Out of Control ✔

NINTH CHAPTER

Coco wasn't surprised when he found the other side of his bed empty the next morning. This time, there was no disappointment; he knew she would come back. Especially after the night they had.

If only he knew what to call her. Even after the night they shared, her name was still a mystery.

Nightingale. He smirked. Well, she had surely lived up to the name last night... the sounds she made. He could still hear the echos of her moaning. Deeper Cruz. Faster Cruz. Fuck yes, right there Cruz. He was certain that if someone looked between his shoulder blades they would find scratches from where she had buried her nails in his flesh, every time he'd found just the right spot. His neck hadn't fared much better; it was now marred by dark spots. Luckily his ink would be able to hide the hickeys unless someone was looking closely.

He swung his legs over the edge of his bed and stood up with a grunt, feeling the ache in his muscles. For a moment he wondered if perhaps she would be in the bathroom, or maybe she'd been hungry and was waiting in the kitchen, but deep down he felt that he was alone in the house. Not that he was complaining.

When she'd shown up at his door unexpectedly last night he had to admit that he found her unpredictability amusing, it definitely set her apart from the rest of the putas in town. He was okay with the fact that she came and went whenever it pleased her – as long as she came back.

And he was positive that she hadn't just used him for a one night stand. Hell no. He needed a repeat performance, she wasn't getting away that easily.

He showered quickly and decided to grab a burger on his way to the dress factory. It was going to be a long turbulent day. He knew today was the day that the transport van was set to be ambushed by the Samoans and it was only going to be a matter of time before their ties to Adelita came to light. It was going to be a major blow to Galindo and he could think of better ways to spend his time than staying out of the warpath that the cartel was going to go on. There would be nothing that would link Angel, Gilly and him to the ambush or any of the ensuing chaos. But he didn't like to leave things like this to others – especially when he didn't know them. It left a nasty feeling in his stomach.

. . .

Juanita had left the apartment around 5 AM. Cruz was clearly a deep sleeper as he didn't even stir when she slipped from the bed; she got the feeling he wouldn't wake up even if there was a bomb dropped in the middle of town. She filed the tidbit of information away, it was good to know. He probably wouldn't try to stop her when she wanted to leave and she didn't think he was the type to ask for a reason, but she hated saying goodbye. This was way easier.

Now she was seated in a car out front of an enormous villa that had a large yard, and was surrounded by a fence. Record the comings and goings of Galindo's house; that was the task Adelita had given to her. She wasn't the only observer around town; something big was about to happen. She didn't know any of the details, but Adelita wanted to know where the family members were – especially the wife and son.

Up to now she hadn't seen any movement, causing her thoughts to wander off to last night. Cruz hadn't been lying; she could still feel him. Things had gotten pretty rough, her skin was still irritated and there was an ache that she could feel anytime she shifted her position. Totally worth it. The last time she had been with a man felt like ages ago and that one hadn't even been able to leave her satisfied; he definitely hadn't given her a multiple orgasms like Cruz had. The guy really knew how to mess with her head – and she wasn't too happy about it. It was impossible to deny the chemistry between them, but that was all she wanted from him. Sex. Developing any sort of feelings for him was out of the question. It just couldn't happen. Not because of him – not really, because of his ties to Angel. She couldn't risk being with Cruz and keeping her identity secret, it was simple as that.

Xander nudged her side with his elbow, jarring her from her thoughts of the previous night. The boy rarely talked and he was certainly not the type to touch her without a reason, which meant something was going on. Looking out the window, she saw that the front door of Galindo's house had opened. A few people left the building, body guards from the looks of it. But as she began taking note of the men who had just left, her eyes were drawn to the woman who followed and her eyes widened in recognition. Emily, her brother's girlfriend had just left the home.

What was going on – was she with Galindo now? Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets at the thought... was this the wife she was supposed to be looking out for?

Juanita's mind was reeling. As Emily moved down the front walk, Juanita's attention once more moved to the front door, her heart kicking up a notch as she took in the man who had just exited. It was her old crush.

"Holy shit," she stammered. Although his hair was longer now, hanging down in two stupid braids, and he also had a goatee now making him much less attractive. But she could never forget his stature and ink, she recognised him immediately.

"What is it?" Xander asked next to her.

"I know them," she said with a raspy voice. "From – from before."

As soon as she spoke the words, she knew it was something she could use to the rebels' advantage.