Chapter 6

M y fathers hand tightens around my arm. It's ten in the morning, but his eyes are bloodshot like he hasn't slept in days, and his breath smells like he just got out of a distillery. He must be just arriving back at the house, back from a bender I would assume. Biting down on my bottom lip as the tears begin to form in my eyes, I pull my arm trying to escape his grasp. His grip tightens before pushing me away into the kitchen island.

Seeing me before my brothers probably set him off like it always does. But my brothers are in his office discussing the travel plans to Vegas to meet with my future husband, and for me to meet my new security team. All I know is that Julian trusts them, and that I trust my brother to end this alliance from hell before the wedding. The jog that I did this morning after I woke up did absolutely nothing to calm my nerves for meeting the men that will be now stationed outside my home for the foreseeable future.

This is the first time my father has ever laid his hands on me. Today is the first time I've truly been afraid of my father. I know he wants me to put up a fight and defend myself, but I'm afraid. Afraid of how he will retaliate not just to me, but to everyone else too. If I were to say the wrong word, move in a way he didn't like, I'm sure he would just explode and we would see the monster he really has become. I once hoped that the man that I grew up knowing was still inside him somewhere, but now I know that it's not possible.

I haven't even said a word to him since the day he declared my marriage. Other than that day, I've rarely said a word to him in years since he likes to try to blame me for mothers death. Every time he tries to bring it up, he spits hateful words at me and I just stay silent, hiding my emotions because I refuse to let him see me break down. I know that if I ever were to start crying in front of him, he'd just use that against me too. But the longer I stay silent, the angrier he becomes.

" You're the reason she's gone!" he yells. "This family would still be whole if it wasn't for you!"

His words echo in my mind as I pry myself away from the kitchen island, just as father starts to laugh at my clumsy attempt to get away. Clearing his throat he calls for my brothers to meet him in the living room loud enough that the sound of his raspy voice echoes through the house. He adjusts his suit as best he can and then he walks down the hall.

It takes me a moment before walking around the island to follow his path, staying to the right of the hall, the plain white walls feel like they're caving in with each step I take towards my family. It's as though they slowly move, trapping me inside a box of my own personal hell. The black leather couch sits on one side of the room with a black stained coffee table in the center. The decor around the entirety of our home is completely dull, and bare of any happy family memories. All the pictures of our mother were removed, and if I hadn't had some similarities to her, I would barely remember what she looks like. It's a preference my brothers have honored since we've lived here on our own, just in case father decided to visit.

My brothers enter the living room a few seconds later. Father is sitting on the dark leather couch leaning back, still wearing his black suit from yesterday. His fingers tap roughly against the arm rest until my brothers enter the room and they each take their seat in the chairs surrounding him.

"Marcelo, you will oversee the decisions with the new security team. Keep your sister on a tight leash. I'm heading back to Mexico; I have a few meetings set up with contacts to expand the business to Europe," he slurs .

My brothers all nod in unison and stand as father gets up then goes through the line giving them each a hug before walking towards me.

"Adios, mija." He whispers while he presses his lips to my forehead. I flinch as his hand comes up to my chin gripping with the same amount of force as he did when he held my arm. "Behave Catalina."

As he speaks, panic spreads through my body. I stare at the floor unable to look into the hatred in his eyes. Father releases me, and disappears through the front door of our home with his guards surrounding him. My brothers sit back down as soon as he's gone. They always wait to do as they please when father is no longer in the room. It's a form of respect that has been brought up in my family.

We all sit in silence, my hand automatically going up to my arm to rub the fresh bruises from father's hold. I keep my eyes glued to the floor as if I were waiting for a portal to another dimension to appear. Another world where we weren't a part of the cartel, where mother was alive and father was still… father.

Julian wraps his arm around me allowing me a moment to feel safe, and at least for one small moment, I know that he is on my side. "Enzo will be here soon. Marcelo is allowing me to oversee the decision of his team against father's wishes. Don't worry about anything," he whispers.

I nod, straightening my back and gathering the strength I need to face my new security team so I can start planning my escape route once I learn more about my new guards. I desperately need a night out.

Consequences be damned.

The doorbell rings and a knock follows a few seconds later. Julian moves from where we sit, turning his head and glancing at me once more. He flings the white wooden door open in one movement, causing the door to hit the wall behind it.

A faint flush tinges my cheeks the moment my eyes lock with dark brown eyes flecked with gold around the irises, like lightning in a storm black sky. The faint stubble on his face defines his jawline and the tattoos leading up to it. His undercut hairstyle is buzzed on the sides, with the top long, and pushed back. He has a dark suit similar to the ones my brother wears except he doesn't wear a tie like Julian does. The back of his hands are covered in black ink that spread up to his wrists, teasing the designs hidden underneath the sleeves of his dress shirt. The way his hard muscles strain against his shirt is a detail that makes it difficult to look away. He looks like the kind of man that you wouldn't take home to your family. The type of man that screams danger, control and power, and will have you begging for mercy.

