ALVARO

From the corner of his eye, he watched her wiggle in her seat and then stop completely when he turned to look at her.

"Are you sure you're alright, tigress?" Alvaro finally asked, returning his eyes to the road ahead of him.

Clara hesitated to answer but nodded nonetheless, "I am okay. I just don't think we had to put it there."

He could not stop the smirk that appeared on his face.

"Put what where?" He did not miss the frown that she sent him before looking away. "Well, I am sorry if you are uncomfortable but that's the safest place you can keep a tracker."

"Then why did you put yours in your arm?" She bit back and he simply shrugged.

"I don't have a vagina to put it in now, do I?" Varo laughed when he felt her hit his arm in embarrassment. "If anything happens, having a chip in an obvious place would dissuade any idea that you have one as well."

With one hand, he grabbed her attacking wrist and brought it to his lips.

"Just because you insisted on going with me does not mean I want to lose sight of you or put you in harm's way, tigress." Just as the expression on her face softened, he added, "And I did not want to pass up an opportunity to touch you."

"Mr. Montez." She said sharply removing her hand from his grip and he easily waved it off. He was used to her.

"If it bothers you so much, we could adjust it right here." His hand slyly crept to her thigh and she immediately smacked it away.

She humored him.

"Do you think Giannini would just let it all go?" Clara asked after some time while he just rolled his eyes.

If it were up to him, he'd torch Giovanni, send Giannini the burnt offering then call it a day. But with Tobias involved, he had to play nice... or diplomatic, to say the least.

"Do you want to know what I really think?" Her body made him continue. "I think Giannini isn't as stupid as Gustavo is putting him up to be and I think he has some other plan in store for us right now. So no, Clara, I do not think Giannini would let it all go. People like him are like bed bugs. It's only a matter of time until they're popping up out of the woodwork again."

He took Clara's silence as fear and held her hand again.

He did not mean to scare her but certain things had to be said.

"Are you afraid, my queen?" He asked, kissing her cold fingers. "Do you want to know what else I think?"

"No..."

He laughed at her answer.

I think we're walking into his trap at this very moment.

"How about we go to a restaurant or something after this? I'm starving." He said and she nodded.

"I'm thinking spaghetti, you?" He bit his lip in thought.

He was never picky when it came to food.

"I want seafood. Like lobster or some-" The distinct notification sound interrupted him as his eyes fell on his phone. "Help me check?"

He would usually stop to respond but he was already running behind.

"Luis says he's done with the vest." A chuckle escaped his lips as she read the text. "What vest?"

"You'll see."

Having a Plan A to F was something he had learned from the best.

~~~

"Do you think we should honk and flash at them or something?" Clara asked nervously as they both watched the SUVs in front of them.

The occupants were motionless in the car.

"What do you think this is? Hangover 3??" Varo said sarcastically as he tapped his earpiece. "You in?"

There was a brief positive response before he turned back to Clara. "Now go outside and flail around like a bird or something."

Her eyes widened at his proposal and she immediately grabbed her seatbelt.

"Are you serious at this moment, Mr. Montez?!" He laughed at her expression and unbuckled his seatbelt.

"It's only a joke, tigress."

"Well, not everything is to be joked with." Her blue eyes seemed sharper as she chastised him, making it impossible for him to take her seriously.

"Of course, Miss Ferguson." He unlocked the car, leaving the key in the ignition as he turned to her. "No matter what, do not leave the car, si?"

"Si."

He was about to leave the car when he paused and turned to her. Before she could react, he pulled her chin towards him, not hesitating to join their lips.

Unfortunately for him, it was a short kiss but his tongue was almost down her throat. Any longer, he would not mind having sex in the car with a dozen armed men waiting for him outside.

"If anything, get into the driver's seat and drive away." He said when they pulled away, watching her run her tongue over her bottom lip.

She tasted like strawberry.

"Okay." He wished he could find a morsel of truth in her eyes as she said so. "Is your gun loaded?"

His palm remained at the nape of her neck, his thumb drawing circles on it. She had worn the thin necklace he got her.

"When is it not?"

~~~

People bored him.

Especially the ones that were uninteresting to look at. Especially the ones that should have their bodies rotting by now.

"I'm glad we're meeting on better terms, Varo Loco." He nearly rolled his eyes at the speaker who leaned against a black SUV while holding a matching briefcase.

There's no way that's up to fifteen million.

He lazily stared at Kent Wallace as he pulled out a cigarette. He was not calm enough for this.

"Where is Giovanni?" The American asked, irked at Varo's nonchalantness.

The guards surrounding him were making him a bit too bold for Alvaro's liking.

He sucked in a whiff of the nicotine, letting it warm his lungs before blowing it out.

