He continued, “I also know that another week with her is a mistake.”

“How so?”

“It will be harder for you to … say goodbye.”

“Then you don’t know me very well.”

He shrugged and displayed the phone on the desk, now in tiny little pieces. “That’s true. I don’t really. I should, but I don’t. But that doesn’t mean I’m not concerned for you.”

“And why would you be concerned about my well-being?”

“I dunno. Being a good friend, I guess.”

I laughed. “Friend. That’s a good one.”

His expression grew serious. “This organization means a lot to me, almost as much as it does to you. I just don’t want us to be in over our heads. I don’t like that Salvador has control back and I don’t like that this might leave us looking like assholes.” He bit his lip, thinking something over. “Are you still in contact with that chick from the DEA?”

“Lillian Berrellez,” I told him. “And I haven’t been in contact with her for a while.”

“Do you think if things go south with Salvador, we could give her Juanito? He can give her all the intel. They could pinpoint one of his safe houses, one of his mansions. I’m sure with some extra inside info, they could make an arrest, make it happen.”

I shook my head. “I am not a snitch, Este. There is still honor among cartels. We don’t rat each other out to the Americans.”

He snorted, shaking his head like I’d just said the most ridiculous thing. “Oh, come on, Javier. You and your stupid moral code that doesn’t exist. There is no honor. How do you think Chapo was caught before Salvador took over? Huh? The cartels put up those wanted posters around the continents, not the Mexican government, and not the American one. This is a new Mexico. There is no code among men because there are no men anymore. Only monsters who sit behind their desks and give orders.” At that, he looked at me with a touch of exaggerated disgust.

“You think I’m a monster?” I asked. Funny how Luisa said I wasn’t.

“I think you’ll get there one day,” he said carefully. “If you don’t mess up.”

He was talking around me and I hated it. I waved my hand at him. “You’re starting to bore me, Este. Go and pack everything up.”

“Where are we going?”

“Back to my place.”

“What about a safe house?”

“I miss nice things.”

“You can’t bring Luisa there.”

“I can do whatever I fucking want,” I said, and instinctively reached under the desk for the gun I had put there. Este picked up on it and nodded, quickly leaving the room. He was right. He wasn’t that much of an idiot after all.

Once he was gone, I was alone with my thoughts. Then my thoughts became too convoluted for me to wade through. So I got up and went to tell Luisa the news.

As usual, there was no answer to my knock. I opened the door and poked my head in. She was up, staring out the window, wearing that hot pink dress again, her hands behind her back. She didn’t look over at me when I came in the room. I was glad. It gave me a few private seconds to appreciate the marvelous things her ass did to my dick. I had another week of this luxury.

“I have news,” I said, clearing my throat.

Her shoulders tensed up but she didn’t turn around. “Oh? Good or bad?”

“I’m not sure. What would be good news to you?”

“That you’ll just let me go free.”

I pursed my lips. “Well, that means I have bad news, I’m afraid. Because I can’t let that happen.”

She didn’t say anything to that. I walked over to her and paused at her back. I lifted up her thick, soft hair and placed it gently over her shoulder, and peered at my name underneath. It looked less ugly now that it was done. I began to swirl around in the memory of the night before, the way she begged for me to finish it, to brand her, the way she told me she wanted me. I closed my eyes briefly and took in a deep breath through my nose.

“My name looks good,” I said softly.

Her shoulders slumped. “Am I going back to Salvador?” Pure desperation tore through her voice.

“No,” I said.

“Are you going to kill me?”

“No.”

Finally she turned around and looked at me, puzzlement on her beautiful face. “Did you even hear from him?”

I nodded.

“What did he say then?”

I ran my tongue over my teeth. “Well, we’ve made a new bargain.” Her eyes widened. “He said he needs time to give me what I want. I gave him one more week.”

A cynical smile flashed across her lips. “You see. He doesn’t want me.”

“You sound happy.”

“You have no idea what happy sounds like,” she sneered, her eyes flashing with bright fire. “I am only relieved, but I am still here and I still face the same fate in a week. You’ve bought me more time to face my own death. How can I be happy about that?”

I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t feel the way my heart pinched from her words.

I stepped closer to her and brushed her hair back over her shoulder. “I think I showed you last night just how easy it can be to pass the time,” I said, lowering my voice. “I think you can find happiness in the time I’ve bought you. Don’t you?”

She rubbed her lips together and looked away.

Where was that sexually curious girl from last night? I leaned down and grazed her satiny earlobe with my lips. “You’re mine for another week, Luisa. Why not make it count? The tip of my tongue was only the tip of the iceberg. Trust me, you’ll want to see—and feel—the rest.”

I slipped my hand around the small of her waist, relishing in how large it felt around her, and started kissing down her neck. Her nape was so soft, so seductively fragrant with just her own scent that it took a lot of effort to stay the course, to not throw her down on the bed, rip her dress off, and fuck her brains out.

She relaxed into my touch, into my lips and tongue, but it wasn’t long until she pushed me back, her hand on my chest.

“No,” she said, her voice uneven as she stared up at me.

I raised my brow. “No?” I removed my hand from her waist and used it to straighten my tie. “All right then.”

I turned around and strolled to the middle of the room. I gestured to the clothes scattered everywhere. “I suppose there are more pressing things to deal with. You’ll need to pack up everything.”

“Why?” she asked, her hand at her heart.

I smiled. “It’s no longer wise to stay here. I’m taking you home.” She froze and I quickly went on. “Home to my place. No more safe houses, no rented mansions. You’re coming to stay with me.”

“Is that … safe?”

“My darling, you can’t get any safer. I spend what I earn. I have informants at checkpoints outside of my local town who report all new people moving in, people who may be part of rival cartels. I have sicarios patrolling the town, searching for new vehicles, new people that may have gotten past the checkpoints. It’s just as controlled as any federal agency. In matters of safety, I spare no expense. The same goes for shoes and liquor.”

At that she glanced down at my shoes, perhaps noticing their quality craftsmanship for the first time. And they say women were always first to notice fine clothing.

Then again, Luisa was born poor. Her knowledge of wealth and style was only thrust upon her in the last few months, lost in the mess of abuse and brutality. I could smell that depravity waft in over the phone that morning, the sickness that was Salvador. I kept trying not to think of them together, of the things he must have done to her, but hearing his voice made it all the more real. I started to wonder how the hell I would be able to give her back to him in a week.

“Are you okay?” she asked me.

I blinked, bringing myself back to the scene.

“Yes, fine,” I said quickly. “I’ll come back in a few. Then we’ll be gone.”

Luisa

It took me a few moments to wrap my head around the new situation. When Javier came into my room, I was certain my world was about to change forever. Either Salvador was making the trade and wanted me back, or Javier would have to shoot me in the head—or at least get someone else to do it. I hadn’t been kidding when I said I wanted him to pull the trigger. It only seemed fair, and if I was going to die because of him, he was going to suffer.