Xander's POV

"I don't understand why we had to go to Vegas just to see this guy," Henry whined.

"He doesn't leave the state. He's borderline agoraphobic." Ralph answered him.

"Then how can he be a P.I?" Henry asked.

"Enough with the questions, Henry," I interrupted.

"Just one last one," Henry said.

"What." I rolled my eyes.

"How do we know Daniel isn't at the police station right now. It's been days since we met him."

"Because he is still too busy fucking escorts and spending money that doesn't belong to him," I muttered. After we met with Daniel, I immediately went to my stash houses to move my products to new, unknown facilities. I switched out all the men working in the facilities so no one could be traced back to a specific place. All the weaponry is being moved out of the estate as we speak. Whatever Daniel is doing is no concern to me anymore. He said what he said and did what he did; now, my only objective is fucking his world up. We met with one of Ralph's close associates--Caesar--who happens to be a very illegal- private investigator. Daniel got on a plane to Vegas after leaving our meeting and was hitting up every casino on the strip trying to earn some fast cash. Benny called me the next day and told me Daniel tried to contact him so that he can buy some more products. Of course, Benny declined, which only drove that bastard into a temper tantrum as childish as him. Shortly after, he found himself performing lewd acts with multiple escorts; Caesar caught it all on camera. The past three days we've spent surveying his repetitive, dull activities.

"Who would've thought Daniel was into butt stuff," Felipe said, examining the photos we'd just received from Caesar. "Look at the size of this butt plug, for fucks sake." He pushed the photo in front of my face. The photo was of a slim blonde girl handing the object to Daniel with a smile on both of their faces.

"Put those away; I'm so tired of looking at that fuckers face." I pushed his hand away, and he complied and put them back into the sealed folder.

"The jets ready, boss," Ralph called from the front seat of the car. He had his phone pressed up against his ear.

"Good. Call the driver; when we land, we are going to my father's estate." I nodded to him.

"It'll be good to see Tio after a while," Ralph said.

"This won't be a family reunion," I muttered, exiting the car.

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"-the fuck is going on here," Ralph dragged on as the driver pulled into my father's long circle driveway. People infested the entirety of the driveway, yard, and back yard—individuals filed in and out of the house. Small humans ran around everywhere, dropping snacks from the buffet table in the grass and spilling juice on themselves. Girls and boys chased each other like a cat chasing a dog. Pregnant women chatter amongst themselves, and fathers patted each other on the back harshly and let out a hearty laughter. I spotted my father hunched over, conversing with an associate of his. My chest instantly tightened when his eyes shifted to us and landed on me. His eyes instantly narrowed, and his forehead frowned.

"Looks like hell." Henry cringed. "Why are there gremlins running around jefe's house?" his face twisted as he stared down the small children.

My father continued his conversation half-heartedly, not taking his eyes off of us. He's pissed. I could see the fire in his eyes. It's the exact look I make when I'm angry. This was inevitable. I know he heard about huncho's death and the beef with Daniel. He was giving me time to fix everything--a headstart. He most likely knows everything about Harley, too, now. Who knows what's in store for me right now.

"Let's head in," I announced. Just as we all shifted to get out of the car, my phone began to vibrate loudly in my suit pocket. With everyone's eyes now on me, I looked down to see who it was. A message from Emilio appeared on the screen. It was a photo. I clicked on it to enhance the size. It was a picture of Harley sitting on top of her silk-covered bed; her thick golden brown thighs were crossed on top of one another. Her hands were on her irresistible hips. Half her ass was sticking out of those flimsy shorts she had on-the type that I'd tell her to change out of immediately. My pants instantly tightened at the sight. Fuck she's beautiful. Her curly long voluminous dark hair polluted her shoulders. Her small yet plump lips were puckered, and her eyes were closed, and her eyelashes rested on her plump cheeks like she was throwing a fit, and he just caught her in the middle of it. I felt the corner of my lips turn upwards almost immediately. Suddenly my eyes shifted to the side of the screen. An empty grey goose bottle laid on the side of the bed. She was drunk. Worrisome and anger began to creep up my body.

"Go on ahead. Tell my father I'll be in shortly," I announced to everyone. They all responded in their own ways and exited the car leaving me alone.

