Ryan Guzman as Milo Fernandez

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Stuck on You: Kapitel Sechszehn

"You never thought that Milo could be the accomplice? You know, since he was tailing me and all." I peered into Santiago's face as he shook his head. "No. That was a test for me to see where his loyalty ran. I watched him when he wasn't watching you. You left my office at 2:21. Milo was in the office with Terrence and I have video documentation of it. Milo was nowhere near your car as caught on surveillance tapes. I always tell my family that there aren't cameras down there," He smirked evilly, sipping a cup of black tea.

"Someone is always bound to slip up."

I stared at him, rubbing my arm. I had spent my time between him and Ivory, taking a few days off from work. Santiago's case was closed immediately after Luzia and Haila were 'mysteriously killed', and I needed to finish healing. Captain's words, not mine. Ivory was still in the hospital as her wounds needed to clean themselves out and rid of potential infections. Her friends from school came to visit her and several of Santi's men were stationed to watch her inside and out. She probably talked their heads off. "I never understood what Luzia did it," I furrowed my brows, leaning against his blue granite countertop. If I was amazed by the exterior of his house, I had gone to heaven when I looked at the interior of his house. The foyer was shiny as the day I stepped in and there was a beautiful gold and diamond chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There was a mahogany grand staircase that led up to the three stories.

To my right, there was a sitting room, cabinets filled with food and drinks, most likely for the men in black. To my left, there was a 4 lane bowling alley room. Up ahead, there was a lounge room with guns on the walls and various pieces of art. There were pop up televisions in the majority of the rooms. There was a screening room on the second floor, where the majority of the 24 bedrooms resided. There were 32 bathrooms scattered on each floor and each had its own intrinsic style. There was even a candy room and fully stocked alcohol room. There were three kitchens and seven pantries. There was even a god damn game room. He also had a spa room and a home gym. There was also a pool room, enriched with a hot tub.

The house was worth more than anyone in the house.

"I mean I understand Victoria's motive because her father died, but I never understood Luzia's. I thought she was my best friend. Why would she do this?" A part of me was still hurt that someone like her felt the nerve to do that, especially after all I did for her. "I never knew she was your best friend," Santiago began, pulling out a stool at the island. "She came to me seven years ago, telling me that she wanted nothing to do with you. I have no idea how she knew about me and what I was doing now, seeing that I kept it under wraps. I agreed to let her work for me but over time," He narrowed his eyes, staring up at me. "I got the feeling she was off." He confessed and I listened intently.

"As time went on, she always pestered me as to why I wouldn't move on from you. She always joked and said that she'd be the perfect rebound after you. Turns out, she wasn't joking." Santiago took a deep breath, his cocoa eyes mulled over in irritation. "One night, I was coming back from a heist and she was in my bed, naked." My eyes widened as the pieces started to come together. "She was in love with me, Anthony, from the moment she met me." Oh, my sweet lord. It made sense, all her snide remarks about our relationships. There was no point in getting upset over someone who was dead. "By then, she was my consigliere, so there wasn't much I could do since I didn't trust anyone that much. I finally got the chance to come out here since the men that I sent over took over and got me my new investments." He chuckled and I rolled my eyes.

"I had no clue that she was still your friend. I had sent her back after her fiasco, wanting her to make some moves around here. She started to act differently when I told her that she didn't have to worry about coming back to Berlin since I was coming here." It started to click altogether. Around the time that Santiago arrived, Luzia had been avoiding me. 

"She and Victoria were close before, but they became impeccably close when I arrived in Manhattan. It seemed that Victoria got wind of our relationship and used that to fuel Luzia's hate and motive to get you out of the way. In exchange for her hand in killing you and Ivory, she needed Luzia to help her kill her victims and keep it quiet," Santiago threw his head back in a laugh as he stared at me. 

"You see she did a shit job because I found out easily."

I reached for his hand and he obliged, continuing his feat. "The first night Milo followed you, he told me that he saw her leaving your apartment. After about the 7th killing, I had Terrence pretend that he was the culprit and yell at Victoria, demanding that she keep the videos to herself, as you saw on Jacien's video. She may have had access to them, but so did I and Terrence. When she knew that I thought Terrence was the killer, she would slip up and Luzia would follow suit." Santiago's hand felt warm in mine as I intertwined our fingers together.

He took a sip of tea.

"Victoria must have felt threatened by you because you were getting closer. Luzia was nowhere on site when you first came by Masters. I quickly put it together that you were their first prime target but it was too late as your brakes were already cut. I did what I could to protect you," His fists tightened angrily. "But then she had the fucking audacity to go after a child. A child, Anthony!" He shook his head and I agreed with his frustration. Ivory was innocent and now she was exposed to a lot more. "Her plan was stupid. Everyone knows that if one person gets targeted in a syndicate like this, it's always someone who's close to the target behind it." He explained and I let out a sigh.

