2025-09-12 15:30:28Charles came out of the shower, steam curling behind him, muscles aching after four hours in the gym. The cold water dripping off his skin was an assurance that he was still alive, not dead from the thousand ways he had been planning to carve Dario off the face of the earth.
He tossed his damp clothes aside. Unsure whether he’d need to change later or if the Madrid night would turn cold, he pulled on a flannel, slung his bag across his chest, and tucked inside a power bank and charger. At Sadie’s door, he stopped for a moment, staring at the handle.He’d be gone two days. If Thomas stayed as reasonable as last night, Charles was counting on him to make excuses on his behalf. Whatever consequences followed, he’d deal with them when he returned. He closed the door softly, almost like a promise, then made his way out.The men on patrol straightened when they saw him.“Good morning, sir,” one said.Charles gave them a nod. “Keep your eyes sha
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August walked up to the door, lifted his hand to knock. His fingers barely brushed the wood when the door swung open like it had a human detector built into it. If August had leaned in any closer, Charles swore he would have ended up face-first on the floor.Charles had been expecting…well, a grandma could be anything at any age, but he expected at least some frail woman. Damn.The woman stood in the doorway, hands folded behind her back, scanning between Charles and August like she was calculating the exact moment she’d need to defend herself.“Go…good evening, ma'am,” August greeted in Spanish, his voice cautious.“Who are you two?” she asked in English, eyes darting between them as if she anticipated a shady move.“We are from your granddaughter, ma'am. Natasha,” Charles replied carefully.“She didn’t say two men were coming,” her gaze lingered on Charles like he was an intruder.“We—” Charles started.“You a
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“Estoy apretado… ¿hay un baño cerca?” he asked, patting his stomach. I really need the restroom, is there one nearby?The kids burst into laughter.“Mamá siempre dice, no comas demasiado,” one girl teased. Mama told you not to eat too much.“¿Bebiste mucha agua?” another boy asked. Did you drink too much water?August clutched his belly dramatically. “¡Voy a hacer pipí aquí mismo!” I’ll pee right here!They laughed louder.“There’s no restroom,” Sophia finally said, switching to Spanish. “Only my house.” She pointed at a white house a few feet away. “Mama’s not home, but if you’re quick…”“Por favor,” August begged. Please.“Let’s go,” she said, dropping the half-made kite in her hand. A couple of friends followed her toward the house.“I’ll watch the door,” one boy announced. “If I shout ‘Sophia!’ it means Mama’s back.”Charles shook his head. August might be a terrible storyteller, but he was
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Charles came out of the shower, steam curling behind him, muscles aching after four hours in the gym. The cold water dripping off his skin was an assurance that he was still alive, not dead from the thousand ways he had been planning to carve Dario off the face of the earth.He tossed his damp clothes aside. Unsure whether he’d need to change later or if the Madrid night would turn cold, he pulled on a flannel, slung his bag across his chest, and tucked inside a power bank and charger. At Sadie’s door, he stopped for a moment, staring at the handle.He’d be gone two days. If Thomas stayed as reasonable as last night, Charles was counting on him to make excuses on his behalf. Whatever consequences followed, he’d deal with them when he returned. He closed the door softly, almost like a promise, then made his way out.The men on patrol straightened when they saw him.“Good morning, sir,” one said.Charles gave them a nod. “Keep your eyes sha
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“I’ll send my account details. As soon as the money hits, we’re talking.” She hung up.Charles dragged a hand through his hair. Wasn’t this insane? Connecting this well with someone he’d met less than five hours ago—and already wiring her money?He forwarded the details to his subordinate, instructing him to push the payment through a non-traceable account.The cab rolled to a stop in front of Sadie’s house. Charles paid, muttered thanks to the driver, and stepped out.“Welcome, sir,” the men at the gate greeted.“How was your day?” Charles asked casually.“It was fine, sir.”He started to move past them, then paused and gestured them closer. His voice dropped. “I’ll be gone two days. Keep Sadie safe.”“We’ll do our best, sir,” they whispered back.Charles nodded, slipped inside, and smiled faintly. The lights were all on—Sadie wasn’t asleep yet. He slid into the house slippers and padded across the til
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“She was the first woman I ever fell in love with—and the first who loved me back,” August said at last, his voice ragged, minutes after he’d finally forced himself to stop sobbing.“Sorry,” Thomas muttered. “Happens to all of us, man. Nothing you could’ve done to stop it.”August’s eyes burned. “I’m going to destroy the man who caused this.”“Caused what?” Thomas probed, leaning in.And just like that, August spilled everything about their trip to Colombia, every shit that Charles had no intention of telling Thomas landed straight into Thomas’ hands.Later that night, Hardin showed up to fetch Sadie for some pressing matter, and the group slowly dispersed.August left too, off to some meeting with his men, leaving only Charles and Thomas lingering in the quiet.Charles braced for Thomas to start talking shit—another rant about how Dario was some impossible bastard Charles should leave alone. But instead, Thomas caught h
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“You still haven’t outgrown this middle school attitude?” Charles muttered, topping his cup again.“Let’s do it. It’ll be fun, I promise,” Natasha said, her eyes darting to Sadie, pleading for agreement.“Fine,” Sadie forced an uncomfortable smile. Natasha’s stare was too much. How was she supposed to say no under that?“If you’ve got secrets to protect,” Thomas said, emptying a bottle, “this is your chance to back off.”He didn’t even look at Charles. He didn’t need to. Charles knew he was the target here. “Anyone wants out?” Charles asked the others, deliberately blank-faced, pretending not to understand Thomas’ jab.No one answered. Instead, August slid his chair closer, sipping lazily at his drink.“Then we proceed,” Thomas said.And Charles wasn’t even surprised when the bottle landed perfectly on him and Thomas.“Well, well. We’re starting with you.” Thomas smirked. “Truth or dare?”“How
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