10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

"I don't like him, Uncle Dante," Sel whispered as he saw the men coming into the yard, and it was nearly drowned out by the sound of their motorcycles.

"You don't like Bennie either. One day, you'll decide your own protection. Until then, I will, or you can go home," he snapped, already tired of the argument.

The entire ranch was scrambling, as Prince had heard the alarm two nights after they'd all met and discussed the software he'd gotten ready for them. It worked. Alex Brooks was caught on camera at the border, disguised, of course, but the software scanned lines and curves, not mustaches and hats.

Right after the facial recognition software caught him, another alert came over Prince's phone that one alias had come through too.

Binx and his men had several of the Kings watching over them at the bunkhouse, at Dante's request. Though they'd planned to leave, Lonnie and Travis stayed to help. Lonnie wanted to stay, and instead of fighting him, Travis simply stayed too, to watch over him.

Sel wasn't afraid of the killer. He knew he'd be protected, but Dante assigned a bunch of bikers to watch over him, and he knew Indio was one of them.

Indio would have a field day with that. Having to protect the boss's nephew.

But Dante was rarely stressed or angry, and being that he was both in that moment, Sel knew better than to argue further.

The bike engines were cut before the three bikers got off their rides and strutted to the steps. "What's up, Dante?" Rico asked, as Dante came out to shake their hands.

"I need two of you to help Bennie protect my nephew. The other Rebels and Aztecas will be here today, and they can run and ride the perimeter."

"No problem," Rico said, then told Indio, "I'll take this, if you want to meet up with Kirk and Eight."

Indio shook his head while a smile curved his lips, those cold eyes finding him in the doorway. "Naw, I got this. Might be my last time to take this kind of duty before I'm running a chapter."

"Got you, mano . I'll go meet the presidents."

"Not alone," Dante told him. "You both can take him back to the others. No one, no matter how tough you are, goes anywhere alone while this fuck might be around."

Indio nodded to Dante and said, "We'll be back for your nephew in an hour."

"Good."

Bennie asked Dante, once the bikers had left, "Should we take him off the property, Mr. Carrillo?"

"He won't go, or he'll sneak back, and he'll be without security. He stays on the property, but the one place I know is safe is the farmhouse. Brooks knows the panic room has been found. We added a code box for the panic room, and added security to it." Dante looked at Sel and said, "If there is a hint of an issue, that is where I want you, in that panic room. I'm asking Dallas to keep Ruben home, which I'm sure he'll be more than happy to, and Marius will be there, too."

"Then why do I need more?"

"Because. I said so. Before you become a leader, Sel, you had better learn how to take a few orders. There is always someone above you. Remember that."

He gave in mostly because he knew no argument would suffice. Besides, staying with Ruben wouldn't be all bad. "Who all is going to be there?"

"Dex and Prince, too. Dex asked, and of course, I approved it, after asking Marius, Ruben, and Dallas. One big happy family over there."

"Why don't you come too?"

"I'm taking Blaine out of here for a few days. He's worried about the dogs, about me flying off the handle."

Sel looked at the closed bedroom door. "How long?"

"I'll get him settled and I'll be back."

When the bikes pulled up again, Rico wasn't with them any longer. Indio came up the stairs, peeking into the doorway to see Dante, Bennie, and Bruno holding a gun on him. His hands rose, as did the corners of his mouth. "I'm here at your request."

Dante chuckled as he lowered his gun, and Bruno followed suit. "Sorry, Indio. I'm sure you understand."

"Sure, sure. No problem." He came in and turned his head straight to Sel. "Ready?"

Bennie grabbed Sel's bags and started out the door while Sel stood, trying to be as strong as he could, staring Indio in the eye. "I'm ready."

When Sel said goodbye to his uncles, he left the trailer with Indio, who lowered the volume and raised the pitch of his voice to taunt Sel. "Roomies! Are you excited?"

Sel turned to face him, and Indio got right in his face. "I don't know what your problem is with me. Maybe you weren't hugged enough by your mother. Whatever it is, stop."

Indio's eyes stared harshly into Sel's. "Or what? You gonna tell Uncle or Daddy?"

"I don't need to tell anyone to deal with a low-life scumbag like you."

Bennie was right there, pulling Sel from him. "Problem here?"

