Ruin: The El Diablo Chronicles Read online

  “Bastard, it is. And I shall call you?” His black eyes twinkle in amusement.

  Two can play this game, buddy. “You haven’t earned it.”

  A wicked gleam comes over his eyes as a panty-melting smile spreads across his face. “Fine, I shall call you Mentirosa.”

  “Menti-what?”

  “Mentirosa. It means liar.”

  “I’m not a liar, Bastard.”

  “Oh, but you are. You most definitely are.” He waves his hand across the room, like a king inspecting his troops, “You may lie to any of them, I don’t care. But never to me. You, my dear Mentirosa, need to earn the respect of me calling you by your real name.”

  Whatever game he’s playing, I’m bound to lose. I thought I could match wits with him, but I know I can’t. He sees through my bullshit, he sees me, and that shit is unnerving.

  Cheryl arrives with a bottle of Hennessy Ellipse—the tilted design of the Baccarat crystal bottle is a thing of beauty. She offers to pour, but he waves her away. Pouting, she turns to leave. He pours us each a glass of one of the most expensive cognacs in the world. I know I’m still at work, but damn it, I need this drink. This man has unnerved me. I accept the glass and knock it back, not bothering to take my time sniffing and savoring it. I wait for the burn of the liquid but none comes, it’s that smooth.

  Smiling, he pours me another without a word, but his eyes speak volumes. His stare is writing chapters of my past, present, and future. Common sense tells me I should leave, but my ass feels rooted to the chair. My heart is hammering in my chest, and I don’t know how to calm it down. I lift the glass to my lips again, but he holds my hand in place.

  His fingers are perfectly manicured, with one gold ring on his pinky—a devil with horns and rubies for eyes.

  “Not so fast, Mentirosa. Savor it.” His voice is that caress I have longed for, but one I should be terrified of. He doesn’t look like the type to hold you after he fucks you. He will fuck you, fuck you some more if he is interested, and then kick you out before you had a chance to put your goddamn clothes on. What is wrong with me always falling for this type of man? “Savor it like it’s a dick penetrating that sweet pussy of yours. Nice and slow, inch by delicious inch.”

  I nod slowly as if I’m hypnotized by him—his words, his eyes, everything. I close my eyes, hoping to break the spell he has over me, and slowly take a sip and savor it. A hint of roses and well-aged cognac hits my pallet and overtakes my senses, leaving what was left of my inhibitions behind.

  His eyes burn darker as he watches me. My tongue peeks out and moistens my bottom lip.

  “You do that a lot,” he murmurs, onyx eyes never leaving my lips.

  “Do I?” The cognac is giving me more courage than I deserve given the circumstances. Everything in me screams danger and yet I’m running headfirst into it.

  “You do.”

  I’m mesmerized by this man and he plays it cool, like anything about him, us, this conversation, is normal. He stands to offer me his hand to take. I hesitate, knowing giving it to him is like handing over myself for him to do anything he wants. His smile, not angelic but wicked, not threatening but still tainted with a hint of danger, pushes me forward. I push all of my worries to the side and place my hand in his. Standing, I allow him to guide me to the dance floor.

  It doesn’t go without notice to me that some of his men follow him, surrounding us. He holds me tight against his hard body. Through his suit, I can feel his muscles and his growing erection.

  “Why do you have so many bodyguards?” Do I want to know?

  “For my protection. Do they bother you? I can have them go back to their table.” He answers the question and makes this offer without hesitation.

  I look at him, perplexed. “You would do that?”

  “I think I’m safe here. You and I both know who Tony Delaney is.” He chuckles.

  What the hell? I clear my throat. “Tony is the owner of this club. That’s all I know.” That’s a lie, I do know more. But Tony has been pulling out of the criminal world for years now. He is mostly legit.

  “Ah yes, he is going legitimate. But I’m sure I’m safe here, regardless.” Amusement dances around his response.

  Who exactly is this man? Questions swirl around my head, but my mouth stays shut. I’ve learned to watch and ask minimal questions.