"I should have killed you last night."

Kent's dramatic facial expression fall entertained him.

No wonder Eniola dumped your ass.

"Well, you can try." The man quickly recovered, "There's about ten of us and one of you."

Varo cocked his head to the side with an amused smile.

"Do not tempt me." He decided to not humour Kent's stupidity and spoke into his earpiece. "Bring him out."

A few seconds later, two people stumbled out of a corner, one with blue hair and the other with a bag over his head. What he had on him, however-

"What the fuck is that?!" Kent yelled, forcing Alvaro's smile to stretch as he doubled over in laughter. The guards around him were quick to cock their guns at Alvaro who could not care less.

It would not be his first time in a gunfight. Or any fight to say the least.

"Do you not like it?" He said, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He had thought the idea was rather impressive. "I saw it in the Three Kings movie and thought it was a pretty good idea."

Luis on the other hand was rather unphased as he brought forward a blindfolded Giovanni who was strapped in a bomb jacket.

"Go ahead, Wallace. There are ten of you, aren't there?" He teased, taking another drag out of his cigarette. "You want one?" He asked his cousin.

"Is that up to fifteen million?" Luis asked instead and Varo shrugged.

"It's two million. There are six other bags." Kent said defeatedly, dropping the briefcase by Alvaro's feet.

Little by little, the stack grew higher until all seven cases were out.

When the first one was opened by a guard's quite shaky hands, Alvaro's expression dulled.

"Yeah, I ain't counting this shit."

They would answer Tobias if it were one penny short. He was done there.

He nodded at Luis who pushed Giovanni over to his people, "Good luck detaching the vest. It took me all night to get it on him."

He looked at the time on his wrist with a frown. It was 9 in the evening and he had not eaten all day.

Fucking hell.

He took one last look at Giovanni's neatly bandaged wrist and Wallace's pork face.

"Let's get out of here." Varo gestured at Luis, tossing the cigarette at Wallace's feet.

As he left and headed to the car where Clara waited, he could not help but sense that something was off about the entire thing.

He had never met someone willing to dissolve an issue so easily.

"Is it over?" She asked as he shut the door. He could only mask his concerns with a smirk.

"I'll tell you about it after dinner."

The relieved smile she sent to him calmed his mind as he started the vehicle. Offering his hand to her, she took it, taking him by surprise as she brought it to her own lips.

"That's my thing." He said lightly, pulling their intertwined fingers to his chest.

She only laughed in response as she leaned into her seat and looked at the passing vehicles.

Varo did not know he was smiling until he caught himself with a quiet laugh.

