Venomous King (Venom #2)

18. Diego

Chapter eighteen

Diego

“Pure love and suspicion cannot dwell together:at the door where the latter enters,the former makes its exit.”

Alexandre Dumas

I watch quietly from my place in the dining room doorway, as Santiago once again tries to approach Issy, without realizing that I’m watching them. It’s a curious sight, the two of them together, considering I know for a certainty that Issy has never been one of his favorite people, and he was adamant that I should forget her and move on, all these years. He even sided with my father, when he tried to arrange a marriage for me with one of the other cartels, to broker peace.

Not that it went well for either my father or him. A shudder races through my body at the memory of the Sanchez daughter, and how I refused to marry her. Psychotic evil bitch . We are still dealing with the consequences of my actions. Instead of peace, I only managed to increase the hostilities between both families. Fucking disaster.

How could my father ever think that I would comply, even to further our family’s reach? It’s always been Issy for me, and no one, no matter what they bring to the table, will ever be what I need except her, and now I have her back. She’s mine once again, at my mercy, where she belongs.

I observe as Issy’s eyes widen, and her body tenses, at whatever Santiago is uttering quietly in her ear. My hands tighten into fists that he’s so close to her. No man except for me should ever be near Issy, without fearing my blade in his throat. She immediately searches the room, and once she spies me in the doorway, she rises from the table and moves as far away from Santiago as the small room will allow. Interesting. What are you hiding, Princesa?

Through the open patio doors, I can hear a high-pitched peal of laughter and the bark of an amused chuckle from the back deck. I advance further into the room, noticing how Santiago instantly gets up and masks his expression into a cold facade of indifference, as he nods respectfully to me. I see you, fucker, I know something is up, the question is, what.

“I see my father is once again entertaining Julia.” A smirk crosses my stern lips as I witness them together outside. Julia is sitting on his lap, and they are whispering to each other and breaking out into laughter. Those two have become thick as thieves in the two weeks we have been here.

“It helps, I am sure, that every morning since we have arrived, he has presents waiting for her at breakfast. This morning’s was a three-foot-tall unicorn made of milk chocolate, with sprinkles making up the horn.”

I watch through the window’s reflection as she rolls her eyes, and I bite back my need to laugh at her dramatics. “Santiago got one of the men to hide it from her, before she eats her weight in chocolate goodness and makes herself sick.” I turn to watch Issy approach me at the window with a look of exasperation on her features. Fuck, she’s gorgeous, and all mine.

Speaking of Santiago, I see the fucker has slunk out of the room once again before I could corner him. No matter, he won’t get far, and he can’t avoid me forever.

Amusement fills me at Issy words, and some of the weight of the stress I’m constantly under is lifted from my shoulders. My father is really enjoying his role as Julia’s Abuelo (grandfather), and is trying to make up for all the years he’s already missed with her by spoiling the little cherub. I eavesdrop on their conversation outside, where my father is trying to teach Julia the lyrics to a Spanish lullaby my mother used to sing to me.

“Vaca... le... chera (dairy cow),” Julia butchers the words in her sweet, little angelic voice.

“ Mi peque?a mu?eca (my little doll) , your papi (daddy) used to love when his mamá (momma) would sing this to him when he was a little boy. It is by a great composer named Juan M. Torregrosa. I will teach you the first part now, and then we will practice every day. How about that? Does that sound like a deal? Then we can go see the pony your papi (daddy) bought you.”

“Si, Abuelo (yes, grandfather),” Julia nods her little dark head with enthusiasm, and I’m so proud of how many words she’s already picked up in Spanish. She truly is a remarkable little girl. A groan escapes Issy at the mention of the pony I had to have shipped here in secret, and under cover of darkness, after I more than filled the imaginary swear jar within the first week. Julia was up to a whole herd of ponies by her calculations at my ‘bad words’.

Tengo una vaca lechera (I have a milk cow),

No es una vaca cualquiera (It’s not just any cow),

Me da leche merengada (He gives me meringue milk),

Ay! que vaca tan salada (Oh! what a salty cow),

Tolón, tolón, tolón, tolón (bell sounds).

I turn away from watching the pair outside, and my gaze appraises Issy, who, despite being slightly annoyed at us spoiling Julia and, of course, being a captive under lock and key once again, looks radiant at this moment in the morning sunshine.

She’s wearing a dark blue long-sleeve sweater that hugs her slim frame, and a pair of leggings that show off her shapely legs, and the peach-shaped ass that I want to take a bite out of. Her short blond locks curl around her chin, and I can see the slightest hint of dark hair at her roots. I will never allow her to dye her hair from her natural color again, and I hope her hair grows quickly. I miss wrapping her thick strands around my fist and using them as a leash, while I fuck her ruthlessly. I wrap my forearm around her waist and pull her into my hard body, and a startled cry leaves her, as my lips make their way to that spot just below her ear that makes her purr.

My body’s reaction to her proximity is instant. My cock hardens in my pants, the tip leaking precum against my boxers, and the desire to drag her to my room, and fuck her on the floor like an animal, almost overtakes me. Fuck , I could wrap the collar I got her around her neck, and choke her out while I fill her pretty, pink pussy with my cum. The little breathless moan she makes, as my lips slide along the column of her neck, isn’t helping me either, and as much as I want to gorge myself on Issy, I need to know what is going on between her and Santiago.

