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downwiththeficness · 9 days

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In the Blood-Prologue

Pairing: Brasa/Female OC

Words: ~1,000

Content: Blood

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight Part Nine Part Ten Part Eleven Part Twelve

A/N: Listen, I haven’t written for fandom in a really long time, but I got a bug for the oddest character–and, well, it wouldn’t leave me the fuck alone. So, you know, here’s where it starts. I’m not in a place where I can write novel length fic, but I figure I can do a kind of slice of life type deal where each chapter is a moment the moves the story along. This is complete AU, after the series. Brasa survived the explosion and goes on to build an empire.

It started with a nightmare. She was standing chest deep in a warm pool and it was so dark that she couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of her. Below, her feet were pressed against the smooth bottom. She took a step forward, her mouth curling at the odd texture of the water. It was thick and stuck to her fingers as she brought them closer to her face. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as the smell of copper reached her nose.

Throwing her hands down, she looked over both shoulders, trying to find a ladder, or stairs, out of the pit of blood. It stirred around her, clinging to the material of her dress and staining the white with red. As carefully as she could, she picked a direction and walked, her hands out in front of her to catch on any ledge that would allow her to get the fuck out.

Above the slosh, a sound caught her attention and she froze. Swallowing, she glanced carefully around, looking for the source. A moment later, it sounded again. Something was moving beneath the surface.

A kind of impotent panic welled up from her stomach, rising assuredly into her esophagus and burning at the back of her throat. She couldn’t stop the choked sound that fell out of her when the pool lurched, something creating waves at the surface. Absurdly, she backed up a few steps, before forcing herself to stop. Maybe if she didn’t move, it wouldn’t notice her.

Hands hovering above the surface, blood dripping from her fingertips, she waited. Breath held, she blinked. Waiting. It moved again, this time towards her. Her hands balled into fists and she resisted the urge to shuffle even further backwards. When she couldn’t hold her breath anymore, it came out in short pants, air barely moving in and out.

Everything went still. Even the ripples of blood at the surface stilled. She squinted into the red-tinged darkness, willing her eyes to adjust. They didn’t. Another tear fell across her cheek, and she almost moved to wipe it away, stopping when she remembered what her hands and most of her arms were covered in.

There was another moment of silence, and then the blood in front of her heaved up towards her face. Hands reached out of it and gripped her forearms, holding them still while the rest of her body arced away. Her feet slipped out from beneath her and she felt her body begin to fall. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced to sink completely below the surface.

Except—she didn’t fall. One of the hands holding her reached out and gripped the back of her neck, hauling her forward against something solid and human shaped. She kept her eyes shut, her free hand pushing against whatever she could reach and finding no purchase.

A growl rumbled against her chest and belly and she pulled her lip between her teeth to keep from screaming. And then, more quiet. There was no doubt that she was being held immobile, but the grip wasn’t hurting her. Her body was intact, though her psyche felt like it was going to crack into pieces.

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes, tilting her chin down from where she’d tried to turn away. It was a man, though it was hard to tell with the thick layer of blood oozing down from mussed hair. Dark hair. Dark brows. Dark eyes. She was pressed against him from chest to thigh and he was looking at her as if he couldn’t quite believe she was there. Her hands flexed, attempting once more to push away. A low sound of censure stopped her movements. Eyes wide, she waited.

He looked her over, assessing what he held in his hands. She flinched when he leaned down and inhaled deeply, the air filling his lungs and down into his belly. His exhale was half a laugh, his eyes lifting back to her face. A smile that wanted to form on his face fell away. The hand cradling the back of her skull shifted and ran down the length of her neck slowly.

Everything in her screamed that she was in danger, but she couldn’t move. It wasn’t just his grip that held her captive. It was the way his gaze was soaking her in, as if he could barely stand not to look at her. The hand holding her forearm slipped down and to the small of her back, the other laying flat against the side of her neck. His thumb rotated under her chin so that she was looking him in the eyes.

“Finally,” he breathed.

Lilah caught a flash of teeth that were entirely too long streaking across her vision before she found herself sitting up in bed, a scream dying in her throat. She ran her hands over her nightdress, finding that it was white once more. Her arms were dry, her hair sticking to her face with sweat, though the room was freezing.

With a sigh, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and ran her hands over her face. When it came to nightmares, Lilah was more than experienced. A pool of blood was a first. A blood covered man was also a first. She moved to the bathroom and turned on the shower, throwing off her nightdress and stepping inside. Her morning routine was completed without much thought. Today was not a day where she needed to pay attention to how she looked.

On the bathroom counter, her cell phone alarm went off. She turned off the water and grabbed a towel. Ten minutes to show time. Slipping on a comfy pair of pants and a light cotton t-shirt, she sat down and her computer and woke it up. After pushing her wireless headphones into her ears, she brought up the security feeds for the hotel she was staying in. She also brought up the team messenger and voice command programs.

“Everyone online?”

From the headphones, she heard various acknowledgments from her team members.

“Great,” she said, focusing on her laptop screen. “Let’s get started.”

#brasa #from dusk til dawn: the series #from dusk til dawn #maurice compte #In the Blood

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downwiththeficness · 9 days

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So, here's the deal

I had some slight delays in writing my next fic. This has resulted in needing to take a little bit longer break than I normally do between posts. I'll be taking eight weeks instead of four, this time. The extended time will give me the opportunity to really dig down into the fic I'm writing now so that I can post chapters that are fully edited.

I hope you'll bear with me.

In the meantime, I'll be reblogging some of my back catalogue. I encourage you to read through my earlier work while you wait for the new stuff to post.

#ficness thoughts #writing #fic #author

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downwiththeficness · 16 days

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Shadow and Veil-Chapter Forty Seven (Final Chapter)

Summary: Eva Moore’s life was a carefully constructed fiction. Every day, she did exactly what her mother in law, her husband, and his best friend expected of her. No mistakes. And, that was going pretty well for Eva right up until a huge complication literally tried to run her over. Now, she’s faced with trying to keep the pieces of her life from falling apart while attempting (and failing) to keep her feelings for her husband’s new business partner at bay.

A/N: This fic is a sister-fic to A Need So Great and A Need Unleashed. You do not need to have read ANSG or ANU to read this fic, but there are Easter eggs from those fics in Shadow and Veil for readers with keen eyes. This fic is explicit for canon-compliant blood, gore, violence, and sex. As such, it is intended for an adult audience, only. A/B/O dynamics come with their own warning. Anyone under the age of 18 should not interact with this work. I do not consent to reposting this work to other platforms. Reblog only to Tumblr.

Word Count: ~1,100

Start from the beginning Previous Chapter

Masterlist Read on AO3

Eva sat in the front seat of Horacio’s truck, looking around with interest. There were cars parked in uniform lines on either side of her, each of them pointed at a huge screen.

The weather was just this side of too hot, one last burst of heat before the rainy season. Above, the moon shone high and full, illuminating the field and surrounding forest. The field was tucked away from the road and all the streetlights, leaving them in near darkness that was cut through with the pre-show animations.

She had no idea who Peter Fonda was, or what it meant to be a ‘hired hand’, but Horacio loved Westerns and that was enough for her. She didn’t care that it would be dubbed in Spanish, Eva was just glad to be out and about.

Coming back to Colombia was like surfacing from underwater and taking a huge breath. She was finally back in the home she shared with Horacio. Finally back in their bed. It didn’t matter that Horacio got right back to work or that Eva still couldn’t find a job.

She was home.

Finally.

The door opened and Horacio dropped into the passenger’s seat with an armful of candy and other treats. Eva stared at the bounty, surprised, “We’re never going to eat all that.”

He lifted a brow, “I’ve seen your snack platters, Eva.”

The man had a point.

“I withdraw my statement.”

Eva carefully arranged the snacks on the console between them, making sure to group them by category—salty, sweet, sour, savory. Picking up a small cut of diced fruit, she got comfortable and dug in.

“Carlos asked us over for dinner,” Horacio mentioned casually.

“Oh?”

He nodded, “He got a new grill and wants to test it out.”

Eva chuckled around a bit of mango, “Should we bring a hose?”

Turning a little in his seat, Horacio’s mouth lifted in half a smile, “He said he has one, We’ll keep it at the ready.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Eva said as she picked up at box of sour candy and slid her thumb under the cardboard.

He was quiet a moment, watching her pick through the candies to find a red one. Then, “He said something else, too.”

She looked up in question and murmured an intrigued, “What did he say?”

Horacio’s earnest expression and the way he was watching her intently set her back a step. He looked nervous, almost worried. She reached over and touched his arm, finding it trembling, “What did he say?”

His palm laid atop hers, “That I was taking our relationship for granted.”

Stunned, Eva shook her head, “I don’t think…”

He cut her off, “I have. A little. I was so...confident that you were mine from the very beginning.” A hand waved away Eva’s soft ‘I was’. He took a breath, “I made a lot of decisions for you. I pushed you too hard. And, I am so grateful that you didn’t tell me to fuck off.”

Eva laughed soundlessly, “Oh, I wanted to a few times.”

“I know,” Horacio drawled, with humor. “I deserved it.”

She sighed, “It was...an impossible situation.” A pause, “Was. Its not impossible anymore. This,” she squeezed his arm, “this is an easy thing.”

Horacio smiled, “You’re right. And, I’ve been so focused on my work, and then Mexico happened.” He drew a breath, “Then…”

Eva shivered as his hand drifted across her gland. Her throat tightened around the still too fresh feeling of their bond.

“So,” he rasped, “I have something for you.”

He reached over to the glove compartment and pulled out a small deli box. Eva smiled when he handed it to her, that smile growing when she recognized the logo on the top. They had been back to that restaurant a few times since returning from their trip. The food was as good as she remembered it.

“I had them make that special. For the occasion.”

Thumb pushing open the top, Eva almost laughed at the little cake inside. Oblong and golden brown, the homemade Twinkie sat on a bed of chocolate shavings. The sweet smell of fried dough reached her nose, telling Eva that it was going to be absolutely delicious.

When she looked up to thank Horacio, he was also holding a box. This one was considerably smaller, fitting in to the palm of his hand. Eva’s breath caught and the weight of what he was doing settled over her.

“I know this is late,” he said, “But, I—ah—I wanted to give you this.”

She took the box from him and opened it. Her eyes watered when she saw what was inside. Blinking away the tears, Eva plucked the ring from its velvet cushion. Set in silver, the oval sapphire was flanked on either side by small, glittering diamonds. Eva slid it on her finger, turning her hand so that the stones glinted in the dim light.

“Its perfect,” she croaked around all her love for him.

Horacio let out a relieved breath, “I’m so glad you like it.”

“I do like it,” she replied, leaning over the console to kiss him. “How did you even get this? You’ve been at work, or with me the whole time we’ve been back.”

His smile was shy, “I actually bought it in Mexico. While we were...apart.” He took a steadying breath, “I told myself that I would give it to you when I got you back.”

All the tears Eva had been holding back burst forth with an ugly sob. She sniffed loudly and reached for him. Eva held him tightly to her, buried her face into his neck, and breathed in tobacco and vetiver.

“I love you,” she breathed, pulling back to kiss his forehead, his cheek, his lips.

Horacio smiled into the kiss, “Let me take you home.”

“We’ll miss the movie,” she murmured, “Look, its already starting.”

Eva was right. The title screen had just faded away and music was swelling through the little speakers. He didn’t even glance in the direction of the screen, “We’ll catch another show.”

“You promised,” Eva reminded him.

A sigh, “I did promise.”

“You did.”

Licking his lips, Horacio made a noise of resignation, “Alright, I promised you a movie, and we’re going to watch it.”

“My first movie,” Eva replied, holding up a finger.

“Yes, yes. Your first movie,” he conceded, “But, the second we get back…” He let that promise hang in the air between them. Then, “Eat your Twinkie.”

Eva picked the Twinkie out from the box and broke it in half, “You want some.”

Horacio shook his head, “Even homemade, it will still be too sweet.”

“More for me,” she shot back primly.

He slung an arm over her shoulders, “Anything you want, Eva. Its all yours.”

#Shadow and Veil #Narcos #horacio carrillo #carrillo #a/b/o dynamics #maurice compte #AU

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downwiththeficness · 23 days

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Shadow and Veil-Chapter Forty Six

Word Count: ~4,200

Start from the beginning Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Masterlist Read on AO3

“We got him!”

Josh’s voice crowed from the first floor, carrying all the way up to Alexei’s room. Eva looked up from where she was cleaning the skin around his IV. Alexei’s physician (Josh) had proclaimed that his patient no longer needed intravenous fluids and was well enough get them the regular way. As usual, Eva was tasked with execution.

Alexei drew in a breath and loosed a groan before running his hand over his face. He’d been especially testy with Josh over the last twenty four hours—and more than a little grumpy with Eva. Despite his apologies and claims that he was ‘fine’, Eva knew he wasn’t feeling well.

The scar on the side of his head was healing, but the fatigue never really went away. Alexei continued to nap, would doze off at intervals. When he had energy, he would walk the upstairs hallway until he was too tired to go on. Eva had learned to keep his cane at the ready, but not to offer it to him until he was barely standing on his feet. Otherwise, she risked being a target for his frustration.

Josh cleared the door with triumph on his face, “We got him. We got the bastard.”

Was his voice always this annoying?

Alexei sat up and swung his legs over the bed, “We got who?”

“Diego. We got him.”

Eva pretended to be focused on putting away the IV stand and securing the lines while she listened to Josh talk about how he found Diego. The idiot was shopping, right out in the open. Yes, at the little store a couple blocks from the factory. My guy says he’s probably scouting our route. Too fucking bad. I’ve got a pair of men on him, now.

She had to turn her head to hide the smirk from her face, thinking that Horacio definitely knew his target. And, his plan hadn’t changed. He was putting himself out there for Josh to find. And, with any luck, Horacio would follow Josh’s lead right back to Eva.

Her hand slipped down the length of the IV line, catching the needle. It would need to be put into the sharps container for safety. She carefully pulled it from the line and moved to the bathroom. As she held it above the container, an idea occurred to her.

Small. Thin. Metal.

She used a bit of alcohol to clean the needle and wrapped it in thick gauze and a little bit of medical bandage. On her return trip to the bedroom, Eva pushed the bundle into her pocket.

The phone rang.

Josh, even more excited, rushed to answer it.

Having schooled her expression, Eva turned to find Alexei testing his weight without his cane, “You think he’s actually found him?”

Alexei’s mouth turned down, “I would put money on it. The man he’s hired, Luis, is ex-military. And, fairly competent.” He paused while he circled the bed, “Diego isn’t likely to give him the slip.”

Eva watched him move across the room with a careful step, “Didn’t he do that, once, already?”

He shook his head, “No, that was Josh. Luis wasn’t on duty that night.”

“Ah.”

Josh returned to the room, his hands clasped in front of his chest, “Its all coming together. I’ve finally gotten it together.”

“What have you gotten together?” Alexei asked as he made the return trip to his bed.

“Him. I got him together,” Josh replied, all smiles. “Luis is bringing Diego to the warehouse.”

She tried not to flinch, but couldn’t hide the involuntary movement from Josh. He grinned at her, “Don’t worry. He’ll be too distracted to think about you.”

Grateful for his misunderstanding, Eva began to tidy the room. While she threw away the old saline bag and other accouterments, she listened to Josh talk about how he was going to put Diego in his place. Most of it was posturing, but Eva had no doubt about his intentions.

Josh was ready for murder. Or, more accurately, Alexei was ready. The man was owed for what he had to do for his cousin and it was time to pay up.

For several hours, Josh made preparations—preparations being the cultivation of the perfect outfit with matching cuff links. He carried piece after piece to Alexei’s room for approval until he was dressed smartly from head to shining leather toe. The entire performance was enough to make Eva sick.

Alexei, for his part, played along even though he’d chosen a very casual button up, jeans and sneakers. He sat primly on the end of the bed with his hands in his lap while Josh debated fabrics and prints. His recommendations were few and far between, letting Josh do most of the deciding. Superficially, he looked about as calm as he ever did. But, underneath that thin veneer, was a spark of excitement Eva hadn’t seen since she’d arrived at the house.

He was ready. Eager, even. And, a ready, eager Alexei was a deadly Alexei.

Eva, with nothing to change into, tried to drown out their conversation while resting the in the armchair. Her eyes were trained on the warehouse a few miles away, as if she could see Horacio being dragged kicking and screaming towards it.

He probably wouldn’t be kicking and screaming. Kicking, maybe. But, not screaming. Any threat Horacio made (and he would be making threats) would be uttered in a low, even tone that could not be misunderstood. The image of him leaning over a kneeling man in a glowing beam of sunlight flashed before her eyes. It was quickly followed by a golden gun pressed into sweat soaked skin.

Eva shivered.

“Alright,” Josh said as he returned to the room, “I think we’re ready, aren’t we?”

Alexei stood, “Yes.”

Josh ran his hands down a blue striped tie, pinky ring glinting, “Juan, pull the car around.” From his pocket, he produced a set of keys, “Everyone to the car.”

Instead of unlocking the cuff on her ankle, he reached for the other end. Eva’s heart sank as she watched him open the cuff and stand, tugging the chain like a leash. She swallowed down the anger in her chest, choosing instead to glare.

He rolled his eyes, “It’ll be better if you’re not in the way.”

She wanted to wipe that smile off his lips permanently. God, she wanted to shoot him right in his smug fucking face. She wanted the satisfaction of knowing he’d never smile again. Something kept her from it—kept her from reaching for the pistol in her bra. Eva couldn’t name it. Possibly a vast amount of caution. Possibly the knowledge that even an injured Alexei was still especially dangerous. Whatever it was, it left her following behind him with Alexei at her side all the way to the car.

Outside, the sun was starting to fall towards the horizon. It speared across the road, reflecting off the asphalt in hot waves that rose slowly from the pavement. Eva squinted against it, feeling adrenaline pump through her veins with every inch they got closer to the warehouse.

In the parking lot, there was only one car. A completely forgettable four dour sedan that no one would notice, except is was parked in the handicap spot.

As Juan pulled to a stop, Josh said, “I had the place cleared out. Thought you’d like some privacy.”

Alexei stared into the darkness beyond the loading dock, “Thank you. That’s very generous.”

Eva waited impatiently to be let out of the back of the car, dragging the chain the whole way. She frowned at Josh as he hustled around to catch the end of it, fingers holding the length tight.

“Wait here,” Josh directed Juan, “We’re going to be a while.”

They walked as a group into the warehouse, footsteps echoing in the empty room. The ambiance of the place was eerie—ominous, even. Not even the fans were blowing. Production in the building was completely shut down for Josh’s special event. Miguel was nowhere to be seen. Just large work tables, machines, and various tools.

And them.

Eva looked around, desperate to find Horacio and to see if he was alright. She was reasonably sure that he wouldn’t be too terribly hurt. Josh needed him conscious and capable of enduring whatever pain he was going to inflict.

Which reminded Eva of the very core of Josh’s plan.

She grit her teeth against it. No matter what Josh did, she wasn’t going to allow him to murder Horacio. It simply wouldn’t happen. If she had to kill every single person in the room, Eva was going to make sure Horacio survived. She was going to make sure their bond survived.

With a steadying breath, Eva let Josh drag her along until he reached a large machine with plastic rolls on either side. There, he secured the chain, leaving Eva to sit on the ground nearby. She could only bear the embarrassment with the knowledge that she was going to get free and raise hell.

A man emerged from the spare room. Even from a distance, Eva could smell him. He reeked of gunmetal and ash. His stride was confident. Head up. Shoulders back. This had to be Luis. Eva hated him, immediately.

He greeted Josh with a smile and the pair of them walked off towards the spare office. Alexei stayed back a moment, dropping down so that he was level with her, “When the time comes, it will be painful. You’ll hurt like you’ve never hurt before.” He put a hand on her shoulder, “You’re strong. You’ll make it.”

Eva nodded absently, her eyes on the open door of the spare office. She couldn’t hear or see anything, which left her feeling vaguely panicked. Alexei knelt a moment longer before pushing slowly to standing. He moved across the room with purpose, leaving Eva truly alone for the first time in days. She took this rare opportunity to pull the bundle of gauze from her pocket. After carefully unraveling it, she went to work.

She should have practiced.

Eva should have practiced every day until picking the lock felt as natural as slipping on a pair of heels. She tried to remember Horacio coaching her—go slow, its a feeling—all the while managing her fears about how Alexei would torture him to death. Her ears listened for screams. For the sound of pain.

An eternity (or, what was probably only minutes) later, the cuff pulled free. Eva stifled the cry of joy as she got to her feet and eased the gun from her bra. She used every ounce of skill in moving silently to sneak up to the spare office, listening intently.

Alexei was speaking roughly in Russian. Flesh hit flesh. A groan and the sound of something wet hitting concrete.

She peeked around the doorway, wincing at the way Horacio was being held down in a chair by Luis while Alexei punched him hard in the gut. Hands taped together in front of him, he had little in the way of blocking the punch and it knocked the air right out of his lungs. His eye was starting to swell and there was a cut above his brow, but he looked better than she expected. With three men standing around him, Horacio was holding his ground, looking Alexei in the eye and spitting insults at him in between blows.

Her eyes flicked around, looking for a tool box. A relieved breath left her lungs when she didn’t find one. Alexei, it seemed, was going to kill him with his bare hands. That gave her time.

The room was too small. One or all of them would be on her in half a second, before she could do anything that might give Horacio an advantage. She would need to draw them out, give them less of an opportunity to grab her. Eva turned her attention to the main floor of the warehouse, looking for a distraction—anything she could use to make noise.

On the wall was an emergency lever.

“Fire alarm,” Eva mouthed silently.

In a factory this size, there would be several fail safes to protect the building in case of a fire—especially with the kind of chemicals being stored in the far corner. She looked up, seeing the water systems criss-crossing the ceiling.

With a devious smile, she reached out and pulled the lever.

A sharp sound echoed off the walls and water poured from above. Eva gave herself room and waited. To her surprise, Horacio came stumbling out headlong. He caught himself on his bound hands, arms holding his weight on the ground. There, he took a few breaths before working to stand.

Luis followed, kicking him back to the ground.

Eva’s jaw clenched, but he held still, waiting for the others. This had to be timed perfectly. She couldn’t act a second too soon, or a second too late. Horacio’s life depended on it. They emerged soon enough. Josh glaring at the sprinklers. Alexei wiping bloody knuckled against his jeans. This was it. This was the moment. Eva had to do something, and quick.

Luis gave Horacio a driving kick to the ribs.

Target acquired. She flicked the safety off.

Lifting the pistol, Eva aimed for his knee and fired. The bullet whizzed through muscle and bone with a satisfying pop that had Luis dropping to the ground. He screamed in agony while all the attention in the room turned to her.

Josh rolled his eyes, “You hit the wrong guy, Eva!”

“No,” Alexei said while eyeing her carefully, “I think she hit exactly where she was aiming.”

Eva glanced at him with an apologetic, but firm, gaze. She’d made her decision about how this was going to go and there was no turning back now. If Alexei knew what was good for him, he would stay out of the fucking way.

From the open loading dock door, Juan came running. Eva shifted her aim, saying, “Go back to the car!”

Juan slowed to a stop and held up his hands. He glanced at Josh for direction, which infuriated Eva, “I will shoot you.”