Rocket science was not needed to show he was actually healing. It was the first time he had been truly happy in years.

~~~

It might have been a five-star restaurant but he hardly enjoyed foods he did not cook.

"You must be enjoying your food." He said, eyeing as Clara practically inhaled her dessert across from him.

"How could I not? It's amazing!" She replied, sucking on the fork for a second too long.

Her eyes fluttered shut as she hummed in delight. She's fucking lucky we're in public.

"Uh huh..." Varo watched as her tongue ran through her lips, claiming the last piece of cake on it.

He on the other hand would have preferred something sweeter.

"We haven't fucked in a while..." He casually brought up, grinning as she nearly choked on the cake.

She held a finger up to him, indicating he paused as she picked up her martini.

He on the other hand had a miserly glass of water after promising he would attempt to stay sober.

For some odd reason, she believed he was an alcoholic.

"Don't say things like that in public." She chided, her blue eyes peeking at other dinners.

There were very few people in the area and they cared little about what was being discussed.

Varo rolled his eyes and stole a bit of her cake. It wasn't the best he had tasted but it was chocolate so he would let it slide.

"Would you prefer we give them a show?" He retorted, watching her glossy lips curl into a frown.

He would never get tired of reeling her up but still, he knew there were boundaries.

Clara was not completely comfortable with being too close in public and he was fine with it. As long as nobody else gets close to her, we're cool.

It still did not mean he would miss a chance to discreetly hold her hand or thigh or back of her neck whenever he was close enough.

"So you're planning on going back to Cuba?" She asked and he gave her a single nod.

"I have a bit of work to do there before I head to Cadiz." She tilted her head in questioning.

"You're moving there permanently?" Clara asked again. "With Hanifa?"

"It's for the best. I can't have her in Cuba." Varo started, "I may have work to do and prefer her to be with Jacinto and Tobias."

"So he's really leaving..."

"He has spent fifteen years here not on his own accord. I'm sure he'd like to settle in his hometown."

Alvaro knew Tobias was longing to go back to Spain and felt awkward whenever he discussed plans for himself and Hanifa. He thought Tobias believed he had life all figured out.

In a real sense, the lawyer knew nothing about settling down.

He was going to be a committed father with trauma. According to Clara, he needed to take anger management classes and then go to rehab.

He hardly did drugs. Emphasis on 'hardly'.

The worst he did was percocet and that was months ago. So as far as he knew, he was clean and he planned on staying that way.

"And you'd prefer Rebecca took over the firm?" Clara asked disbelievingly and Alvaro shrugged.

He had zero doubts that the woman would run the company into the ground.

"As long as Gato can finally relax." He remembered a single detail. "Would you not be her assistant?"

"I already told Mr. Tobias, I'll return to London once he leaves. I've been here long enough."

Clara's answer surprised him.

He had believed she would work for Rebecca just as she had done for Tobias. There goes my plan of coming to the States at every slight inconvenience.

He finally nodded in understanding. Clara had worked for Tobias and his father. She too deserved a break.

"Come to Spain with us." He said lightly, watching her chuckle in response.

"If Mr. Tobias needs an assistant for whatever he would be doing there, I'd consider it."

Alvaro knew Tobias planned to be fully unemployed for the rest of his life.

"I have a law firm in Valencia. I'll need an assistant." He said and she raised a brow at him.

"I thought you already had one."

He made a mental note to fire an innocent woman.

"Do I..." He trailed off as his eyes caught an approaching vehicle from outside the glass wall.

It looked similar.

"What's wrong?"

His gaze remained on the car as it parked right in front of him.

He did not have a good feeling about it.

"I've seen this car before—" The car opened, revealing a head filled with sandy blonde hair.

The annoying American was back again. His entourage however was quite the amount. He had about four SUVs pulling up beside him.

Hastily, he pulled Clara with him as they dropped behind the table forcing the people around to stare at them.

"Mr. Montez, what are you doing?!" Clara nearly yelled as he took a second to peek ahead of them.

Confirming his suspicions, he tapped the piece on his earpiece.

"Varo Loco, what's up?" Mateo's voice sounded in his ear.

"Come here, right fucking now!" He whispered harshly, watching as Clara's eyes widened after peeking too. "Keep your head down!"

"What? Why?" Mateo asked stupidly and before Alvaro could answer, loud glass shattering distracted him and the entire restaurant.

Gunshots followed, ruining the painting right above their heads making him frown.

He had liked that portrait.

"Mr. Montez, Kent Wallace is here," Clara said panicked. Her grip on his hand was beginning to get painful. "I think he saw us."

"Kent? What the fuck is shit face doing there?" Mateo asked, "Is he the one shooting right now? Are you guys alright?"

"Well, what the fuck do you think, Neutron?" He said, quickly reaching for the gun loyally placed on his hip. "Get here quick!"

He cocked the gun and passed it to Clara then retrieved another.

"Shoot at anybody- FUCKING HELL!" He yelled as a bullet whizzed past his ear.

He was almost shot and it made him angry.

"Okay okay, hold on for one fucking minute!" Varo said loudly and raised his hands above the table, hoping he would not get shot.

Fortunately, the shooting stopped and he stood to his feet, gesturing at Clara to stay down.

"Kent I know I called you ugly but do you have to take it that personally?" He started, coming face to face with the American. If he could just stall them for long enough.

"Don Berlusconi wants you. Now." Kent said, pointing a double-barrel gun at the lawyer. How dramatic.

Varo cocked his head to the side, "Gustavo already has my number, why would he send you?"

He felt smug as Kent tried to conceal a scowl.

"I'm talking about Don Giannini—"

"Now who the fuck is that?" His reply was a cocked gun pointed in his face. Even he knew when he had to shut up.

"I'm not going to play games this time, Varo Loco. You have the option to come peacefully." Kent warned and Varo rolled his eyes and brought his hands down.

Peacefully my ass.

If only the men would come quickly.

"Where's the fun in that?" He asked, his mood slightly dampening at Kent's new smile.

"Mr. Montez?"

He nearly facepalmed himself when he heard Clara's voice and soon, she came into his view. Even the discomfort he felt from Kent's gun pressed into his neck could not compare to seeing her surrounded by Berlusconi's hoodlums.

"For fuck's sake, Kent. Leave her out of this." He said calmly.

She did not have to be involved in this.

"But where's the fun in that?" He was proud she was trying to conceal her fear.

He still feared for her.

"What about now, Varo Loco?" He asked, making Varo smirk back.

He had an even better reason to kill the bastard.

"I still think you're fucking ugly."

That was the last thing he said until something heavy struck him at the back of his head.

Fucking prick.

~~~

I ain't got memes for this... Moving on!👁️👄👁️