  My eyes raise, looking up, and I stop dancing. He looks at me with questioning eyes, but I point behind him. He turns around quickly to the sight of the tall, wiry man who is part of his entourage surrounded by Tick, Magnum, and Tony. And they don’t look happy.

  Gently, I guide her to my side, taking her hand in mine, and walk towards the group.

  Tony looks past me at Chicken, who is smiling devilishly at him. “What’re you doing in my club?”

  “Now, is that any way to treat the man who saved you and your men’s lives?” Chicken brags.

  “Saved our lives? I almost died, you fucking prick,” Tick says through gritted teeth.

  I forgot about his circumstances during the shootout.

  Chicken shrugs his shoulder. “That was Wheeler that shot you. When we got word what was going down, we got there as fast as we could.”

  Tick takes a step closer to him. “Well, obviously not fast enough.”

  As entertaining as a club fight might’ve been in my youth, it’s not so appealing anymore. “Might I suggest we take this to your office?”

  Tony turns his attention to me, the vein in his temple pulsing. He nods and heads towards the hidden elevator. Chicken signals for the men to stay downstairs and wait. We’re both doubtful anything other than a conversation would happen. Besides, I’ve killed more men in one fight than this bunch.

  “Tals, you should stay down here,” Tick says to her.

  Her body goes rigid for a second before relaxing.

  Though I already know her name through our research of this club, it jars me to hear it from his mouth. I know, at that instant, I won’t use her name since I haven’t earned it. She and I walk by our own set of rules.

  “She’s my date for the evening, so she comes.” And do I want to make her come, in so many different ways.

  Her cheeks flush, and under the club’s lighting, it appears iridescent. “I do work here, I should do as they tell me.”

  I look over at Tick and then to Tony. “Give her permission to come.” I’m not in the habit of having to ask for anything politely. My lifestyle is more along the lines of I speak, and people obey.

  Tony nods slowly, and Tals squeezes my hand. She feels less than them, almost appreciative because I won a fight for her. She is a labyrinth of puzzles I want to explore. We enter the small elevator. After getting off, we walk down the halls and Tony swipes his card to let us into his office.

  He takes a seat at his desk, and his men stand behind him, waiting.

  Chicken steps forward to talk, but I stop him with a wave of my hand. I offer Tals a seat in front of the desk as I stand behind her, and my hands rest on top of her delicate shoulders. She shivers at my touch but leans into it. Absentmindedly, I stroke her skin as I decide how to begin.

  “I sent my men when we found out about what Wheeler and Jay were up to. As you can see, I didn’t want a war with you, Delaney.” Not that I couldn’t handle the war, we would have demolished his entire crew—it’s because it wasn’t worth it to me. Besides, my brother is one of Tony’s men, hence the reason why I had Chicken step in to help.

  “Wait, you can’t be...” Magnum says slowly, from behind Tony, as if a lightbulb flicked on above his head.

  Little by little, recognition goes through the room, as it hits them one by one.

  I smile devilishly. “But I can be because I am.”

  Tals turns around to look at me, fear—no, not fear. Something is in her eyes, but it’s not fear, though perhaps it should be. “Who...who are you?”

  I stroke the side of her beautiful face. “They call me El Diablo.”

  El Diablo? I search my brai
n for my limited Spanish and come up blank. The gleam of the ring on his pinky finger made into the image of the devil rests on my shoulder, his onyx eyes searching and questioning mine. I can see the question: Do you think I’m the devil? All the while answering: Because I am. I turn around to see Tick now standing next to Tony.

  “Tals, I think you should come over here with us.” Tick, the man who has basically ignored me, suddenly has concern for me. I’ve yearned for so long for him, to talk to me or even to acknowledge my existence outside of a booty call. If I had a question, he directs me to either Manny or Magnum for an answer. I felt like I was in jail because of his silence and it became my private hell. And now he speaks as if he is concerned for me?

  “She is my date for the evening.” My mysterious companion’s voice is refined, with a tinge of street edge.

  “She is nothing but an employee of the club, what do you want with her?” Tick asks.