Juan looked around the room and made a judgment call, “Claro, claro.”

With Luis still yelling in pain, Eva turned her attention back to Josh and Alexei, “We’re done, you hear? Done.”

Josh, suit soaking, sneered, “I’ll break your legs before I let you walk out of here.”

Eva’s lip curled, “That’s fine. I can crawl.”

His sneer deepened, “You don’t have the guts.”

“Tell that to Dr. Martin.”

From somewhere nearby, Alexei chuckled, “I wondered about that.”

Horacio, having gotten to his feet and ripped through the duct tape with his teeth, moved towards her, “Who taught you to handle a gun?”

“My daddy,” she replied, keeping her eyes on Josh and Alexei.

Horacio hummed in appreciation before reaching a hand towards her, “Give me the gun. There’s a phone in the office. You can call Javier.”

In the space of a second, as Eva was handing Horacio the weapon, Alexei made his move. He ducked down and caught her underneath the forearm, knocking the gun from her hands. Then, he pivoted and hit Horacio with a hook.

Eva backed away to give Horacio room to fight only to have Josh grab her by the hair and drag her to the ground. She rolled and got her feet beneath her, hands pushing against his fingers to loosen his grip. A closed fist hit her in the stomach, forcing acid up into the back of her throat.

She screamed, feeling strands rip free as she got his hands out of her hair. Josh threw another punch, missing her by inches. Eva kept putting space between them, kept scrambling to find another weapon. Her feet slipped in the gathering water and big drops clouded her vision. She bumped into a work table and started throwing whatever she could get her hands on.

A wrench. A hammer. A couple glass beakers. Anything within arm’s reach.

Josh dodged the wrench, blocked the hammer, and swore loudly when glass shattered at his feet. He kept coming, kept working to close the distance between them until there was nothing left for her to throw. Angry and fearful, Eva scooted around the table and backed up towards the rolling machine.

Metal flashed.

Eva was suddenly staring down the barrel of a gun. Again.

“Stop throwing things.”

“Stop trying to kill me,” she shot back, knowing she sounded like a total brat.

Josh gripped the gun in both hands, “I’m only trying to kill you because you turned on me. You’re supposed to be my wife!”

Eyes flicking around, she spotted a container with an exploding bomb pictogram on the side. With no other course of action, Eva grabbed the container and held it in front of her, “Maybe I wouldn’t have turned on you if you hadn’t beat the shit out of me for seven fucking years.”

“Oh, look at this,” Josh sneered, “Birdie is making scene. How fucking like you.”

“You wanted to see a scene, Joshie,” she sneered right back, “Shoot me. Fucking shoot me.” She held up the container, “See how much of a scene this will make.”

Josh, with all his intelligence, correctly read the label and Eva saw him falter. Good. He wasn’t so angry that he was going to make a stupid decision. His jaw clenched and he half-turned to aim at where Horacio and Alexei were grappling with one another. Eva felt an alien horror come over as he took aim, “Put it down, Eva.”

When she hesitated, he fired. Thank God for the water and Josh’s shitty aim because he ended out hitting Luis, who was leaning against a table for support. The bullet struck his shoulder, jerking him backwards onto the floor.

Josh looked at her again, “Step away from it.”

She did.

“Further.”

She did.

“More.”

She did.

Josh’s eyes narrowed, “We’re going to have a lot to talk about when this is done.”

Eva stared at him, feeling the weight of his words and knowing that there would be no talking. Very soon, one of them would be dead. She just had to figure out how to make that person not her.

A flash of red caught her attention.

Greedy hands pulled the fire extinguisher from the wall and swung it wildly.

Eva hit her mark.

Josh gave a sharp yell as his hands reached up to cover his face. He stumbled a bit, tripping over the chain and tumbling to the ground where he rolled side to side. The gun slid through a pool of water out of his reach. She was tempted to grab for it, but she didn’t want Josh getting up again.

Blood poured from what had to be a broken nose, seeping between his fingers and dripping over his cheeks. Seeing her opportunity, Eva lifted the fire extinguisher over her head and swung it down hard and fast. She had the satisfaction of hearing him sob in pain while his body curled in on itself to protect against the next hit. His legs tangled in the chain, dragging it loudly over rough concrete.

A gunshot.

Eva ducked, eyes flying towards the sound to see Horacio standing over Alexei. Water poured over him, soaking his clothes through and through. His stance was all hard angles and sharp lines, shoulders canted down towards the man lying below. A furious expression marred his bruised face and his mouth was pressed into a thin line. He had a gun in his hand and his finger on the trigger.

God, she loved that man.

From the floor, Josh’s scream was filled with grief. She looked down to find him reaching out towards Alexei, as if he could save his friend from all the way across the room. Eva stared at his hand, feeling an outpouring of fury well up when his wedding ring caught the light. An odd sense of betrayal rose up, a latent wonder at how he had never shown anywhere near the depth of emotion for her that he was showing for Alexei.

She dropped the fire extinguisher and grabbed the chain. Kneeling down, Eva wrapped it around his throat and looped it over the metal rod of the machine next to her. Then, with all her might, Eva pulled it tight.

Josh, too focused on Alexei, had no time to react. A gurgling sound left his throat as he worked to get air. His fingers dug into the chain and his feet kicked out.

Eva leaned weight into the chain, pulling harder.

“Eva!” Horacio yelled, barely catching her attention, “We need him alive.”

She snarled at him, fully prepared to follow through with killing this motherfucker. Every bruise, every cutting remark, every humiliating moment in her marriage to Josh flashed in her memory, fueling an already raging fire.

Horacio saw Eva in that moment, saw her intent. He moved closer, hands up in front of him, “I know. I know, Amorcita. He’s going to pay for it—for everything. I promise.” He drew a breath, “But, we need him alive to pay for it.”

God damn it, he was fucking right.

Tears dropping from her eyes, Eva let go of the chain.

Josh gasped a humongous, ugly breath that made Eva want to choke him all over again. She settled for finding the end of the chain and slamming the cuff around his ankle. That would hold him until the authorities arrived.

On shaky legs, Eva stood. Wet and exhausted, she went to Horacio and let him fold her in his arms. Overwhelmed, she began to cry. A multitude of feelings leaked from her body, replaced by cool relief.

The sprinklers cut off.

Eva blinked rapidly and sniffed, wiping her face, “We should make that call.”

Horacio nodded, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her lips.

“I should have known,” Josh muttered, “I should have listened to my mother. She was always right about you.”

Horacio pulled back, casting Josh a baleful look, “Go make the call. I’ll handle him. You remember the number?”

She nodded, then went to do what needed to be done. Javier answered on the first ring, as if he’d been waiting by the phone. Eva explained where they were, gave an extremely brief summary of what happened, and hung up.

ETA, ten minutes.

She left the office, catching sight of Horacio kneeling next to a sullen Josh. He was saying something too low for her to hear, but his face was deadly serious. She watched him talk, watched how Josh’s sullen expression grew steadily more furious—and then, surprisingly, frightened. She could almost see him trembling where he sat.

Good.

Her eyes fell to Alexei. He was lying on his back, a limp hand covering the wound that killed him. The bullet hit him in the neck, no doubt severing an artery. Blood pooled beneath his body, watered down and vaguely pink.

Horacio approached, “Are you alright?”

She didn’t really know that answer to that question. Too much had happened. Eva gestured towards Alexei, “He survived a bullet to the brain...I didn’t think anything could kill him.”

Horacio looked at the body, “I made sure to check. He’s dead.”

Eva stared, unblinking, “He wasn’t...good. He wasn’t a good man. And, he wasn’t good to me.”

“Cosechas lo que siembras,” he murmured lowly.

She shook her head, “I feel… I don’t know what I feel right now.”

A hand touched her shoulder, “Let’s just get this finished. You can think about it later.”

‘Later’ took almost a week.

They were sitting on the tarmac, waiting for the plane to take off. Eva was sipping a too sweet drink filled to the absolute top with alcohol while Horacio filled out some leftover paperwork. There was absolutely nothing wrong.

Except, there was.

Suddenly, Eva couldn’t breathe. Hot tears filled her eyes and her vision narrowed to a pinpoint. She covered her face, sucking in short breaths that didn’t feel like they got her any air.

Arms wrapped around her, pulling her into a warm, solid chest. Eva buried her face into his shirt, uncaring that she was crying all over him. He held her for a long time, all the way through take off and into the flight. A steady support while she was falling apart.

And she was falling apart. Every emotion possible cracked through her all at the same time, leaving her drained and fragile. She could hardly believe that it was over.

Alexei was dead.

Josh was in custody—broken nose, and all. According to Horacio, he was too much of a flight risk to make bail. He would never see freedom again. She had Javier’s word on that.

Myra, too, was in custody. There was a picture of her being led out of the house Josh built on the front page of the newspaper. Even in handcuffs, she held her head high.

Everything was so...neatly tied up that it didn’t seem real.

But, it was.

It was real.

She was flying with Horacio to Colombia. They were going to get back to their lives. There was nothing and no one who would come after them. Nothing and no one was going to try to stop them.

Her tears turned to a strange, hysterical laughter that was muffled against Horacio’s chest. He pulled back to look at her quizzically, and Eva didn’t know how she was going to explain it. She just didn’t have the words.

And so, she said, “I love you.”

Horacio smiled at her, as if he’d known all along, “Good. I love you, Eva.”

#Shadow and Veil #narcos #horacio carrillo #carrillo #a/b/o dynamics #AU #maurice compte

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downwiththeficness · 29 days

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Shadow and Veil-Chapter Forty Five

Word Count: ~3,300

Start from the beginning Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Masterlist Read on AO3

Three days.

Eva had been in that house for three days.

Mostly, she sat in the armchair and watched the TV with Alexei. Josh, eager to please his friend, had it brought in from somewhere. She’d managed to find a channel with telenovelas (although not her telenovela) and happily explained some of the major plot devices to a dubious Alexei.

During commercial breaks, Eva did what she could for him, although he was further along in his healing than she anticipated. He could walk, if slowly. His range of motion was almost at a hundred percent. And, he was itching to do something other than lie around all day. Eva felt for him. She was also itching to do something. Escape, mainly.

She just couldn’t find her opening.

If it wasn’t Juan at the door, it was another man named Xavier. They rotated on twelve hour shifts at six and six. Eva could only assume it was the same for the man at the door. If that weren’t enough, Myra had a habit of stopping in at regular intervals, claiming that she was checking on her ‘patient’.

She would come in, ask Alexei how he was doing. Sometimes she would give him a small bit of news from town. Every time, she ignored Eva. Which was fine. Eva didn’t much feel like making small talk.

Alexei didn’t seem to sleep. At least, not deeply. He dozed now and again, sometimes falling into a light slumber that lasted maybe twenty minutes. Even then, he startled at the smallest noise. She had to be very, very quiet if she wanted to work on getting the cuff open.

There were no pins like the one Horacio had taught her to use, just a pair of scissors that she’d disassembled. They were small enough to fit into the lock, but not so small that they could catch the hooks to loosen the cuff. It was frustrating work made even more frustrating by the fact that she never got more than a moment to herself.

Eva felt like she was being constantly watched—by Alexei, by Myra, by Juan and Xavier, by Josh. She couldn’t even breathe without someone noticing. It was starting to stress her out, and Eva needed to be calm about this.

After another round of failing to unlock the cuff, Eva tossed the scissors aside and started to look for another tool. The bathroom was full of gauze, and antiseptic, and all kinds of medicine, but little in the way of long, thin, tiny pieces of metal.

Sighing, Eva stood and dragged the chain along behind her into the bedroom. Alexei was snoring softly and the TV was on mute. The room was quiet. Suffocating.

Crossing to the window, Eva looked out onto the street. No one was on an afternoon stroll. No children played with brightly colored balls. There were no street vendors with fruit. It was empty. Barren. Lonely.

Which was kind of weird.

This was a new development, looked like a nice place to live. There should be all kinds of people putting in offers for the available houses. The street should be busy with cars going to and from work in the morning. But, it wasn’t. There wasn’t even a mailman.

“Napping the day away, Alexei?”

Eva turned to find Josh sauntering into the room with a grin. He looked markedly improved. The shadows under his eyes were gone and he’d taken the time to put on a suit. His jovial attitude was as natural as it had ever been, which meant he had some kind of good news to share. Good news that may not bode well for Eva.

Alexei stirred and opened his eyes, “I was having a beautiful dream of kicking your ass.”

Josh laughed, “You’ll get to live out that dream in a few months.”

“Can’t wait,” he replied. Then, “Been in this bed too fucking long.”

Sitting nearby, Josh gave Alexei a sympathetic look, “You’re right. How do you feel about a little field trip?”

Alexei lifted a brow. Eva held her breath.

“Got a new med for you.”

A groan, “Not another experiment.”

Josh held up his hands, “Its just a protein modifier. It’ll help with your muscle tone.”

“A fucking walk would help with my muscle tone, Josh.”

Eva, who had been standing across the room listening to them argue, finally saw her opportunity, “He’s right. He can’t sit here all day watching TV.”

Josh glared at her, “Are you a doctor, now, Eva?”

She shrugged, “Seems like common sense to me.”

“Leave her alone,” Alexei groused. “She’s been putting up with an injured man for three days.”

Angry, Josh stood and paced towards the door, “She’s the reason you’re injured.”

“Diego is the reason I’m injured. Which reminds me, where are you with tracking the man down?”

Josh crossed his arms, “I’ve had men at his apartment. He hasn’t returned. I think someone tipped him off—maybe the complex manager.”

Eva tried to keep her breathing steady while she listened for any small detail that could tell her where Horacio was and what he was doing. If he wasn’t at the apartment, where was he staying? With Javier? Were they anywhere close to figuring out where she was? How long would that take?

“So, you’ve lost him.”

“I haven’t lost him,” Josh sneered, “He’s just being sneaky.”

Alexei rolled his eyes and looked at Eva, “You’re coming with me on the field trip. I need someone with common sense along for the ride.”

“I don’t think that’s possible.”

“I don’t think you have a choice. Get the chain off her and bring me my cane.”

Josh, who had never taken an order in his entire life, stood up.

Stunned by the strange turn in their dynamic, Eva stood back and watched Josh do as Alexei asked. He left the room and came back with a cane, then pulled a set of keys from his pocket to unlock Eva’s cuff.

Free for the first time, Eva tried to act natural as she reached for her clutch. Josh caught her arm and tugged her towards the door, “You won’t need that where we’re going. Out. Let me help Alexei get dressed.”

Dismissed to the hall, Eva stood awkwardly near the door while Juan waited at the top of the stairs. He was still wearing a bandage from where she’d hit him. It was clean, at least, no residual blood. She hoped he wasn’t going to hold it against her. Seek revenge, and all.

She tried to smile at him, “Uh, sorry about your head. And your arm.”

Juan looked away briefly, “Its fine.”

“Cool,” she replied, not knowing what to make of his response, “Cool.”

The door to the bedroom swung open, Josh waltzing through it with a pleased expression, “Let’s go!”

Behind him, Alexei moved along with his cane. Slow. Steady. Eva had to squash the urge to move to his side and assist. He’d probably rebuff her, anyways. Even injured as he was, Alexei was still a proud man. Together, they followed Josh down the stairs and out the front door to where the car was waiting. Same car, different driver.

Alexei got in the passenger’s seat and Josh climbed into the back with her. Eva would have rather sat next to Alexei. He would have, at least, made conversation. Instead, she was stuck with Josh practically bouncing in his seat with anticipation. Just watching his boyish glee made her stomach turn over.

The drive was very, very short. A matter of a minute and a half. The neighborhood was more or less sitting in the back yard of a warehouse. Eva stared at the brutally minimal construction, the complete lack of any character. From the outside, there was no way to tell what went on within.

It had to be the factory.

Eva turned her head left and right, staring at the cars around them. She looked at every face, hoping to see Horacio looking back at her. He knew where the factory was, knew Josh was staying somewhere nearby. He could be prepped right now to bring her back to where she belonged.

No luck.

“So this is where you’ve been working?” Eva couldn’t help but to ask.

Josh shook his head, “The main plant is about ten miles from here. This is where I do my experimental work.”

Eva felt her heart drop. Horacio knew about the main plant, but there was no telling if he had any idea about the magnet location. A ten mile radius could take weeks for him to work through to find her. It was looking more and more like Eva was going to have to get away from Josh, herself.

The car pulled to a stop in the back near a pair of large loading docks. Inside, massive fans pushed the air towards a ventilation system that was far more advanced than it had any reason to be. Not for simple manufacturing.

Josh strode ahead of them with purpose, making his way towards a supervisor’s office. The supervisor rose to greet him, speaking in heavily accented English. Eva listened to the conversation with half a smile, wondering if Josh had made any attempt to learn the language or if he demanded all his employees speak in his native tongue.

“The samples are ready, yes,” the supervisor assured him. “In the spare office, like you said.”

“Great! Thank you. Wonderful work, as always.”

Eva nearly laughed at Josh’s flamboyant enthusiasm before she caught herself with a light cough. The supervisor glanced at her in curiosity, but seemed to know better than to comment. Josh had him well trained, already.

The spare office was exactly like it sounded. Spare. A desk, some chairs, and a few filing cabinets. On the desk was a black case and a sharps container.

Alexei sat heavily in one of the chair, “Alright, let’s do what we came here for.”

Josh waggled his finger at him, “You just rest there for a minute. There’s no rush.”

“I’m going to miss my show,” Alexei grumbled with a pointed look.

Eva covered her smile with her hand. She worked to school her expression and couldn’t quite manage it. Was her life this ridiculous back in Louisiana? Was Josh?

He opened the up the case and began sorting through its contents with a frown. “Oscar, get Michael in here,” he ordered. Then, louder, “Michael!”

After a moment, the supervisor peeked his head in, “Its, uh, Miguel, Dr. Moore.”

Eva’s hand, which had been covering her mouth, moved to cover her eyes.

“Whatever,” Josh retorted, “There was supposed to be four vials in this case. I only see two.”

Miguel squeezed awkwardly past the driver and held up his hands in supplication, “Yes, sir. The, uh, product, did not come in.”

Josh’s eyes narrowed and his frown deepened, “Why?”

“There was an accident on the highway. Our truck was overturned,” he answered. “I was told that you were aware.”

“I am obviously not aware,” Josh muttered, “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be asking about it.”

Miguel, sensing danger, put his hands together and said, “I am sorry.”

Josh looked at the man for a few seconds in anger, then waved him away, “Have them ready for me by the end of the week.”

“Yes, sir.”

Miguel scuttled from the room while Josh set up the two vials and syringes, saying, “Honestly, you can’t find good help in this country.”

Alexei rested his hands on his cane and fixed Josh with an annoyed expression, “Does this mean that we came here for nothing?”

Josh’s brows lifted, “No, no. You’re still going to get your shot. Eva will just have to wait for hers.”

Eva was all surprise, “I’m getting a shot?”

“Yep!”

Alexei rolled up his sleeve, “Why is Birdie getting a shot? Is she injured, too?”

Josh circled the desk with the vial and syringe in hand, “I guess you could say that.” He drew the medicine in to the syringe, “I know that you’ve noticed Diego forced the bond on her. You can’t be too weak as to miss that stench.”

Alexei’s eyes met Eva’s with the barest hint of sympathy, “I noticed.”

Eva tried not to convey anything with her expression—positive or negative. She leaned into old habits and made her expression neutral and passive.

Josh chuckled, as if he’d made a particularly funny joke, “Can’t have her smelling like a dirty drug dealer, can I?” A pause while he administered the injection, “I’ve got a lovely little cocktail that should eliminate the bond entirely.” With a happy smile, he added, “Its new!”

Alexei looked shell shocked, “That’s impossible. You’ll kill her.”

Throwing the syringe into the sharps contained, Josh replied, “Nothing is impossible with the right formulation, Alexei. I think I’ve found something that will do that job nicely.”

Eva had never been more grateful for a car accident in her life. But, deep down, she knew it could only provide a slight delay in Josh’s plans. As soon as he got his hands on the new batch of product, he would be bringing it to the house to test on her—and, God help her, if he was anywhere near successful. Even if she didn’t die from the shot, itself, Eva would die from the force of the bond breaking apart.

Alexei noticed her vague panic and started arguing with Josh about how dangerous it was to perform that kind of procedure outside of a clinical trial. He spouted off facts Eva didn’t even know he had picked up over the years, relaying his points in words she had absolutely used in the past.

“And,” Alexei concluded, out of breath, “there is an easier way to fix this problem.”

Red faced and frustrated, Josh made a sweeping gesture with his hand, “Alright. Let’s hear it. What is this better way?”

“We kill him,” Alexei said, simply.

Eva felt her heart constrict at the suggestion. She held it back by the skin of her teeth.

Josh paused, as if the thought had not occurred to him, “You think it will be that easy? To kill Diego?”

Alexei nodded, “We have something he wants.”

“So we, what, lure him into a trap and put a bullet in his back.”

“I’d prefer his head.”

“Good point,” Josh acknowledged. He looked at Birdie with an assessing gaze, “You think he’ll go through all that trouble just to get you back?”

Eva, uncomfortable, replied, “He can get an accountant anywhere.”

Alexei groaned and put his head in his hands. Then, after a long breath, looked up and said, “She’s his bonded omega. It doesn’t matter if he wants her, or if he needs her. If Diego is going to have any kind of sanity, he’s going to get her back. That’s how it works.”

The room fell into silence while Josh thought about Alexei’s proposition. His mouth screwed up in thought and his eyes settled into the middle distance. Alexei watched Josh with a focused look, possibly trying to will the other man to agree with him.

Across the room, Eva crossed her arms and hoped Josh would side with Alexei. Best case scenario, Horacio got information as to her whereabouts. At minimum, it would buy her time that she might not have had otherwise.

“Alright,” Josh said after taking his time to seriously consider what Alexei was saying, “I guess we’ll have to extend an olive branch to him.”

Alexei, looking at little relieved, said, “How are we supposed to do that when you can’t even find the man?”

Josh smiled, “I have some contacts in the area. Locals, you know? I’ll give them a little incentive to get me information.”

Humming doubtfully, Alexei replied, “You haven’t tried that already?”

“Well, I’ve been a little busy making that protein modifier for you,” Josh shot back, defensive. “I haven’t even heard a thank you.”

“Thank you,” Alexei murmured dryly.

“Honestly,” Josh bit out, “I work day and night to get our life back together and this is how you treat me?”

Alexei lifted his chin, “I got shot in the head, Josh.”

Josh drew back a little, “Yes. I know. Thank you for not dying.”

“You’re welcome.”

Eva stood there during this whole exchange, growing increasingly confused. She was used to their arguing, but actually resolving the issues between them was new. In the space a few minutes, they had gone from being at each other’s throats to...whatever this was.

She didn’t like it.

Alexei pushed to standing with a tired groan, “Are we done here?”

Josh nodded, “Yes. I suppose we are.” Then, “Myra’s making a nice gumbo for dinner—just like home. What do you say we eat downstairs tonight?”

Eva did not get to eat downstairs. As soon as they were back in the house, she was pushed back into Alexei’s room and chained for safekeeping. This time, she didn’t mind it so much because she finally had something more precious than gumbo—privacy.

With care for how she disturbed the chain behind her, Eva picked up her clutch, intending to find a spare hair pin in its depths. What she found, other than money, lipstick, a scarf, and Horacio’s spare lighter, was a gun.

