed Alaine’s hand. “Come on, baby. Let’s go.”

Alaine resisted the urge to cringe and jerk her wrist out of Tino’s hold as he dragged her in through the garage to the Ferrari. He opened the car door for her and then ran to the driver’s side. He pushed a button on the visor, and the garage door started opening.