nodded her head, keeping her eyes closed tight and trying to hide her embarrassment.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, hovering above her.
When she opened her eyes, she gasped and sat up. “You’re bleeding!” She rushed from the room and grabbed a clean washcloth and soaked it in cool water. She returned to his side of the bed and watched in horror as he wiped the blood away with the back of his hand.
She pulled his hand away and dabbed at his lip, which was quickly growing in size. She sat next to him on the bed, cleaning his mouth, and she felt like crying.
“I’m sorry,” she said when his lip was clean. She tried to avoid looking at him, but when his fingers pulled her chin up, she couldn’t deny his wishes.
“Do you want to tell me why you just tried to kill me?” He smiled slightly, opening the cut on his lip again. She started to clean it, but he shook his head and took the washcloth. “Come here.” He pulled her until they sat against the headboard, his arms wrapped around her.
“It was a stupid dream.” She closed her eyes and rested her head back against his shoulder. He slept without a shirt, and she loved the warmth of his skin against her cool cheeks.
“And in this dream I was hurting your father?”
She looked up at him, shocked.
He chuckled. “You talk in your sleep as well as give a mean right punch.” He held his jaw and she felt her cheeks turn red.
“I’m sorry.” She rested back down, not wanting him to see her embarrassment.
“Don’t be.” He chuckled. “It’s good to know that you can throw a punch.”
She nodded. “Yeah, my father made sure of that.”
“I bet. There’s that protection again.”
She nodded and closed her eyes. “You were using me to get to him.” She sighed. “It was just a stupid dream.”
“Oh?” She could tell he was thinking about it.
“I guess it makes sense.”
“What does?”
“It’s nothing.” He started to slide back down, but she stopped him. “Your father was the one who took down the father of the man I’m trying to take down.”
She sat up and looked at him. “You know about my father?”
He nodded. “Everyone I work with does. He’s somewhat of a legend.”
“My father?”
He smiled. “One of the first stories I heard in training was about the Cougar. That was his street name. Anyway, I didn’t know it was your old man until I talked to Mr. Holton.” He shook his head. “Cougar took down Hijo del Diablo’s old man almost twenty years ago. But it was how he did it that was so ingenious.”
“How?” she asked, scooting up and crossing her legs in front of her.
“He used the kid.” He frowned a little. “Everyone knew that Diablo—that’s what we called his old man—had been running drugs into the states for almost seven years. He’d been responsible for over three hundred deaths in the US alone. It was rumored that an entire town in Mexico had been killed to protect his identity.”
“What happened?” She was caught up in the story.
“Well, according to what I heard, the Cougar showed up and befriended the kid, who was a teenager, at his birthday party. Over the course of the next few years, he convinced him to betray his old man. When they came to take his father away, the kid turned.” He shook his head. “I guess he decided he didn’t want to be responsible for taking out his old man. Anyway, he grabbed one of the agent’s guns and shot Cougar in the leg.”
Nikki gasped.
“Sorry.” He held onto her.
“No, it’s okay. Go on.” She leaned closer to him.
“Well, after he’d shot your dad, the kid took off in all the commotion. It’s been rumored that he escaped to the US where he contacted all his father’s buddies and took over as head of the business under the name, Hijo del Diablo. Son of the Devil.”
She shivered and he pulled her closer.
“Thank you for telling me all this. I couldn’t get anything out of my father. All he would do was not deny
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, hovering above her.
When she opened her eyes, she gasped and sat up. “You’re bleeding!” She rushed from the room and grabbed a clean washcloth and soaked it in cool water. She returned to his side of the bed and watched in horror as he wiped the blood away with the back of his hand.
She pulled his hand away and dabbed at his lip, which was quickly growing in size. She sat next to him on the bed, cleaning his mouth, and she felt like crying.
“I’m sorry,” she said when his lip was clean. She tried to avoid looking at him, but when his fingers pulled her chin up, she couldn’t deny his wishes.
“Do you want to tell me why you just tried to kill me?” He smiled slightly, opening the cut on his lip again. She started to clean it, but he shook his head and took the washcloth. “Come here.” He pulled her until they sat against the headboard, his arms wrapped around her.
“It was a stupid dream.” She closed her eyes and rested her head back against his shoulder. He slept without a shirt, and she loved the warmth of his skin against her cool cheeks.
“And in this dream I was hurting your father?”
She looked up at him, shocked.
He chuckled. “You talk in your sleep as well as give a mean right punch.” He held his jaw and she felt her cheeks turn red.
“I’m sorry.” She rested back down, not wanting him to see her embarrassment.
“Don’t be.” He chuckled. “It’s good to know that you can throw a punch.”
She nodded. “Yeah, my father made sure of that.”
“I bet. There’s that protection again.”
She nodded and closed her eyes. “You were using me to get to him.” She sighed. “It was just a stupid dream.”
“Oh?” She could tell he was thinking about it.
“I guess it makes sense.”
“What does?”
“It’s nothing.” He started to slide back down, but she stopped him. “Your father was the one who took down the father of the man I’m trying to take down.”
She sat up and looked at him. “You know about my father?”
He nodded. “Everyone I work with does. He’s somewhat of a legend.”
“My father?”
He smiled. “One of the first stories I heard in training was about the Cougar. That was his street name. Anyway, I didn’t know it was your old man until I talked to Mr. Holton.” He shook his head. “Cougar took down Hijo del Diablo’s old man almost twenty years ago. But it was how he did it that was so ingenious.”
“How?” she asked, scooting up and crossing her legs in front of her.
“He used the kid.” He frowned a little. “Everyone knew that Diablo—that’s what we called his old man—had been running drugs into the states for almost seven years. He’d been responsible for over three hundred deaths in the US alone. It was rumored that an entire town in Mexico had been killed to protect his identity.”
“What happened?” She was caught up in the story.
“Well, according to what I heard, the Cougar showed up and befriended the kid, who was a teenager, at his birthday party. Over the course of the next few years, he convinced him to betray his old man. When they came to take his father away, the kid turned.” He shook his head. “I guess he decided he didn’t want to be responsible for taking out his old man. Anyway, he grabbed one of the agent’s guns and shot Cougar in the leg.”
Nikki gasped.
“Sorry.” He held onto her.
“No, it’s okay. Go on.” She leaned closer to him.
“Well, after he’d shot your dad, the kid took off in all the commotion. It’s been rumored that he escaped to the US where he contacted all his father’s buddies and took over as head of the business under the name, Hijo del Diablo. Son of the Devil.”
She shivered and he pulled her closer.
“Thank you for telling me all this. I couldn’t get anything out of my father. All he would do was not deny
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