Blurred Lines 1: CHASE
Chapter 119

-Chase-

I nearly wept in relief when my lips locked with Sofia's. Every shred of anxiety, worry, and fear, I'd forgotten all of them. What only mattered right at this moment was this woman in my arms.

She sighed into my kiss, clearly reciprocating what I felt. Her hands fisted my shirt, her warmth seeping into the thin, dri-fit fabric. I cupped her face, tilting her chin up to get better access to her luscious mouth. Nipping and biting, licking her lips, coaxing her to let me in. Hands sliding up my chest, Sofia looped her arms around my neck, outstretching her body to match my height - barely - as she stood on the tip of her toes.

Smiling and f*****g damn satisfied with her response, I pushed her back up against my car. She made a low umph sound down her throat, fingers digging into my hair. The slow-burning kiss quickly escalated into a wild, frantic fire. I grabbed the back of her head, my free hand scaling down to her a*s, squeezing her perfect globes. Thrusting my tongue between her lips, I groaned at the taste of her. Her tongue danced with mine to the tune of our hearts beating the same tune.

Fuck! I want to fuck her senseless, make up for the days we'd been apart. My cock knocked on the zipper of my hiking cargo pants, seeking her heat through the layers of clothing between our bodies.

"Chase..." she moaned. I tilt her head by fisting her hair, tugging it backward so I could trail kisses down the columns of her throat.

A protest rumbled from my chest when she flattened her hands on my shoulder, pushing me away.

"That's a nice way to say hello," a familiar teasing tone sounded behind me.

Carlota.

I froze, lifting my face from Sofia's neck. In the dimmed light of the moon and flashlights behind us pointed at the ground, I made out Sofia's flushed cheeks. Her lips parted, chest heaving. She gave me a small nod. I slid a hand around her waist, tucking her by my side as I faced the people behind us.

Carlota had a knowing grin. Derek's scowl was enough to crumple his face, and there was a third person behind them, his face passive though his eyes were studying me keenly. "You two done humping like fucking teenagers?!" Derek gritted his teeth.

I coughed, realization dawning on me. I almost took Sofia in front of her brother. But can he blame me for shutting the world out? I f*****g missed my girl.

Sofia shifted on her foot, her blush deepening. Carlota giggled, taking my attention back to the present.

"What's going on?" I gaze from Derek to the third guy behind him, then Carlota, and down to Sofia.

"If you followed my instruction, you'd know by now," Derek turned around and stomped towards the treeline like a petulant child, the other guy following him.

"Get your things." Sofia patted my chest and pulled out a flashlight from her jacket. Once I took out my bag and locked my car, we followed where Derek had disappeared, hand in hand.

Ten minutes walk under the moonlight and cool breeze of the night, we reached a camping ground. Derek sat on one log encircling a hole in the ground, poking the embers inside it with a stick. The other guy, Cisco, tossed firewood on the fire. Three tents were pitched in the clearing. A table sat close to the fire pit littered with food storage, plates, and canisters. Cisco went to the cooler under the table and took out two beer bottles. He offered one to me as I settled on one of the logs; Sofia sat beside me. "Thanks," I said. He nodded and handed the second beer to Sofia, doing the same to Carlota and Derek, before he sat on the empty log next to ours.

"Why are you here?" I directed my question to Carlota. This felt like a dream, having Sofia and Carlota in the same location. Carlota was my friend, and deep down, I had hoped that Sofia would give her a chance to be part of our lives. "Sofia?" Carlota slid her gaze to the woman beside me, her tone questioning yet gentle.

Sofia smiled at Carlota before she laced our hands together. "This was all my idea, and they helped me."

"I... I don't understand."

She darted a gaze at Derek. Her brother nodded, and Sofia heaved a breath. "Back at Mr. Torres' birthday, I already felt something was up with Samantha and you."