How could she have forgotten? Fucking how?

For three days, she had the ability to fucking shoot someone, and Eva had fucking forgot about it.

She was an idiot. An absolute idiot.

Cradling the weapon against her chest, Eva decided that she needed to use it wisely. She only had the advantage of surprise once, and there were a lot of variables to work out to make sure she used that advantage efficiently. A gunshot was going to make sure everyone in the house, and possibly the neighborhood, paid attention.

Eva stopped—what if she wasn’t in the neighborhood?

What if she waited just a little bit. For the next field trip. For the next dose of Alexei’s medication.

She could get out of that warehouse quick-like, and then the highway was seconds for her running feet. It wouldn’t matter who chased her, someone would see. Someone would stop.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Eva carried the gun into the bathroom and closed the door. She then lifted her shirt and (after double checking the safety) tucked the gun into her bra. Turning side to side, she examined the way the fabric fell over it, hoping that everyone would be a little too busy to notice the slight hump between her breasts. Wanting extra security, she pulled the scarf from her clutch and draped it beneath the collar of her shirt.

There. Much better.

Later, Eva curled up in the armchair with TV muted and Alexei half asleep. She stared out the window towards the warehouse, calculating the distance in her head. The angle of the house and the height of the window weren’t much more than guesswork, but Eva thought she could make it if she hauled some serious ass across the road.

The next day, she would keep careful watch to see when the traffic was the most dense. From there, it would be a matter of working to manipulate Josh into letting her out of the house for even a few minutes.

Pressing her hand to her chest, Eva felt the weight of the gun. The metal was warm from her skin and strangely comforting. She could do this. She could do this.

Alexei stirred, half awake. Eva watching him turn over restlessly. She would need to sleep, too, if she wanted to get away safely. Knees to her chest, Eva closed her eyes and tried to pretend she was at home, in Colombia. She tried to pretend that the fan was going at top speed above, that Horacio was laying next to her, and that tomorrow she would wake up to the smell of coffee and the sound of him puttering around the kitchen.

#horacio carrillo #narcos #carrillo #a/b/o dynamics #au #Shadow and Veil #Maurice Compte

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downwiththeficness · 1 month

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Y'all remember this post? I do. Guess who finally decided to sit down and write this little plot bunny that wouldn't quit hopping around my brain.

You're getting this story, whether you want it or not, dear readers. There are three chapters left for Shadow and Veil. After a short break, I'll start posting this story.

Oh, no. No. Nooooope. No.

My brain did not just snag on another fucking Brasa/Lilah storyline. I just…I wanted to branch out into other fandoms. Maybe one with more than three people in them.

#from dusk till dawn #from dusk til dawn: the series #brasa #maurice compte

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downwiththeficness · 1 month

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Shadow and Veil-Chapter Forty Four

Word Count: ~3,600

Start from the beginning Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Masterlist Read on AO3

Eva hung her ochre dress in the closet. After days of lying on the floor, the thing was a crumpled mess and it had taken effort to find a local dry cleaner she trusted to clean and press the garment. Eva would happily exert that effort all over again. She stared at the shimmering fabric, knowing that she would never get rid of it. The dress would go wherever she went for as long as she lived. Always a reminder of the momentous step forward in her relationship with her alpha.

The heat ebbed and flowed, rising and falling over the course of several days. Intense need bracketed by sleep and drowsy wallowing in the bond. Wrapped in Horacio’s arms, Eva felt safer than she’d ever felt in her life. In the bubble of their shared bed, nothing and no one could reach her.

A knock at the door.

Eva flinched and held her breath.

Horacio and Javier were scouting the factory so that they could create a plan of attack. Josh hadn’t moved the place, which was a boon. But, he also hadn’t been seen on-site in several days. Horacio had a hunch that he was staying in one of a few residences nearby, but hadn’t yet figured out which. Finding out where Josh was hunkered down was their primary objective for the day.

Another knock.

Eva moved silently through the apartment. She couldn’t think of a single good reason for anyone to be knocking at her door. Her hand hesitated over the deadbolt, hovering mid-air, before she blew out a breath and opened it. The doorway was empty. She stepped out and craned her neck to look one way. Empty. And then, the other.

Barrel of a gun.

And, beyond, the angry face of Doctor Joshua Moore.

“Hello, Eva.”

She was surprised she could speak through the icy fear, “Hello, Josh.”

The gun was very close. So close that Eva thought she might be able to see the bullet in the chamber, if she squinted. He’d cut his hair. It was razored very near to his head, only the way the color caught the light gave away that he was blond. There were lines on his face that hadn’t been there before. The mouth that once held a constant, self-satisfied smirk, was flat. He looked like a completely different man.

“Where are your manners? Invite me in,” he demanded.

Slowly, Eva backed into the apartment. She kept her eyes on Josh, on the weapon in his hand. Eva was fairly confident that he didn’t come there to kill her, but ‘fairly confident’ didn’t seem so reassuring when death was on the line.

He moved smoothly through the door and closed it behind him, “Sit.”

She sat.

Josh took the armchair opposite her. His posture was casual, the gun resting on his knee, “How are you, Birdie?”

“Fine, I reckon,” she replied, wincing at the crack in her voice.

“Oh, you reck-on?” he teased, “I see you’ve regressed a little since I saw you last.” He rolled his eyes, “Although I suppose I can excuse it, given the circumstances.” When she didn’t say anything, he leaned back into the cushion and asked, “So, what have you been up to?”

Eva searched for words. Her voice, when it came, was high and reedy, “Oh, you know, same old stuff.”

He smiled, “I’ve heard. Diego really did need an accountant.”

She clung to yet another of Josh’s incorrect conclusions, “His books were atrocious.”

A laugh, “I bet.” Then, “Tell me, where are his holdings?”

Eva’s brows drew together, “His holdings?”

He rolled his wrist in a kind of ‘come on’ gesture, “His money, Birdie. Where is it?”

A lie felt like it wouldn’t land well, “I...don’t know.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know?”

She shrugged, “I don’t. I have no idea where Diego’s money comes from.”

Josh’s eyes narrowed, “You’re his accountant.”

“And,” Eva replied in a low tone, “he is remarkably private.”

He sucked his teeth in disappointment. “Alright. What do you know?”

She hesitated, “He’s been working with a cartel.” God, why hadn’t she planned a fucking story for this moment? A thought came to her, “You know, I think he’s more of a...what do you call it...a mercenary. But, for drugs?”

Josh stared at her, “A drug mercenary.”

“Yes.”

He closed his eyes and ran his hand across his face, “Its been months, Eva. And, all you have is drug mercenary.”

She swallowed, “He doesn’t let me see much.”

“He doesn’t let—,” he cut himself off, sighed, and started again, “Birdie, you have to have seen something.”

What he was hunting for, she couldn’t even begin to guess. Eva glanced at the gun while her brain worked to come up with a response. Something—anything--that would fuel his ego. “He’s waiting for you.”

Josh’s brows lifted, “Oh?”

Encouraged, Eva continued, “He...knows you’ve been asking about him. He’s been waiting for you to make contact.”

“Really?”

She nodded.

“Why?”

“I don’t know. He doesn’t talk to me about it.”

“What does he talk to you about?”

There was a softness in his tone that sounded like danger. She felt the hair on her arms stand up in warning. If Eva said the wrong thing, he would lash out. She wracked her brain for every effective strategy she’d ever used to mitigate Josh’s anger.

Eva took a chance at stroking his ego, “You, mostly.”

His tone was intrigued, “Oh?”

“He asked me the same questions you just asked me.”

Josh’s face lit up with interest. Nailed it. “What did you tell him?”

“As little as possible,” Then, “Diego is...perceptive.”

He rolled his eyes, “I’m sure you think he’s perceptive.” Then, “He’s been manipulating you, Birdie.”

She looked away, “He kidnapped me, Josh. He took me to a new place where I don’t know anyone, where I don’t speak the language. You’ll have to excuse me if I’m a little off balance.”

Josh leaned forward, “All this sass is new for you. I don’t like it.” A pause, “That’s not the only thing that’s changed, is it?” He pointed to her neck, “Did he force you, Birdie?” A pause, “Did it hurt?”

Not at all, she thought while saying nothing. Let him project whatever he wanted onto her. Their bond, and the way it was solidified, was private. Sacred.

“Well,” he sighed when he realized she wasn’t going to answer, “that can be fixed.”

“Fixed?” Eva blurted.

Josh’s brows lifted, “Yes, of course. I’m an incredibly gifted pharmacologist—or had you forgotten? With enough time, I’ll break the bond. Don’t you worry.”

She gasped involuntarily, “You’re going to kill me, then.”

“Oh, no,” he replied easily, “I can’t guarantee that it will be painless, but you won’t die. I’ll make sure of it.”

Eva blinked at him, dumbfounded by the sheer audacity. He was talking about something that had never been successfully performed by anyone in the world. And, he was talking about it with all the confidence of a seasoned professional. The sheer arrogance was astounding. Horrifying, even.

Josh slapped his hands on his thighs, “We should go. I need to get back to work.”

Slowly, Eva stood. She couldn’t think of a single thing that would buy her time. Nothing that would get her enough space to leave some kind of message for Horacio.

Moving towards the door, Josh picked up her clutch from the island and threw it at her, “Here. Let him think you went out shopping, hmm?”

Cradling the purse against her chest, Eva let Josh drag her out the door and into the parking lot where a car was waiting. The driver wasn’t familiar, but he seemed to know that Josh would be bringing along a guest. As soon as they were in the back seat, the car took off down the road.

Eva, conscious of the gun in Josh’s hand, pressed into the door, “Where are you taking me?”

“Home,” Josh replied, his eyes on the windshield, “Temporarily, of course.”

“Temporarily?”

He hummed in confirmation, “I’m looking for another place. On the beach. This one is just for convenience.”

Eva stared at him, confused, while the car whizzed through traffic. She expected him to be angry, to beat her half to death the second he got his hands on her. And yet, the man sitting less than three feet away seemed perfectly calm. Perfectly genial. Except for the gun.

It wasn’t pointed directly at her, anymore, but that didn’t make Eva feel safe. When the car slowed, she tested the handle on the door, cringing when she realized he’d activated the child locks. She was well and truly stuck until he got her where he wanted to go.

Fuck.

The car pulled into a residential neighborhood, stopping in the driveway of a nondescript house. She memorized the street and house number, repeated it over and over in her mind so that she wouldn’t forget.

Eva had to wait for the driver to get out and open the door for her. She resisted thanking him, but did catch the way his chin dipped in acknowledgment when she glanced his way.

Turning in a small circle, Eva quickly took in the new environment. Manicured lawns. Clean, well built homes. New landscaping. And, down the street, a moving van sat in the driveway.

Recent development. Neighbors that were relative strangers. Money, possibly lots of it.

Just like in Louisiana.

Josh moved close to her and Eva felt the barrel of the gun dig into her side, “Move.”

Reluctantly, Eva let him push her towards the house, up the steps and through the front door. The driver followed them the whole way, stalling next to the entrance. Eva chanced a look over her shoulder to find him standing in the foyer, looking out through the window.

Driver and security, then.

Josh redirected Eva towards a modest living room with spartan furniture and décor. She sat on the couch, disappointed (but not surprised) to find that it was as uncomfortable as their last one. With her clutch on her lap, she shifted on the stiff cushion, trying to get comfortable, “Where’s Myra?”

Josh almost smiled, “You know, I wanted to ease you into this, but I think its better if we just get to it.”

Eva blinked, “Alright.”

“Up.”

With a barely repressed sigh, Eva stood and followed Josh to a staircase. She could see another man standing at the landing and wondered how many guards were scattered throughout the house. Every additional man would make it more difficult for her to escape. And, she was going to escape. There was no other decision that she could make. If possible, she would get a message out to Horacio with a well placed phone call. Barring that, she would run. Not now. Not yet. But, soon.

Eva would start by learning the layout of the house. She would return to her well-honed skill of detecting even the slightest creak in the floorboards so that she could move silently from room to room and then from floor to floor. Then, Eva would work on memorizing the rotation of the men Josh used to keep others out (or in). And, finally, at the most opportune time, she would run. She would haul ass to the highway and hope someone would be willing to pick up a woman in distress.

They cleared the landing and took a turn down the hall. Another man was posted in front of an open door. Josh ignored him as he stepped into the room. Eva followed, stopping four steps inside the threshold while she tried to work through her shock.

It was a hospital room, or looked like one. Machines beeped intermittently and there were all kinds of supplies piled up on every available surface. In the middle of the room, sitting in a bright beam of sunlight, was Alexei.

Sort of.

A man who could once command fear with little more than a look or a well placed threat now looked like he could barely hold his head up. His lanky frame was skeletal, muscle and fat melted away to revel the bone beneath. An oxygen mask concealed most of his expression, but Eva could see anger in his eyes when he looked at her.

Beside him, Myra was pushing liquid into an IV. She looked up, “I see you were successful.”

God, Eva did not miss that tone.

“Yes,” Josh replied, ignoring Myra’s distaste, “Did you have any doubt?”

Myra didn’t answer. She finished up her task and gathered up the supplies into a bucket that she carried into the bathroom. Nose up. Spine straight. Unlike Josh, she still looked very much the same woman that Eva left behind in the States. Not a wrinkle in her clothes. Not a hair out of place.

Josh took a breath and followed, “I did this for you. Now that Eva is here, you won’t have to look after Alexei any longer. You can do what you like with your time.”

The conversation faded a little as he entered the bathroom and pulled the door to. With nothing else for Eva to focus on, her turned her attention to Alexei, “Hello.”

Alexei took a long time to respond, “Hello, Birdie.”

Even his voice was weak.

“I’d ask how you are, but I don’t think you want to talk about it.”

“No,” he replied, “I don’t.”

She shifted on her feet, “I’m sorry. For what that’s worth.”

“Fuck off.”

Eva nodded, “Fair enough.”

The bathroom door opened and Myra stormed out, “You brought a traitor into this house. A traitor that left us to gallivant around Mexico with the man who nearly destroyed our lives!”

Feeling the need to defend herself, Eva lifted a hand, “Technically, I was kidnapped.”

Myra glared at her, “I don’t believe that for a second.”

Eva shrugged.

Josh stepped between them, “Eva is right. Diego stole her from us and now she is back. And, while she may have deserved the torture he put her through, she has an opportunity to fix it.”

It took all kind of effort to keep from either rolling her eyes or sneering at Josh. As annoyed at she was just being in his presence, Eva needed him on her side if she was going to get out of this mess.

“Teach Eva how to care for Alexei,” he ordered. “And then, we’ll work on getting you into that new house I built for you down the street.”

Myra crossed her arms, but didn’t disagree. Josh seemed to take that as a ‘yes’ and kissed her on the cheek, “I have an appointment. I’ll see you at dinner.”

When he was gone, they were left with an awkward silence that stretched on for a long while. Eva set her jaw and waited—she certainly wasn’t going to do a single thing to alleviate the other woman’s discomfort. To give herself something to do, she set her clutch down on the side table and pretended to look at the medicine lined up in a long row.

“Well,” Myra said, eventually, “I hope you’re happy. Look what you did.”

Eva met her gaze levelly, refusing to react to the accusation. She wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger.

“You haven’t changed at all, have you?” Myra griped, “Still so selfish.”

Less than five minutes in the woman’s presence and Eva was already exasperated, “Jesus, Myra, can we get on with this?”

Myra drew back, looking at her anew, “Fine.”

It took several hours. Myra walked Eva through every aspect of Alexei’s care. He was making progress, but required regular antibiotics and physical therapy. They hoped in a few months that he would walk again without a cane.

The scar on his head was healed, but raised and ugly. His skull had cracked with the impact of the bullet. An inch to the right and he would have been dead before he hit the carpet. Even that small mercy hadn’t kept him from seizures and a brief coma.

Alexei was very lucky.

He was also very angry.

Eva couldn’t imagine what it had been like. Relearning how to talk, to eat, to breathe properly. A man of action, he had been relegated to this bed for months—and would continued to be for several months more. Eva would be angry, too.

“I need to start dinner,” Myra said, having finished her lesson. “You’ll stay with Alexei from now on. You will do anything he needs, whenever he needs it. Understand?”

Eva nodded.

“Good. Now, one more thing,” she reached beneath Alexei’s bed and unrolled a heavy chain. “Josh might trust you, but I certainly don’t. Can’t have you running off to tell Diego where you are.”

What the fuck?

Backing away, Eva’s hands curled into fists. She wasn’t going to be subjected to that again. It wasn’t going to happen. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, readying her for a struggle.

Myra’s eyes narrowed, “Juan, can you come in here. I need some help.”

Juan turned the corner. Had he been so big in the hallway? It didn’t matter. Eva squared up with him, perfectly willing to fight, if necessary. His step slowed and he looked to Myra with an expression that said, ‘really?’. Myra handed him the chain. He looked at it, looked at Eva, looked at Myra, and then sighed.

What happened next was glazed over with fear and anger. Eva grabbed the IV pole next to her and brandished it, uncaring that the IV was still attached to Alexei’s arm. He screamed while she waved it around, actually managing to catch Juan on the side of his head hard enough to draw blood.

Juan ducked her next swing and grasped the pole, yanking it from her hands. Needing to put distance between them, Eva scrambled over Alexei—sorry, sorry—so that she stood on the other side of the bed. She picked up a pair of surgical scissors, holding them in front her while Juan circled towards her.

When he got too near, she slammed the sharp end into his arm. They pierced deep—too deep. She couldn’t get them out again. In her struggle, Juan got his arms around her and threw her across the room where she landed hard on her hip and arm. He dragged her by the ankle with one hand while he reached for the chain with the other.

Despite several well placed kicks and half a dozen curses, Eva felt the cuff go around her calf and click into place. She deflated right there on the floor, cheek smushed into the carpet. Juan pushed his hands into his knees and stood. Eva smiled at the tired groan and the way it took him a moment to stand straight. The smile widened when she saw the line of blood dripping from the wound on his arm. As far as she was concerned, the asshole had it coming.

Myra, who had pressed herself against the wall during the squabble, tossed her hair and looked down at Eva, “Serves you right.”

She waited until Myra and Juan were gone to sit up. The chain clinked as she gathered her legs beneath her. Eva picked it up and studied the length. As before, it was long enough to get to the bathroom. And, as before, it was secured to the bed frame. She ran her thumb over the cuff, relieved to find that it was the same as the last. Eva hadn’t practiced much since Horacio taught her how to pick the lock, but she thought she could manage.

Which left her with an only slightly modified plan.

Break the lock. Run like hell.

Alexei groaned on the bed.

She stood and brushed her hands against her pants, “Sorry about...you know.” Eva searched for the words to apologize for ripping the IV from his arm, “I, uh, panicked.”

Alexei sighed, “Clearly.”

“I can put it back.”

He shook his head, “You’ll roll the vein. Just get it set up and I’ll do the rest.”

Chagrined, Eva did as he asked. Alexei muttered instructions for supplies, let her clean the area with alcohol, and, with confident hands, pushed the IV back into place. Eva gave him room to work, standing a few feet back and watching closely.

When everything was back to where it should be, Alexei leaned back into the pillow and took a cleansing breath, “Seeing you beat the hell out of Juan with an IV pole was the most entertainment I’ve had since I woke up.”

Surprised, Eva barked a laugh. Then, “They didn’t bring you a TV?”

She looked around, noting that the room was as sparsely decorated as the one downstairs. There was a dresser, an arm chair, a side table, and not much else.

Alexei shrugged, “I don’t watch much television. And, the only thing that would be on in the daytime would be telenovelas.”

Eva sat in the armchair and said, “I actually like those shows.”

He lifted a brow, “Really?”

She nodded, “How else was I going to learn Spanish?”

Alexei chuckled lightly and pushed his hair back from his face. It had grown long in the many months since they’d seen each other last, “Well, tell me about it, then,”

And so, she did.

He listened patiently through all the twists and turns. Eva tried to leave out the extraneous details, but kept having to go back because the details were never extraneous. The show always circled around to them at some point, usually with accompanying flashback.

When she was done, Alexei was silent for a moment, “I had no idea they were so bizarre.”

Eva frowned, “I’m not sure if they’re all like that, but that’s the one I watch. Or, watched.”

Alexei nodded and shifted around on his pillows, “Well, I guess I’ll be asking Josh to put in a television tomorrow.” Then, with a smirk, “Can’t have you missing your show.”

#Shadow and Veil #narcos #Horacio carrillo #carrillo #maurice compte #au #A/B/O dynamics

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downwiththeficness · 1 month

Text

Shadow and Veil-Chapter Forty Three

Word Count: ~4,800

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Eva stood just to the side of the hallway leading to the bathrooms with her hand resting on her stomach. It twisted and turned inside her, a physical alarm that should be terrifying. Except, Eva didn’t feel terrified. She felt...elated.

After all this time. After everything that had happened. Eva was going to have a heat. Not even a year ago, she would have been rushing to Bobbi Lynn to get some kind of remedy. Frantic. Crazy. Desperate to avoid the experience.

Now…

Now, Eva wanted to rush to a completely different person for a completely different reason.

She looked for him in the crowd, craning her neck. The room was swimming with people and picking out individual faces was difficult. Her vision alternatively blurred and focused, adding to the difficulty. Lights flashed a myriad of colors, painting the room in reds, oranges, and purples. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment or two, hoping that her sight would adjust.

Through a gap of gleeful dancers, Eva spotted Horacio at the bar. He was talking with a woman—probably the one Javier mentioned. The woman was pretty. Long hair, dark skin, excellent taste in clothing. Eva hoped that she had good information for them, if only because the night was definitely going to end early. She took a single step forward before freezing in place. The woman—whoever she was—was touching her alpha.

It was just a hand on Horacio’s arm, barely anything more than the need to steady herself against the movement of the crowd around them. Eva didn’t care. She did not fucking care.

A burst of jealousy swooped in, clouding her judgment and sending blood pounding through her veins. Her chest tightened and her throat closed around a disgusted scoff. Eva needed to think, not overreact. She sidestepped the hallway so that she could lean heavily against the wall behind her.

This would never have happened with any other man. Eva would never have allowed it. Not even with Josh—especially not with Josh. Eva would run out of fingers before she could count all the times she walked in to find him speaking to another woman in a tone that wasn’t entirely appropriate. She could recall several instances where he appeared to have just broken a passionate kiss. Not once had she ever been anything more than inconvenienced by his affairs.

But, with Horacio...

Eva wasn’t sure she’d ever been jealous before. She didn’t know what to do with the emotion. It made her want to move, to walk right up to Horacio and show this nameless woman who he belonged to. They were together—lived together, worked together, spent their lives together. They were half-bonded, for Christ’s sake.

A treacherous insecurity kept her in place. Eva hadn’t talked with Horacio about her heat, and they certainly hadn’t discussed finishing the bond in any kind of detail. If she went through with this, then there would be no going back. She and Horacio would be tied together in a way that was unbreakable. Permanent.

That scared her.

A bit.

A little.

A lot.

Breathing heavily, Eva closed her eyes and tried to calm down. Horacio was nothing but kind to her. He cared about her, protected her, supported her. There was no reason for her to think that he might reject her at this critical moment.