"I can't say that I'm not upset because I am. She was someone I thought I had my back." I grumbled, my heart tinged with pain as Santiago put his cup down, reaching out for me. I inched closer to him and he wrapped his arms around my waist, looking up into my eyes. "It's okay now. No one will be hurting you or Ivory." I hoped that was true.

"Hey," I rubbed the back of his head, playing with the curls there. "Explain to me how the mafia works," I had a vague idea, but I needed to know what I was getting involved in. "Oh? Trying to arrest me now? Can't do that if I don't speak." He muttered playfully and I flicked him on his forehead. "I'm just kidding, love." He rubbed my back and I smiled. "I know that you are the leader, Terrence and Milo are your right-hand men, the people who hold authority after you." He nodded, letting me know that I was right. "They make some of the important decisions for me. They resolve disputes before I hear about it, and they generally possess some great authority. They often do what I tell them and I value their opinion on certain instances. They kill when needed and assist when needed." He began and I listened, hoping to learn more about who he was. He pressed his nose against my stomach, mumbling as he squeezed my body close to him like he was trying to capture my scent.

"Them two lead trio of capos, or captains," He moved on and I got the feeling that he was someone intensely strong. "These captains head a crew of soldiers. They are the ones who come up with potential places to move to, places that I could invest in. My casino, my finance company, Lombardi's, that was possible because of them. They control the flow of money and drugs throughout the empire. They run through the illegal acts and pass them to me so that I can accept or deny their move. They train their soldiers and make sure that they do not fail. Failure is a no from me." His gaze darkened and I gulped, rubbing my hands free of sweat.

Why was he so scary?

"Underneath them, are the soldiers. They are the ones that do the dirty work. They are the ones that rob, kill, steal and sell drugs. They are ones who beat and interrogate for information that could be helpful to us. They are the ones that earn us money. They do whatever their capo tells them to do, whatever it may be. They sign up for the life of crime when they vow and take their oath of omertà. They are the flesh and blood of this syndicate and I wouldn't be where I am without them." Santiago described their role deeply and I got a sense of how dedicated he was to this group.

It felt as if these people were his family.

"The associates are under the soldiers. They haven't taken the oath yet, therefore they haven't experienced and seen the syndicate yet. They aren't members, but people who work with us in various enterprises. They help with various jobs and heists when we need them to. They watch over territory that I have obtained. They are the lawyers, drug dealers, owners of companies, police officers," I narrowed my eyes, wondering if anyone I knew was involved with them.

Oh, besides me. 

"They put their lives and their families lives on the line as a vow of loyalty. If they screw up or if they snitch," Santiago shook his head, waving his finger in the air. Seemed like someone didn't fuck with snitches. "It's over for them." He continued on. "My consigliere, who used to be Luzia, is the one who offers advice on our next move. They offer strategies and tactics for the operation." He licked his lips, looking me up and down like I was a piece of meat that he had never tasted. "Any more questions, Anthony?" He whispered my name in a sultry tone and I shuddered. He rubbed along my back as if it was something he was used to doing.

"Yes. What is your role?" I tilted my head and he grinned, chuckling. "Love, I am a very, very wild man," His aura turned dark and predatory, much like a panther hunting for its prey. "I am the one who sits at the top. I am the who initiates each and every soldier into this world. I am the one who handles the weapon shipments, where they go and when and why. I am the one who sanctions murders to be made and when and with what weapon. I am the one who decides where we should grab territory and when. When I need to kill, I do it. I am the one who creates the moral code and instructs all to follow it down to the bone," He was firm and I could sense his authority shooting up the room.

"I don't demand respect, I command it."

I got immediate chills and I shivered under his heated gaze.

"Now that you know how dangerous and how vicious my group is," He leaned his back, lazy smirk on his lips as he stared into me. "Do you no longer want anything to do with me?" He raised a brow and pique of fear silenced my soil. He looked at me, raising a brow. I had to let him right now because this was the make or break moment. "I'm scared if we do this," I motioned between us. "Us." He reached up to grab my hand, eyebrows hunched over in confusion. I was so scared because of the potential things that could happen if I fell even deeper into his quagmire. 

"Why? Of what?" He tilted his head, his eyes exposing how vulnerable he felt. "I don't want myself or Ivory to be hurt because of something you go through. I don't want to be at risk." I confessed, hoping that he understood. He nodded, eyes glazed over in recognition. "No need to worry, Anthony," His hand reached up to cup my cheek. "This was the first and the last time that I'd let something happen to you guys." I felt the sincerity of his words and as his grip around my waist tightened, I leaned down to meet his face, my breath fanning his luscious lips. 

"Then I'm going to enjoy playing with danger."

