Page 31 of Targeted By Desire

I’d come in prepared to discuss some of my ideas with Maria, but the foreign sound threw me off. I was used to coming home to one of three things: the muffled sounds of the television, music from behind the doors of Maria’s bedroom or the scuffle of her feet if she was cleaning or cooking.

None of the others contacted me about stopping by. They knew better than to drop in out of the blue.

So, who the fuck was in our safe house?

My hands immediately went to the gun tucked into my waistband. As I pulled it from its place, I pressed my back against the wall and blended into the shadows I knew all too well. I slowly crept down the hall, keeping my footsteps light.

The closer I got to the doorway, the clearer the voices were. One was filled with a bass that carried it through the air while the other was softer, quieter. It wasn’t as easy for me to hear even with the closer proximity.

As I reached the edge of the doorway, I peeked around the corner to assess the situation. The first thing I noticed was the mountain of curls piled atop Maria’s head. Her petite body was pinned between the counter and another body looming over her. Hands were placed on either side of her, like a barrier keeping her from going anywhere.

Alarms went off in my head at the slightest notion that she was trapped - that she was in danger.

I abandoned my post at the edge of the door and stormed into the room. I cracked the intruder across the head with the butt of my gun, then shoved him with all my strength, sending me straight onto the floor.

“Oh my God!” I heard her frail, jagged voice say.

Ignoring her, I held my gun up at the man now sprawled on the ground. I would’ve pulled the trigger if it weren’t for the sudden clutch of Maria’s fingers around my arm.

“No, Mateo!” She exclaimed as loud as her injured vocal chords would let her. “Don’t shoot him!”

Her words pierced through my learned instinct, flipping the switch on the kill button inside my head. Blinking, I returned to reality and reassessed my target who now sat on the floor with his hands raised in surrender.

I quickly recognized the man’s chestnut brown skin, wiry figure, and low-cut fade. It was the hacker Maria’s been fucking.

“Jesus, Mateo,” Maria muttered, pushing past me towards her fallen beau. She fell to her knees and examined the fresh cut on his temple. “Are you alright, Miles?”

I couldn’t help but raise a brow. This was the most I’ve ever heard Maria talk. Hell, I didn’t know she could even speak this much without excruciating pain. Hearing her say so much was impressive, but I wondered what it was about this guy that brought it out of her.

“I’m sorry,” he said, offering me a nervous smile. “She told me you wouldn’t approve of this, but I-“

Maria put her hand over his mouth. She shook her head. “Don’t cover for me,” she said, her voice weaker than before. Grasping his hands, she helped him to his feet. Hallway, she signed as she turned to me. Now.

Rolling my eyes, I turned on my heels and went back out into the hall.

“What the hell is he doing in here?” I asked once we were in the living room and out of Miles’s earshot.

I invited him, she replied, adding a shrug.

“Why the fuck would you do that? No one is supposed to know about this place!”

Miles isn’t going to tell anyone.

“How do you know? You’ve only been fucking him for five seconds!”

Her lips dipped into a frown. He’s worked for the Ruiz’s cartel for years. They trust him.

“And what is their word supposed to mean to me?”

“I trust him,” she said, finally offering her voice to me. What does my word mean to you?

“You know it’s among the ones I value the most.”

Her brows creased, breaking all the hardness in her face. I invited him here tonight, so you could formally meet him. I thought having dinner altogether would be a nice way to break the ice.

“I think I’ve already broken that.”

She shook her head as she stepped closer. He’s a good person. Give him a chance. Please.