Chapter 5

" Y ou didn't fucking tell me that she was part of the fucking Mexican cartel!" Kai seethes, dragging his palm down his face in frustration. Looks like he did his own research while waiting for me to finish our meeting.

The moment I walked Julian out and shook his hand, Kai was ready to pounce, readying himself for a fight with me at the corner. It didn't take me long to agree and discuss at length with Julian on what he needs from us. His requests were that I personally oversee her security team and her, and that I take my best men, which happen to be Kai and Rocco, along with a few others. He agreed to pay double the standard which ultimately is great for the business, except for the part that it would be dirty money and I have no doubt that it was either from drugs or guns.

"He's paying double." I shrug and rub at the back of my neck, not wanting to say another word to cause Kai to have a heart attack. His dirty blonde hair is a mess from him constantly rubbing his hands through.

The job hasn't even started yet, and he's already tired of it.

"Why didn't you mention she was a cartel princess? Does Ry know? You better not have given him the idea for the meet. Fuck. I swear if you took my advice, this one fucking time… I may just jump off a cliff." He's completely freaking out, pacing back and forth in my office. We both have an urge for blood, but working for the cartel means more violence than we anticipated. Even if we manage to control it, it won't be easy trying to hold back the monster we each have.

"I don't know man. I haven't spoken to Ry about this yet. Julian just showed up. He blindsided me. But, It's her, Kai, so we are taking that fucking job." I proclaim.

Kai simply shakes his head in disappointment, like he can't believe I'd tantalize the idea of being surrounded by the Dominguez family yet again.

I pick up my phone and dial Ry placing the call on speaker, the call only ringing once before his voice fills the room.

"So, did you accept the job?" he clips, holding back the laugh he is so desperately trying to hide.

I open my mouth to speak before Kai beats me to it. "Did you know? "

"Know? That Julian is in the cartel? Yeah, I grew up with the asshole. Or that the girl Enzo is stalking is his sister, Catalina? Yupp." He pops the p loudly, and then chuckles.

"What the fuck Ry," I growl, and place the phone on the table before I toss it across the room.

"You do know that he has me keep tabs on her, right? I was well aware the moment you started your little…" He pauses as he continues trying to find the words to end his confession, "side project."

Fuck .

"Look, he doesn't know. I helped cover your tracks, there wasn't really much to do anyway. You've gotten pretty good at hacking. I'm almost proud. Just don't get yourself killed. He mentioned the situation to me already. If it comes down to her having to marry, do not interfere. These fuckers do not joke around and they will go after you, this company, and all of us. The last thing we need is to be involved in a goddamn war." He says rationally.

Kai looks up at me then at the phone, pushing a chair out of his way, before striding out of the door of my office. His head is shaking back and forth again while he curses under his breath. Ry sighs having heard Kai stomp his feet like a child throwing a tantrum straight out the door. Ry hangs up shortly after, leaving me trying to clear my mind.

I pull the 9mm pistol out from the holster under my desk. Taking the weapon apart in seconds, and then putting it back together. This is my form of relaxation. I take the firearm apart once more, slower this time, gently gliding my fingertips on the barrel, then the frame of the gun while getting lost in my mind with every touch of the cold metal.

Half the day is already gone by the time I leave my office, so I decide to take my late lunch at the Butterfly, the bar where I first saw Catalina. The drive there is mostly silent with only the sound of the wind blowing against my moving car and my own breathing. The roads are lined with traffic, making it a bit of a slower drive. Most of the time, the silence makes my thoughts run rampant, reminding me of memories that I've tried hard to block from my mind. But today all I can think about is Catalina, and how I can keep her safe from not only the Colombians, but the Dominguez Cartel, her own family.

Parking around this time of day is pretty scarce, so I take the first open spot down the street from the bar. This side of town can be sketchy for a woman, it's sketchy for even some men, so how Catalina chose this side of town to hang around in I'll never know. Trash litters the streets, weeds grow through the sidewalk cracks, and if you look down some of the alleyways, I'm sure you'll find some drug addicts looking for their next fix.

Thankfully the people walking by take one look at me and dart in the other direction. Smart decision.

My build alone scares off most people, but the ones that are brave enough to try their hand at a fight or steal from me usually end up with their face smashed in the pavement. It's another thing that the task force imbedded so deep in our fucking brains that it's now damn near impossible to forget, or to not act upon when someone tries to sneak up on you. The very few people who tried to press charges also soon found out the power of the government when they were the ones in jail, while the multiple assault charges that I should have just disappeared without a trace.

A girl steps out of the store I'm walking past, rolling out a clothing rack with dresses on it and bumps right into my side. "Oh my god I'm so sorry!" Turning to face me, her cheeks redden and she looks down at the ground.Her pink tight dress sticks to her tiny frame, and her dark auburn hair covers most of her face. "I wasn't even looking where I was going."

"It's fine. Neither was I," I reply, trying to reassure her. Looking up through the shop's windows, I realize it's a clothing boutique and see a tight black dress on a mannequin. It has a slit all the way up the side with a low cut v-neck. "Actually," I smirk and look back at the girl in front of me, "I could use your help inside. "

"Of course! Anything I can do to apologize." She finally looks back up to me and smiles, then leads her way into the store. "What can I get you, sir?"