I leaned in and captured his lips with mine. I had longed to feel this, his face in my hands, the softness of his lips. His hands gripped at my waist tightly as if their own was trying to register my warmth of me. His cologne simmered into my nostrils as his tongue entered my mouth, the heat of the room increasing drastically. I needed more of him and I wanted it all. Our tongues danced together in a battle of dominance as our lips meshed beautifully, wrapped up in the fiery passion. My brain was floating on cloud nine and I couldn't grasp the need for air. It felt exactly like it did eight years ago.

We departed slowly, needing to catch our breaths.

"That was," We said in unison as we looked at each other, our eyes mirroring the same effect. How I longed for this, to be held by him again. "Great," I breathed, leaning my nose on his. I embraced him close to me, wanting to relish in this feeling.

Then a thought came to me instantly.

"I need to go get some grocery!" I pulled away from him reluctantly as he pouted, reaching out for me. "You want to eat tonight, don't you?" I raised a brow at me as he shook his head. I also had to go by and see my friends as I haven't seen them in a week. "I don't need food when I have you." Santiago grunted out like a baby and I rolled my eyes, grabbing my keys. "I'll be back in twenty minutes. Go do what mafia bosses do like feed off the blood of babies or something," I shrugged as horror consumed his face.

I waved, running in the direction of the foyer. He couldn't keep up with me. I didn't make Lieutenant for nothing. "At least let Milo go with you!" I could see Milo standing in the doorway with a bunch of other men in black and he turned to me when he heard his name. He nodded and the other men immediately dismissed themselves as he walked over to me. "Where are you going?" He reached his pocket, making sure he had his gun. "The grocery store up the street. You can ride with me but I'm not a baby. I can protect myself," I stared into his soul as we exited the premises.

"I know but Santiago just wants to protect those close to him."

He said it so calmly as he slid into the passenger seat of my Escalade. My cheeks were burning bright as I turned on the ignition. How could a few words make me feel like this? I cooled myself down as we exited out of the guarded gate, driving in silence for a few minutes. It appeared that Milo didn't have a whole lot to say. 

"Milo, why are you working for Santiago?" I came out straight and asked and he looked a bit surprised at my question. Nevertheless, he answered. "Because he did so much for me," He sighed, continuing to elaborate. "I was being held captive and tortured by the Romanian syndicate for marrying one of their women. I had no idea she belonged to that family and she was only using me for information that I had on the Royal family of Brazil." He went into detail about how he was a prince from the family of Fernandez in Recife, Brazil. 

"Santiago killed them all and he saved my life. He then offered me a position as his right-hand and I accepted because I owe him everything." Milo grinned boyishly and I saw him a new light. "Just make sure you don't pull a fast one on him because then, you'd have to face me," I smiled but he could understand the threat beneath it. He nodded.

"We're here." I pulled into the wholesale club parking lot and got out. "We just need to get a few things." Milo rolled his eyes as we entered the store. He made sure to keep at least ten feet away from me and I walked down the 'milk' aisle. I was storming rather quickly and I was lost deep in thought, thinking about that kiss that Santiago and I shared. It wasn't as crowded and I didn't even see the people around me. I took one step closer and in the flicker of my eyes, I saw a man with a hat and gleaming brown eyes in front of me. His foot obscured my path and I stumbled, running into his shoulders.

"Oops!" There was the sound of a deep voice with a foreign accent and I looked up, my shoulder burning. Damn, I ran into him kind of hard. "Sorry," I murmured, rubbing my shoulder as I took in his brown skin. He was excessively tall and dressed in Calvin Klein. I couldn't see his face but I saw the gleam of his white teeth. "I wasn't looking, my bad." The man chuckled as he walked around me and I watched as a white card fell from his pocket. It wasn't too long before he spoke in a dark tone as he turned the corner.

"Nice meeting you, Bradley."

I furrowed my brow as I picked up the card that fell from his pocket. 'Roman Luben' was typed on the front with nothing else on it. Who the hell was this guy and how the hell did he know who I was? I felt peculiar and odd. I felt suspicious like there were eyes watching my every move. His gaze felt malicious and I could sense that this wasn't just some random shove. He seemed like he genuinely loathed my entire existence, the way he spat my name. It appeared to be friendly but I could hear the underlying malevolence.

You better lose yourself in the music, The moment, you own it, you better never let it go.

I jumped out of my trance once my phone began to blare, and I answered it, putting it up to my ear. "Brad Thorpe?" The person on the other line asked and I furrowed my brow. "Yes?" I questioned, wondering if Ivory was okay, if I needed to come to discharge her. "It's Dr. Jaeger," He sighed heavily and I put a hand up to my chest. "It's your father." My eyes widened in confusion as I turned to look at my reflection in the glass, mouth open in shock.

"He was shot."