3. Three

Isaiah

My legs are shaking and my heart speeds up the closer I get to the spot where I"m supposed to meet Carlos. It"s been years since we"ve seen each other, and I didn"t expect to have to contact him so soon.

My stomach is in knots at the idea of only calling him because I need a favor and not to ask him how he"s doing. I wasn"t even sure he was still alive. The unexpected often happens more than we"d like in the life we live, especially his.

A hitman has as many enemies as a cartel boss, maybe even more. Carlos had killed a lot of friends, lovers, brothers, and fathers. He isn"t a favorite of many, but he is the man to call if you need someone gone or found.

Right now, I need him for both reasons. I need him to find Joey and help me kill everyone who's responsible for his disappearance. And so help me, they better pray I find him alive, or else I"ll burn their cities down and destroy everyone they've ever loved and known.

I try to imagine how Carlos may look now and if time has been kinder to him than the other men I know in his line of work. Ten years is a long time.

Things between us have always been complicated and that only increased after I chose to fully dedicate myself to loving only Joey. Carlos is as dominant and stubborn as me, it would have never worked. We both needed someone to help neutralize the fire burning inside us from built up anger and pain. Joey has always been that for me. My calm before and after the storm. My safe place to land when I feel I am crashing too quickly to the ground.

Joey and I talk things out, but Carlos and I only ever knew how to use our fists when we were angry with one another, which was more often than I had liked. We usually cured it with a quick fuck behind a wall or under the sheets of a hotel bed. Back when I went to college, there were random nights I was so upset about losing Joey, I couldn"t sleep or think. I had called him and he came. He was there when I needed him back then, the same way he was here at this wall when we were in high school.

Things are different between us now. We went from being good friends to fuck buddies to barely acquaintances. It was how it had to be. But man, did the world burn brighter when he buried himself inside me, taking all control away from me, making me forget who I was. There are times I still crave it, begging to get out of my head by having someone else occasionally take away my power. Making me hurt a little while I was completely at their mercy.

I gave that part of me up because what I have with Joey is something I could never walk away from. What Joey and I share is timeless—too precious to ever let go of. Joey is the perfect submissive in every way and I love being the one to take away some of that stress and hardship from him having to make decisions all day. I"d rather be the one to carry it around, but it is wearing down on me more and more lately.

I know Joey can see it in me at times. I usually smile and try to play it off. I never want him to worry about anything. I"m sure these hard days will pass and Joey always makes them more bearable. I"d go to the ends of the earth for him, and he knows that. I make sure he does and that is everything to me, to both of us.

I keep staring at the same familiar brick walls. No matter how hard I try to block out the memories they trigger, I can"t help but remember the way the rough bricks use to dig into my skin when Carlos would slam my body against them, ravishing my mouth with his, his tongue ferociously fucking between my lips.

I had learned to bury them and let them slip from my mind until now, and for a few minutes thinking about it awakens a hunger inside me, one I learned to ignore all these years. The desire to be dominated. Joey and I had invited a few men to our bed years ago, but they always fell short of what I needed, what we needed. Joey and I no longer felt the end result was worth our time after the last one, so we hadn"t had anyone else join us since. It was the same shit, different guy. We wanted more than they could give us.

It"s not that what I and Joey had wasn"t enough. Joey satisfies me in ways no one else could. Right now, the only person I want in this world is him and I won"t rest until I have him in my arms again.

Besides, Carlos hasn"t ever been able to look at me the same ever since that day I left him speechless by the wall, completely unsatisfied and alone. Then I did it to him a second time on the phone in a hotel parking lot four years later. Never did I think I"d have to call him months after that to help me fake my death.

Maybe meeting here isn"t the best idea, but this has always been a safe place to go. It was always our safe place.

"Justo donde te dejé." I jump at the sound of his deep voice. It comes out as smooth as honey, with an effect that sends sparks dancing along my skin each and every time I hear it. It didn"t matter how many years had passed, there was still something about this man that had my heart beating out of rhythm, where Joey always keeps it steady, sending waves of calm through me. I am always a neurotic mess without him. The increase of nerves and panic turns me into a ticking time bomb and only Joey has been able to defuse it.

"I didn"t know if you"d actually show up. You still look the same, but older with a few new wrinkles," he says chuckling behind me.

"Hopefully not too much older," I quip back, turning around fully.

"Don"t worry, it looks good on you. So why here out of all places?" His dark eyes narrow in on me.

"Because this place basically doesn"t exist to anyone else but us and I knew it was somewhere we could both easily find."

"Fair enough. What all did you want to discuss? I feel like this would all be done better over beer."

I laugh, running my hand through my hair. "There"s only one problem. If you recognized me, so would other people."

"I guess you have a point there, but I"m not so sure people even remember Miguel had another son."

"Let"s hope it stays that way. People knowing I"m alive could bring harm to my family and maybe even kill Joey faster."

"You"re sure he was taken?"

"Pretty sure. He never made it home after leaving the office and he left before me. It took nearly all night to find his car. Me and a few of my men finally found it in the parking lot of an abandoned warehouse with his keys and wallet inside. Not a single card or bill was taken so it wasn't a mugging and Joey wouldn't go somewhere without that stuff. He certainly would never have his phone in the back seat of the car. The battery was dead which is why I couldn"t track it." I lean against the wall, releasing a sigh.