I point over to the mannequin that sits in the window, it's hard to keep the smirk off my lips. "I'll take that one."

She hurries over and removes it from the dummy, folds it nicely, then ushers me over to the cash register. "For the inconvenience, this one is on me." She reaches down and grabs a wallet from under the counter, fiddling with the zipper trying to open it.

"No, no, no. I won't ask you to do that," I say while pulling out my own wallet and quickly swiping my American Express Black Card. As the receipt prints, I quickly grab it and the dress off the counter, then turn and make my way out of the store. "Thanks for all your help. Bumping into me was a blessing in disguise."

This will be perfect for Catalina to wear.

I quickly take the dress back to my car before I walk back over to the bar. As I get closer to the bar, I notice the music isn't as loud as it was the first night I came here. It's still early and a weekday so it makes sense. Once I make my way inside, I take the same seat I was sitting in when I first laid eyes on Catalina.

There are currently two patrons at the bar and two women behind it, the blonde who I know as Catalina's best friend, Sierra, and someone I haven't seen here before. Sierra's blonde hair is in a ponytail, her piercing blue eyes are filled with mischief, and I notice she isn't wearing any makeup. Sierra is a stunning woman, one that I would normally go for if I wasn't enthralled with her best friend. The other girl has dark curly hair in a messy bun that sits on top of her head. From where I'm sitting, I can see she has a scar that goes down her forehead that ends just below her right eye. The scar must tell a story, one that is most likely filled with heartbreak and violence. That deformation has her hazel eyes pop against her tanned complexion.

Both of them are very beautiful but they don't hold a candle to Catalina, her curves and those eyes that haunt every single one of my wet dreams.

A woman with black hair, highlighted with bright purple streaks through it, stops next to my seat at the bar, her lipstick matching the same shade of purple. Her frame is small, and her black clothes are a complete contrast to her colorful eye makeup.

"What can I get you handsome?" she asks in her best customer service voice, with a fake smile plastered on her face. I appreciate her not saying anything else or trying to make small talk, I can't possibly get the idea of being Catalina's new security out of my head long enough to come up with simple words.

"Cheddar bacon burger, medium rare and a Modelo on draft," I mutter, my tone not particularly friendly while she writes down my order.

"Coming up," she mumbles before walking back towards the bar register. Sierra and the other girl move closer to me from behind the bar, I watch as Sierra walks the woman through the pour of a Modelo before placing the cold beer in front of me. She must be new or something.

Once they walk away from the bar, I grab my phone and begin hacking their security system for the second time, going over all the camera points. There's about five surrounding the bar, two different ones that focus on the register and the others just show the bar from different angles. There is also one by the entrance on the inside and outside, and the same setup is done by the emergency exit out back and a few more cameras in the kitchen. I make mental notes of each camera and all the blind spots within the bar. I'll have to upgrade the system at some point here too in order to ensure Catalina's safety if she decides to want to come visit her friend.

I remain quiet while I work on a plan for when we can visit Sierra at work for Catalina's sake and the amount of people required for the team in order for her to go out so she can have a sense of normality. I make sure to plot out our escape routes just in case anything were to ever occur, and make mental notes of all the other security measures we will have to take when my food arrives. The waitress sets my plate down on the table, then leaves me to eat in peace.

The burger practically melts in my mouth, the rich taste of the bacon and cheese together causes my taste buds to explode in pleasure. My legs shake consistently under the bar as I continue eating. I'm so eager to finally see my Princess up close. It's been too long since I've had my fix. This addiction I have to just seeing her is making me more nervous than I thought was ever possible.

After I finish up the last bite, I silently place the hundred-dollar bill under my empty glass then head out the door, and begin the walk back to my car down the street. The streets seem quieter this time. Before I know it, twenty minutes pass and I'm back at the spot where I always leave my car, each time I visit Catalina in secret. I make sure my car doors are locked, and then make my way through the small path that I've made straight to the tree that has the perfect view of her bedroom.

She is standing on her patio again tonight. Her long black robe engulfs her, and the bow is loosely tied at her side, revealing her see through pajamas she's wearing underneath. Her hair is in a messy bun, but she's fucking beautiful. All fucking natural. I know she'd never let anyone ever see her this bare, this exposed, so I'll just have to keep this my little secret.

The patio light emits a glow that surrounds her making her look like a fucking angel in the sky, like her innocence is radiating off her as she inhales from the cigarette wrapped around those plump lips. What a contradiction. This time her focus is on the trees directly where I'm standing, while I try to refrain from making any sudden movements.

It's almost like she expected me though, and even if she physically can't see me, it's like our first date has officially started.

She stands there for a while longer, going back and forth between staring at the light reflecting off of the pool and the tree line. I'm practically holding my breath until she puts out the cigarette and sashays her perfect peach ass back inside her room, closing the door behind her. A few moments later, the room goes dark as she gets in bed.

I'll be in front of her soon. Our first official meeting is tomorrow before we fully start our little partnership with the Cartel.

She'll know soon just how mine she is.

Goodnight Princess.