The Tax Collector (GirlxIntersex) Book 1

Chapter 3

Chapter 3
Valentino POV

I grab the glass and the bottle of tequila from her. My gaze traveled over her body, revealing a narrative of cruelty. A fresh bruise on her cheek, dated back to her arms, which she kept in her lap. Her gaze remained stuck to the dirt floor.

Despite the bruise, her beauty did not fade; rather, it shone. She has very thin features, with thick, glossy black hair crowning her head. The strands stuck to her damp neck as a result of the heat. Just as I was beginning to notice her more, she was yanked from my lap and thrown into Martinez's chest. She did nothing to reject his contact, but instead displayed terror.

"I'm sorry about that; she can be stupid at times." His eyes have a darting line of possessiveness combined with a hint of fear.

"We did not come here for you to tell us about your bitch; give us what we came for. " Reaper burrowed forward, but I placed my palm out to stop him. He scowled at me. His brows sharpened, and I shifted my gaze to the corner of the room. This was a code for him to look about the home for anything we could steal later. He offered a small nod and exited out the extreme back.

"My apologies. I instruct him to calm himself down. He gets a little too thrilled about having blood on his hands."

Martinez displayed a terrified expression.

My gaze couldn't stop moving back to the petite frame girl he clutched securely in his grasp. "She is your girlfriend?" I asked. Her eyes caught mine briefly before she pushed them back to the floor.

"She is my bitch."

"Do you mean your girlfriend?"

"Something like that. I don't play the girlfriend role."

"Then you don't mind if another man has her?"

"For $200, any man could have her."

"What about I take her along with the 60Gs?"

He chuckled uneasily at the mention of money. "Valentino, things have been tight."

"Really?"

"The tattoo shop hasn't been receiving many clients lately. Since the border is locked down."

"Then how will I get through?"

"I mean...not many Americans are coming here; the crime rate has increased."

I nodded, my gaze fixated on the girl. I want her.

"Do we have a deal?" He asked. I was about to respond when Reaper strolled in. He moved over to me and nodded in agreement.

"We've been filling in your spot for the past two months, Martin."

"I understand; I just need more time."

I nodded. "You have till this weekend."

He threw the girl out of his arms and approached me, his hands out. I gazed at his hand and stood up before taking it. He drew me into a muscular embrace. "Thank you for understanding."

I gave the girl one last glance before nodding.

"Lets go, Reaper." I murmured. "We'll be lingering around for a while." I mentioned this to Martin. He nodded.

Reaper and I went outside. He instantly inserted a cigarette into his mouth. He searched his pockets for a lighter.

"Talk to me." I muttered, scanning the neighborhood. The homes were shackled together. Just in the area, there appeared to be at least fifty residences, several of which had a man outpost, indicating that a gang was there.

I looked over at Reaper, who was fighting against the wind and the lighter to light his smokes. He snarled and turned his back to the breeze.

As the cigarettes light up, the air strikes the smoke in my face.

"He has a safe in the first bedroom on the left." He murmured, "There might be thousands of dollars inside." He talked excitedly.

"Focus." I let out a roar. I went off the porch and walked out to the side of the house, where there was a clothesline with a few clothes on it. The wind flutters them about.

I discovered the neighborhood had no barrier, not even a wire. It was basically a stretch of sand with homes.

"I'm coming back later."

"I noticed you did not mention us." He took a couple more puffs on the cigarette and threw it in the sand, where it was quickly buried.

"I can do this by myself, and I want the girl."

"Which girl? The one he plainly gets anybody to sleep with."

"I do not care; I want her."

"Oh, to be a drug mule?"

"No."

"To pimp out?"

"No?"

"Working the poles is like pimping out, but—"

"None. I simply want her."

"Come on, let us focus on bigger things than a girl."

I want the girl, Reaper. And I'm coming back for her."

"Okay, so you come for the girl; how do you bring her to America? Since the drug and crime rates have risen to 10%, not even a bicycle can enter the border without being searched."

"I guess you forgot how far The Trapz's branding extends." I said, displaying the wrist tattoo.

"There's still a risk."

"Coming here tonight to rob him poses a greater fucking danger. There are at least 26 men with firearms, and I'm alone."

"I can come."

"I don't want you to, especially since it concerns the girl. If something happens to you, it will be my fault. I can handle it."

"So, what is the plan?" He asked.

I smirked. "We give The Trapz money out of our pockets, and I steal him of everything he has, and I'm going to murder him."

"So if he has a million laying around, it all belongs to us, with no share for The Trapz." I smirked.

"You are a wicked motherfucker."

My smirk dropped as I spotted Lucia; I wasn't good with names, especially Spanish ones, given that I was Spanish, but her name sprang to me. I turned towards Reaper. He had already figured out who I was gazing at.

"Really."

"Why don't you take a brief walk around the area and tell me what I'd be up against if the plan fails."

He shook his head, smiling slightly. "Do you like her?"

My face scrunched. "I do not. What type of question is that? I don't even know her."

"You are blushing."

I growled and pushed him. "I am not."

"You like her." He grumbled while going backwards out of the yard and into someone else's yard.

I refocused on the girl. She tipped her toes to remove the pin from the garments before pulling them off the line, folding them, and placing them in the basket. I began walking over to her.