"It was found under the seat with a recording on it of screaming and shouting. Joey was begging someone not to do something. Then there were gunshots, and I felt my heart leave my chest. Luckily the blood in the back seat didn't belong to Joey. It belonged to our guards. His driver Daniel went MIA, and no one has been able to locate him. I can't help but think he was involved in Joey's kidnapping somehow."

I run a hand through my hair. "I know these things are time sensitive. I contacted you this morning after gathering as much information as I could, but it"s not a lot to go on. This is more your expertise, always has been." I was up all night on the phone calling many of my contacts, trying to find any information I could on the local trafficking rings. After going back to the car for the fourth time, I knew I was getting nowhere. I'd promised to keep him safe and after all these years I let him down.

"They are. I"m assuming you have more information for me?"

"This was found in the passenger side of the car on the floor." I hand him a small bag with a dime of coke inside with initials on the back of a known drug dealer who also works in human sales. He goes by the name Santana and his men usually hang out in the strip joints down main, rumor has it he runs one down there, along with a massage parlor. But why would he have been in Kansas City? The man usually had other men who traveled outside Mexico for him so that may explain why his drugs were found in Joey"s car. Someone who works for him put them there and maybe on purpose. He never does his own dirty work. He has other people doing it for him. "Do you think this was put there to throw us off?"

"Maybe or perhaps, it was dropped by someone careless. One of this man"s stupid goons who helped himself to the merchandise. I"m guessing you recognize the initials too? I only recognize the initials because the man used to do business with my father and probably still does."

"Yes, I"m very familiar with the man who goes by the name Santana. He used to get his product from my brother until one of his men caused a scene on my brother"s property and was told to never return or he"d have his brains splattered where he stood. No one deals with Santana himself. Only a few people have actually seen him."

"Sounds like your brother hasn"t changed."

He shakes his head. "Nope. You know us Castanedas, we are pretty set in our ways. But sometimes things like love cause some of us to temporarily lose our way." Something tells me he"s not only referring to his brother.

"Speaking of brothers, how"s mine doing?"

"He"s good, happy even. You don"t have to worry about him."

"I never did. I always knew Mateo was stronger than my father gave him credit for."

"Where are your men?"

I raise an eyebrow. "What men?"

"Your guards. You Juventinos used to never leave the house without them. Unless your name is Mateo Juventino, of course. The boy acts like he's invincible sometimes."

I laugh. "Sounds like stubbornness runs in the family. I was never fond of the family security myself or any at all for that matter. If someone wants me dead, a few men with guns won"t stop them. After what happened with Joey, I don't exactly trust anyone at the moment. It's ironic, because Joey is nothing like my brother and me. He always has two men with him when he handles business, and I even made him take a third this last time. Didn"t want to take any chances after a few men who tried to take us down a few years ago started showing back up. What good that did."

"Send me all the info you have on these men and anything else you may find in the car later. And about the guys who went after you a few years ago, do you know who they are? If not, I want descriptions and locations of where they were last seen. Make sure your men check the location the car was at as well since you aren"t there to do it. Sometimes we miss things when we are too focused on other things, like the man we love going missing."

"I'll try to get you everything I can. It could very well have been those men from a few years ago or the one man who kept showing up randomly in our clubs, the one with a scar on his left cheek. So far, he appears to be the only one who got away and we still don't know who sent him. And how the hell do you know it was me alone who checked the car?"

"You forget, I know you well. You"re not the type of guy who has someone else handle matters so personal. This is something that had to be done by you. It"s not something you trust someone else to do properly."

"Unless it"s you."

He sighs, rubbing his temple. "I"ll do my best to bring Joey home to you. You know I will, but I can"t make any promises."

"I know and I know you owe me no favors either."

"Maybe not, but I may need one from you someday and I don"t expect a no when that day comes."

I scoff. "Since when does the amazing Carlos ever need anyone else?"

His face tenses, and he doesn"t meet my eyes. "Just get me any information you can, and from now on use only this phone to contact me." He hands me a brand new out of package burner phone. "Anything else you want to tell me before we part ways?"

"There was footage of the man I told you about before in the back of the club lurking around the building. He wore the same coat and hat every time. Not only were we able to get a good look at the scar on his face when we zoomed in, but he had a spider tattoo on the back of his hand and some sort of ring." I hand him a picture of the ring from the footage. It is clear enough to make out the unique design with a blue stone in the center. "I know this isn"t much, but it"s what we have as of now and I figured anything helps, even the small stuff."

He nods, folding the picture and stuffing it in his pocket. I hand him an envelope with more pictures and names of the security guys who were with Joey yesterday, including the driver. "Also, I won"t need to message you the info you need later since I have it all on me now. It's better if none of this can be traced. A wise man told me that once." I shoot him a wink.

He smiles, taking the envelope from me. "So you do listen to me after all. We will be in touch soon. Will you stay in town or be going back to Kansas, Dorothy?"

I roll my eyes at the nickname. "I won"t be going anywhere until I find out more about this drug dealer and the kind of operation he runs. I would ask to come with you, but I know what you will say if I do."

"That I work better alone?"

"Exactly."

"I do and this is too personal for you, could cause you to make too many mistakes. Not to mention these guys more than likely know who you are and will see you coming. I don"t need you linked to me in any way. You are better off staying here, finding out what you can. I promise you; I will do everything it takes to bring him home."

"I know you will. You"ve always been a man of your word."

"And I always will be. Joey is lucky to have someone like you who cares about him as much as you do, and as long as we do this right, you will have a chance to tell him how much you love him again soon."