His lips curl slowly into a smile, bringing my attention back to his face. I swear time slowed the moment he stepped inside. His eyes roam down my body and back up, similar to the way mine did to him the moment he walked in. My face heats in embarrassment as I turn my looking for an exit that I know isn't there. I didn't even notice the other two men by his side, one of them dirty blonde and the other with dark brown hair.

"Enzo," Julian barked, his hand extends waiting for the greeting of his former friend.

Enzo places his hand in Julian's. One by one they each greet each other. The blonde one takes my hand, brings it to his lips, and presses a light kiss on the back causing me to blush at the gesture.

"I'm Kai, and the brute behind me is Rocco," he grins, glancing back towards Enzo. His eyes fixated on where Kai has my hand in place, as if he were trying to burn holes where we connected. Kai winks and moves further inside towards where my brothers await in our dining room.

"Enzo," he says secretively, his words soft so that I'm the only one to hear the low gravelly sound of his voice.

"Catalina," I squeal, my own voice shaking with nerves at his proximity. He presses a kiss on my cheek, and then the other. He smells woodsy like an oak tree after the first rainfall of the day, and it's a smell I'd definitely like to get lost in.

"Catalina." He smirks. The way he says my name has my skin break out in goosebumps, the deep rasp of his voice making me want to hear him say my name as we mold our bodies together. My cheeks are on fire with the way his soft lips pressed against my cheek. He meets my eyes once more, and starts walking away. I want to call out his name, wrap myself around him and inhale his scent more than I need air.

What the fuck was that?

I stand there for a moment longer, contemplating walking back into the room as they discuss my safety plan. I planned to sit at the table along with them to discuss what I wanted in terms of my own safety, and listen in to what they planned to do. Yet, I can't seem to get my legs to move to follow them. Enzo's presence rattles me, and it's irritating the fuck out of me.

Putting on my best mask, I stride into the dining room, and see the three men sitting across from my brothers. Each of them speak amongst themselves as I walk inside, but they go silent when they notice me. All six pairs of their eyes watch me as I pull out the chair at the head of the table, fathers chair, the one chair that no one touches, even if he is rarely ever here. Marcelo and Rafa remain emotionless. Rafa is probably too high to even notice what's happening. But Julian simply smiles at me and nods his approval as I make myself comfortable in the chair before turning back at my new security team.

"Catalina, is there any routine you'd like to keep or is there something you do every day?" Enzo says, narrowing his eyes towards me. He is simply doing his job, but that question causes my stomach to drop. No one has ever asked me what I wanted, or what I liked to do. My entire life has been dictated to me. I either stay home or go out with the company of my brothers and their guards. Every decision goes through Marcelo. Luckily for me though, Julian doesn't seem to follow orders the way he's supposed to, but that's not freedom enough.

"I would like to continue going to my boxing classes, and would like time to hang out with Sierra like a normal 28-year-old." I shoot back without a second thought. I prepare myself for the rejections from my brother, for the agreement from these strangers, for the disappointment that simply sits there waiting to be let out, right next to the fury that's been building since I was left without a mother.

"No," Julian seethes, "There is no way I'll allow you to hang out with that girl at that dive bar. If you need to see her, she can just come here where we can keep an eye on you and her." I nod, not voicing my frustration, my fury building further behind my calm fa?ade. Enzo's nostrils flare as he glares at Julian, his eyes hardening as he moves his focus on the table. No one seems to notice the tension that's building around the table, I can sense the cloud of smoke that surrounds us all as we remain silent. My eyes never leave Enzo, and the way he seems truly bothered at Julians response.

I'm not sure if it's the way he said it, or just the response itself. Or maybe I'm just putting ideas out there, ideas that aren't likely to happen .

The music from Marcelo's ringtone lifts the smoke, so he pulls it from his pocket and glares at the device as if it committed the ultimate crime. He stands asking for Julian and Rafa to follow him, leaving the four of us sitting in silence.

"So, uh, how about a tour?" Rocco asks wearily, breaking the comfortable silence between the rest of us.

"I assume you'll be staying for the time being?" I say, while looking at between the three of them.

"We will be inside the pool house per request of Julian." Enzo responds as he stands up, towering over me from where I'm sitting. The height difference makes him look taller, compared to my 5 '4 height. I reach up to his chest, but right here, right now, his crotch is right in my face. My eyes widen at the realization that I am staring at where his cock is currently straining against his pants.

Oh fuck.