My fingers moved quickly, dialing his number. I pushed the phone up to my ear, waiting for the idiot to answer. Finally, the ringing stopped.

"Hey, boss," Emilio chirped. "What's up." He said casually.

"Which one of you morons did it?" My voice blared through the phone.

"Emilio. And Pedro." Julian called from the background. "Mostly Emilio, though." He chuckled. Of course, they did.

"You had one job," I said. "All you had to do was watch her. That's it!"I said a little louder now. "I don't remember instructing you to get her drunk."

"It was a joke, boss. She asked for a drink, so I gave her one. She's fine now." Emilio replied. Why would she ask for a drink? That was very unlike her. Still, his casualness made me angrier.

"I'm going to wring your damn neck." I spat.

"Emilio." A velvety voice interrupted. "Give me the phone," she said softly. Almost low enough that I couldn't hear. I didn't know she was there, listening. The entire time, I didn't contact Harley for a reason. I didn't want to hear her voice. The second I did, I knew I'd go running back to see her. I couldn't do the distraction. She was already constantly on my mind. I couldn't see and hear her now. It wasn't time to be distant. Daniel is in my grasp, and I am ready to squeeze him till he's nothing. So I wouldn't have to worry about being apart from her ever again.

"I'll talk to you later, boss," Emilio muttered. The call went silent. I could only hear shuffling and a door close. Her soft breathing sounded through the phone. It sent a chill down my spine. My abs clenched, waiting for her to speak.

"X-Xander," She breathed. Fuck, that was it. I'm ruined.

"Hey, princesa." I sighed. Trying to contain myself, I fixed myself up and took a deep necessary breath. "Are you okay?" I asked. She didn't sound wasted anymore.

"Y-yes. I'm fine." She squeaked. She definitely wasn't. Unable to show how worried I was about her, I opted for my usual harsh response.

"Don't drink anymore, Harley, or I swear to god I-" I began, but she stopped me like she couldn't care less about the consequence. Stubborn as always.

"Where are yo-you?" She asked. "You said you'd be back in two days. Are you hurt? What about your wounds? Have you cleaned them?" She rambled.

A deep chuckled left my mouth. She was distressed. The entire time I wasn't talking to her for the sake of my own mental state, but it was hurting her. I could hear the tears building up behind her voice. She was upset, and I was the reason why. Yet still, she worried about me. My heart picked up speed instantly. I was content that she was thinking about me as much as I was thinking about her, but that made the realization even stronger. I'd have to tell the truth eventually, and all those feelings she has for me will cease to exist. I couldn't allow it to happen. I had to get rid of Daniel as quickly as possible. "I'm okay, Harley. Stop worrying about me." I said.

"Well- why aren't you back yet?" She asked. Another bang to my chest. She was waiting for me to return. Pushing the thoughts, I cleared my throat.

"I'll be back soon." I pushed aside her question. "Rest a lot, cariño. I've got to go." I breathed, and without waiting for a response, I ended the call. I couldn't hear anymore. I'd jump in the driver's seat and drive to her right now. There was still so much to do and so much to think about. An uneasy feeling brewed in me, stronger than ever before. This job comes with that feeling, but now it was different.

Concerned, I exited the car, making sure to lock it after me. All of the photos and tapes of Daniel's endeavors were in there. Including his voice message to Benny Rios. The evidence Daniel allegedly had on me was nothing compared to what I had against him. Phone calls, photos, contracts, videos, and text messages sat back at the house waiting to be used.

Dodging people left, and right, I strutted towards the house. My father left with the rest of the guys, which means they are in his office, and he has already begun the interrogation. Some of the men I worked with were forever loyal to my father; whatever was happening, he knew. As much as I hated it, he deserved to know. He built this empire with his bare hands, and I had the burden of growing it. In the 50 years, he has been in this business, no one has ever gotten this close to exposing the cartel. He had to be burning in a fury right now.

As I walked, children ran past me to the playset on the lawn. I hated kids more than anything. They were sticky, dirty, talkative, rude, and most of all annoying. Even my step-siblings drove me mad. I could tolerate them more than others, though. At least I know my father taught them manners and cleanliness.