Eyes opening, Eva’s gaze fell upon Horacio once again. He looked distracted, was searching the room with intent. The woman still had her hand on his arm, but she was talking directly to Javier. It did nothing to assuage her ire. Eva inhaled sharply when another cramp tugged at her stomach. She winced, breathing through the pain. The sensation persisted, no matter how deeply she breathed.

She was running out of time.

Horacio locked eyes with her. His dark brows drew together in confusion, lips pulling between his teeth. Eva held his stare, feeling its weight. Her hand came up to rest on her sternum, pressing against the place where his had been hours before. Horacio’s gaze fell and his eyes narrowed. And then, suddenly, he was moving.

The packed room parted for him, making way for long strides and the broad turn of his shoulder. Eva waited right where she was, avidly following his body as he made his way towards her. When he got near enough, she reached for him.

Her kiss was frantic and a little too rough. She pushed into his body, holding him tight around his neck. Everything inside Eva was telling her that if she didn’t keep him close, the tenuous hold she had on her body would crumble to pieces. She didn’t like the idea of falling apart in the middle of a busy bar.

Horacio made a sound low in his chest. He leaned into her space, pressing her against the wall. His hands moved from her hips to her shoulders and back again, fingers digging into her dress.

It was Eva that pulled away first, breathing hard into his neck. Her hands were gripping his shirt so tightly that she felt threads snap. She blinked rapidly and tried to clear the fog of her mind, tried to think of how to tell him what he needed to know. She had him in her arms. He was with her, touching her. All she had to do was tell him what was going on and Eva knew Horacio would take any and all action to get her to a place where he could—

“He sent a scout,” Horacio rasped. “Its why he didn’t come inside.”

Fuck, she didn’t care about Josh right now.

“We’ll wait here until we hear back from the men at the factory. They’re on their way.”

Eva lifted her head and grasped his jaw on either side, “Shut the fuck up, Horacio.”

He smiled into the kiss and shifted his weight to swing her around so that he leaned against the wall. Eva stepped up between his spread legs, pressing against him from chest to knee. Another twinge burned through her gut. Eva had to tell him. Now.

“Horacio,” she whispered.

He cut her off with a harsh kiss, saying against her mouth, “Remember who you’re with.”

Eva knew what he meant, but couldn’t bring herself to call him ‘Diego’. The name didn’t fit him, and her mouth refused to form around the three syllables. Another twinge. And, this time, Eva felt slick drip down her thighs. Her internal clock ticked away, screaming at her that she was out of time.

She had to tell him.

“Alpha,” she breathed, intent on making him understand what was happening.

Horacio’s body flinched and his eyes searched her face. Eva blinked stupidly at him while her mind railed at her to say it. I’m in heat. I’m in heat. I’m in heat. Three words. Not even a complex sentence. Just three words.

“Jimenez,” called a voice.

Her alpha’s eyes cut to the side.

“We got it,” Javier said, “We know where it is.”

Eva swayed in her heels, barely comprehending what they were talking about. It wasn’t important. There was something more pressing at hand.

“Let’s get you out of here,” Horacio said absently.

Yes. The apartment. That’s where they needed to be. Locked away from the world and everything in it. Nothing but the two of them and the burn in her body. Eva stumbled behind him, bewildered and confused. Getting out of the bar took effort—a bob and weave around guests and staff. By the time Eva stepped out into the night air, she was breathing hard and sweating. She wiped at her brows, vision blurring sporadically.

The cool night air did nothing to relieve the suffocating fire oozing from her skin. She wobbled in her heels, anchored by Horacio’s hand holding hers. The world around her was nothing more than a blur of faces and strange, unwanted scents.

They reached the car just in time for Eva’s legs to give out. She fell into the back seat with a loud, relieved exhale. Horacio followed, and the car suddenly got a lot smaller. She curled up into his side, praying that Javier would drive like hell back to the apartment.

“We can go tonight,” Javier said over his shoulder, “I can get back up.”

Horacio shifted, his arm falling heavily over Eva’s shoulders, “You think he’ll know we’re coming.”

“Probably.”

“Then,” Horacio breathed with a defeated sigh, “it doesn’t make sense to do it tonight.”

“The fuck it doesn’t!” Javier shot back angrily, “He’ll move the operation and we’ll be back at the beginning.”

The conversation—or, argument—continued. Eva could not care less. She just didn’t fucking care. The volley back and forth between the two men in the car was nothing more than a muffled drone in Eva’s ears. She barely registered how their voices rose in volume and intensity. All her focus was pulled tight around the alpha sitting next to her.

She stared at his face in profile, entranced by how gorgeous he was. Even annoyed, he was beautiful. Her fingers itched to run along his jaw, across the five o’ clock shadow he hadn’t had time to shave off that morning. She wanted to dip her hands into his hair and muss the curls until they were riotous atop his head. Her eyes dropped down his body. Eva knew the power of that body, could almost feel him holding her exactly where he wanted.

She ran her hand over his chest and beneath the suit jacket, marveling at the feeling of the silk. She might not like the garish pattern, but it felt nice. Against her hand, his heart beat steadily, if a bit fast. His lungs expanded with every breath he drew while he kept argued with Javier.

Without all the distractions of the bar, Eva could absorb every subtle detail about him. He was angry. No, disappointed. No...frustrated. Everything kind of mashed together and none of it was good. Eva gave in to the instinct to touch his hair, caressing from the crown of his head down to his neck where she pressed her fingers into the base of his skull. Here, she kneaded lightly.

His eyes slipped closed and his sigh was decidedly less frustrated. When he opened them again, he looked at Eva, “Good?”

Eva shook her head. How had he not noticed? She was dripping in hormones so potent that Eva could taste them in the air.

Concerned, Horacio turned towards her, “What’s wrong?”

For what felt like the hundredth time that night, Eva tried to tell him the truth. Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth. Leaden. With no other option, she tugged him into her neck, hoping that he would figure it out.

Face smashed against her skin, Horacio started to laugh. Started. But, didn’t. He breathed—at first, shallow. And then, deeper. The arm around her tightened. Slowly, his skin began to radiate an undeniable warmth. It burned through his clothing and hers, pooling between them. More breaths. A low sound that could have been, ‘oh.’

Eva closed her eyes, relieved.

Inhaling roughly, and Horacio sat up. He blinked rapidly, as if to clear his vision, “How far are we? From the apartment. How far?”

Javier glanced in the rear view, “Five minutes.”

“Make it two.”

“I can’t make traffic go any faster,” Javier replied, “What? You gotta take a leak or something?”

The sound that came out of Horacio’s throat low and furious, “She needs to get back to the apartment. Now.”

“Is she sick?”

Annoyed, Eva bit out, “No, asshole. I’m in heat.”

She’d said it. Eva had said it.

Javier cursed a blue streak and the car revved. Eva was nearly thrown against the seat as he swerved around the car in front of him and took off down the highway. She giggled as she righted herself, feeling a weight lift from her chest.

The giggle faded when Horacio grabbed her by the shoulders and made her look square at him, “This is happening.”

Eva nodded.

“Do you—is this…” he stopped and started again, “I don’t have to stay.”

What the fuck are you talking about? She thought wildly. “Stay where?”

Horacio’s expression sobered, “With you...during.”

Eva drew back, “You don’t want…?”

His eyes darkened, “Oh, I definitely want.”

It was settled, then.

“You’re staying.”

God, she loved that smile. It spread wide across his face and crinkled at the edges of his eyes. Eva would go through all kinds of hell just to see those dimples. Her answering grin quickly dissolved into an uncontrollable laugh, happiness washing over her like a warm, comfortable blanket.

The car screeched to a stop. Javier gave a boisterous, ‘we’re here!’, earning a groan from both people in the backseat. “See you in a few days,” he added. “I’ll try not to catch the bastard while you’re...indisposed.”

Horacio flipped him the bird and dragged Eva out of the car. He moved with purpose towards the complex, keys jingling all the way. After opening the deadbolt, he shoved Eva inside. Then, in a move that was entirely too graceful, he pivoted and used her body to slam the door shut. Staring down at her with hunger in his eyes, Horacio reached up and turned the lock.

Eva breathed deep. She couldn’t speak. She just stood there and wait for Horacio to do something. He had to take the lead because Eva didn’t know what she was doing.

Horacio lunged forward and caught her mouth in a bruising kiss. It made all the nerves in Eva’s body light up, made her whimper against his lips. Clumsy hands pushed against his shoulders, dragging the jacket from his body. It dropped at their feet, forgotten.

She tried to get at the buttons of his shirt with fumbling hands. A curse that was touched with frustration pushed out from between their mouths. Why were there so many fucking buttons and why were they so little. Her efforts were partially blocked by Horacio tugging the dress from her arms and pushing it down over her hips. He palmed her ass, kneading the muscle, before dragging a thigh up and around his waist.

Hot kisses trailed over her jaw and down her neck, landing squarely over her gland. He drew the swollen flesh into his mouth, sucking on it as if he was trying to drink her down. Eva’s lips pulled back over her teeth in a silent scream and her body curled around him. The fire inside burned hard and hot, stoking her arousal.

With a wet sound, Horacio jerked away and began walking them back towards the hallway, “I’m not going to knot you for the first time against a door.” When she stumbled, he grabbed her around the waist, “Move.”

Eva’s body rushed to obey the order of her alpha, feet walking in tandem with him. In her chest, Eva’s heart fluttered wildly. Excitement pooled around the muscle, soaking into every beat. Her pussy pulsed in counterpoint, preparing for what was to come. Slick gathered on her thighs, scenting the air.

Guided by Horacio’s hands, Eva crawled onto the bed. Naked and all too cold without him, she waited as patiently as she could while he tore off his clothing. Piece by piece, Horacio stripped down, revealing smooth skin and rolling muscle. Around his neck was the chain he always wore. And, looped next to the pendant was a small circle of gold that he normally wore on his left hand.

When he threw the last of it to the floor, Eva followed her body’s instinct and turned over so that she rested on her hands and knees. Then, she dropped down to her elbows and rested her forehead on the mattress.

From behind her, Eva heard Horacio take a breath. Then, the mattress dipped with his weight and his hands grasped her hips. She closed her eyes and widened her stance. The hand on her hips drifted down to run down her slit with the barest amount of pressure. Eva whined and pushed back into it, needing more friction. She had wanted him for so long that her body felt starved for every touch.

“Easy,” Horacio rasped. He swirled his fingers in her slick, spreading it around so that it coated every inch of her pussy. Then, carefully, he pushed them inside. That was, possibly, the last careful thing Horacio would do that night.

Eva gasped at the force of his fingers moving in and out of her. Quick. Firm. Deep. He spread them, stretching her with methodical intent. Her body welcomed it, bearing down on his hand and giving up more slick to ease the way. She mewled when he pulled out, gasping loudly when she felt the blunt head of his cock at her entrance. That gasp turned into a loud, helpless scream. He was suddenly impossibly deep. The pressure was immense, outweighed only by the way her body rocketed towards pleasure.

Horacio fell over her, his chest draped over Eva’s spine. The weight of him pushed his cock deeper, until she could feel the slowly swelling flesh that was his knot pressing against her entrance. He groaned and the sound vibrated over her back and down into her chest, pooling low.

It started small. Little rolls of his hips to drive himself into her body over and over. Quickly, those small motions got bigger. Harder. Until Horacio was enthusiastically fucking her into the mattress. He praised her intermittently, telling her how good she was taking him, how much he looked forward to this moment. Some of it was in English. A lot of it was in his native tongue. She understood every word.

Eva encouraged him with low moans while she pushed back into his body. Not that Horacio needed much encouragement. He was already rubbing his knot against her in silent question, hips pushing more and more insistently. Little circles of firm pressure that eased her open second by second.

The moment, when it came, caught Eva completely off guard. One minute, she was writhing on his cock and the next her pussy had drawn his knot inside and was squeezing down on it painfully. The pain was its own kind of pleasure. She was too full. Stretched to her limit. And yet, it was so, so perfect.

Above, Horacio let out a string of curses. Heat and sweat and sex wafted between them. Eva was shaking under his big frame. Only the weight of his body kept her from flying apart at the seems. The way he anchored Eva down to what was happening between them forced her to feel with visceral clarity every ounce of pleasure.

Stars formed behind her eyes and there was no way to catch her breath. She grit her teeth, willing her body to succumb to the feeling and getting only resistance in return. It was all hot fire and ecstasy. A new level of delight the likes she’d never experienced.

Horacio sucked in a loud breath, rocking forward and back. He cooed at her, thanked her for being so good. One hand pushed her hair to the side, exposing her neck. His teeth found the swell of her gland and pressed down. Harder. Harder. Until the skin broke beneath them.

Absolutely nothing could have prepared Eva for the way she reacted to the completion of the bond. Nothing. Not one book could have described it. Not one bonded omega could have told her.

It was impossible and wonderful and alarming all at the same time.

She felt outside of herself.

She felt wild with abandon.

She felt whole.

Was this what it meant to be bonded? Was this what it meant—oh fuck, she was coming again.

The muscles in Eva’s body gave out as the orgasm ripped through her. She collapsed under Horacio’s weight while her pussy contracted. Above, Horacio moaned in the grips of his own orgasm. She felt him grind his hips against her, the motion kneading his knot and forcing more come into her.

When his body stopped trembling, Horacio eased them to the side. Eva stared out into the darkened room, unseeing. Eva couldn’t put into words what it was that she felt. It was too new. Too fragile. She liked it, though—liked how it made her feel.

Horacio nuzzled her shoulder, touching his mouth to the skin lightly, “Amorcita…”

It wasn’t quite a question, but Eva answered it, anyways, “I’m good. You?”

He hummed happily, draping an arm over her waist and curling his legs behind hers. “Perfect. You’re perfect.”

Eva’s eyes drooped with fatigue and she drifted into a fitful sleep.

She woke just as fitfully.

Horacio’s knot had slipped out of her while she slept, leaving Eva bereft. Needing him, she turned over and placed her hand on his chest. On his back, Horacio shifted and moved to cover her hand with his. She shook him lightly and called his name. He roused slowly and the denial of immediate relief heightened Eva’s need.

Rising up on her elbow, Eva leaned over Horacio and shook him with more force, “Please...please.”

‘Please’ seemed to be the only word she could say. It was certainly the only word she could think. The heat burrowed deep inside her, a burning flame that cut into her belly and demanded to be pacified. It overtook every other thing her body needed to survive, even breathing. There was nothing but need inside her. Nothing but the heat.

Horacio, still a little groggy, pulled Eva atop him and wrapped both arms around her. Palms trapped against his chest, Eva wriggled until her legs fell on either side of his hips. Beneath her, Horacio gave a little grunt and his torso bowed up to rub his growing erection against her wet folds.

Eva pushed to her palms and leaned her weight to put more pressure on her center. She rocked forward and back in a heavy, slow motion that coated him in her slick from tip to knotted base. Head dropped low, she focused on that movement, until her body begged for more.

Horacio helped her, guided her down onto his cock with confident hands. She was full of him, but Eva knew she could be fuller. Even now, his knot was growing, swelling. She braced her hands on his chest and ground down on it, earning a moan that Horacio cut off in the back of his throat.

He sat up and gathered Eva against his chest, kissing her cheek, her mouth. Eva clung to him, taking his kisses and beginning a slow ride and didn’t remain slow for long. She could taste him in every breath. It was familiar, and yet changed—there was more of her in him now. And, she supposed, more of him in her, as well. They were bonded. Bonded, bonded, bonded. That knowledge spurred her on, made her fuck him with a driving, instinctual rhythm.

This time, the way her body took his knot was not a surprise. This time, Eva ground down on it, demanded it with every fiber of her being. When he gave it to her, when he fit himself inside her, Eva groaned into his neck and scraped her teeth over his gland.

Horacio reared up, feet digging into the mattress behind her. She could feel his cock twitch inside her. He breathed hard through the orgasm, chest rising and falling rapidly. Sweat poured from his temples and sharp involuntary sounds pushed through a clenched jaw.

Eva allowed her hips to slow a bit so he could come back down—a move that was already costing her. She gripped his shoulders as she grappled with the bone deep want in her body. It was a razor that sheared away all the parts of her that were rational. Her effort was fruitless, leaving her grinding her hips helplessly against him. She needed to come. She fucking needed it.

Eva felt like she could touch the orgasm with just the barest brush of her outstretched fingers, but she could not come. It didn’t matter that she was filled to bursting with his knot. Nor did it matter that he was hitting every single place inside her that made Eva see stars. She kept going, kept pushing herself. God, but she couldn’t breathe.

Horacio moaned in her ear. A sweet, sweet sound of pleasure. He rode wave after wave of sensation beneath her, movements stilted and graceless. His body flexed and coiled as he came again, until all the strength in him fell away. He collapsed on the bed, limbs limp at his sides.

She kept going.

He was still hard inside her, still giving her what she needed. Eva tossed her head back, moving faster, pushing herself to get there. Her voice mixed with his, echoing off the walls. Horacio spoke to her in a voice that was halting and low. He told her how good she felt, how grateful he was that she would share this with him. He told her that he would take care of her for the rest of their lives. The pitch of his words tilted upwards into desperation the longer he talked, the harder she rode him.

And then…

“Please, Eva,” he begged. “Please, I’m—I’m—fuck, I’m—.”

She knew he was going to come a third time, could feel him hardening even further inside. But, the sound of him...pleading with her, begging her—it sent an unnameable thrill through Eva’s body. There was a power in it that spurred her on.

Horacio’s eyes squeezed shut and his head tilted back. A rhythmic, helpless whimper slipped from behind his teeth. He whispered her name over and over, followed by the plea, “I can’t...”

He could. She knew he could. Eva just had to get him there.

“Por favor, omega.”

There it was. There was the thing she needed—all she needed. Eva’s keen was high pitched and loud enough that it almost startled her. Her body jerked and shuddered as she came. The pleasure was so explosive that she completely missed Horacio coming along with her—wouldn’t have even noticed if his body hadn’t risen off the bed, nearly toppling her.

It went on forever, until she couldn’t hold herself up, until she had to lay down on his chest and tremble with the aftershocks.

This time, Eva’s sleep was more restful and so deep that Horacio had physically sit her up so that he could make her sip water and nibble on a few crackers. Dazed and punch drunk, Eva did as he asked, peering at him with sleepy affection. He fed her with his hands and, when she had enough, he pulled the sheet from where it had fallen on the floor to cover them while they dozed.

She woke on the upswing of the next wave of her heat.

She was laying on her side. Her arms and legs were wrapped around Horacio in a tight embrace and she was desperately grinding her folds against his hard cock. There was an embarrassing amount of slick dripping between them, soaking the sheets below.

Horacio noticed that she was awake, “Finally.”

He rolled Eva to her back and slid down her body. On the way, he pushed her thighs wide to accommodate his shoulders. Wasting no time, he licked a hot kiss along her center, tongue swirling over her clit. Eva hissed, feeling her cunt clench down on nothing. She couldn’t keep still. Her hips rolled, her thighs squeezed. Her hands carded into his hair, tugging on the curls to guide him where she needed him most.

It took less than two minutes for her to come in his mouth.

Horacio rose from between her legs with a smug little grin—a grin that was shining with her slick. Swinging from his neck, his wedding ring caught the ambient light of the room. Eva hooked a finger into the band and drew him down. She licked his lips clean, pulling a heavy, aroused groan from his chest.

The pace was slower when he pushed into her. More controlled. Horacio gave her long, deep strokes, teasing her with his knot. He circled her opening with it, waited until she was on the edge of coming again before snapping his hips to sink it home.

Afterwards, as they lay locked together, Horacio drew abstract lines on her back with his fingertips. He cradled her against his body, keeping her warm as the night began to give way to gray morning.

Eva dozed quietly, thinking that if she knew how good a heat with him would be, she would have stopped taking those pills a long time ago.

#Shadow and Veil #Narcos #Horacio carrillo #carrillo #maurice compte #au #A/B/O dynamics

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downwiththeficness · 2 months

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Shadow and Veil-Chapter Forty Two

Word Count: ~5,000

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Eva leaned over the counter with a hand pressed to her forehead. The morning brought with it nausea and cramping. Both lasted through the day and into the evening, threatening her plans for the night. The nausea, she could attribute to anxiety; the cramping to an ill timed period. Which made little to no sense, given that she was at least two weeks early and there hadn’t been a single drop of blood.

The pills from Bobbi Lynn were long gone. And, Eva guessed she was dealing with the consequences of moving on to a commercial brand. She was not looking forward to months of her body swinging wildly from one extreme to the next as it regulated her hormones.

Inhaling deeply, Eva patted her face with water and dried her hands on a towel. Then, she took a quick look at herself in the mirror.

The ochre dress still fit. In fact, it fit better than the last time she’d worn it all those months ago. She touched the deep neckline that exposed the skin from her collarbones down to mid chest. Her thumb no longer fit snugly in the hollow around the clavicle. She could no longer see the individual ridges of her ribs.

Fingers drifting downwards, Eva touched the soft swell of her breasts. They were fuller, now, peeking enticingly from behind the fabric. She turned, watching the skirt swish around her hips—they were fuller, too. So much that she’d bought new pants twice over to accommodate the curves. In the back of her mind, she could still hear Myra telling her that she looked fat, but that voice was very dim. She hoped, one day, she would stop hearing it at all.

Satisfied with her reflection, Eva sauntered into the bedroom to find Horacio trying to decide between two belts. He stared at them intently, thumbs worrying the metal buckles.

Eva smiled as she quietly observed him. He was dressed in all black—button up, slacks, leather shoes. Very Diego. She could see the gold chain around his neck flashing against brown skin. He hadn’t yet styled his hair and the curls were falling over his brow. Eva was struck anew by how attractive she found him and she wondered at how lucky she was that they were together.

She wrapped her arms around her middle to soothe a vaguely worrying cramp, saying, “The gold one.”

Horacio looked up with his brows raised.

“The gold one,” Eva repeated, “It will match the chain.”

He nodded once, “You’re right.”

“Of course I am,” she pronounced, with confidence.

When he turned to put the other belt away, Eva was greeted with the sigh-worthy sight of his shoulders as they blocked out the entrance to the closet. Whoever tailored the shirt he was wearing deserved a medal for the way it smoothed over his back and tapered in to his waist. The material pulled ever so slightly over his bicep when he reached up to turn off the overhead light, hinting at the muscle she knew lay below.

Her hands curled into her palms and her feet moved without conscious thought. She closed the distance between them in three long steps. Horacio tossed the belt on the bed and gripped her hips in a firm hold, “You look beautiful.”

Eva started to say something pithy, like ‘this old thing?’, but the words died on her tongue. Horacio’s eyes were roving her body, lingering on the skin exposed by the neckline of her dress. Although Horacio hadn’t mentioned that her body was filling out, he did seem to be enjoying it. He pulled her closer, until the material brushed against his slacks and murmured, “I remember this dress.”

She nodded, “I brought it from Louisiana.”

Horacio hummed lowly, “I liked it in Louisiana, too.”

The memory came to her slowly. Stag Nation. The Lounge. The pool. Let me go.

As if he were remembering the moment in tandem, Horacio lifted his hand and pressed it to her sternum. His fingers spread wide, slipping underneath the fabric. The heat of his palm was nearly scalding and Eva was awash with his scent. It swirled around her, running up her nose and into her head where it demanded her attention. Tobacco and vetiver and the delicious smoke of his interest. Eva breathed deep, her chest pressing into his hand. The pressure increased on every inhale, grounding her body.