"No," Indio said. "You saved him before there could be."

Sel was taken to the car and Bennie opened the back door, allowing him inside before shutting the door and moving around to the front. As all that happened, Sel stared daggers at the laughing biker, who was getting onto his Harley.

The sound of the bike didn't take his thoughts away from the hatred he was developing for the man. The hardest thing was knowing he was right. If he kept pushing Sel, Sel would have no recourse but to let his family become involved.

Maybe that was why he was antagonizing him right back. Sel knew he'd be protected, no matter what.

Standing out from what people thought of him, that might be the most important thing he could do. Taking the hard trails instead of the paved roads, so to speak. Showing what he was made of would take a lot more than shooting a few cups off a motorcycle.

If he found the killer. If he took out the killer. That would show all of them he was ready. That was laughable, however. If all the people on the ranch had tried and failed to find him, how would Sel?

When they got to the farmhouse, Prince waved to him from the porch, and Ruben came out of the screen door. He was greeted with hugs from the two of them, then he was invited to sit on the porch with them.

"It's probably better to go inside, Mr. Carrillo," Bennie suggested.

Sel looked past him to the smirking ass that was Indio and said, "No. I'll stay right here. Thanks." Taking a seat on the rattan sofa, crossing his legs slowly, like he'd seen his uncle do a thousand times, he glared hatefully at Indio, then added a verbal slap. "Take a lap around the house. Do your job."

Prince's mouth was a perfect O as the three of them watched the biker seething. Ruben whispered as soon as Indio was out of sight, "What the hell was that about?"

"I told you he hated me. He's not hiding it."

"He looks so pissed."

"He's an ass."

Prince didn't say a thing at first, and when he did, it surprised them both. "Maybe he wants to hate-fuck you."

Their heads spun like they were on a swivel, and Ruben barked a laugh. "Prince," Ruben yelled, then he giggled. "I cannot believe that came from you."

Sel was shocked, too. Soft-spoken and sweet, Prince was small and seemingly tender. Then again, he was with Dex, one of the toughest men Sel knew. That was saying a lot. "How often do you and Dex…you know…fight?" he asked, laughing.

"Enough," he said, then turned bright red as his hands covered his laughing face.

Marius came out of the front door right then, seeing their laughing, blushing faces. "Wow, what did I walk into?"

"Enough," Ruben said, and they all laughed together, Prince falling over his knees.

In his hands was a rifle with a scope, and he walked down the stairs to hand it to Indio. That sobered them. "Damn, that makes it too real," Prince whispered.

"Yeah," Sel agreed.

Ruben went to Marius as he ascended the stairs, and he was instantly wrapped in those big arms. Sel was jealous. Not that he would take that from his new friend, but when fear struck, there was maybe nothing more comforting than another man's arms.

"I wish Dex would get back," Prince said, as if echoing Sel's thoughts.

"Where'd he go?"

"To check on Dallas and the cowboys," Ruben explained. "He went with a couple of those mob guys."

"Stop saying mob guys," Prince told him, laughing. "They're just…guys."

"You're just saying that because you're one of the mob guys," Ruben reasoned with a casual shrug.

Prince blinked over at him, then did his own shrugging. "I guess so, huh?"

"So, you're a genius, right?" Sel asked.

Prince waved him on. "No. I'm just good with computers. My mom was a genius. She was the one that made all the software that made us rich. My mom was amazing. I'm just…following her."

"You can do things with computers that no one can. You alone could make as much money. Why…why did you come here with Dex to work for my family when you could have made billions all on your own?"

Prince stared down at some spot on the porch, his smile a little sad. "I would have never gotten the chance to do it. My dad…he made me take business classes. He didn't want me developing more software. He wanted others to do that, others that would be easily manipulated. Or cheaper, or whatever. He never gave me a real reason for it."

"He was afraid you'd make your own, go off on your own to another company already big or make your own," Sel said. "That's an easy one."

"Easy? How?"

Ruben and Prince were on the edges of their seats to hear more.

Sel took a deep breath as Indio stood over by his motorcycle, facing away from them. Sel watched him as he told the two, "Well, it's like this. If my dad and uncle hadn't been tight, and they had no trust for each other, Antonio would have kept Dante down, so there wouldn't be any fight for the top job. Dante could have gone off and started his own family, but Antonio wouldn't have wanted that either, so he'd give Dante jobs to appease him without ever letting him know the secrets of the family."