Color rushes to my cheeks, and I feel like I just stepped inside an oven on the highest setting.

It takes me a second to realize Rocco and Kai have disappeared from the room. I don't even recall hearing them walk out. Pushing my thoughts and these burning desires aside, I stand abruptly and walk out of the dining room and up the stairs that lead to my bedroom. All I want now is to escape into my safe haven and disappear. Instead, when I get to the stop of the stairs, I see Enzo coming up behind me, his steps silent as a mouse .

Enzo reaches around me, his hand gliding past my waist slowly. The phantom feel of the warmth of his palm has me struggling to breathe while he grabs the handle and opens the door fully. His hard chest molds against my back leaving no distance between us. I gasp as his hands move back to my waist, his grip tightening with each passing second. Part of me hopes that his hold is tight enough to leave a bruise, just as a reminder that I wasn't imagining this encounter.

That he's very real, and he's touching me as if I'm his lifeline.

"How long will you be watching me?" I quiver, not wanting to step away from his warmth. His woodsy smell makes me feel safe, which is unsettling. He's a stranger and he's touching me in a way he sure as hell shouldn't be. But as much as I want to push him away, there's a magnetic pull between us, and all I want is to stay in this bubble for as long as I can. He leans in, practically placing his lips by my ear when he speaks again.

"For as long as it takes, Princess," the rasp of his voice causes electricity to go down my spine to my aching pussy.

"J.. just stay out of my way, Enzo." I practically whimper as the words leave my lips.His tongue darts out, licking my shoulder up to my neck and nipping me just below my ear. My knees almost give out at the sensation of his wet tongue against my skin, and knowing there's the risk of my brothers seeing only makes me crave it more. He is not only my new bodyguard, but he's also a friend of my brother, one who he still sees as family even if he won't say that to Enzo.

Julian would kill him if he learned of this betrayal and at this moment, I don't care. Enzo is all I see.

"You're quite a demanding little one, aren't you?"

The clacking of footsteps coming up the staircase breaks me out of this trance of arousal, but Enzo continues showcasing his dominance with the way he hovers over me. He turns me around pushing my back to the wall beside my door in one swift motion. My breath catches while my heartbeat accelerates in a way I've never felt. I exhale softly, gently parting my lips while his eyes hold me hostage, his eyes slowly traveling down to my lips before he licks his own. I watch as his tongue slides across his lips, all I can think about is how his tongue felt against the nape of my neck. The air feels thick, and it's hard to breathe, let alone try to speak.

"Oh Princess," he snickers, "we are going to have so much fun."

The amusement in his tone set off a fuse in me that has been waiting to explode. I may be fighting off wanting to jump his bones, but I refuse to let him see anymore of that desire. Placing my hands on his chest, I push him backwards away from me. I refuse to get lost in the way he feels under my palm, the hardness of his chest or the way my heart is practically pounding out of my body. Squeezing my hands shut, I dig my nails into my palm, lifting my arm ready to use one of the moves I learned in my boxing class. Before my right hook makes contact with him, he snatches my wrists inches from his face, pulling me away, twisting my arm behind my back and pushing my face against the cool surface of the wall.

The smell of his cologne takes over, putting me back under his spelland causes me to melt under his grip. I can feel my blood rushing to my cheeks again as I try to squirm out of his embrace. His grip on me tightens as he pushes closer against me, I'm left speechless, needy and wet. Every second that I'm near him, the dampness between my legs gets worse. His hold on me tightens, no matter how much I try to squirm out of his embrace.

"Next time you try that, you'll end up over my knee. Understand Princess?" His breath is by my ear, causing shivers to roll down my body. My thighs rub together as I try to will myself to stop getting wet, to stop getting turned on and to just find the strength to get away from him before I start grinding my ass against his cock. His hand caresses my jaw, gripping my chin and angling me so that I can see him from the corner of my eye.

"Careful, Lina," he warns. "Bad girls get punished."

Biting my lip, I let myself get lost in the moment, lost in the slight pain of my arm and the way his touch lights a fire in my soul.

I'm confused by the unfamiliar emotions this man is evoking within me. Why him, of all people? Why does it have to be the man that is meant to keep me safe? There's an irresistible pull drawing me to him, tempting me to surrender to the intoxicating freedom and control he seems to offer me. It's a sensation I've never experienced before.

My sanity comes crashing back the moment the footsteps grow closer. His grip loosens enough for me to push back on him and get the fuck away from the desire that he's engulfed me in.

"Don't touch me again," I hiss. "Keep touching me" is what I really want to say, hell, I'd practically beg him to do so just because it's the first time I've felt alive, protected, wanted… seen.

Nope. No. Not fucking happening.

Damn it Julian. Why did you pick the hottest guy on the damn planet?