  I shift in my seat, uncrossing my legs, and then cross them again. Is that how he really feels about me? Am I really nothing to all of them?

  “Well then, let her make her own decision,” El Diablo offers.

  I am left with a decision I never imagined I would be making. I realize El Diablo was right, I’ve been lying. I stay here, torturing myself over a man who is someone else’s. I deserve better, don’t I?

  “I’m his date for the evening. I’ll stay for as long as he’ll have me.” My tone is firm, and Tick’s face hardens. For a moment, I want to run to them because for once, they all treated me like I was part of their family. But instead, I turn away and look at El Diablo, who is smiling. He knew I would choose him, didn’t he?

  “Tals, I don’t think you understand who he is,” Tony says to me, with the same patience I’ve seen when he talks to his toddler son.

  I turn to look at him, with his brilliant topaz eyes. “I do understand.”

  Tony gapes at me for a long pregnant moment before nodding. “Fine, she’s your date for the night. But if anything happens to her, so help me, I’ll kill you myself.”

  El Diablo nods and offers me his hand to take. “I believe there is nothing left to say here.”

  “For now… For now,” Tony says as we walk out of the office.

  I lead the way back to the private elevators, feeling vindicated. My head is held high when I swipe the key for the elevator. El Diablo and Chicken follow behind me.

  “Where to from here?” I ask. Adrenaline pumps through me and I feel high.

  He steps closer to me till my back hits the wall. The warmth of his body covers me and want pulls down south for him. Stroking my cheek, he smiles. “Straight to hell. Where else?”

  “It’s not safe for you to bring her to the house. Take her to Edge instead.” Chicken stresses his point to me outside of my waiting Escalade, with Tallie sitting in the back.

  I glance at her, too busy with her cell phone to pay attention to the two of us having a heated conversation about her. Turning back to Chicken, I clap my hand on his thin shoulder. “No, this way is best.”

  I know he’s right. I’m taking a risk bringing her to my penthouse but I didn’t get this far without taking risks.

  Chicken shakes his head at me as he eventually acquiesces. “Fine.” He throws his arms up in defeat.

  “Come on. Let us go.” I turn to get into the backseat. “Besides, if I’m wrong, you can always tell me you told me so.”

  I think I hear Chicken mumble something as he closes the door behind me, but my attention is now on the beautiful woman beside me.

  I reach over and place my hand over Tallie’s that is resting on her knee. “Sorry to have kept you for so long, my dear Mentirosa.”

  She shrugs and turns to face me. “No problem. I’m pretty sure you’re a busy man.”

  Irritation prickles the hairs on the back of my neck. “Don’t ever accept less in life. I’m a busy man, yes. But you deserve the respect of my attention.” She shifts in her seat and I can see her retreating inside of her head. Lifting her hand, I brush it lightly against my lips tearing down her walls. “As of now, you have my undivided attention because you deserve nothing less.”

  Her eyes twinkle as she smiles. “Oh?” Her question oozes of sexuality with a hint of mind-blowing sex.

  “Absolutely.” I turn my head to face my driver, allowing the building sexual crescendo to slow a beat. “Raul, vamos.”

  With the car already on, Raul pulls off with my motorcade trailing behind us.

  With a childlike curiosity, Tallie turns to look out the back window. Well-toned, endlessly long legs lead my eyes up to the perfect glimpse of her ass cheek. From the shape of her body, you can tell that she spends hours upon hours maintaining herself. She is a woman who knows the sexual hold she has over the opposite sex. She stares for a long moment before turning back to look at me. “Who exactly are you?”

  “El Diablo,” I say as I examine my fingernails. No one calls me by my other name except my brothers and here lately, they’ve taken to calling me El.

  “Is that name supposed to mean something to me?” She gives me a look of indignation.

  I look at her penetrating gaze to see if there is any fear in her eyes. What stares back is not fear, but a person who has witnessed her own personal horrors.

  “For you, the name means you’re safe.” I swallow down the burning question I know I haven’t earned the right to ask: What demons are you running from?

  “Do you always travel with so many men?” Again, no fear in her question.