He was so close, so very present, that it almost overwhelmed her. She couldn’t look away from his face as he studied the way his hand laid atop her skin. His expression was intent and focused, on the very edge of anger. It confused Eva, and she said as much.

Horacio glanced at her, “At the party, I wanted...so much more than this.”

This was absolutely not a surprise. As naive as Eva was about who Horacio was and what he thought about her, even she could read his intent when he approached her that night. One side of Eva’s mouth lifted, “I know.”

He didn’t share her humor, “I was very close to dragging you out of the house.”

Her smirk fell, words once again failing her. An image of being thrown over his shoulder and whisked away flashed in her mind. The heat of the fantasy was visceral and real, as was the realization that it could have never happened. At least, not like that.

His grip on her waist slid around to the small of her back, “It would have been easy to take what I wanted.”

Eva gasped when the hand on her chest rotated and cupped her breast. Skin to skin, her nerves sizzled afresh. She bit her lip when his thumb rubbed back and forth over her nipple. And still, she couldn’t quite look away from his face.

He wasn’t even looking back.

All Horacio’s attention was on his hand as it caressed her. His breathing was shallow and heat wafted from him like a lit furnace. He pushed the material of her dress aside and swallowed audibly as he took in her exposed breast. Another impatient swipe and the dress dropped down to hang on her upper arms.

Eva trembled as he explored every inch of skin, groaning when he pinched a nipple between his thumb and forefinger. The sensitive bud hardened, seeking more. Her head tipped back, giving Horacio room to lay a kiss on her neck, her collarbone, and down a winding path to meet his hand.

“I could have sucked on these all night,” he rasped as he took a nipple in to his mouth.

Eva’s hands scrambled for purchase, one carding into his hair and the other digging into his shoulder. A high, breathy moan left her lips, followed by a shorter, louder sound of pleasure.

Horacio worked his way to the other side, “I could have made you beg me for it.”

His head lifted and he kissed her hard. Eva moaned into it, the sound harsh in her ear. She clung to him, suddenly needing more than anything to have him as close as possible. Horacio obliged her, arms tight around her body.

The kiss grew frantic. Hands roamed over hard angles and soft curves. Eva arched into him, reveling in the feeling smooth silk against her breasts. She tugged at his collar, wanting more skin, more sensation, more everything.

He broke the kiss, breathing heavily, “Javier is on his way. We should…”

Eva took advantage of the pause in his words, cupping his jaw and bringing his mouth to hers. She coaxed a kiss from him, sucking lightly on his lower lip.

Horacio returned the kiss enthusiastically, palms squeezing her ass. “Eva,” he choked between kisses, “Amorcita, we don’t have time.”

They could make time. As far as Eva was concerned, Javier could wait on the doorstep for as long as it took to get Horacio inside her. She wanted him more than she cared about being polite.

Eva took his hand and guided it to her chest. She held it there and offered him more drugging kisses as a distraction while she walked ever so slowly backwards. When her knees hit the bed, Eva dropped heavily onto the mattress and looked up at Horacio from beneath her lashes.

He was at little bit lost. And torn. Eva knew he had a plan for tonight. That he had responsibilities that he needed to take care of. The two of them had discussed every tiny detail, worked through a thousand scenarios—all of which had the same conclusion.

Horacio had a criminal to catch.

And yet.

He took her in, staring at her like a he was dying of thirst and she was a pool of cool water. Horacio was a man who wanted to drown. Eva let him look. Let him want. Right up until she couldn’t take another second under the heat of his eyes. Eager hands reached forward, catching his waistband and pulling him down. Horacio slammed his hand down on the mattress beside her to catch his weight. His mouth met hers, following as she laid back.

He hovered over her, frame caging her in on all sides. Eva tried to get him closer, to get him to drop all that heavy weight on her, but Horacio was steadfast. He kept a few inches’ distance between them, refusing to give in.

This wouldn’t do.

Eva’s mouth veered off to the side, over the stubble on his jaw and downwards. Her tongue ran over sweet skin, swirling over a rapid pulse. She gave him no warning before she laid a hot, open mouthed kiss on his gland. Above her, Horacio shouted and the arm supporting his weight collapsed.

She took it willingly, hips opening to make room. Horacio’s chest vibrated with a groan, and Eva expected him to push into his palms, to replace the distance between them. He didn’t. Horacio let Eva fold him into her embrace, let her keep sucking a kiss to his gland. She swirled her tongue over the swollen flesh, drawing in the taste of him. His arousal was touched with frustration. And, underneath, there was the metallic iron of his will.

Horacio grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her down to the bed His voice was filled with warning as he said her name. Eva could sense how close he was to breaking. Horacio might be holding her down with one hand, but the other was dragging her skirt up her thighs. That knowledge kept the self-satisfied smile from her face. Made her work to keep upping the ante.

Eva tried to kiss him again, whining pitifully when he denied her. She wriggled on the bed, knees spreading. He squeezed her thigh before easing it to the side and tracing his fingers up to where they met her underwear.

“I’ll make you come,” he said between harsh breaths, “Yes?”

The thought was tempting, but it fell short of what Eva really wanted. Something in her body was driving her towards slick skin and burning pleasure. She wanted hours of pleasure soaked in arousal, and she knew there would be no satisfaction in a quick orgasm.

She shook her head, “Want you.”

Horacio mirrored her, “Can’t. I’m too…” he searched for the words, “tight.”

Eva squinted at him, “Tight?”

He gripped the elastic of her underwear, “Like a watch. Take these off.”

Shimmying out of them, Eva tried to figure out what he meant so that she could convince him otherwise. What did a clock have to do with sex?

“Do you mean ‘wound up’?”

A nod while he gathered her skirt up and around her waist. He took no time to press his hand against her mound, swirling the slick around. The pressure eased some of the strangely painful want in her pussy. Temporarily. With every movement, it grew wilder, blazing hot when he pushed his fingers inside.

It felt so, so good, but it just wasn’t enough.

Reaching between them, she pulled his shirt from his slacks, earning a grunt of censure from the man above her. He loosed her neck to grab for her hands, only to find that she was now free to lick the salt from the hollow of his throat.

“Eva,” he pleaded, “mi amor, I said I would take care of you.”

“Wanna take care of you, too,” Eva replied mindlessly.

“Its too much,” he breathed, “I don’t—fuck, yes, ride them.”

Eva’s hips moved in a smooth roll, sinking down on his hand with growing speed and force. Horacio helped her along, moving with her body and rubbing his thumb over her clit in a wide circle. The rhythm faltered when Eva wriggled her fingers into his slacks and gave his length a firm stroke.

His hand left her folds to grab at her wrist. Several expressions flashed across his face in such a quick succession that Eva couldn’t quite catch them. But, she definitely understood the way his eyes closed and his mouth hung open. The wet fingers around her wrist were tight, but he wasn’t stopping her hand. He let her pump him slowly, let her kiss his mouth until she was giddy with it.

“Can you,” she murmured against his lips, “put it in? Just for a minute.”

Horacio hissed, an angry sound, “We don’t—,”

“Have time,” she finished for him. “I know. Just for a minute. I wanna feel you.”

He pulled his hips back and dislodged her hand. Then, he grasped her jaw and made her look at him, “One minute. Don’t you dare fight me when I say its over.”

Eva grinned, “Do you want me to set a timer? I think there’s one in the kitchen.”

“Cállate.”

She bit down on her lower lip to suppress a giggle that would likely annoy him more. Eva was getting a little bit of what she wanted and she knew to stop while she was ahead.

Horacio pushed his slacks down his thighs and grasped his cock, lining the wet head up against her opening to make the first push inside. Eva let her hips relax, anticipating the two or three thrusts that it usually took to allow her body time to reacquaint itself with his size.

Two or three thrusts that didn’t happen.

Eva’s body welcomed him whole, and it surprised them both.

Horacio struggled to breathe. His eyes were squeezed shut and his jaw was clenched. For her part, Eva could only marvel up at him while her body screamed out at the rightness of it all. She still struggled to take him, felt like he was bigger than he’d ever been inside her. But, that didn’t matter. It just didn’t fucking matter.

When he caught his breath, Horacio braced himself on his forearms and looked down between them. Eva’s dress was wadded up around her waist, the sleeves caught at her elbows. Beyond the pile of fabric, she could see how their bodies fit together.

Perfect. They were perfect.

Horacio brushed the hair back from her face, “How do you do this to me?”

Eva hummed in question, distracted by the way his cock brushed up against something inside that made her toes curl. He didn’t answer. Instead, Horacio chose to lay slow, lingering kisses along the column of her neck and down her chest where he scraped his teeth over the swell of her breast.

On the way back to her mouth, his weight shifted forward and his cock sank a fraction deeper. Eva’s gasp was swallowed down by a deep, unrelenting kiss. All the while, Horacio held himself still inside her—or, he attempted to.

The longer the kiss went on, the more Eva fought to keep still so that he wouldn’t end it too soon. Her body refused to obey the commands of her mind, seeking friction on her clit. What started out as small movements bloomed into planting her feet on the mattress so that she could lift her hips against his.

Horacio’s laughter was more felt than heard, “Greedy omega.”

She shivered, “I can’t help it.”

“I know,” he said, mouthing along her jaw until he reached her gland and running his tongue over it.

Eva gasped a harsh breath and her body curled up against him. She slipped both hands into his hair to hold him to her while he sucked what would later be a hickey onto her skin.

On his way to the other side, Horacio grunted, “I’m supposed to be prepping for a tactical mission. Instead, I’m trying not to come inside a delicious, perfect omega.”

She pulled at his shirt, at the skin beneath, while he drove her out of her mind with his mouth. The fire in her belly grew brighter and hotter, drawing Eva very close to the edge. He was barely moving and she was ready to come.

Lifting up, Horacio drew in a deep breath, “Time. Time.” When Eva began to protest, he added, “I said a minute.” Then, “I’ll make sure you come, Amorcita. Don’t worry.”

“Please,” she begged, holding him by the shoulders, “Please.”

“I’ll make you feel good,” he said as he dropped a kiss to her mouth.

Eva had no doubt about that, but all she could think about the way he said he was trying not to come inside her. The words went around and around in her mind, accompanied by the heat in his tone. Bone deep instincts were begging her to act, to convince him to stay right where he was.

“I need you,” she whispered. Then, louder, “Please, alpha.”

Horacio’s expression went slack with shock. He blinked at her for several long seconds in silence, “Say it again.”

Eva touched his cheek, “Please, alpha.”

He laid his forehead against hers with a defeated sound. One by one, he lifted her legs so that they rode high on his hips. His mouth touched her lips briefly, followed by her nose, her cheek, her throat. Eva expected him to fuck her hard and deep. She expected him to channel all his frustration into explosive, powerful movement. Instead, Horacio moved slowly, gliding easily in and out of her so that she felt every inch.

Half way between one thrust and the next, there was a knock at the door. Horacio’s shoulders drooped. Still buried inside her, he blew out a disappointed breath and looked at Eva with almost a smile, “That’s Javier.”

“No shit.”

“I told you we didn’t have enough time.”

He had, and Eva was disappointed to find out that the was right.

Another knock.

Horacio kissed her briefly and eased away. Eva sat up, pressing her legs together and smoothing the folds of her dress. She was grateful that the material wasn’t prone to wrinkling or she’d have to change.

Having righted his own clothing, Horacio looked her over one more time and went to answer the door. She heard him speaking with Javier and offering a beer. While she ran her hands through her hair and touched up her makeup, they went over the plan again.

As usual, Diego would parade around town, making a spectacle of himself. Nothing different from what he’d been doing the last few weeks. Eva would tag along with him, which was also not much different.

Except…

Except, this time, Eva wouldn’t play the part of the fearful omega or the put-upon accountant. This time, Eva would play a role both familiar and alien to her.

The lover.

Eva would hang from Horacio’s arm the whole night, doing her best to show anyone who might look their way that she was infatuated with him. Not a difficult task, if she were being honest. All Eva had to do was exaggerate the way she already wanted him—which was also not a difficult task.

She could still feel him inside her, could still feel the way her pussy wrapped around his length. Her body was gently simmering, reminding her that they’d been interrupted. The idea that she might be able to draw him back into the bedroom drifted across her mind, but Eva knew that Horacio’s attention had fully shifted to the mission. It would be a waste of time to try.

God, but she still wanted him.

Eva always wanted him. She always wanted to be near him. Nothing about that was surprising. But, there was something intense about how she wanted him now. About the way she wanted him. And, the things she wanted from him. Her feelings were a jumble of arousal and frustration and something that resembled anger, but wasn’t.

She stepped into her heels and wondered if she should be worried. It almost felt like she should be.

Horacio walked into the bedroom, “Almost ready?”

“Almost,” she answered, voice high and breathy, “I just need to get my purse.” And the gun inside it.

He moved to the bed and picked up the belt he’d discarded earlier, slipping it through the loops, “Javier will drive us. He says Josh and his people have been seen at this bar a few times a week for months. If we’re lucky, he’ll get an eyeful tonight.”

At least someone is going to get lucky, Eva thought wryly as she grabbed her clutch from where it sat on the dresser. “You think he’ll start a fight, if he does get an eyeful?”

Horacio shrugged, “We’ll be ready, if he does.”

Tempted to roll her eyes, Eva turned from him to go out into the living room with every intention of having a drink before heading out. A hand caught her elbow, stopping the movement. She looked back at Horacio with a question in her eyes.

He leaned down to speak directly into her ear, voice low, “I know you’re unhappy that we didn’t…” his words trailed off. Before Eva could reassure him that she understood why they hadn’t finished what they started, he continued in a direct, raw voice, “When we get back, I’ll do whatever you want. For as long as you want.”

She believed him. She totally fucking believed him.

Not waiting for a response, Horacio ushered Eva out of the bedroom and down the hall to the living room where Javier was waiting on the couch. Eva, still flustered, offered him an awkward wave and bee-lined for the kitchen to pour a glass of much needed liquor.

While she poured, the phone rang.

Horacio picked it up. The conversation was too low for her to hear, let alone translate. By the time she carried her drink to the living room, he was telling Javier that they could spare a man or two.

“What happened?”

Horacio very nearly grinned, “We found Josh’s lab.”

Eva was impressed, “That’s great news!”

A nod, “We’re sending someone to scout the area.”

“So, does that mean we aren’t going out tonight?” Eva tried to keep the hope from her voice and didn’t quite manage it.

Horacio caught her meaning, “Its better if we stick to the plan.”

Javier, seeing Eva’s pout, said, “Don’t worry. You’ll do fine. And, if shit goes sideways, we have back up.”

She let him continue to think that she was worried about her performance and not put-out by the delay in fantastic sex.

“We should go,” Horacio announced, glancing at his watch.

She threw back the rest of her drink and followed the two of them to the car. Horacio surprised her by sliding into the back seat beside her. He pulled Eva against his body and laid a hand on her thigh while Javier turned over the engine and pulled out of the lot.

Eva leaned into Horacio, watching the scenery flash by in a swirl of lights. The night was warm with the first hints of summer. People were out and about, eager to blow off steam after a long work week. She could see them laughing and drinking and dancing every time Javier slowed to a stop.

Normal people doing normal things.

In the enclosed space of the car, Eva could not escape the man beside her. He was practically wrapped around her body, a few inches from pulling her into his lap. His scent was similarly all around, filling her nose and reminding her that—after weeks of restraint—Eva was allowed to touch him in front of other people.

She traced little circles over the hand on her thigh, listening to his breaths. They weren’t quite even, hitching now and again when she ran her fingers over the sensitive skin of his wrist. He kept his eyes on the road ahead, but Eva knew she had his attention.

The bar was packed when they walked through the doors. Horacio led her further inside with an arm around her waist while Javier dealt with the hostess. A well placed wad of folded bills got them a table in the back of the room. Eva slid into the booth, surprised when Horacio rattled off an order of drinks before she’d even settled into the seat.

She forgot that he wasn’t Horacio, now. Eva was out with Diego, and he would act accordingly. She tried to remember what Diego was like, what he was prone to do. Her memory helpfully supplied half a dozen instances where he was a complete ass. As much as she knew it wasn’t actually Diego sitting next to her, Eva wondered if she could keep her composure when he inevitably stepped out of line.

You’re overthinking it, a voice in her head prompted.

Agreeing with herself, Eva crossed her legs and tried to relax. Horacio noticed her heightened anxiety—because of course he did—and reached for her. He pulled both of her legs over one of his thighs, patting her hip affectionately. Eva giggled, feeling a bit ridiculous, but let him do as he liked.

The music was loud, making conversation difficult. Eva was glad for it. She didn’t feel much like talking. Didn’t think she could manage it when her mind was singularly focused on Horacio.

She watched him watch the room, watched the way his mouth moved when he sipped his drink, watched the way the lights flashed across his skin. Reaching up, Eva wrapped a finger around a curl that fell over his collar. He hadn’t had time to style it and she smirked when she thought about why.

Horacio caught her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. Eva had to bite her lip to keep the moan at bay. She met his stare, letting the molten heat in it wash over her. It settled low in her gut, causing goosebumps to rise.

Eva’s world was very small for those few hours. Javier got up and circled the room now and again, but Horacio stayed right where he was—and, Eva stayed with him. She drank the fruity little cocktail he ordered for her and listened absently to the music. All the while, Eva indulged in every urge to touch and kiss and sink deep into Horacio’s warmth.

He encouraged her, taking even a light caress and turning it into something hot and lingering. His hand supported her neck while he nuzzled it, mouth rubbing over her gland. He smirked when she moaned low in her throat and he outright laughed when she swatted at him in annoyance.

At one point, his hand dropped down beneath the table and eased her legs apart. Very slowly, he rubbed up her thigh until his fingers met her center. Horacio’s eyes grew dark when he discovered that she was still bare beneath. His mouth opened as he drew in a breath to speak.

Javier dropped down into the booth, “We got trouble.”

Horacio cut him a look, “What?”

“One of the girls says she saw Josh and a few guys circle the bar, then drive away.”

Eva felt her stomach drop, “What does that mean?”

Javier shrugged, “Means that we missed our chance tonight.”

Horacio cursed and withdrew his hand, “I want to talk to her.”

He helped her off his lap and stood. Eva scooted along with him, saying that she had to use the restroom. She would meet them by the bar when she was done. Clutch in hand, Eva sidled off to the restroom.

There was a line, which wasn’t surprising, given the crowd. Eva leaned against the wall, moving a few inches forward at a time. She kept her eyes peeled for anyone that might be out of place, that might not be who they pretended to be. Eva didn’t necessarily want to use the gun in her bag, but she was prepared to protect herself.

Once she made it into the stall, she sat down and rested her head in her hands. Nausea made itself known, and not in the way it did when she drank too much. Her belly cramped, pulling at muscle and swollen flesh. Eva tried to breathe through it, but the feeling refused to abate.

Curious, she looked between her legs to find a slow, steady drip of slick. Warm and vaguely embarrassed, she wiped at it only to find more in its place. And, with every touch, it seemed to grow. Her body bloomed with energy. Sensation zinged from her core up into her head and back down again.

She stood, one hand catching her balance on the stall door. What the fuck?, left her mouth in a whisper. At the sink, with at least a dozen women angling around her for the mirror, Eva had to rest her hand on the counter while she caught her breath. She felt like she might faint.

Omega, came a gentle voice. Omega, you need to find a safe place.

Eva looked up at the woman, barely comprehending.

Hand on her arm, she continued in heavily accented Spanish, You don’t have much time.

She couldn’t remember the words to tell her how she couldn’t understand, so Eva settled for shaking her head and making a ‘huh?’ gesture.

The heat, she said. It won’t be much longer. Do you have a safe place to go?

Eva blinked at her, mouth open in shock. She hadn’t even considered that she might have a heat, let alone planned for one. Did she have a safe place to go?

Horacio’s face drifted before her mind’s eye. His smile. His scent. His strength.

“Yes,” she said in a voice that cracked, “I have a safe place.”

#Shadow and Veil #narcos #Horacio carrillo #carrillo #maurice compte #au #A/B/O dynamics

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downwiththeficness · 2 months

Text

Shadow and Veil-Chapter Forty One

Word Count: ~4,100

Start from the beginning Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Masterlist Read on AO3

They were ostentatious about it.

For days, Horacio and Eva went out into the city and made themselves known.

Or, more accurately, Diego made himself known.

Eva was surprised at how fast Horacio slipped back into the persona. It washed over him as soon as he pulled on the ridiculous baby blue coat from his suitcase. There was flint in his eyes and his jaw was permanently clenched. His walk was slower, meandering. He stopped acknowledging her presence when they were in public.

For her part, Eva fell into old habits. She kept her eyes down and spoke only when she had to. Whenever Diego reached for her, she made herself flinch. To anyone who was looking, Eva barely existed. She was a shadow in the heavy light of Diego Jimenez.

And, that was fine.

She got to sit off to the side while Diego had ‘meetings’ with various strangers, eating and drinking whatever she thought looked good on the menu. Some of the people she was now surrounded by gave her questioning looks, but very few mentioned it. Those that did were met with a glare so furious that she felt bad for them.

While she enjoyed the scene being played out in real time, Eva listened to the conversation. She never thought of herself as a particularly devious criminal. Nor did she ever think that she was doing anything that couldn’t be replicated by the average person. But—God—were some of the people running drugs in and out of the area doing it the hard way.

Too many bribes.

Too many risks.

Too many variables that could lead to a complete and total clusterfuck.

It wasn’t her problem, though.

Eva was just an actor in an elaborate farce. She might be playing her part, but she never forgot her primary goal. What Horacio did to make himself look legitimate was irrelevant as long as she got what she wanted. What the other players wanted in the game was even less of her concern. Even if they were idiots.

She was swirling a fruit filled cocktail that vaguely reminded her of refajo, waiting on an order of Gordita de Harina when the conversation she wasn’t supposed to even remotely understand became touched with fire.

The men Javier was working with were, understandably, putting their lives on the line to let Javier and Horacio attempt to take out their competition. And, given that risk, they wanted more than the agreed upon payment. They weren’t even being subtle about it—telling Horacio and Javier outright that they would pay up or be exposed.

She sipped at her drink while she watched Horacio take that information in and start to make a series of decisions. He could pay them more—the States was fronting the bill on the endeavor—but, Eva knew Horacio well enough to predict that he wouldn’t give in so easily. What she wasn’t very sure of was how Diego was going to execute the plan Horacio settled on.

Back when she had no idea Horacio existed, Diego seemed like the kind of criminal that was both brutal and shrewd. When he made a move, it was quick, effortless, and cutting. No indecision. Just action.

A dangerous combination.

Horacio looked down his nose at them, letting the silence hang above the table. In the meantime, Eva’s food arrived and she happily munched on the crunchy cookies while the others at the table engaged in a tense stare down. It didn’t last more than thirty seconds, or so, but it certainly felt longer.

Horacio sniffed, “This is not a conversation to have in public.”

The two men they were dealing with nodded, saying that they had somewhere to talk privately. Eva felt the hair on her arms rise in warning. They were being way too casual about having to go to a secondary location to get what they wanted.

Horacio seemed to be one step ahead of her, “No. We have a place. My partner will give you an address.”