"Bubba!" A small voice screamed in front of me. I spoke too soon. "You're here, jefe." A small person straddled my legs, halting my steps. My young brother, Gabriel, stared up at me while I looked down at him. His light brown hair was long to his shoulders, and he had on a tiny person suit. Of course, my father dressed him. He wiped his wild hair away from his face every second. He'd have to endure it for a couple more years since I knew my father would never let him cut his golden locks. I wasn't allowed to until I was 13.

"I told you to stop calling me Jefe." I shook his body off of me. I rarely visited my siblings, as I was busy all of the time--not that their mother wanted me around them. However, when I did, they were always overjoyed to see me.

"But everybody calls you that," He frowned.

"Bubba!" Another voice yelled, followed by the sound of small steps smacking against the pavement. I almost forgot there was another one. One more noisy and annoying. My young sister, Maria, flashed me a toothless smile. Her long wavy hair was tied in a neat ponytail on her head with a red ribbon fastened around it. Her red polka dot dress flapped in the wind gently.

"Are you suppose to be missing that many teeth?" I looked down at her in concern.

"Yup, I swear it." She nodded her head. "It's a good thing, bubba. Last night I lost my front tooth, and the tooth fairy gave me $100 whole dollars." She squealed. A wide smile plastered on her face as she jumped up and down in excitement.

"The tooth fairy is just your mother, Maria." I deadpanned, looking away, annoyed. "Why are all these people here?" I looked down at the twins.

"We graduated 5th grade, so daddy threw us a party," Maria said. It must be nice. All I got for graduation was sent away.

"Aren't you suppose to be in like 3rd grade?" I asked, perplexed.

"Yes, but we're smart. Unlike you." Maria smirked.

"Oh yeah?" I looked down at her, amused.

"Yup and Mama said you're a fuck up, and she said you're never getting married." Maria giggled.

I bent down to their level, so we saw eye to eye. "Oh really?" I snickered. I couldn't help but laugh at the way she cursed so effortlessly. She was definitely a Sanchez. Feisty and blunt. "Well, she's not wrong about the first part," I said, grabbing Maria's arms and lifting her up. Her arms instinctively wrapped around my broad shoulders. "But the second part is very wrong," I said, tapping the top of her tiny nose lightly.

"You have a wife, jefe?" Gabriel asked.

"Sure, you could say that" I shrugged. I felt weirdly confident saying such a blatant lie. Maybe because I knew there was some truth to it. I would make Harley my wife if I wanted to.

"Liar." Maria frowned. "Who would love you?" she teased. Although she was playing, my body couldn't help but cringe at her words. The same question running through my mind for the past week was just confirmed by a 7-year-old.

"Am not." I frowned. "She very stubborn, just like you," I said, tickling her in the process.

"Really? Is she as pretty as me too?" She raised her eyebrow and flipped her hair back dramatically. She was all attitude.

"Oh, she's gorgeous. Wanna see?" I asked, pulling my phone out. The image of Harley from only a moment ago appeared on my phone. "See." I showed turned the phone to them. Both of them paused and squinted their tiny eyes to view the photo.

"She looks crazy, bubba," Gabriel confessed. "Are you in love with a crazy person?" Gabriel asked.

"Yes, I am." I nodded curtly. She did drive me crazy.

"Well, I like her," Maria said.

"I'm glad. You're gonna meet her soon." I said, placing Maria back on the ground. "So make sure to tell your mom that."

"I don't think mom's gonna like her much." Gabriel shook his head.

"Yeah, well, her opinion doesn't matter much; your mom's a hoe." I smiled down at him then straightened my face back out.

"What does hoe mean?" Gabriel asked frantically.

"I don't know, go ask your mom. She'll tell you," I said, shooing him away and walking away from them finally. I forgot how draining it was talking to small people. It's like trying to communicate with smart dogs.

"See you later, Bubba," Maria called after me. Gabriel has already run off to his mom, I'm sure. It was a nice intermission to what was about to come next.

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heyyyy yall!! if u haven't already, go check out my character list/mood board chapter. I think it'll be helpful to everyone. I thought I'd make a more wholesome chapter before the dramatic shit goes down. comment predictions, thoughts, concerns. Vote if u enjoyed. Much love to all of u.

KISSESSS XXOXOXO