  “Yes,” is the only answer I offer. Having worked around Delaney, I’m sure she can fill in the rest.

  Silence lingers in the air before she breaks it like the fragile bubble it is. “Don’t worry, I get it. Need to know. I won’t be asking many questions.” She sits back and crosses her legs.

  I let her words float around my head before I nod. Without saying much, we have formed a bond or an oath. In my world, an oath means something.

  “Why did you choose to come with me?” A genuine curiosity gets the best of me.

  “I don’t know. Maybe I sensed a kindred spirit in you,” she says nonchalantly.

  “Or was it your way of saying fuck you to Tick?” I find that being blunt saves time in the long run.

  “You don’t know anything.” Her words whip out, like a lasso missing its mark.

  I hold back the temptation to laugh. “Don’t I? Or perhaps I hit a nerve?”

  “Fuck you.” Her voice is laced with pain.

  Chicken shifts in his front seat at her words. I reach over and press a button to close the partition to give us absolute privacy.

  “It’s pretty evident that you and he had a thing at one time. The way you look at him is one of love and one of feeling betrayed. Did he betray you? Did he bring harm to you?” Though my questions sound casual, I would, in fact, kill him if he has harmed her.

  A tear falls down her cheek as she turns her head away from me. Gently, I place my hand on her chin and turn her face to me. “Never hide from me.” I reach into my suit jacket pocket and pull out a linen handkerchief to wipe her tears. “As I said before, you’re safe with me.”

  Her breath hitches before she speaks. “Am I? Men like you destroy and hurt. How can I be safe?”

  The moment is tense and I’m unsure of the words to use.

  “Men like me? No, I destroy only my enemies. Those that I hurt have tried to hurt me and those that I care for.” I hand her the cloth to finish dabbing at her eyes.

  She reaches into her small purse and pulls out a compact mirror. Quickly, she touches up her flawless makeup. Snapping the mirror shut, she smiles at me. “I feel like when you look at me, you see everything.”

  “Is that a bad thing?” I inquire.

  Tallie looks lost in thought for a moment before she says, “I don’t know.”

  Chicken knocks on my window from outside of the car. Without taking my eyes away from her, I signal for him to open the door.

  The car is immediately
hit with warm, humid air and a bead of perspiration forms at my temple. Tallie takes the handkerchief that, only minutes ago, I used to wipe away her tears, and leans in towards me. A whiff of her floral perfume hits my nose and transports me to a time when my life was simpler. Her breasts are mere inches from me, and she lifts the cloth and dabs at my temple in a caring way. I am caught in a suspended animation at this moment, split between Raymond Leon, the kid from the Bronx, to the man I have become—El Diablo. Raymond cares and loves; El Diablo can’t afford those luxuries and must always be on his guard. I want to give in to the man I was but ultimately, as always, El Diablo wins, reminding me he killed Raymond a very long time ago to become who he is today.

  Reaching up, I grab the hand that so gently wiped the sweat from my head, startling her. “Come on, we’re here.” My thick Nuyorican accent surprises me since I’ve learned to mask it. I’ve found when trying to do multimillion-dollar business deals, the accent can be a hindrance rather than an asset.

  Tallie seems to have caught on to my slip of the tongue as well and smiles. I wonder what life would be like if we were just two ordinary people who just met. Would I woo her and perhaps take her to dinner? Would we do like other couples do, walk hand in hand down a street? Would we have talks of starting a family and share our dreams and ambitions? So many things I could and would never offer.

  Outside of my car, we are flanked by my men and they walk us into the high-rise.

  She squeezes my hand gently as we step on to the waiting elevator. “Do you ever get used to being so heavily guarded?”

  I look at her and then at the back of Chicken’s head. “Because it is a necessity for my survival, yes.”

  I take a peek out of the corner of my eye to see how this new information has hit her. Again, she absorbs it without shock or fear.

  She is an enigma to me and it makes me more curious to see what makes her tick.

  The elevator doors slide open, allowing admittance into my penthouse. With her hand planted safely in my own, I guide her off the elevator and into my living room. Releasing her hand, I gesture for her to explore on her own.