“Tell me, Princesa. What does Santiago keep whispering to you, hmm?“ I bite down on her soft flesh, laving it with my tongue, as her sharp nails find my forearms and break the skin.

“Nothing...” she replies in a moaned whisper.

“See, I don’t believe you, Issy, and at this point, I would think you were smarter than to continue lying to me.” I bite down on her lobe while clenching her hip with my fingers, and forcing her body in front of mine at the window, so she can feel how hard I am as I press my cock into her sweet, round ass. Fuck , I can’t wait to fill her tight hole. I might not even use lube, so that she feels me for days every time she moves.

“You will tell me what you are conspiring about, Issy, or there will be consequences. If you think for a second Santiago is going to betray us, and help you all escape, you’re dead wrong.”

Just then, a booming voice makes my grip on Issy tighten further. “Release her, you fucking psychopath!” Great, the pretty boy has been released from his prison to eat with us. I understand why my father has ordered that he be present; he saw how upset Julia became if she didn’t see him throughout the day. I, however, would have preferred him bleeding in a cage, rather than in a guest room, and I certainly hate sharing a table with him. Just looking at the fucker gives me indigestion, and makes me want to shove a fork into one of his eyes.

“Kai.” Issy tries to pull away from my grip but, fuck that , I’m not letting her leave me to go to him. Out of the corner of my eye, I observe my dad and Julia walking down to where her pony is across the lawn, out of earshot, and oblivious to what’s happening in this room. Perfect timing. This cunt is about to learn that I don’t take orders from anyone, and I can do whatever I please with Issy; she’s fucking mine.

A menacing smirk crosses my face. “What’re you going to do about it, Boy Scout? You going to beat me with those fists of yours?” I motion to his clenched fists at his sides with the tilt of my head, as my hand slides up Issy’s abdomen and cradles her breast, and his golden skin flushes with rage. It’s almost unfair how easy it is to rile up this fucker, how little effort it takes on my part. What does Issy even see in this weak-ass prick?

“Diego, release me, and stop this shit.” Issy tries once again to pull away from me, and this time, I allow her, but not before slamming my lips down on hers, in a punishing kiss that causes her to pant for breath, and her knees to go weak, so she stumbles her next few steps across the wooden floor as she leaves my hold.

She doesn’t go directly to him, instead, she braces herself against one of the black wood Windsor chairs. My broken doll’s a smart girl. She knows if she were to try to go into his arms right now, I would slit his fucking throat from one ear to the other while she watched, then I’d fuck her ass with his blood. Still might.

“What were you and Santiago discussing, Princesa ?“ My hand slides to the gun in my side holster, and I watch with amusement as Kai observes the movement, his eyes widening and his nostrils flaring in rage. This motherfucker is too pretty to be worthy of my broken doll. He looks like some kind of male ‘Barbie doll’. He’s too clean-cut and perfect. I should cut him up and see if she’s still attracted to him, when his face looks like ground beef. Maybe I can even slice off his cock and make him choke on it. Excitement starts to race through me at the prospect of fucking him up, and I reach for the gun in a quick movement, and point it at his head from across the room.

“ Jesus Christ , Diego! Have you lost your mind? Put that gun away before Julia sees it, or someone gets hurt.“ Issy moves in Kai’s direction, as if to use herself as his human shield, but I’m not having it. I will get my answers, even if I have to make this fucker look like Swiss cheese, and it’ll be a bonus if I can hear him scream in pain.

“Unh unh, Issy. If you take one more step towards him, instead of just maiming him, I’ll aim for a headshot, and then your little Boy Scout will be done with breathing. Don’t push me, I want to know what you and Santiago were discussing.” Suspicion is eating at me about why Santiago keeps approaching her. I’m almost positive it concerns her escape from the jungle, and that would mean he lied to me all this time, when he said he didn’t know who helped her.

“This is madness, Diego! It was nothing. We weren’t speaking about anything important. You see conspiracies everywhere you look!” It’s funny; I almost believe her. My Princesa has gotten better at lying over the years we have been apart, except for one small detail: She won’t look me directly in the eyes, as she spews blatant lies to my face.

“Have it your way, Issy. I did warn you.” I take aim, and the bullet flies through the air, grazes Kai’s ear, and embeds in the wall behind him. It causes him to flinch, and Issy to scream hysterically, as he cups the side of his head. “The next one will go right in the middle of his forehead. One more chance, Issy. What were you and Santiago whispering about?”

“Don’t say shit, Isabella! He’s not going to shoot to kill me. Julia would never forgive him, and he knows it.” Kai straightens out his shoulders and stands tall, facing me, unflinching, even as blood runs in rivulets down his neck into the collar of his shirt, staining it crimson. Brave but stupid fucker , I want nothing more than to end his miserable life for touching my Issy, and for being the man she ran to when she left me behind.

I raise my arm again and narrow my sight at Kai’s forehead, and then I allow the cold look of death to cross my face, the one my enemies get to witness when I end their time on earth. “Julia will forget you with time. I’ll buy her more ponies.”

“STOP! OH MY GOD, STOP!” Issy screams, tears running down her face as she crumples to her knees before me, and begs me with her hands raised in supplication, as if I was the God she begged mercy of. I tilt my head, refusing to ask again; she will either provide me with what I want to know, or her lover will be one less obstacle in my way. Either way, I win.

“He helped me escape, Diego. It was Santiago that helped me escape the jungle, and leave you behind. Please... please don’t hurt Kai anymore, please for me.”