She smiled into her drink while they moved back and forth through the argument. At first, it seemed like neither side would give in and that they would end at an impasse. But, eventually, Javier mentioned a secondary payout—something to sweeten the deal—and the argument ended.

The group stood to leave. Eva mourned the rest of her meal, but threw back the cocktail in one long gulp to tide her over for the next hour or two. In the parking lot, she looked for a familiar face while keeping her head low and her shoulders hunched.

Josh hadn’t yet made an appearance, but he had to know they were in town by now. Diego was making all kinds of noise and Josh would have to be both blind and deaf if he failed to notice. Especially if he was as keen on getting back at Diego as he seemed.

She wondered how he would do it. How would Josh approach the person he probably considered his worst enemy, the person who had brought down everything he’d worked to build. If she knew him (and she did know him) Josh’s approach would definitely be dramatic. There might even be a speech.

From the backseat of the car, Eva asked, “Where are we going?”

Javier answered, “Safe house. Kind of.”

“Kind of?” When the two of them were silent too long, she prompted, “I asked a question.”

Horacio sighed and glanced at her in rear view mirror, “Its more of an interrogation room.”

She blinked rapidly, “You plan on interrogating them?”

“No.”

Javier’s voice was low, and there was something in it that hinted at danger. Eva stared at the back of his head, feeling all of her questions fall away. They rode in silence for the next half hour.

The ‘interrogation room’ was actually a house far out of the city. Eva stared at it, thinking that it really wasn’t much of a house. It was more like factory that hadn’t seen use in at least a decade. The brick facade was crumbling and there was a long, wide trench that must have carried water at one time or another. A few of the windows were broken and there were birds nesting in the divots of the roof.

Walking in, Eva was immediately hit with a wave of dust. The compact dirt floor was cracked and each step brought up more plumes of dirt. Out of date machinery and furniture was piled in the far corner, leaving most of the space empty and bare.

“Well, this is a shit house,” Eva muttered around a cough.

Javier laughed, his hand coming up to cover his face.

“What?”

“It was actually used to make fertilizer,” he said, still laughing.

Eva looked around, “Yeah. I could see it.”

Horacio put his hands on his hips, “Our boys are not far behind. We need to set up.”

Javier, knowing what Horacio wanted, began to look through the various parts and furniture. He seemed to be looking for something in particular, tossing broken pieces carelessly to the side.

Eva stood next to Horacio, “What are you setting up for?”

He cut her a sidelong glance, “We have to make an example of them before they decide to double cross us.”

She made a soft sound of question.

His mouth thinned, “If they inform the cartel that we’re masquerading as one of them, we’ll have bigger problems than just your ex-husband.”

“Wouldn’t the government step in?” she asked, “We’re here because they asked us to be.”

Javier set down a pair of chairs and tugged a table from the wall. He was obvious about refusing to look in Eva’s direction. Something wasn’t right, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. There was tension between the two of them that was unfamiliar and suspicious. With narrowed eyes, she looked to Horacio for an answer.

Horacio ran his hand over his hair, “It will only go so far. We might get an hour’s head start. Enough to get out of the country—or, most of the way.”

She suppressed the memory of fleeing to Texas, of crossing the border with one eye looking over her shoulder. Eva pointed at the open door, “Those men want money or our lives? Is that what you’re telling me?”

He nodded.

Her head dropped back and she looked towards the ceiling, “I should have gotten a drink to go.”

Horacio chuckled and reached into his jacket pocket. From it, he produced a flask, which he handed over to her.

Eva took it and lifted onto her toes to press a short kiss to his mouth, “You’re an angel.”

He hid a shy smile, then cleared his throat, “You should wait in the car.”

She spun open the top of the flask, “That’s not going to happen. But, I’ll go sit over there. Nice and quiet. Won’t say a word.”

Horacio looked unhappy, but gave an eventual nod.

Eva sauntered over to the furniture pile and found a chair that didn’t look like it would break under her weight. She dragged it to the far end of the room, letting the wood scrape against the floor the whole way. Sitting daintily, she twisted open the flask and sipped Horacio’s preferred tequila while she waited for the action to begin.

A car rumbled up the road and pulled noisily to a stop near the large, open door. Voices chatted amiably outside for a moment before the two men wandered in. Horacio greeted them, all smiles and smooth words. Javier was a little more terse, but Eva couldn’t see an ounce of trepidation in their guests.

At least, she couldn’t see it until Horacio pulled the gun from the back of his waistband and shot one of them in the head.

Eva’s whole body jerked. Her ears rang with the single burst of gunfire. She gripped the flask tight while her knees drew up towards her chest. Her heart hammered painfully against her ribs. It was difficult for her to draw breath. She wanted to look away, but couldn’t.

Covered and blood and brain matter, the surviving man went for the gun holstered against his hip only to have Javier hit him hard with a two by four. Eva cringed at the sound of it, knowing that he had to be seeing stars.

Kneeling on the dirt floor, blood pouring from a wound on his temple, he spit blood and curses at Horacio. He was trying to be brave, was even looking Horacio in the eye. But, Eva could see the slow panic spreading across his face. It settled into the creases of his eyes and the tension in his jaw, ruining his every effort.

Horacio loomed over him, speaking in low, smooth, Spanish, “I’m sorry for your friend, Mateo.”

He was not sorry.

Mateo spit more blood.

She was struck with a visceral memory of Horacio standing in a dark basement, staring down at a man with much the same expression on his face. In hindsight, she knew that Horacio saved four people from being tortured to death that night. This, though, this was very, very different.

Eva drank deeply from the flask.

Javier hauled Mateo into the chair and took two steps away. He pulled out a gun of his and held it at the ready with the barrel pointed towards the floor. Horacio watched Javier until he gave a nod, then shoved his weapon back into the waistband of his pants.

“I’m not a man who takes threats lightly, Mateo,” he said, genially. “But, I understand that you don’t know that about me. I will let this go one time.”

The flask, halfway to Eva’s mouth, paused. A slow, hot wave of emotion rolled over her. It was both strange and familiar. A taunt from her subconscious.

Horacio was hunched over, finger in Mateo’s face. The afternoon sun cut across his eyes, illuminating the brown so that it gleamed. Sweat gathered at his temples. The muscle in his jaw worked as he explained what was going to happen next.

“You know who I represent,” he said, “and you know what I can do to you and anyone you care about.” Horacio paused a moment, “I’ll make you disappear. I’ll make it as if your entire life never existed.”

That was...one hell of a threat. Eva felt a little bad for the guy. He probably had no idea what kind of man he was dealing with, what kind of man he’d tried to extort.

Mateo, bless his heart, replied, “You don’t scare me.”

Horacio straightened. His shoulders blotted out the sun’s rays, casting Mateo in mostly shadow, “Maybe I don’t. But, what about your boss? What will he do if he finds out you’ve defected?”

Mateo’s denial was cut off with a sharp slap across the face. Horacio leaned down again, “We’ll keep you safe for a while. Hide you away. A few weeks. A month. But, what will he do when we give you back to him?”

Eva shivered.

Tipping the flask back, Eva drained it and replaced the cap. Feeling warm for a number of reasons, she crossed her arms and tried to pay attention to what Horacio was saying instead of how much she wanted to kiss away the snarl on his lips.

“You’re going to take the money we agreed on,” Horacio sneered, “You’re going to to job you agreed to. And, when we’re done, you’ll never see us—or your competition—again. ¿Claro?”

It took Javier pulling back the hammer on his pistol for Mateo to nod. Even then, Eva wasn’t convinced. She didn’t like the way this went down. Didn’t like that there wasn’t any assurance that Mateo was going to cooperate. He might be pissed off enough to run back to his boss and make up a story to cover his ass. Or, worse, tell the truth.

The unknown made her antsy.

Her head jerked up at the sound of another car driving closer at high speed.

On alert, Eva got up and ran over to the door, shading her eyes with her hand so that she could peer up the road. She couldn’t see the car, but the plume of dust behind it was enough for her to turn back to Horacio and yell that Mateo had ordered back up.

Horacio, gun already in hand, aimed and fired. Mateo swung hard to the side, dead before he hit the ground.

Javier gave a frustrated yell, “We needed him, Carrillo!”

“We’ll find another,” Horacio called over his shoulder. He grabbed Eva by the arm and dragged her to the car. The keys were pressed into her hand, “Get back to the apartment. Drive fast. Don’t stop.”

“I’m staying here with you,” she spit, despite the rising fear.

Horacio’s hand was gripping her jaw tight in a flash, “You will listen to me! Go. Now.”

It was the voice of an alpha giving a clear and indisputable order. Eva couldn’t have disobeyed, if she wanted to. She got into the driver’s seat while Horacio yanked a case she knew contained several guns and extra ammunition from the back seat.

He made his way to the front of the car and leaned into the open window to kiss her. They shared a short, meaningful look before he pointed to the road and walked away.

Eva started the car and gunned it away from the factory. She drove without care for the law or the other car roaring towards her. The only sound she could hear was the wind blowing past and the tone of Horacio’s voice as he ordered her to go.

Her hands squeezed the steering wheel until they ached. They didn’t loosen until she got back to the city. Even then, Eva kept watching the cars around her to make sure she wasn’t being followed.

After parking in the lot, she got out and hurried to the door. With it closed behind her, Eva took what felt like the first breath of air since Horacio handed her the keys. It burned in her lungs, made her suck in several more.

Eva turned the deadbolt and rushed to the bathroom so that she could throw up a few shots of tequila and her meager breakfast. On the floor, she rested her head against the cool tile and tried to calm down.

Horacio and Javier were well trained. They had weapons and they knew how to handle themselves. She knew this. But, all the knowing didn’t put her mind to rest. The slow creep of panic kept coming in spite of it all.

Fuck.

She hadn’t even looked at the other car as it whizzed past her—didn’t know how many of them there were. A flurry of thoughts went round in her head, most of them beginning with the words, ‘what if’. Not a one of them made Eva feel any better.

Stop making a scene, Birdie.

Eventually, with effort, she was able to get herself up and off the floor. She washed her face in the sink and patted it dry. Then, out of an abundance of caution, Eva pulled the gun from her toiletry bag and loaded it.

She went around the apartment and closed all of the curtains, carrying the weapon with her every step of the way. Nervous energy made her pace for a solid ten minutes before her feet began to protest. With nothing to do but wait, Eva sat on the couch and watched the door.

The sun sank low and the already dim apartment grew even dimmer. Eva didn’t want to chance turning on a light. She would sit in the dark all night, if she had to. Anything to make herself feel safe.

A quick, firm knock made her jump, made her lift the gun and aim. Eva blinked rapidly to focus her vision while she held her breath. She stared at the blank door, as if she could see through it to the other side.

“Eva, its me.”

Oh, thank God.

Eva rushed to the door and unlocked it. Horacio moved past her, hustling towards the bathroom without saying a word. Confused, she locked the door again and followed him, setting the gun down on the island on the way.

“What happened?”

He turned the corner to the bedroom, “We handled it.”

She scoffed, “Obviously. But, what happened?”

Eva walked into the bathroom and stopped cold. Horacio was covered in blood stains. On his suit, on his shirt, in his hair. There was a bruise blooming above his eye. He looked like he’d been through hell—and, she guessed he had been.

“Are you hurt?” she rasped, unable to keep the tremble from her voice.

He looked up from where he was unbuttoning his shirt, “No.”

She pointed at the stains, “So, that blood isn’t yours?”

Horacio’s hands paused, “No.”

Eva watched his face carefully. It gave nothing away. Not a single hint as to what he might be thinking. The man she knew was all locked up behind an impenetrable wall.

“I don’t like when you keep me in the dark,” she said lowly.

He sighed, and she could see the faintest crack in his composure. Then, because she needed something to do with her hands, she stepped forward and pushed the jacket from his shoulders. It fell to the floor with a dull thud that echoed off the tile. The tremor in her fingers returned as she helped him out of his clothes. Every layer revealed more scratches, more bruises. More blood.

“I thought you said you weren’t hurt.”

Eva looked up at him with accusation in her tone. Horacio’s mouth thinned and he tossed his head gently to the side. She narrowed her eyes at him, earning a low grunt. Holding his gaze, Eva stared hard while she waited for more.

Naked, he leaned over and started the shower, “Its superficial.”

Eva hummed in a disbelieving tone, but didn’t comment further. She watched him climb into the shower and tilt his head back so that the spray of water washed down his face and neck. In profile and obscured by the glass of the shower door, she could almost fool herself into thinking this was just another night. Just another moment of casual intimacy between them.

The bottom of the tub went pink.

Blowing out a breath, Eva gathered up his clothes and held them at arm’s length so that she could throw them in the trash. She couldn’t say that she was sad to see that jacket go, but wished she had just tossed it while he wasn’t looking and not because of the blood spatter.

Eva dusted off her hands and went back to the bathroom. She hopped up onto the bathroom counter to wait for Horacio to finish showering. He was focused on scrubbing his fingernails against his palm. Eva got comfortable, willing to let him take all the time he needed.

She wanted a story and she was going to get it.

He was surprisingly quick about it, cutting off the water in just a few minutes. From the steam, he emerged and wrapped a towel around his waist. She allowed herself to admire the view while he ran a towel over his hair and face. Under different circumstances, she might be inclined to coax him over to her, to tug the towel from his hands and pull him into the space between her legs.

“What happened?” Eva asked lowly while she resisted a dreamy sigh.

Horacio sighed and set the towel down on the counter, “Its not very complicated.”

“Then, it should be easy to tell me.”

A tiny smirk appeared and disappeared in the space of a heartbeat, “Four men in the car. Javier climbed to the rafters to pick off a few as they got out. From there, it was easy to defend our position.”

Eva nodded, “How did you get home?”

He shrugged, “We took their car. Windshield was broken, but it ran.”

She almost laughed at the thought of Horacio and Javier stealing the car of their would-be assassins, “Is that...it?”

Horacio leaned a hip on the counter and crossed his arms, “We kept one alive for a while. It was mostly his blood…” he gestured towards the shower.

Eva swallowed down the image of Horacio killing another man, “Did he tell you who sent them?”

A hum of confirmation.

“And?”

His mouth spread into an unkind smile, “It wasn’t Mateo.”

She drew back, “Who?”

The smile widened a fraction, “Josh.”

“You’re shitting me.”

“No,” he replied with a chuckle, “We got his attention.”

Eva didn’t want to hope too much that they were finally getting where they needed to go with Josh. But, her chest fluttered with anticipation, “You think he’ll come for us soon?”

“I do.”

She glanced to the side in thought, “We should lay a trap.”

There was amusement in his voice when he replied, “I assume you have an idea.”

Eva met his gaze, “Why would you think that?”

Horacio rolled his eyes and reached out to put a hand on her thigh, “Eva, you’ve been plotting the entire time we’ve been in Mexico. Now, out with it.”

Abashed at having been caught, she leaned into him a bit and said, “I’m disappointed that he sent four men to kill you.”

A blink, “You think he should have sent more?”

“I think he should have come for you, himself,” Eva replied.

Horacio’s brows rose, “You said he was a coward.”

“He is. I just thought he’d get pissed off enough to overcome it.”

The hand on her thigh squeezed gently, “You can’t be right all the time, Eva.”

Huffing, Eva slid from the counter and walked around Horacio to the bedroom, “Maybe we have to up the ante a bit.”

Horacio followed her, “How?”

Eva thought about it while she pulled off the dusty clothes she’d been wearing all day, “I don’t know.”

A sense of defeat sat ill in her belly. Eva thought she knew Josh so well, so deeply that her plan would work. Maybe he’d changed since she left Louisiana. She certainly had.

Horacio sidled up behind her and pulled her into his chest. Eva let her weight fall into him, resting her hands on the forearms that circled her waist. His skin was warm against hers. His chin dropped to her shoulder, “You were right about one thing.”

She turned her head, laying her cheek against his, “What’s that?”

“I have something he thinks is his,” Horacio rumbled. His hand pressed against her stomach, “But, I don’t think he knows how much I have her.”

A smile flitted across Eva’s mouth.

He kissed her shoulder, her neck, lips hovering over the gland beneath her ear, “I think we should show him.”

#Shadow and Veil #Narcos #Horacio carrillo #carrillo #maurice compte #au #a/b/o dynamics

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downwiththeficness · 2 months

Text

Shadow and Veil-Chapter Forty

Word Count: ~2200

Start from the beginning Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Masterlist Read on AO3

Eva watched Horacio key into the apartment with her mouth pulled down into a frown. This trip felt far longer than the last, even though it was half the distance. At every turn, they were met with delays. A layover that almost caused them to miss their connecting flight, a run-in with customs, and a terribly irate taxi driver who took the turns too fast. It was as if the very universe wanted to keep them out of Mexico.

The hit of the air conditioning across her face was very, very welcome. Eva sighed as she followed Horacio inside and set her bags down next to the door. Her shoulders dropped from where they felt perpetually shrugged up near her ears. The sweat on her brow evaporated, taking all the discomfort with it.

She toed off her shoes and closed the door. Then, she took a look around.

It was...nice.

She guessed.

The walls were freshly painted and the furniture was new. Some artwork dotted the area, like the kind she might find in a hotel. The décor was all clean lines and sharp, shining metal. As if the room was trying to project an air of sophistication that it definitely did not have.

Horacio opened the fridge, “We have groceries.”

“Do we have alcohol?” Eva replied in a wry tone.

He leaned down and plucked a bottle from the shelf, “We do.”

“Thank God,” she sighed, “I have needed a drink for at least four hours.”

“Only four?” Horacio asked as he popped the top off two bottles.

“I was being generous.”

“Oh? I couldn’t tell.”

She rolled her eyes and took the bottle from him, drinking deep, “Do you think that driver actually had a license? Because I have doubts.”

One side of his mouth lifted, “Should I call the union?”

“You think they have a union?”

A shrug, “Its possible.”

“We’ll call them in the morning,” Eva drawled as she dropped onto the couch, “I’m too tired to deal with customer service.”

Horacio sat down next to her, “You didn’t have to come with me. You know that, right?”

Eva cut him a look, “Yes, I did.” A pause and a sigh, “I’m not having this argument again.”

He leaned his head back against the couch. Eva felt his had reach for hers and looked down to see their fingers threaded together.

“Its only for a few weeks,” Horacio muttered, sounding tired.

“I know.”

He looked at her, “I mean it.”

“I know.”

Horacio pushed from the couch with a soft grunt and pointed at her beer, “Finish that, and we’ll see if the bed is any good.”

Three hours and one desperately needed nap later, Horacio was warming tortillas in a pan while Eva plated the rice and vegetables at the island behind him. The bed was...fine. Serviceable. But, she missed their bed at home. Missed that it smelled like them. Missed the warmth of the comforters and the low drone of the fan Horacio insisted had to run at full speed throughout the night.

A knock stopped her hands from throwing the serving spoon back into the pot. As far as she knew, they weren’t expecting visitors. Horacio flicked off the stove top and went to answer it. Eva watched him the whole way, fingers squeezing the handle.

Javier’s face was not exactly smiling when Horacio opened the door, but it didn’t have the usual glare. He greeted Horacio with a firm hug and a pat on the back. To Eva, he sent a nod and something that was very nearly a smile. She returned it and went to get another plate.

There was no dining room in the apartment. The three of them ended out hunched over the coffee table so they could eat. Between bites, the conversation went through the motions of catching up on each other’s lives.

Javier listened to Horacio talk about buying the house, about his promotion, about the bullshit levels of paperwork that came with that new position. He asked how Eva was adapting and seemed genuinely concerned when she talked about how hard it was for her to get a job.

“Why isn’t she working for you?” he jerked his chin at Horacio.

He shrugged, “She could, if she wanted.”

Eva rolled her eyes, “No, thanks. I’ve had enough police work to last a lifetime.”

“The woman has a point,” Javier asserted with a careless toss of his head.

“Thank you,” she replied, primly. The conversation paused for a moment, and Eva decided that they had delayed long enough, “So, what’s the plan?”

Both men looked at her with narrowed eyes, as if she’d broken some kind secret agreement to dance around the topic for a while longer. Eva lifted her brows at them and waited.

Javier dropped his napkin onto the table and took a long swig of his beer, “I’ve got a man on the inside who is willing to let us do transport. I told him we’d need to be conspicuous, but that we would protect the product.”

Eva cast her mind back to their first few meetings. She set aside the razor sharp nerves and the desperate fear that she would be found out so that she could think about what Josh might be thinking. Planning. Scheming.

“That’s good,” she said, eventually. “Josh already thought you were in the business of getting drugs across the border.”

A nod, “Exactly. We’ll do a few laps around town, draw his attention, and then let him come to us.”

Eva could only imagine what that might entail. She kind of looked forward to observing it all from a distance.

Horacio leaned his arms on his knees, “Its not a very complicated plan, but I think it will work.”

“What if,” she began, with hesitation, “he doesn’t come for you, himself? What if he sends someone else?”

Josh wasn’t in the habit of putting himself in the line of fire, so to speak. That was Alexei’s job. And, with the Russian dead, Eva thought he might be even more careful.

“He’s been looking for Diego a long time,” Javier said, “I think its a pretty good bet that he would want to confront him, man to man.”

Eva laughed, “You don’t know m—.” She cut herself off, having almost referred to Josh as her husband. He wasn’t. Not anymore. “You don’t know him. He won’t want to get his hands dirty.”

“Rage can make a man do things he wouldn’t, normally.”

“Are you sure he is enraged?”

“His whole life got blown up,” Javier said, “We took everything from him.”

She fixed him with an even look, “Yeah, but he got it back.”

“What?”

“He got it back,” she repeated, “The house, the money, the schmoozing with bureaucrats? That was just a hobby. What Josh loved was the work. The chemistry. He’s already doing that, now. Or, so I’ve heard.”

Javier was silent for a few seconds, mouth pursed into an ‘o’. Then, “What do you think we should do?”

The tone of his voice was soft, but he clearly wanted an answer. Eva sat back a little and thought about it. There were a lot of options, most of them so complicated that it would definitely extend the timeline Horacio promised her. She wanted to get back to Colombia as soon as possible. If they took the next plane out of the country, it wouldn’t be soon enough. But, how? How, how, how?

“You need to dangle something he thinks he owns in front of him. Something he will want to get back.” Here she paused and added, with emphasis, “personally.”

Javier drew back, “The fuck does that mean?”

Eva picked up her beer, “You said you took everything from him. He got the thing he cares most about back. The only thing he would even want is…”

It was a foolish thought.

A stupid, foolish thought.

Horacio leaned towards her, “Is?”

Eva looked at him, took in the warm brown of his eyes and that way he hadn’t yet tamed the curls that fell over his brow. He looked a bit like he did when they woke up in the morning. Sweet. Adorable.

“Me.”

All the warmth faded from Horacio’s eyes, “You?”

It was a question, but felt like an accusation.

She felt a small stab of insecurity about what she was about to say, but pushed on, anyway. “Yes. Me.” A breath, “I was property to him. A tool he used to do business. I can tell you that getting his operation off the ground here in Mexico was a hell of a lot harder without me to figure out the logistics and manage the money.” Eva looked at them both, in turn, “He’s going to want his tool back.”

Eva did not say the other half of her explanation. There wasn’t a need to remind him that there was something else Eva represented for Josh. That he had plans for her. It would have only pissed Horacio off, and she needed him to agree with her.

“No.”

