Xander's POV

" Your father heard about Evan." Henry put the cigarette up to his lips.

"How?" I asked, sucking on my own cigarette.

"I don't know. He wants to speak to you, but I told him you were busy and you'll call him later." Henry sighed.

"I'm not calling that bastard back. I don't need his useless advice."

"That's not going to stop him from calling."

"I know." I blew out the nicotine filled smoke out of my mouth.

"You seem too calm about all this," Henry said.

"Since when am I not calm?" I asked.

"I would've expected you'd be breaking shit by now. I was surprised to walk into your office and see you sitting comfortably after beating the shit out of Evan." He said. I didn't know what to say to him after that. I admit that I wasn't nearly as angry as I usually would've been. "In fact, it looks like the complete opposite. Your hand is bandaged up."

"Yeah. I suppose so." That is all I could manage out.

"Harley did that, didn't she?" Henry asked. I averted my eyes to him.

"Yeah," I answered nonchalantly. It's funny how quickly Henry recognized it was Harley. He knew just as much as me how friendly Harley was. She alluded a calming energy I had never recognized before today. I stared down at my bandaged hand for a moment, just thinking about Harley's hand tangled in mine. I wonder if she was repulsed by me at that moment or not.

"You should keep your eye on her, boss. She is an easy target. Even Evan knew that." Henry lit another cigarette.

"Nothing will happen to her." I began, "Evan pried on a girl who didn't know any better because he was too pussy to steal from me directly. It won't happen ever again." I said sternly. Louder and harsher than I intended.

"I know," Henry replied. Silence fell upon us for a moment. It was brief, but I knew Henry was in deep thought like I was. His statement swirled around in my head longer than it should have. It bothered me to hear him say such things because I knew he was right. As soon as Harley became involved in my life, she became a target. "So what's the plan? I know you have something on stand by." Henry asked casually. I chuckled lightly.

"It'll take a while to prepare. We need backup and not by any of the loud bastards here." I put out what's left of my cigarette.

"So who?" Henry asked. I didn't say anything but sat for a moment. I didn't want to say who I had in mind since the mir thought of them made me angry. "Sanchez brothers?"

"Don't call them that like they are some organized group. They are annoying wannabe thugs....but yes." I answered. I had four blood cousins from my father's side. They never joined the cartel officially, but on and off, they are called to do jobs. They are young and reckless, but I trust them with my life. Normally I'd say blood doesn't mean anything but with them; it was different. They kill who they are told to and without issues. They are good at it. Reckless with their own lives, but they get the job done when they need to.

"That's what they like to be called by." Henry chuckled. I turned my head and gave him an unamused look, which wiped the grin off his face. "I'll call them."

"Tell them to be here by Wednesday. Two days is more than enough time for them to get here." I said. They never stayed in one place for long, but I know they were scattered around the west coast.

"Okay. I'll call them first thing in the morning." He replied.

"No. Call them now." I answered. We didn't have time to waste. We didn't know if Evan told Huncho what was in that file. We don't know how long Huncho is going to grow suspicious of Evan's absence. We needed to act fast.

"Alright." He nodded his head.

"Check the weapons we bought from El Paso. I want an exact count." I added.

"I'll get Felipe on it," Henry said.

"Have everything ready for tomorrow," I said, getting up and walking off the balcony.

"Hey, boss, some of us guys are going over to the gym in about 20 minutes. You should join." Henry added.

"We'll see," I replied and took my leave. I was exhausted, but I knew I wouldn't sleep. Nights were cold and lonely. They left time for the mind to wander aimlessly. I'm numb to the things I've done in my life, but all the adrenaline rushes and constant frustration catch up. The fatigue sinks in, but there is nothing you can do when your mind is racing. It's lonely at the top, especially when you want to stay at the top.

I unbuttoned my shirt and sighed out deeply. Nothing about sleep was looking appealing right now. I slipped off my pants down to my boxer briefs before walking over to the bathroom. The room was quiet. You could hear a pin drop from a mile away. I hated it. I brushed my hair back from my face. As I did so, my hair grazed the badges on my hand softly. No matter what I did, Harley lingered in my mind. She wasn't easily forgettable. Her face, her body, and her voice. A swelling sensation slightly invaded the budge in my underwear. With desire in my body but frustration in my mind, I walked into my closet to grab a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. The only way I could think of blowing off steam without engaging in meaningless sex was sweating it out. The gym was only behind this house in an underground room. My estate sat on 40 acres of land, all occupied by storage house, weapon storage, pool houses, car garage, gym, gardens, and living counters. However, I've only visited half of the estate on my own. The gym will be a first since most of the time; I worked out with Henry and Felipe alone in my own personal gym on the first floor. Seeming as the maid counters are next to it and I didn't want to wake anyone up, I decided against it. Henry's offer was looking more appealing.

I made my way out of my room and down the stairs. The place was quiet, only the subtitle sound of people in the kitchen--probably cleaning-- and the muffled sound of men in the entertainment room. I walked directly out the doors into the chilly wintry night. It caused an immediate thrilling sensation. With my hands in my pocket and my hood over my head, I made my way over to set upstairs that led you down to the gym. As I grew closer to the steps, I began to hear loud chatter and even louder yelling and laughter. It sounded like an entire stadium was underneath. With a confused look on my face, I hurried down the steps and to the door, where I grasped the door handle of the entranceway and pushed it open. To my surprise, the was a room full. Everyone was standing around with beers in their hands, cigarettes, and blunts. The room was thick with the smell of B.O and heat. Every guy in the room was sweating. I scanned around the room till my eyes landed on Henry, who was still in his button-up and black pants, and Felipe, who was in a casual white beater and pants. Everyone was standing around in a circle with a space in the middle. Two guys were in the middle beating the shit out of each other while everyone cheered.

