Dormant (Part 2 of 4)
“And what do you know of men?”
She may be no bebe but she was so pure and innocent, it made Carlos’ teeth ache to look at her. And look he couldn’t help but do. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, more beautiful than any Hollywood actress.
“I know enough.” She flipped her dark hair over her right shoulder too. The curls bounced, black and silky and full of life.
She was everything Carlos had ever wanted and nothing he could possibly have. His big fists clenched, fists that had killed more than once. “You-”
The baby shrieked. The big man pivoted on his heel, dropping the baby gear in a pile by his feet, and rushed to the little woman’s side. The wife cooed.
This was a reminder of what happened when a man wanted something he didn’t deserve. The Boss had wanted the little woman too. But he was bad. The giant ugly man was good. Good always won out over bad. Always.
“The beauty at reception is a little spitfire, isn’t she?” Domi, the family’s permanent bodyguard, dropped his voice. “All that fire makes a man want to-”
“Touch her and you die.” Carlos put a hand on his gun. She was better than Domi. She was better than him. She was better than all of them.
“Hey, hey.” Domi stepped away, his hands raised. “Relax. I didn’t know she was yours.”
She was not his. Carlos looked over at the beauty. She would never be his. But, as she would never be Domi’s either, he stayed silent .
“Your rooms are ready.” She dangled the keys from her fingertips.
Carlos stepped forward to take them. Their skin touched, only for a moment but long enough to send a ripple of feeling up his arm. “Gracias.” The word was thick in his throat. He turned away, unable to think while looking at her. “I will do a sweep of the room,” he addressed Domi. “I will text you when it is clear.”
He fled the lobby, the woman’s floral scent teasing his nostrils.