Eva cut Horacio a glance, “No?”

“That’s right. No.”

Javier reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, “She could be right.”

Horacio’s lip curled, “I didn’t spend almost a year getting you away from him to let you put yourself back in his hands.”

“Let me?”

Hearing the venom in her tone, Javier stood and gestured towards the door, saying that he was going out for a smoke. Eva rose and began gathering the plates in an effort to stem off some the energy that came with her anger.

Horacio, to his credit, realized his mistake almost immediately, “You said you weren’t going to get involved.”

She had said that. At the table over dinner. On the plane. In the cab. She’d said it over and over, knowing that it was a lie. Deep down, Eva’s motivations were more complicated than simply wanting to be by Horacio’s side while he tried to take down Josh for the second time.

“And,” she replied, “You said that this would only take a few weeks.”

He followed her into the kitchen, “It will only take a few weeks.”

Eva scraped the plates clean and set them next to the sink, “You and I both know that’s not true.”

Horacio turned on the water and plugged the sink. While he squirted soap into the basin, he said, “I didn’t know you were an expert in covert operations.”

He didn’t often speak to her with that kind of sarcasm and it made Eva bristle. Nearly seven years of marriage was enough to give her an advantage over just about anyone in the world. When it came to Joshua Moore, she was content expert, and she didn’t appreciate the dismissal in his tone.

“Really?” she sneered, “Because I seem to remember that it took you months to even get Josh’s attention last time.”

She set the dishes in the sink and stepped aside so that he could grab the sponge. Horacio squeezed more soap onto it and picked up the first dish to scrub away the remnants of dinner. “That was planned,” he asserted. “We didn’t want to scare him.”

“Sure.”

He cast her a glare, “He’ll take the bait faster, this time.”

Eva took the clean plate from him and grabbed a towel to dry it, “Or, he’ll send someone to take the bait for him and you’ll end out shot in the back on the street.”

Horacio scoffed, “He’s not that much of a coward.”

“Yes he is!”

He was quiet while he cleaned the next two plates, dutifully handing them to her. Then, he reached down and pulled the plug, “What if he shoots you in the back?”

Eva finished drying the last plate and sighed, “He won’t. If anything, he’ll want to flaunt that he has me back right in front of you before putting a bullet in you. Gloat. Just like you said.”

They stood in front of the sink while water slowly gurgled down the drain. Eva could admit that they were both right, in their own way. And, they were both just stubborn enough to reach an impasse in the argument.

The door opened and Javier peeked around it, “Uh, everything okay?”

Eva shot him a brittle smile, “Everything is fine.” Then, to Horacio, “When you go out parading around town, I’ll go with you. Let him think that you’re using me the same way he did. That will enrage him. That will get him to confront you, man to man.”

Later, while Horacio was asleep. Eva sat on the couch with a beer. In the darkness, she stared out the apartment window to the street. It was quiet, far more quiet than she expected in such a populated city.

Eva drained the bottle and went to throw it in the trash. Then, she padded through the apartment and into the en suite bathroom. With the door closed, Eva flicked on the lights and reached for her carry on bag.

She set it on the counter and pulled open the zipper. Hands spreading two sides apart, Eva stared down at the only thing that mattered inside. The metal gleamed in the light, drawing her gaze down the barrel. The magazine was mixed in with her perfumes and there were extra bullets in her suitcase.

It didn’t really matter to Eva what Horacio had planned for Josh, once they got him in custody.

There was only one way this was going to go for him.

#shadow and veil #narcos #horacio carrillo #carrillo #maurice compte #au #A/B/O dynamics

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downwiththeficness · 2 months

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I think it might be a little bit impossible for me to write a short fic. I'm outlining my next one (Title soon!) and I'm already at 34 chapters. Its not totally my fault. There's so much world building and foreshadowing that needs to take place before I can really dig into the meat of things.

Sometimes I wonder if readers really want that kind of thing. I know that there are times where I have been reading a story and felt the urge to skip ahead to get to 'the good stuff', but I usually have to go back a bit because I'll inevitably miss something that's pertinent to the plot.

Anyone else feel that way?

#writing #ficness thoughts #fic #plot development

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downwiththeficness · 2 months

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Shadow and Veil-Chapter Thirty Nine

Word Count: ~4,800

Start from the beginning Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Masterlist Read on AO3

Eva was glad she asked Horacio for a recommendation on the restaurant.

The little cafe was nice—not too nice—and Aida seemed to know the wait staff. She greeted them by name and engaged in a little small talk on the way to the table. Eva followed along dutifully with her sweater folded over her arm and a small, secret smile on her lips.

They were seated at a table next to one of the large windows that spanned across the front of the building. Sunlight filtered through the glass, giving the room a bright and airy ambiance. The heavenly smell of coffee and spices wafted from the kitchen.

Aida settled into her seat and asked the waiter to bring them a pitcher of water and a fresh set of silverware. The smile on Eva’s lips widened as she watched the staff scurry to do as Aida wished. She pretended to focus on arranging her sweater on the back of her chair and the napkin in her lap. Folding her hands together, Eva let her expression fall into something both congenial and neutral. And then, she waited.

Aida moved the tiny vase of flowers between them an inch to her right, she straightened the salt and pepper shakers, she adjusted the collar of her dress. Then, with nothing left to correct, she looked Eva in the eye.

“My son is not an impulsive man.”

To say that Eva was stunned would be an understatement. Aida’s English was as polished as Horacio’s, possibly more. She spoke with the softest hint of an accent, all confidence. The ease with Eva’s native language, however, did nothing to assuage the accusation in Aida’s tone.

Hands curling in on themselves, Eva made herself say, “No. He isn’t.”

Aida blinked, accepting that they were both on the same page, “Then, you understand how a sudden...marriage would be out of character for him.”

Eva nodded. She had been preparing all week for this moment, wondering how Aida would bring it up. Eva was glad she was being direct about it. She was out of practice fielding passive aggression from people who did not like her.

The waiter dropped off the water pitcher, two glasses, and silverware. Aida thanked him and poured a healthy serving into each glass before sliding one over to Eva, “What changed?”

A whole fucking lot, Eva thought, unkindly.

She licked her lips and let go of the initial burst of anger that came with the memories of how Eva made it out of Louisiana. Aida would likely never know how difficult it was for Eva, or the fine line Horacio walked while he negotiated his feelings for her with the demands of his job. All she saw was what Horacio wanted her to see, and Eva respected that.

“I don’t think anything changed,” Eva said, eventually.

Aida’s gaze narrowed, “Liar.” She leaned forward, “If you were my daughter, I’d slap you for telling lies.”

Direct and aggressive. Eva was getting a two-for with this conversation. That was fine. She could work with direct and aggressive.

The waiter returned to take their order. Aida spoke for the two of them—just coffee, they wouldn’t be here long.

Eva let the waiter get out of hearing distance, then said, “Mrs. Carrillo, I am not your daughter. Frankly, I don’t expect you to treat me like it. What I am is Horacio’s wife.” She paused, let that sink in, then continued in an airy voice, “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but your son and I have started a bond.” Another pause, longer this time. “And, I hope some day soon that bond will be completed.”

Aida looked away briefly, “I am not surprised that my son has honor.”

At first, Eva didn’t follow, but her brain caught up eventually. And, when it did, she found depth of offense that made her ears burn. “Your son asked me about it first.”

She might be willing to take a few across the chin for the sake of Horacio’s relationship with Aida, but she wasn’t about to be painted as a woman who trapped a man into something he didn’t want. Aida didn’t need to know the details, but there was going to be no doubt between them that Horacio was fully on board with their bond and would continue to be on board for the foreseeable future.

The coffee was set in front of them.

Eva picked up her cup and breathed deeply in an effort to reset, “I’m not interested in driving a wedge between you and Horacio.”

Aida scoffed, “Our relationship is not weak.”

“But, mine is?” Eva shot back, “With Horacio—my relationship with him is weak?”

“It is new.”

She set her cup down, “I’ll give you that.”

“And untested,” Aida added. “Marriage is work. Hard work.”

God, did Eva know that.

“I’m willing to do the hard work,” she said in a firm, even tone.

Aida very nearly rolled her eyes, “Have you ever worked a day in your life?”

Another left turn. Eva felt the first impulse to give up the effort it was clearly going to take to have an actual conversation with the woman wander around the forefront of her mind. Only the fact that the coffee in her hand was extremely good kept Eva in her seat.

“Excuse me?” she asked, between sips.

Picking up her own cup, Aida gestured towards Eva, “You’re wearing diamonds in your ears. The blouse you’re wearing is silk. Your shoes are high end leather, possibly Italian. There is not a single callus on your hands.”

It looked a lot like Horacio got more than just his stubborn nature from his mother. Eva could admit that Aida had a point, even if she’d drawn the wrong conclusion. Still, she had a point of her own to make.

“Ask the waiter for a calculator.”

“What?”

Eva repeated herself.

Aida looked at her askance, but flagged down the waiter. When she had the device in hand, she looked at Eva with expectation.

“Pick any two numbers. Make them as large or as small as you like.”

The woman in front of her hesitated, thinking, “Four hundred fifty seven and eighty five.”

“Multiply them,” Eva directed. Then, half a beat later, said, “Thirty eight thousand, eight hundred and forty five.”

Aida tapped out the number, then look up at Eva with surprise. Good. She’d gotten the woman’s attention.

“You want to try again?”

The calculator was set aside, “No.”

Eva nodded, “The diamonds were a gift and I earned the money I used to pay for these clothes.” She picked up her mug and sipped, “I understand you have hesitations. That’s normal. But, I reckon you should take some time to get to know me before you start adding two and two together. As you can see, I’m better at it than you are.”

Aida was silent for a moment, then her spine straightened and she said, “Horacio wanted to be a priest when he was little.”

Eva almost choked on her coffee, “What?”

Brows lifting, Aida replied, “You said you wanted to know what Horacio was like as a boy. He wanted to be a priest. But, after his father died, Horacio decided to follow in his footsteps.”

Feeling warm, all Eva could say in response was, “Oh?”

A few hours and several very enlightening stories later, Eva walked through the front door of the house. She hung up her coat and toed off her shoes. The house was silent, not even the television was on. Eva walked around the first floor, then climbed the stairs to the second.

She slowed as she rounded the door to the bedroom. Leaning against the jamb, Eva grinned while she watched Horacio snooze on the bed. He was lying on top of the covers with one arm thrown over his head. His chest was rising and falling steadily. She could just barely hear a soft snore over the sound of the fan.

He hadn’t even taken off his shoes.

Not wanting to wake him, Eva padded down the stairs and plopped onto the couch. She turned the TV on at low volume and flipped to the right channel so that she could catch up on the love triangle between Sergio, Maria, and Luz.

Luz had just found a letter to Sergio from Maria buried at the bottom of an old chest of drawers. Her heart, of course, was breaking at the thought of her husband-to-be having an affair. Eva wondered if the woman portrayed so consistently as sweet and timid would be driven to an outrageous bout of jealousy.

Too bad she wouldn’t find out until the next episode.

Eva let the next program roll even though she wasn’t nearly as interested in the story line. About ten minutes in, Horacio ambled down the stairs. He yawned wide as he cleared the landing. Eva stifled a giggle.

“Almost dinner,” he rasped, “Hungry?”

She was, and said as much. Aida might have relented somewhat in her initial assessment of Eva, but she hadn’t changed her mind about just having coffee.

“I’ll throw something together,” Horacio said, and he disappeared into the kitchen.

After the show was over, Eva got up and wandered after him. Horacio was standing at the stove, sauteing vegetables. She eased around him on her way to the fridge where she grabbed a beer for each of them. A quick search of the silverware drawer and she had a bottle opener in her hand.

Horacio smiled at her when she handed him the beer, “How was lunch?”

Eva shrugged, “I think it went well.”

His brows lifted in surprise, “Really?” Then, “Hand me that cutting board.”

She picked it up and gave it to him, “We’re not best friends, but I think we’re in a better place.”

Horacio looked dubious, but went about adding garlic and onion to the meat sizzling in the pan. Eva lifted up and kissed his cheek, catching his satisfied smirk before turning to set the table. She had just set down the napkins when Horacio left the kitchen with two steaming plates.

“Another drink?” she asked, knowing he would say yes.

Fresh beers in hand, Eva sat down next to Horacio and dug in. He was a much better cook, could make a simple dish of fried meat and vegetables taste like something from the best restaurant in town. She guessed all those years manning the grill in his teens were paying off.

“I need to talk with you about something that happened today.”

Eva’s fork paused on its way to her mouth, “Okay.”

Horacio sighed, “I got a fax from Javier. He’s been tracking the situation in the States.”

Her stomach dropped along with her fork. She didn’t like what he was saying, didn’t like the tone he was using while saying it.

“You were right,” he said, “about Josh. He set up in Mexico. Partnered with a local cartel.”

Eva scoffed, “I wonder how that’s going.”

“Very well, apparently,” Horacio replied. He was quiet for a few seconds, then, “He’s been looking for Diego. Asking every mule and dealer he can find.”

The hair on Eva’s arms stood on end. She knew exactly how much Josh would blame Diego for the state of his life. Exactly how much he would be seeking revenge.

“I’ve been asked to help track him down.”

“Track who down?”

Another sigh, this time more forceful, “You know who. I’ve been asked to...become Diego again so that Josh can be extradited back where he belongs.”

Eva’s lip curled, “Mexico can’t handle one fucking criminal?”

Horacio shifted in his seat, “You know how smart he is. What he’s willing to do.”

“Yeah. I do,” she replied, “And, if you get within fifty miles of him, he’ll put a bullet in your chest before you have a chance to say a single word.”

“You’re underestimating him. He’ll want to gloat first.”

Angry, Eva spat, “This isn’t a joke.”

“I’m not laughing.”

She shook her head, “No. No. They can find him some other way. You’re not going to do their job for them.”

Horacio fixed her with a long look. His lips pulled through his teeth and a cool hand walked down Eva’s spine.

“You’ve already agreed,” she croaked. “God damn it, Horacio.”

He held up his hand in defense, “They needed someone with experience.”

Jaw clenched, Eva gripped her fork until it felt like the metal would cut through her palm, “I’m coming with you.” When he went to argue with her, she added, “You’re not doing this by yourself. Either I’m sitting next to you on the flight, or I’ll be on the next flight right behind you.”

“Eva…”

“This is not a discussion,” she snapped. “You go. I go. If I don’t go, you don’t go.”

Horacio stared at her and Eva could see the him working through the problem and trying to find a way to change her mind. She met his stare with one of her own, prepared to take apart every argument until he relented. Failing that, she would rely on sheer stubborn will.

The phone rang.

Eva rolled her eyes and picked up their nearly empty plates while Horacio went to answer it. She already knew who it was, already knew that the rest of their evening would be a wash. In an hour or two, Horacio would still be sitting at the dining room table, talking to whoever was on the other side. As much as she understood how important Horacio’s job was, it was still frustrating that it got in the way of them living their lives so often.

She washed and dried the dishes, then leaned her palms on the counter while she tried to think. It was stupid of her to assume that, just because she left the country, her past would remain in Louisiana. It was even more stupid to think that Josh would give up on his project that easily.

Eva was serious when she told Horacio that she would be right behind him if he went to Mexico. They were in this together, had been in this together since that moment on the sidewalk. There was no way she was going to let him deal with it alone. They were a team, now. Partners.

Husband and wife.

She pushed from the counter and made her way upstairs. In the bedroom, Eva found her jewelry bag and opened it. She sifted around through it until she found the small, black box from the jewelry store. It was heavy in her hand, the leather shining dimly in the light.

Decision made, Eva went back to the dining room where Horacio was sitting in his usual position at the head of the table. The phone was sitting off to the side and he held the receiver to his ear. His head was in his hand and his shoulders were slumped. Eva watched him nod, heard him made a soft ‘uh huh’ sound. He looked...a little bit defeated.

Horacio glanced up.

Not defeated.

Annoyed.

Eva could empathize with him. The longer she looked at Horacio sitting there with the phone to his ear, the more she hated the fucking thing—and anyone on the other side of the line.

A low voice spoke to her in the back of her mind...he might be required to do his job that evening, but Eva was free to do whatever the fuck she wanted. There was no one to tell her she couldn’t find a way to enjoy herself.

Carefully, so that he didn’t see it, she opened the box and slid its contents over her thumb for safekeeping. Then, she set the box aside and walked over to him. Horacio’s eyes followed her the whole way. They were narrowed in both question and curiosity.

Eva smiled.

One by one, she thumbed open the buttons on the front of her dress, until it hung open from her shoulders. A shrug, and it fell to the floor at her feet. Eva reveled in the way Horacio’s jaw dropped. She let him get a long look that lingered over her breasts and hips. Then, she wiggled between the chair and the table so that she could sit in his lap.

He gave a nervous, bemused laugh and started to end the conversation. The attempt was halted mid-word, distracted by a fast, urgent tone on the other side. Around the handle of the receiver, his hand flexed hard. The other hand fell into the bend of her waist.

Eva breathed deep, taking in his scent and the feeling of his body. Horacio was definitely a little bit confused, but he wasn’t stopping her. She threaded her arms around his shoulders, careful not to jar the phone, and laid her head on his shoulder so that her nose touched the soft skin of his neck.

He was tense beneath her, which she expected. But, the longer she sat, the more relaxed he became—which she also expected. The conversation resumed, though Horacio mostly listened. His sporadic responses were not much more than an indication that he’d heard and understood what was being said.

She ran her fingers through his hair, disrupting the pomade. Horacio smiled softly and leaned into the touch. He brushed a kiss to her temple and looped his arm around her body to hold her close. It stunted her movements a little, but she compensated for it by brushing her lips ever so closely, but not quite, over his gland.

Eva lay like that, playing his with hair and listening to his heart thump in his chest, until Horacio made an angry sound in the back of his throat. Fast, cutting words left his mouth and he sat up, taking Eva with him.

Balanced on his thighs, she ran a soothing hand down his neck and shoulder. He resisted her, turning his head to the side and spitting more angry words into the phone. Eva didn’t bother to try to follow the conversation. She focused on the man in her arms, took note of the way his scent shifted and soured.

Eva’s plan seemed to collapse in front of her and she wondered if she even stood a chance against Horacio’s sense of duty to his job. He was as dedicated now as he had been in the States—possibly more.

Her hands drifted over his chest and the glint of the ring on her thumb caught her attention. The sight of it hardened her resolve. He could be dedicated to his job, but Eva wasn’t going to let it become the thing that stirred resentment between them.

They had come too far for that.

Taking his hand, she laid it against her cheek. His scent filled her nose, easing the sharp edge of frustration that wanted to overcome the faint rise of arousal in her belly. Horacio’s eyes focused on her face, the angry cant of them softening. He looked very much like he wanted to kiss her. Eva indulged him. Mindful of the mouthpiece of the phone, scant inches away, Eva touched her lips to his chastely. Once. Twice. She pinched his chin between her thumb and forefinger and held back a giggle when he cut his eyes to the side and had to ask for the caller to repeat their question.

His hand trailed down her neck and chest in a slow glide. Eva arched into the touch to encourage him. The heavy weight of his palm curved around her breast, kneading firmly. His gaze followed the movement of his hand in rapt attention. It grew more focused by the second and the sourness in his scent faded away to be replaced with the first blush of spice and heat.

With gentle pressure, Eva pushed him into the back of the chair. It was an easy motion, not a hint of resistance. He got comfortable, hips tucking under so that she could sit higher on his thighs. She felt a little thrill go through her when it became clear that he was willing to let her lead.

The buckle of his uniform dug into the inner muscle of her hip. She tried to shift around it to ease the ache, but couldn’t find a position that worked. That was fine—it needed to go, anyway. Eva reached down and nimbly tugged the leather through. With the two sides angled upwards, she could sit exactly as she pleased.

Horacio pulled the phone away from his ear and held it out as far away as he could, “Eva, what are you doing?”

She didn’t think there was any need to actually answer his question. Eva was being pretty clear about her intentions. Rocking forward, she kissed him firmly. She meant for it to be a quick, hard kiss. The kind of kiss that both answered his question and stunned the confusion out of him.

That’s not what happened.

It started that way, but Horacio easily took the reins from her. He deepened it, coaxing her mouth open so that he could twine his tongue with hers.

The sound of his name and rank rang out—tinny and somehow far away and too close. Horacio pulled back with a loud breath and brought the phone back to his ear. He quickly made his excuses, complained about a bad connection, and volleyed a few words back and forth.

Eva, not to be outdone, shimmied backwards a little bit to give herself some room and palmed the fly of his uniform. Horacio’s whole body flinched and his eyes unfocused briefly. He shook his head to clear it and wrapped his fingers around her wrist to keep her still.

She let him hold her there for a long time while she waited for her next opportunity. When he rolled his eyes dramatically and went into an explanation about policy that she knew would go on a while, Eva deftly loosed her wrist and reached back to unclasp her bra.

It was so satisfying to watch him stumble over his words, repeat himself, and then fall silent. His expression was lost, almost helpless. He went to set the phone back into the cradle—and, again, she stopped him. Eva wanted to know how far he’d let her take this. She wanted to know how far she would take it.

Arm around her middle, Horacio pulled Eva into his chest. He laid his forehead against her temple, nose pressing into her cheek. His lungs filled with a deep breath. And, on the exhale, was a barely audible groan.

She smiled and ran her hand from the crown of his head down to the nape of his neck. Here, she massaged tense muscle. Horacio’s chin dipped and he rooted around until he found the soft swell of her gland. He nuzzled it, taking another deep breath.

Eva’s eyes fluttered shut and her head tipped back. Pleasure sizzled over her nerves in rapid succession. She bit her lip to keep quiet, pressing even closer to him. Warm breath puffed against her skin. His eyelashes brushed against her jaw. The room was so very quiet.

Except for the voice on the phone.

Eva could hear Horacio’s smile when he replied. He pulled back to look at her, amusement dancing in his eyes. He licked his lips and dropped his head back against the chair, silently handing the control back to her.

Eva slipped the first two buttons on his shirt through the holes, spreading the fabric. Hanging from his neck was the gold chain he always wore. The pendant was warm from his body. Eva used it to pull him forward for a nearly silent kiss. His mouth lingered, following hers for another, slower, kiss. He broke away to listen for a moment, gave a two word reply, then kissed her again.

Horacio released her mouth, grinning when Eva made a sound of want. His grin held while he talked into the phone, explaining that he would be available the next day for a meeting. Eva barely heard him over the challenge growing in her chest.

With quick hands, she got the fly of his pants open and pushed her hand down inside. Horacio cursed beneath his breath, hips lifting to meet her palm. His mouth opened, breathing sawing in and out. The amusement in his expression was long gone, replaced by hot arousal.

Her hold on his attention was brief.

Another bout of urgent words took it, along with Eva’s patience.

While he was distracted, Eva shifted her weight and eased him out of his uniform. His eyes dropped to her hand, but he was still talking. Eva stroked him a few times, thumb gathering the little bead of moisture on the tip to ease the way. Then, she gathered her courage and rose up onto her toes. Pulling her underwear to the side, Eva balanced on the tip and let gravity pull her down very, very slowly. She was wet, but the pressure momentarily took her breath. Even after all the times he’d been inside her, Eva’s body still resisted.

