14. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Binx saw his opportunity and said to Kirk, "Maybe leave them be. Indio's not going to hurt him, knowing who he is, right?"

Mal stared hard at Binx and Binx stared back, hoping to convey his intentions. Finally, Mal got it. "Yeah, Kirk, Indio's not stupid."

"In fact, we might all want to give them some space," Prince said, then added, "They…are kind of into each other."

Kirk's head cocked to the side. "Are you guys playing matchmaker for those two?"

Binx gave Kirk his best innocent face. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Mmmhmm. Whatever, but if Carrillo's nephew comes out of there dead, you all can explain it to the mob boss."

Ignoring that, Binx said, "Let's have our lunch outside. Gives them some privacy and let's us enjoy the view."

"Yeah," Mal said, playing along. "You all go out and we'll bring the food."

"Fine," Kirk said and went into the living room to let the rest of them know.

"What about Ruben and his guys?" Prince asked in a rushed whisper.

"We'll have to chance it. I think they're probably doing some yelling, so hopefully they don't hear anything," Mal said as he started for the basement door. "We're locking them in, right? Or did I misinterpret?"

"No, darling," Binx said. "You are very good at taking cues."

Mal yipped a laugh and clapped. "I'll go make sure Kirk is getting all the guys out of here. You guys grab the food. I'll be back to help after."

Binx was nothing if not great under pressure. It came from living for years with two strict Doms. When he'd gathered all the food together in bowls and cutting boards, he started out of the kitchen, followed by Prince.

As they hurried out, Ruben and his men were heading down the stairs. Binx jerked his head for Ruben to follow, and the three men followed Binx outside.

While Marius and Dallas started getting food, Binx and Prince grabbed Ruben to the side porch to let him in on what was happening, of course, after they grilled him.

"What happened?" Binx asked. "We know Marius volunteered."

"We're mad, of course, but…he made it clear this was his job. It's the reason he came, and being with us, well, it doesn't take away from that. He would never ask us to stop working the ranch, so we can't ask him."

"I bet you're scared. I am. Dex volunteered too."

Ruben and Prince embraced; two men worried for their partners.

Binx thought to ease them. "They're big and tough, both of them. I'm sure they'll be okay. They're taking guns, right?"

Prince nodded. "I made sure he was."

"Then it'll be fine! They might even be the ones that catch him. Well, one or the other."

The others were talking steadily on the other part of the porch, so the subject returned to the two in the basement. Ruben asked in a whisper, "Do you think they're okay?"

"I hope so," Prince whispered. "Either they'll hookup or they'll kill each other."

"Let's hope it's the former," Binx said. "If they are both dead, my Sirs will know it's my fault."

"Why?" they both asked.

"I get…in trouble. A lot. Well, I used to. It's been a while."

When Indio heard the feet stomping on the stairs, he knew who he'd see as he turned from his cot. And there he was, the pain in the ass rich boy.

Sel was red in the face and his eyes were on fire from his anger. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"

"Go the fuck away, boy."

Indio was completely caught off guard when Sel moved closer instead of heading back up the stairs and pushed him the second Indio got to his feet.

And it wasn't a gentle push. Anyone else and they'd have been thrown through the brick wall across from him when Indio punched them for touching him. As it was, however, he had to calm his temper, especially when the brat yelled, "Don't fucking tell me what to do! What the fuck is your problem with me?"

Selestino Carrillo was standing so close, challenging him, staring him right in the eye and not backing down a bit. That not only intrigued Indio, but it also turned him on. Still, there was no way he could fuck the guy and be allowed to live.

No, he was protected, sheltered, always treated gently and loved. Indio could bet no one put out cigarettes on his skin for kicks. "You don't want to mess with me."

Selestino's nostrils flared like a bull ready to charge. It was sexy. "You're the one messing with me. Why?"

"Maybe I don't like spoiled kids pretending to be grownups."

The guy was way too close to him. Indio felt his Italian heat like he was a blowtorch, and he couldn't let himself sweat. Sel's eyes moved down his face to Indio's lips and they stayed there, and he'd never experienced something so simple being possibly the sexiest thing that'd happened to him in his life.

When Sel's eyes met his again, one brow rose slowly, and Sel smirked. "You have no fucking idea how grownup I am."

In a flourish, he turned away from Indio and started back to the stairs. Of course, Indio's eyes went right for that tight little bubble ass, sitting pretty in those jeans that probably cost more than Indio's '94 Road King.

The trip up the stairs for Sel was much quieter than the trip down had been. Indio could breathe again once he was out of sight at the top and he sat back on the cot, shaking his head as he smiled.

That didn't last long, as the door was shaken. Then a fist pounded on the thing. "Hey! Hey, someone locked the door!"

After a long sigh, Indio got back up to go help the kid open the door. He probably had had someone open them for him all his life. He ran up the stairs and pushed him to the side, setting his hand on the knob. "You turn it."