Deciding to investigate further, I moved to closed the door behind me, but it made it loud shutter and creaking noise as I closed it. It drew everyone's attention to me and the door.

"Boss?" I heard Felipe's voice drawing closer to me.

At this point, everyone's eyes were on me, including the guys who were just previously pummeling each other.

"Yeah." I looked around.

"What are you doing here?" Felipe smiled and held his hand up for a dab, which I returned.

"Well, it is my gym." I started, "and Henry told me to come to join the festivities." Everyone looked frozen in their spots when I walked further into the room.

"Yes, sir, boss. I'm glad you decided to come." Felipe smacked my back gently. "You gotta get in the ring!" He encouraged.

"Nah. He wouldn't. Boss doesn't know what fun is. The stick in his ass is too large." Henry walked towards us. Henry took a swing of his drink. Everyone in the room chuckled lightly in agreement but stopped once I looked at them.

"Can someone just tell me what the fuck is going on down here, at 4 am?" I asked loudly over everyone's chatter.

"Aw, come on, boss. Don't be like that. We are all just trying to unwind like you." Felipe said, and everyone showed their agreement by yelling out "yeah."

"A fight club is not how you unwind." I retorted.

"Check this out. Two people in the ring, we bet on who we think is going to win. The winner is compensated." Henry said nonchalantly.

"That's the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard. You bastards fight people every week; why would you guys want to fight each other." I replied in a bored tone.

"Aww, come on. That's the stick up your ass talking." Henry groaned.

"Stop talking about my ass." I turned around and began walking back towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Felipe yelled at me.

"To unwind elsewhere. I suggest you all get back to your rooms soon. Regardless if you're tired or not, we have shit to do in the morning." I added before grasping the doorknob to leave.

"Damn, I had a great bet set up too." A voice spoke behind me, which made me stop my tracks for a second. "I wanted to see if I could get Harley for a night." I could hear the smile in his voice. The group of men "ooo" and laughed at his words. I didn't even know other people knew about Harley. She spent most of her time away from everyone else. It seemed like everyone in the room knew about her. An unfamiliar feeling of discontent and bitterness filled me. I turned my body around, tucking my hand in my hoodie pockets, and began walking towards him.

"What's your name, kid?" I asked.

"Antonio." He crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to make himself more intimidating. He was a decent size but young nonetheless. He looked closer to Harley's age than mine. "So, do we got a deal?" He asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"I'm sorry; what was the bet again?" I asked, slightly amused.

"If I win, I get a night with your PA." He smiled proudly.

"And if I win?" I asked

"Aren't you already winning? You get to sleep with her fine ass every night." He laughed loudly, and so did everyone else. Subconscious aggravation polluted my mind. He mentioned her as if she was a paper towel that gets used and thrown away. Like she wasn't a human being, just a person made to fuck. The fact that everyone laughed just proved he wasn't the only one that thought this about her. It wasn't unexpected that they thought that since the house was full of sex workers and other workers. Everyone sees them as below par peasants that can't afford to live.

"Alright." I nodded. "However, If I win, you get on your knees in front of her and apologize for all the foul shit that just came out of your mouth," I said sternly. He looked taken aback by my unexpected words but quickly reverted to a stupid smirk.

"Deal." He nodded.

"YESSS!!!" Felipe screamed, and everyone instantly began yelling and throwing beer everywhere in excitement.

"Ay man, don't kill him." Henry came up to me as I began unzip my hoodie.

"I won't." That is all I said before entering the circle.

"Ready?!" Felipe started, "Begin!" He yelled.

Without any type of hesitation, Antonio lunged at me but missed. He followed it up by a series of multiple lunges, which were evaded easily. His face showed anger, which made this all better. He charged towards me at full speed, but before he could land any hits, I grabbed his arm and used the tension in his sprint to flip his body over. The men around us yelled with every hit and lunge. He made a quick recovery onto his feet, but it didn't last long before he lunged again towards me, and I managed to grab his arm again but this time putting him in a headlock.

"You think you're so tough and macho. That bitch Harley is just like any of the other whores in the house. I'll get her in my bed even without this stupid bet." He spat, struggling to escape from my hold. Without saying anything, I released him but only to deliver a punch square to his face. "Fuck!" He groaned and fell to the ground. Once I started, I couldn't stop. My anger had caused me to blackout, and I'd only see red. My punch was continuous and had no pause. I felt the skin on my knuckles bust open as I threw punch after punch.

"Show some fucking respect!" I yelled after I had stopped throwing punches and pulled him up by his blood-covered shirt. "Pack your shit, and I want you off my property by the morning. After you apologize to her." letting go of his limp body, I stood up and ran my hand through disheveled hair. The room was quiet now, and everyone's eyes were anywhere but at me except Felipe and Henry.

"Somebody clean this up," I said. "Everyone else, get to your rooms. Not a word about this to anyone." I added. Harley finding out about this was redundant right now. She was persistent and sensitive, so this news would only cause shame and grief. I couldn't have that after the last couple of days she has had.

"Yes, sir." Everyone mumbled out. Not saying anything else, I gave everyone one last look before exiting the scorching muggy room. My clothes were covered in sweat and splatters of blood and my pants as well. I guess it was to some avail since some of the tension I was feeling had gone away. ———————- Hi hi everyone, 👋🏽 so this is a longer chapter for y'all since the last three were rather short. There are some action and drama in this one. I hope everyone enjoyed it. A huge thank you to the people keeping up with my updates. Love y'all! And to the new readers, I hope you stick around and wait for my updates from now on. COMMENT, VOTE, AND SHARE!! KISSES