Ruben gasped loudly. "Are you kidding me? His own dad was so worried about him starting his own company that he was going to give him some low level shit job?"

A sardonic bit of laughter came from Prince as he agreed. "That's exactly it. How did your family get past it?"

"They trusted each other. My dad could have chosen anyone to head up the family while we were little kids. He knew he could trust Dante, and he was right. Dante turned the business into what it is and my dad was there all the way through it. Dante never cut my dad out of anything. Your dad, well, that's just not how he wanted to do it."

"That says it all, doesn't it? My dad didn't want me to take over."

Sel grabbed his hand. "You have a new family now."

"I know. I love this family. Dex…he's my family."

Again, huge twinges of pure jealousy fired through his veins.

Ruben stood and stretched, complaining, "We have to figure out dinner. I guess if I'm the little house husband right now, I should make it count."

"House husband?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you? Dallas and Marius, the two macho apes, won't let me go out on the ranch. I have to stay home and safe."

Sel got up with him. "Well, it just so happens I can make a mean baked ziti. Let me cook tonight."

Ruben grabbed his hand and pulled him to the door. "Let's go, then!"

"Prince, coming?"

Prince laughed and followed them into the kitchen. "Isn't it a little early for dinner?"

"My sauce takes a while," Sel explained. "Okay, sous chefs! I need onion, garlic, tomatoes, sausage, hamburger, olive oil, and wine."

After they both gave him salutes, they rounded up all that he needed while he pulled out a cutting board and a couple of knives. Ruben turned on some music and they cooked together, Ruben adding garlic bread to the menu, Prince making a big salad.

They had to make two huge pans of it, with all the men that they'd be feeding. By the time it came out of the oven, the men were coming in the door, scenting the house with sweat, leather, and sunshine.

Even his three bodyguards came to eat, either crowding around the table, at the island, or a couple were standing.

Sel finally met Kirk, the president of the Devil's Rebel's out of Denver, Colorado, and his husband, Malcom. Malcom was a sweetheart, smiling warmly at them as he took his plate from the counter. He was tiny compared to his huge, muscled husband. "This smells incredible."

"Please, give Mal the recipe. He's a terrible cook."

"I am not! And if you're so great, you could cook more."

Watching them bicker was hilarious. The littler man was definitely scarier than the giant husband of his. When those dark blue eyes of Mal's flashed, Kirk's voice became sweeter.

"Babe, when I cook, you tell me it's too healthy."

"I go for months without pizza. You'd be mad too."

Ruben stopped them by suggesting, "How about we make pizza tomorrow? Kirk's can be healthy, Mal's can be full of pepperoni and cheese. We have an Italian in the house! We should take advantage."

"Ruben, not nice," Dallas warned. Dallas, a big cowboy with the light blond hair that was stuck to his head from wearing his cowboy hat all day. It didn't detract from his handsomeness a bit.

"I don't mind," Sel told them. "I enjoy making pizza. I can make a bunch of them, put the crusts and sauce out and we can set out all kinds of toppings and people can set up their own."

"Now, we're talking," Marius said, clapping his big hands together. "I will make the sauce, though. Southern Italy makes better sauce than Sicily."

"Sicily is southern Italy," Sel argued.

"It's an island, hence why it's called Sicily."

Dex agreed with Marius, of course. "Napoli, that's real Italy."

"Uh oh," Ruben told the others. "We're about to have a mafia shootout. Everyone duck."

Then Sel thought of something. Prince and Ruben were amazing, but there was another person he'd liked right off the bat, and it just so happened the man could cook like a gourmet chef, or so the rumor was. "Hey, I have a crazy idea. How packed are we in this place?"

"We actually have a lot of room. With you, Bennie and those bikers it's a little tighter, though. Why?" Ruben asked.

"Well, I've heard the lady that works at the bunkhouse is a great cook, so why would they need two great cooks there, when he could be…?"

"Here," most of the men in the room shouted.

Sel was on the phone to his uncle to run it by him, but whispered, "I'm gonna handle it. Make room, Ruben, we're about to get three more people."