Drenched

8

How the fuck did he know my real name? Sosa had spent nearly all night creating a new fake identity for me I thought it would have been impossible for Santiago to figure it out. 

"You have some nerve coming here after what your father did." 

What my father did? His father killed mine and now he has the nerve to accuse my father of some wrongdoing? 

"Don't talk about my fucking father." 

I barked back at him. I stared him down, awaiting whatever was coming my way. To my surprise, he didn't retaliate to my words. Santiago pointed the paddle toward the bed in the middle of the room.

"Sit."

He ordered me to go sit on the bed but I was in no mood to take orders from a Ramierez. I crossed my arms, not breaking the intense eye contact.

"Go fuck yourself."

His demeanor quickly changed as I could see rage threatening to release from within him. 

"Do you need me to make you?"

He spat the words at me through gritted teeth. 

"I told you I'm not sit-."

Before I could finish my sentence, he swiftly took a fistful of my long dark hair and pushed me towards the bed. As I fell on top of the red silk sheets, I couldn't help but notice how incredibly comfortable the bed was. 

As I sat up and fixed my appearance, I noticed that Santiago pulled the trunk that was at the foot of the bed away. He took a seat and studied my appearance. I watched as he looked me up and down. Even though I was practically trained to hate every ounce of his being, I noticed how his strong muscular arms made his shirt look just a size too small. Or how even when he was filled with rage, he was still possibly the most handsome man I had ever faced. 

I felt heat rise to my cheeks and I took a couple of deep breaths, trying my best to not break my character. 

"Why are you here Aletha?"

The way he said my name was unlike anything I had heard before. The deep cadence he had was almost enough for me to forget how much my father hated his family. 

I didn't respond. All I did was stare him down while he continued to calmly sit on the trunk as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on. 

"I'm not going to repeat myself."

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, slightly clasping his hands in front of him. The wooden paddle I had taken an interest in was still in his lap. 

"I... I need-."

I let out a soft chuckle as the words I was about to say seemed beyond comical to me at the moment. 

I adjusted myself on the bed. Crossing my legs and putting my hands behind me to steady myself. I could see that Santiago was confused by my demeanor. 

I rolled my head back, relieving the tension in my neck before continuing. 

"The Delmonico's are moving in on our territory. We thought that there was a treaty in place, but I suppose there isn't."

I searched his face to try to read what he was thinking, but I couldn't make out anything definitive. 

"And what does that have to do with me?"

His expression softened slightly as I could tell that curiosity got the best of him. 

"We need more resources. I know Hugo's side projects didn't stop after he disappeared."

Hugo was notorious for being the person to go to or any type of weaponry. I knew before my father passed, the last place he went to was to see Hugo. I heard hushed conversations about a deal with Ramierez, but that was the last day I saw him. 

Santiago didn't say anything. He looked down to his lap and took the paddle into his hands once again. 

"Why should I help you after your father stole from us?"

Stole from them? No, it was Hugo's fault that my father was dead. 

"What do you mean stole from you? I have no idea what you're talking about."

He scanned my face to see if I was lying. He let out an audible sigh before standing up. As he slowly stepped towards my position on the end of the bed, my heart began to pound in my chest. 

Yes, I was the leader of a family cartel, but I was still only 20. I was forced into this world without any warning or knowledge and I was still trying to figure everything out on my own. 

Santiago stopped just before where I was sitting. He was so close I could smell the intoxicating cologne pouring off of him. 

"Your father stole 3.5 million dollars from my family."

I felt as though I stopped breathing. There's no way. My father would never do something like that, would he? I looked down my hands and tried to rationalize the information. 

"And do you know what that means Aletha? You get to pay off his debt."

3.5 million dollars? I was going to be in debt to this man for the rest of my life. Don't get me wrong, our business was successful, but my father left a lot of loose ends for me to take care of. 

Santiago slowly brought the paddle up before it touched my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. His eyes were still dark, although this time, it wasn't with rage. If I was not mistaken, it was almost desire.

"I own you now."

An eerie grin appeared on his face. I immediately assumed the worst. In most situations, I was able to get out of but this? I was completely on my own.