Chapter 195
Twenty–years later
“Dad, this is dumb.”
“It is what your mother wants.”
Antero regarded his father and sighed, “you do realize she does this stuff to get you out of the house because you’re bothering her when she’s trying to relax.”
“I know.”
Aya popped up behind them. “If Dad wasn’t such a stage–five clinger, maybe she wouldn’t send
us on these stupid wild goose chases.”
“It’s not a wild goose chase,” Torq said as they perused the organic section of the grocery
store. He looked at Antero, “remember the first time we ever came to a grocery store
together?” His son now stood a full inch of height over him, and his daughter was a full six-
feet tall. In fact, of their five kids, Antero remained the tallest and largest but there wasn’t a
kid who was under six feet, much to Alcee’s annoyance.
“I remember. You loaded the cart up with crap, I thought I’d won the lottery.”
“Dad loading a grocery cart with crap? Imagine,” Aya scoffed sarcastically. “I had two cavities
before my sixth birthday, and I blame you. My mouth has more fillings than enamel.”
“It’s where they put the tracking devices, Antero grinned at his sister and then rubbed his arm when she punched it. “Fuck you hit like a man.”
“What would you know about being hit by a man,” Aya grimaced at him. “You seem to get
smacked around by women more than men.”
He groaned and rolled his eyes, “it’s not my fault, Aya. They’re insane. The pair of them are
insane. One is twenty–six and the other twenty–three and every time they are in the same room
as me, it turns into a fucking brawl. I have half a mind to get Dad to arrange a marriage for me in Italy, away from the pair of them after the bullshit of last night. I threatened them both
with it.”
“They hit you?” Torq asked his eldest son incredulously.
“No. They get into cat fights over the dumbest shit, and I’m always somehow stuck right in the middle. Last night I took a claw to the face and almost lost an eyeball.”
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Chapter 195
“Dolores called me sobbing her heart out because all she wanted was to make Antero a nice dinner and Raquel ruined it all with her spiteful jealousy.” Aya was grinning. “Raquel called me to say Dolores overcooked the lasagna and it was like eating bricks of concrete.”
“It was bad, Dad,” Antero shuddered. “Dolores wants so much to cook like an Italian Nonna but the only Italian she has in her, is me every night.” He ducked from the smack to the head his father gave him and then winced as his sister hit him in the back with a kidney shot. “If I piss blood Aya, I’m sending them after you.”
“You’re a pig.”
“I’m a man.”
“Not if I rip your dick off.”
“I will still be a man.” He waved his hands in her face. “My girls fight over me and it’s not only for the dick.”
“Can you stop talking about your sex life while I’m right here,” Torq ground out, “seriously, I saw those girls grow up from the time they were in diapers almost. I do not need mental images of them doing whatever it is the three of you do.”
“I was simply saying, my Dolores can’t cook like an Italian.” Antero shrugged.
“Did you tell her that?”
“Well yeah, I told her that. She needs to give it up. She’s better at so many other things. Like
she can
“If
”
you say suck cock, I’ll slit your throat,” Aya warned him.
“I was going to say she can code like a fiend. She’s mom’s protégé for a reason. She’s smarter
than smart. When she’s telling me all the things she’s done on her computer while she’s strutting around our condo in her four–inch heels, I’m a goner. She doesn’t need to cook for
- me. I like her brain.”
“And Raquel?” Torq wanted to kick his own ass for even asking and shot is daughter an apologetic look when she slugged his bicep. Antero was right. She had a damn good jab on her.
“Raquel is smart too but not as smart as Dolores. Raquel though she can walk into a room and schmooze the fuck out of it, steal everything in it and leave before nobody even realizes what she’s done. I watched her last weekend at her parents‘ house pilfer her father’s wallet, steal money out of it, and put it back.”
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“He knew.” Torq laughed.
“But she gets away with it because she’s schmoozy.” Antero shook his head. “I can’t do that. I’m too literal. She could convince the ugliest person in the room they were the most beautiful while stealing their worldly possessions. I’d rather just walk up, knock their ugly ass out, take what I want and leave.”
Torq laughed, “that’s my boy.”
Aya shook her head, “there is such a thing as finesse. Not everyone can be The Grizzly or The Marauder. The pair of you leave so much carnage in your wake.”
“I like my name,” Torq grinned.
“I like mine. Tito gave it to
- ne. It’s cool.”
“It’s dumb.” Aya made a face.
“Because he didn’t give you a
name?” Antero mocked her. “Jealous?”
“No. The Marauder is a dumb name. Grizzly is cool but Marauder sounds like the name of a wrestler from Lucha Libre.”
Torq gave a shout, “there it is.” He pulled a tiny vial holding specific vanilla bean pods from Madagascar in his hand. “These are the ones she wants.”
“The Grizzly reduced to errand boy of vanilla beans.” Aya scoffed.
“You’re just jealous because we have partners in our lives we’re willing to do the mundane for.” Antero shot his sister a sideways glance.
“Says who?”
“Says me, jealous bug.”
“I’m not jealous. I have no reason to be jealous. Do you actually think there aren’t men lining up the streets to do things for me? I’m Aya Lozano, princess Torq the Grizzly Lozano. I could be the ugliest in the room and men are going to do whatever I ask because of name alone.”
Sold! To the Grizzly Don