"Go for it! By all means!"

Indio did and discovered quickly it was locked. "Who the fuck is playing games?"

He looked right at Sel, who snapped, "Yeah, like I want to be stuck with you." After Indio used the side of his fist to pound on the door, Sel snarked, "Gee, if only I'd have thought of that."

"Go fuck yourself, rich boy."

"Better fuck than you'd ever be to anyone."

Before he thought better of it, his left hand landed on Sel's chest and he was pushed back to the wall on the side of the staircase, his right hand curling into a fist. As he lifted his fist, his entire childhood went through his head, seeing his own face where Sel's wide-eyed fear was obvious, remembering…

After Sel slammed his eyes shut, Indio punched, but at the very last second, his fist moved off to the right and hit the wall, disappearing completely into the hole he'd made.

Breathing slow and steady, he stared at Sel until he opened his eyes again, and Indio was surprised to see he wasn't freaking out about almost getting punched in the face. Instead, he grabbed Indio's wrist to move the hand off his chest.

"Take your fucking hand off me," Sel gritted, and the words seemed to come from somewhere so deep in him, it sounded nothing like him. After pulling his hand out from the sheetrock, the dust falling over Sel's shoulder like snow, he felt how his body responded to being so close to the guy.

For the first time, Indio saw him as a fully grown man, and not only that, but a powerful one. Maybe he was born for the position of boss.

Indio, however, wasn't one to take someone ordering him around. In fact, when he was a prospect for the Aztecas, it took every bit of willpower not to fuck up the members as they tossed orders to him like he was a fucking lowlife.

For the hatred that passed between them, neither made a move to leave that spot. Neither was banging on the door, and he hadn't taken his eyes from Selestino's.

Licking his lips, Selestino's eyes moved to Indio's lips again, and his words came less biting. "Why do you hate me?"

Indio felt like putting his fist through the wall again.

There was no denying heat had risen between them from the first, but Indio didn't work that way. He didn't fall for pretty boys, and certainly not rich pretty boys.

And Selestino Carrillo was pretty. The perfect prince charming to his beast.

"Why do you think I hate you?"

"Really?" he asked with a dry laugh following, then his tongue licked over his bottom lip, and Indio wondered if he was doing that on purpose to seduce him.

"I don't hate you, okay?"

Selestino's dark eyes moved to the door. "How are we getting out of here?"

"Someone will figure out we're here or one of my brothers will want to come down here for something. You wanna pound on the door some more it's your skin."

As hard as it was, he pulled himself away from the guy, moving slowly down the stairs until he was on the landing, and forced himself to keep from peering over his shoulder to see if Selestino was going to follow him.

The second he sat on his cot he heard the footfalls on the stairs as Selestino descended. He leaned on the post next to the stairs and said, "If you don't hate me, why do you act like you do?"

Indio stared at his own arm, where there were a series of small round scars. He remembered getting every single one of them. "Never had much to do with guys like you."

"Guys like me?"

"Getting everything you ever wanted or needed. You got family falling all over themselves to take care of you, and what do you do? Bitch and complain about it. Fucking stupid."

After almost getting punched, Selestino came to sit beside him on the cot. "I take it you never had someone fawning over you to make sure nothing ever touched you?"

"Nope. Pretty much the opposite."

"Then, maybe, you can't understand where I'm coming from any more than I can understand you. I'm not complaining about being loved and cared for. I'm trying to break loose from a cage. Sure, it's a warm, comfortable cage, but it's a cage, nonetheless."

Indio turned his head, and the sheer beauty of the guy struck him harder than his fist had struck the wall. He felt himself waver just looking at Sel. "So, we don't get each other. And?"

"And maybe we can stop biting at each other like two wolves fighting over a bitch."

"Whoa! I didn't think guys like you said naughty words."

"Technically, bitch isn't a naughty word," he said, his eyes shining with mischief.

God, the fucker was cute. Indio knew how easily he could get suckered by that cuteness. "Listen, we have to get you out of here. If your uncle knows you were locked in here with me…"

"My uncle will get pissed off at me. I'm already on his last nerve."

"Yeah, I can see that happening."

They heard the click of a lock and saw light from the upper floor shining onto the stairs. Indio rose and moved away from the cot, unwilling to get shot for being on a bed with the heir to the Carrillo line.

As the person coming down the stairs bent over to show their face, while still keeping enough room between him and them, he saw it was that crazy-haired cook, Binx. "Hey, guys! You accidentally got locked down here, huh?"

"Yeah, accidentally, Binxie," Sel said, laughing.

"Well, you're both still breathing, so no harm, no foul. And, uh, no reason to tell anyone, you know, important."

Sel got up and went to the stairs, telling Binx, "You're still getting hired if you want the job."

"Yeah, like it's the job I'm worried about. My Sirs and your uncle could do a lot worse to me than turn me down for a job."