Derek huffed and prodded the embers on the fire pit, grimacing. The flame blazed as though it was his anger materializing. I tipped my beer onto my lips, taking a huge pull. 'So he knew about Sammy and Cyrus. No wonder he turned me into a human punching bag. "That night, when we fought, I had to replay everything in my head again and again. Then I remembered something strange about Nikos. When I walked out of the powder room and looked for you, it felt like he was waiting for me. There was this look on his face that I couldn't shake. And when I stomped out of the room, Nikos was watching for my reaction. It was just a gut feel, but I still called Derek and asked him to look into the guy's background."

"We've been after him for some time now," Cisco butted in.

Brows furrowed, I lifted my gaze to him. Sofia told me he was friends with Derek from the military, but I didn't realize he was still in service.

"What do you mean?"

"He goes by the name Brega," Derek murmured. I stiffened, my blood going cold. Gaze slewing to Carlota, the serious look on her face told me I didn't mishear Derek.

Everything made f*****g sense now. Brega was Loco's younger brother, but he died in the explosion at Loco's warehouse. He was declared dead; there was even a gravestone with his name in Pinehills cemetery.

"How is this possible?" I breathe out, my heart trashing out of its confines.

"The guy we killed that night wasn't Brega. Loco protected his kid brother and used another person to pose as his brother while the real Brega was injected into the system at the age of seven. You know the rest of Nikos' history." This makes little sense at all, yet it explains a lot. Brega was Loco's only family, and he was his only weakness. We didn't intend to kill Brega. We merely wanted to take him as leverage. Some sentences are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on FindNovel.net. Visit FindNovel.net to read the complete chapters for free. Though it doesn't justify our actions, we didn't give a shit to anything back then. We were blinded by the pain of losing Letty and anger towards Loco. We were willing to use anyone to aid the end we wanted. "When Derek told me about this, I knew we had to play our cards right. That's why I had to push you away, Chase." Sofia squeezed my hand. "We needed to get Nikos' attention away from me so I could speak with Carlota."

"Everything checks out," Carlota added. "Eros managed to squeeze the truth from Samuel. He'd been waiting for this opportunity to get back to you and Eros. And when he learned who Nikos was, he used Samantha to get his attention." "Sammy," I said, brows furrowed. "I spoke with her, and she told me Samuel has a package for Nikos."

Sofia's hand gripped mine, but she said nothing. I will speak with her regarding Sammy, but not in front of everyone. That's a conversation I intended to have with her alone.

"They are plotting something big," Carlota said. "That's what Eros told me."

"Didn't he get any specifics?"

Carlota huffed. "He turned Samuel to a pulp. How can he f*****g get specifics?"

"Whatever it is, you need to be ready, Chase," Derek said pointedly. "Nikos is hellbent on making the three of you pay for killing his brother. And between you, Eros, and Carlota, you have a lot to lose." Worry clouded his blue eyes, shifting from Sofia and back at me. "An eye for an eye," Carlota mumbled, the fire reflecting in her green eyes. "We took his only family, and now he's taking ours."

A newfound rage brewed in the pit of my belly. "If he's coming after my family, I won't sit around and do nothing. Now that I know who he is, I won't hesitate to have his blood on my hands."

Carlota seconded my notion. "Like I said, we will protect your family at any cost, Chase. You have me, Eros, and the rest of our men behind you."

"We have to do this the right way," Cisco piped in. "You will only step in if needed-"

"And your way is the right one? Is that it?" Carlota cut him off. "Ah... man... Listen here, smart a*s. We're not here for you, and you don't give orders around here. Don't stick your nose in our business." Cisco's passive expression darkened. Carlota's smart mouth induced emotion from the guy. What a sight.

"Or what?" the guy growled.

"Try and find out." Carlota matched his glare.

Derek rose to his feet, shoved his hand in his pocket, and glared at Cisco and Carlota, who entered a staring contest. None of them backing down.

"There's food on the table. Eat and rest," he nodded at me and Sofia. "We'll talk in the morning. Let these two kill each other, so we have fewer problems on our plate."

Sofia giggled. Carlota and Cisco broke their staring contest, huffing and growling like kids scolded by their parents.