The man beneath her slapped his hand against the mouthpiece of the phone and hissed loudly. His body bowed up driving him deeper inside. Eva grunted and grabbed the back of the chair.

While they caught their breaths, Eva intentionally relaxed the muscles of her thighs, slowly dropping down until her hips were flush against his. She stared down at where they were connected for a long time. Eva could barely believe what she was doing, but there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that she was going to stop. She looked up at him with wide eyes, seeing her own shock reflected back at her.

Good.

Feeling like she’d fully regained the upper hand, Eva draped her arms over his shoulders and rested her head in the bend of his neck. His heart was pounding in his chest and a tremble wracked his body. She heard him swallow audibly and it took effort to keep from grinning at the rasp in his voice as he murmured an absent reply.

Eva tried to sit still.

Impossible.

She couldn’t ignore him. Couldn’t forget that he was inside her, filling her. Every breath was scented with him. Every minuscule movement reminded her that she was sitting astride a man who not only knew how to play her body until it sang, but was willing to use that knowledge to drive her into oblivion.

Eva managed to keep from shifting around for half a minute at a time. At regular intervals, she was compelled to move—to grind, to rock, to fuck. Horacio encouraged her, sometimes anticipating her need to rise and fall in tandem. She stared at him, feeling too hot, too needy, and her hand drifted over his cheek, catching the rough stubble.

The ring.

It still sat around her thumb, shining in the ambient light of the room. Eva blinked rapidly, her chest clenching around a feeling that she didn’t recognize. It was like affection, but stronger. Steadier.

Suddenly breathless for an entirely different reason, she pulled the ring free and reached for his left hand. Then, watching his face carefully, she pushed it over the knuckles of his ring finger.

Horacio choked a wordless gasp.

Eva was nearly jostled from her seat as he slammed the phone down. In almost the same movement, Horacio lifted her up and set her on the table. He grabbed her heels and jerked them to either side so they rested on the wooden top. Looming over her, Horacio grabbed his cock and lined it up, pushing inside quick and hard.

She cried out, eyes squeezing shut while stars danced behind her lids. Her hands pulled at his hair, his shoulders, his hips, telling him without words that she wanted more.

Horacio listened to her.

He fucked her with a strength he usually withheld—bruising, reckless. His face was buried in her neck, mouth biting between kisses. He leaned weight into her, forcing her into the table. His hands held her down. Still.

A painful sound hit her ears as he came. His whole body pulled so tight that the hands holding her began to hurt. He trembled. Kept trembling for long moments, even as he began to soften inside her.

Eva tried to relax beneath him, tried to calm the wild beat of her heart. She danced on the knife point of desire, suspended just beneath the crest of orgasm. A little more friction and she would get there.

Horacio didn’t let her wait long.

He eased back and sat heavily in the chair behind him. Then, he grabbed her calves and yanked her forward so that her legs dangled off the table.

Eva sat up on her elbow and lifted her brows at him.

Horacio smiled, “I didn’t get to finish dinner.”

#Shadow and Veil #Narcos #Horacio carrillo #carrillo #maurice compte #au #A/B/O dynamics

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downwiththeficness · 3 months

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Shadow and Veil-Chapter Thirty Eight

Word Count: ~4,300

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The rain falling steadily that morning presented a difficulty for Eva’s shoe situation. She stood near her closet and stared at the four pairs available to her. None of them were really appropriate for walking through puddles—it wasn’t like she could wear rain boots, even if she had them.

Horacio and Eva were meeting his family for morning Mass at the church Horacio grew up in. The outing was an olive branch, of sorts, to clear the air since the family dinner didn’t go exactly as planned. Eva was not optimistic about the whole thing, but was willing to make the effort.

She sucked her teeth and leaned down to snatch up the black pumps. Her dress was what could be called ‘Sunday best’. Black with white piping. The bishop sleeves seemed suited to the occasion and, most importantly, it fit her.

The clothes Eva brought from Louisiana were either too tight to zip up or made her feel like a busted can of biscuits. The only other dress she had that fit was the ochre number with the deep neckline. It was a bit too scandalous for church and Eva reckoned Horacio’s mother would pop a blood vessel if she showed up wearing it.

Stepping into the pumps, Eva grabbed her bag and rushed out of the bedroom. At the top of the stairs, she rested her splinted hand on the banister and took them one at a time. Slowly.

Horacio was puttering about the kitchen making coffee. When she strolled into the room, he handed her a cup that was gently steaming.

Eva took it gratefully and leaned against the counter, “How long is Mass, anyways?”

He shrugged, “An hour. A little more, if the priest is especially fired up.”

She had a sudden vision of a man pounding on a podium, spewing fire and brimstone in an effort to save souls. The image was both familiar and absurd, but it made her want to smile. “That’s not long, at all. I always heard you Catholics spent all day at Mass.”

One side of his mouth lifted, “Only on the high holidays.”

“Good to know.”

Horacio tilted his head to the side, “You don’t have to go.”

Eva rolled her eyes and scoffed, “If you think I’m going to give your mother another reason to dislike me, you’ve got another thing comin’.”

With a sigh, he leaned a palm on the counter and said, “She doesn’t dislike you.”

Eva blinked at him silently.

“Alright,” he conceded, “She doesn’t like you. But, she also doesn’t know you.”

“And, that’s why I’m going to Mass. Like my momma said, there’s nothing that Jesus can’t fix.”

Horacio looked like he might argue with her, then decided against it. He glanced at his watch and nimbly took her cup, “We should go, or we’ll be late.”

Arriving at the church was a lot like arriving to church in Louisiana. People lined up along the road to wait their turn to get into the lot. Most of the parking spots were already taken by the early birds and a sea of people rolled over the asphalt. They were all well dressed, despite the weather. Bright silks and ruffles accompanied by pressed suits.

Horacio held an umbrella for her and they walked close together towards the church. It was one of the largest in the city, or so she’d been told. Eva’s eyes wandered over the yellow paint and the sharp angles. Set deep into the brickwork was a cross that had to be carved by hand.

Eva stared at it until her heart gave an odd pang.

With water seeping into her shoes, Eva let Horacio guide her forward while he closed the umbrella and set it in a row with the others. Then, together, they stood off to the side to look for Horacio’s family. He spotted them before Eva did, and she let him lead her by the hand through the pews.

Adella caught her eye and waved. Eva smiled and returned the wave to both Adella and Sofia, who was sitting restlessly in her mother’s lap. She greeted Adella, and complimented the other woman on her dress. She was glad that her outfit mirrored Adella’s in cut and style. It was one less thing she had to worry about during the service.

Carlos sat next to his wife, arm laid over the back of the pew. He nodded to Eva before his attention was taken by his mother. Aida sat between her mother and Carlos. Her father in law, whose name, Eva had learned, was Rafe was speaking to someone next to him. The whole family looked right at home on the pew, and Eva half guessed that they sat there every single Sunday.

Eva took her place at the end of the row with Horacio to her right. She made delicate small talk with Adella while Sofia made faces at her. Eva made faces back right up until Aida sent her a silent look of censure. It was the first time the woman had acknowledged her presence and Eva internally cringed. Her effort to mend the fence was not off to a great start.

A woman stepped up to an upright piano and started to play a hymn. The room went quiet while a priest and several attendants walked down the center aisle until they reached the platform where the altar stood. One by one they took their places until the priest stood facing the crowd.

He was rail thin and his face was lined with wrinkles. On someone else, it might hint at a life lived with joy and laughter. On the priest, it was stern and unyielding.

Eva didn’t really understand the call and response that followed. She tried to pay attention, but kept getting distracted by the architecture of the room. High ceilings with exposed rafters. Bright white walls. She counted three Virgin Mary statues standing at central points.

The décor had been updated, but Eva could see the stonework beneath. Each block was cut roughly, but the skilled masonry made the whole thing look seamless. Curved arches hugged stained glass that depicted the crucifixion, the empty tomb, and the message from the archangel Gabriel. Very pretty. Very traditional.

The music changed, a hymn that tugged at Eva’s memory. She listened, but couldn’t place the tune. Beside her, Horacio shifted and rested his arm over the pew behind her. His fingertips brushed her shoulder. Eva let her body relax backwards and to the side a little, fitting her body more closely to his.

After the music ended, an older man who was probably a deacon stepped up and announced several books and verses from the Bible. This seemed to be a cue for the congregation to stand en masse. Eva wiggled her toes in her heels and wished she could kick them off. The lining of her hose was damp and it chafed. Only the potential disdain from her new mother in law kept her shoes right where they were.

The congregation sat again and the priest began to speak. Eva’s attention strayed once more half a sentence in. Horacio’s arm was around her. The weight was a physical reminder of the man sitting next to her. She reached up and laid her hand over his, linking their fingers. Out of the corner of her eye, Eva saw his lips pull into a soft smile.

Baskets were passed for the offering.

Horacio reached into his wallet and threw down cash that could have been any set of bills, it was folded so discretely. Instead of putting his arm around her again, he picked up her hand and held it on his thigh. It was Eva’s turn to smile.

While the priest poured wine into a chalice, she rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb. Eva stared at it, following the delicate bone structure of his fingers to a wide palm that was always warm. One of those fingers was still bare.

During her morning walk several days ago, Eva ventured into a jewelry store. An hour later, she walked right back out again carrying a small box. That box was currently tucked into her jewelry bag, waiting for the time when Eva would be brave enough to give it to him.

Horacio leaned towards her, “You’re supposed to be paying attention.”

Eva blinked back to the present, hesitated, then, replied, “Does Padre Mendoza not approve?” She could see him resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Eva didn’t bother to keep the grin off her face.

“I’m sure a few Hail Marys would go a long way with the Padre.”

“That’s when you go to confession, right?”

He hummed lowly in confirmation. Eva glanced at the confessional booth off to the side of the room. She bit her lip, thinking about the last time she’d stood in one—Horacio playing the priest while she fantasized about going down on him. A soft, involuntary sound left her mouth before she could catch it.

Horacio’s eyes lit with interest, “What?”

She shook her head and cast her eyes around for something else to focus on. Her gaze landed on one of the Virgin Mary statues and, even from across the room, Eva swore the woman was judging her.

He nudged her shoulder, “Tell me.”

This was not the time to talk about her day dreams, “Its an inside thought.”

Another low hum, “Now you have to tell me.”

Face, neck, and chest warming, Eva tried again, “Its indecent.”

All the interest in his eyes sparked into something hot. His silence drew her gaze and she was caught—frozen—beneath it.

The congregation moved.

Except, this time they didn’t stand.

Eva’s body went white hot as she followed Horacio’s lead and knelt on the little stool that folded out from the pew in front of her. The words of the priest faded away while she became viscerally aware of Horacio kneeling next to her. His head was bowed and his weight was resting on his forearms. Only the way he was looking at her sidelong gave away the fact that he wasn’t praying.

A nudge.

She glared at him and kept her mouth shut.

He smirked and nudged her again.

Eva nudged him back, just barely keeping the giggle inside. Horacio wrapped and arm around her waist and she was grateful that he seemed to have let it go.

The service ended with Holy Communion. A line weaved between the rows as the congregation lined up to receive it. Eva, unsure of what she should do, remained in the pew and waited. It was a decision Aida seemed to approve of. The older woman’s brows lifted in gentle surprise while she followed the rest of the family towards the altar.

Eva held her hands clasped together while she waited, pretending to take interest in the stained glass. If anyone else paid attention to the strange woman alone in the pew, they didn’t comment.

Afterward, Horacio walked hand in hand with her out of the church. He flicked open the umbrella and held it above their heads, blocking out the sun that threatened to peek through the rain and clouds.

At the base of the stairs, he slowed to a stop. Aida was taking the last step onto the asphalt, holding an umbrella of her own. She caught Horacio’s eye and moved to stand near enough to talk, but not too near as to risk bumping their umbrellas together.

“Mama,” Horacio said.

His tone was polite, but cool. Eva swayed into his body, wanting to soothe him. She didn’t like that he and his mother were fighting, especially because it was about her.

Aida’s chin lifted, “Thank you for coming. Will I see you next week?”

Eva’s mouth thinned. She could see where Horacio learned to look down his nose at people.

“Maybe.”

God, but it was awkward standing between two people who desperately needed to have a conversation and absolutely refused to do so.

“Mrs. Carrillo,” Eva said, feeling the need to do something, “I wonder if you want to have lunch with me. I,” she struggled with the future tense, “would like to hear stories about Horacio. As a boy.”

One thing Eva knew about mothers was that they loved to talk about their children. Eva hoped that this was the case with Aida, as well. Aida’s mouth thinned, and Eva thought she might refuse. But, Horacio gave a little grunt and she reluctantly nodded.

“Okay!” Eva replied. “Um, I will call.”

Fucking future tense.

Aida gave another reluctant nod. Eva smiled and let Horacio lead her back to the truck. Inside, he kicked on the heat to ward off the chill and pulled into the line exiting the parking lot.

“Are you sure about lunch?”

Eva glanced at him, confused, “Huh?”

“Lunch,” he repeated. “By yourself.”

“Not by myself. Your mom agreed to go.”

Horacio’s face scrunched, “Yes, but you’ll be with her. Alone.”

Eva was gratified by his concern, but she had already managed a kind of cease fire with a mother in law who hated her, once. It wouldn’t be much different to do it again. She rolled her eyes, “What do you think is going to happen?”

He shrugged, “She can be difficult.”

“I can handle it,” Eva replied. “I dealt with Myra for years. Aida can’t be nearly as bad. We’ll have lunch and she’ll get to know me a little better. Maybe you two won’t fight the next time we have dinner.”

Horacio definitely didn’t believe her, but he didn’t argue, either. He took her hand and held it while the truck rumbled down the highway.

Later, while they were lounging on the couch after dinner, Horacio gently reminded Eva that she still hadn’t told him about her inside thought during Mass. She should have known that he let go of the subject too easily that morning. Should have prepared for him to attempt to wheedle it out of her.

Eva, who had been taking a drink from a beer, spluttered, “Its was nothing.”

Horacio, however, had caught onto a lead and wasn’t at all willing to relent, “You said it was an inside thought.”

Her eyes narrowed, “I’m allowed to have inside thoughts in church.” A pause, then, in a sly tone, “Or, does Padre Mendoza not approve?”

She hoped that the little jab would release some of the tension, divert him to laughter and sarcasm. Instead of laughing and rolling his eyes, like Eva expected, Horacio’s expression went carefully neutral and he pulled his lips between his teeth. She sat up from where she’d been lying against the arm of the couch and pulled her legs underneath her.

The subtle retreat was odd, not at all like him. It made Eva want to prod at him so that she could draw him out. Horacio got control over his face and lifted his brows while he casually sipped from the bottle in his hand.

Now, who was having an inside thought.

Playing coy, Eva lifted a shoulder, “I told you it was indecent. Does that mean I’m going to Hell?”

He smiled softly at her, “I don’t think that’s enough warrant such an extreme sentence.”

“But,” she countered, “it would make me a sinner, wouldn’t it?”

Horacio stared at her for a moment. She could see his mind working. Assessing. Eva wondered if he would play along with her.

“We’re all sinners,” he replied, eventually.

Eva almost smiled, “And, sinners go to Hell, right?”

Horacio gave a sharp, jerking nod and she thought she could see a flash of panic in his eyes. There was definitely something there. She just had to find it.

Quickly, so that she didn’t lose him, Eva scooted closer so that she was more or less leaning against his body, “I don’t have to, though. I can ask for forgiveness. God will forgive me, right?”

His mouth opened and she could smell the change in his scent. He was somewhere between distressed and aroused—which was tantalizing.

She leaned closer, “Right, Padre?”

Horacio’s chest was rising and falling with labored breaths. His body was warm and faintly trembling. He only spoke a single word, and that single word scraped against the back of his teeth, “Yes.”

Something inside him was wound up so tight that Eva thought he might shatter the bottle he was gripping like a lifeline. She could leave this right here, give him the space to come down into a more comfortable place.

Could.

But, didn’t want to.

Something inside Eva was also wound up tight, but she guessed that the difference between her and the man sitting beside her was that Eva knew exactly what it was. She knew exactly what she wanted.

She threw back the rest of her beer and leaned over Horacio to set the bottle on the side table. Then, she took a leap of faith.

Eva murmured in her most innocent voice, “I can be forgiven.”

A nod. He was less restrained, now. Just shy of eager.

Fingers drifting to run over his stomach, she prompted, “I don’t know how to do that. Can you help me?”

Horacio swallowed audibly, blinked, then said, “You confess.”

Eva nodded solemnly even though she was ecstatic that he was willing to follow her lead, “I can do that. I’ll confess.”

He shifted, turning towards her and laying his hand atop hers. It rested there a moment before sliding up her arm and over her shoulder to cup her jaw. Eva could see that he intended to kiss her. That couldn’t happen. If he kissed her, she might lose focus on the game they were playing.

It was too soon for that.

Eva was having too much fun.

She turned her head to the side, but let him pull her into his lap. Perched atop his thighs, Eva rested her hands on his chest and said, “Tell me what to do.”

Horacio drew in a sharp breath and then shook his head, as if to clear it. When he looked at her again, his eyes were more focused, “You start with ‘Bless me, Father, for I have sinned’, and then you say what your sins are.”

Eva vaguely remembered hearing that phrase when she was pretending to be Catholic in Louisiana. She thumbed open the top button of his shirt and said, “And then?”

“When you’ve confessed,” he answered, voice rough, “you perform a penance.”

Another button.

“Does it hurt? Penance?”

Horacio’s hands at her waist attempted to pull Eva forward. She resisted with a firm look. She asked a question and expected a response.

His jaw clenched, “No. It depends on the sin. Most of the time, its a prayer.”

Eva rewarded him by opening the rest of the buttons on this shirt and pulling it out of the waistband of his slacks, “What prayer?”

He was losing focus again, pushing the hem of her skirt up and around her hips, “H—Hail Mary.”

She, too, was losing focus. Her hands wandered over his chest, feeling hot skin and firm muscle. The distraction of his body chipped at her resolve to follow through with what she started.

It was Horacio who brought her back.

“And then, the priest gives you absolution.”

The final word was punctuated by a strong pull from his arms that brought her nearly chest to chest with him. He leaned forward and Eva barely reacted fast enough to keep him from kissing her. A little whine of protest came from the back of his throat, which further tested her resolve.

Hands holding his jaw, Eva looked him in the eye, “You can help me, right? Absolve me?”

He nodded.

She took a breath, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.”

The arms around her tightened and his hips lifted. Eva could feel his cock pushing at the fly of his slacks. She didn’t know what, exactly, about the whole thing was such a turn on, but it was definitely working for him.

“I’ve been having thoughts,” Eva continued as she leaned back a little so that she could push her thumb into the buckle of his belt.

“What kind of thoughts?”

The leather pulled easily through the buckle, “Indecent ones. In church.”

Horacio watched her hands work, “Indecent?”

“Uh huh,” she replied, “About my husband. Is that bad?”

He stopped moving. She thought he might have stopped breathing. Eva looked up at him to find Horacio’s pupils blown so wide that they nearly encompassed the iris. His jaw was slack and his mouth was open.

Definitely working for him.

Eva rocked forward so that their noses nearly touched, “Is that bad, Padre?”

His chin lifted for a kiss that Eva denied. Horacio blew out a frustrated breath and buried his face into her neck, rubbing against her gland. Eva gasped, momentarily overwhelmed with the zing of pleasure that ran all over her body.

Against her skin, he murmured, “No. Its not bad.”

“Even if these thoughts took place in a church?”

He pulled back, “In?”

Eva smiled in false abashment, “Back when we were in the States, we had to hide in a confessional booth and a parishioner needed to confess. I sat on the floor at his feet while he helped her.”

Horacio’s brows drew together and she could see him remembering. There was a bit of laughter in his eyes and the corners of his mouth turned up.

“While I was down there, I thought about getting him off.”

She’d shocked him.

True shock.

The laughter in his eyes died while his brain came to a complete standstill. Eva let him sit there for a few seconds, thinking about it. Then, she opened the fly of his slacks and pushed her hand inside to grip his shaft. Horacio’s body jerked with a sharp groan. Eva kept her touch light, but steady.

“I suppose I could have done this,” she said airily, “But, that’s not what I was thinking about.” Eva paused to catch her breath, “I was thinking about using my mouth. About how long he could keep quiet while I sucked on the tip. About how fast I could make him come.”

His head dropped back onto the couch. Her name sounded in a soft, barely audible whisper. Horacio’s eyes squeezed shut and hips arched towards her so that his cock slid through her fingers until her fist rested against the base. The arousal between them, already simmering, ratcheted up a notch. Eva, worried that she had gone too fast and that the game would end in the next few seconds, let him go. She balanced with both hands on his chest and murmured to him, “I’m supposed to do penance now, right?”

Horacio’s eyes blinked open. He was dazed, and Eva had repeated her question before he could answer, “Yes.”

“And,” she prompted, “penance is usually done on your knees.”

Eva was pretty sure that wasn’t right, but it seemed like the right thing to say. She slid from his lap to kneel on the floor. On the way down, she caught the waistband of his slacks and eased them down to free his arousal.

He hissed loudly at the first touch of her mouth. The hands on either side of him clenched the cushion beneath. His eyes were focused on her and there was a little crease between his brows.

She lazily licked up one side and down the other, chin dipping to lave over his sack. With one hand on his hip and the other holding him steady, Eva slowly began working him into her mouth. She had to remind herself to breathe through her nose, to relax her jaw. Even then, she struggled to take more than a few inches. All around her, Horacio’s body tightened with restraint. His thighs, his arms, his chest, his hands—all of them working in tandem to maintain his control.

Eva lifted off him with a loud, wet sound, “I’m supposed to do a Hail Mary, right? But, I don’t know it.” Then, in her sweetest voice, “Will you say it for me?”

His teeth dug into his lower lip, and Eva could see his control slipping. The words, when he finally found his voice, were strained.

Hail Mary, full of grace…

Eva went back to work. She followed the rhythm of his words, used them to guide her.

...the Lord is with thee.

The pressure between her legs refused to be ignored any longer. It cried out for touch, for hard friction.

Blessed art thou amongst women…

She rucked up her dress and shoved the hand that wasn’t stroking him under the elastic of her underwear.

...and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Eva moaned around him, drawing Horacio’s attention. He caught the movement of her hand beneath her dress and gasped.

Santa María, Madre de Dios…

The words were coming faster now, rolling across his tongue between short, staccato breaths.

...ruega por nosotros, pecadores.

She felt him harden further, felt his sack draw up against his body. Both of her hands were wet, slick, and gliding.

Ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte.

Horacio barely got the last word out around the orgasm. His hips lifted, pushing as much of his cock into her mouth as she could take. Eva’s eyes watered and she jerked back to keep from gagging. The hand still around his length stroked him through it, come spilling out over his stomach.

Eva’s body petitioned for attention, reminding her that she was very, very close. Her hips rolled against her hand and her pussy clenched, empty. She laid her head against Horacio’s thigh and moved two fingers over her clit in tight circles. Eva had mapped the path to coming efficiently ages ago, and the present moment was no different. She bit down on a high pitched whine as she crested into the sweet roll of pleasure.

When she could speak again, Eva looked up at Horacio from between his legs and said, “Amen.”

#Shadow and Veil #Narcos #Horacio carrillo #carrillo #maurice compte #au #A/B/O dynamics

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