Eventually we made it back home to the compound around sunset. The guards at the gate seemed shocked at my return, but they were smart enough to look happy about it. When it came down to it, there were worse bosses than me.

I parked the car right outside the front doors and looked over at Luisa, sitting serenely in the passenger seat. She seemed to glow.

“This is your home now, you know,” I told her.

She smiled. “I know.”

“It’s your castle.”

She leaned over and quickly kissed me. “And it will be a golden one.”

We got out of the car just as the front door swung open to Este staring at us, completely dumbfounded. I relished the faint strain of disappointment in his brow. It served him right for me to prove him wrong.

“I don’t fucking believe it,” he said in quiet awe.

I raised my arms. “The ghost of narcos’ past has returned to fuck you up the ass.”

He grinned. “Lucky for me, I haven’t had time to screw anything up. How the hell did you pull this off, Javi?” He continued to look between the two of us in amazement.

I shrugged. “What can’t I pull off?”

I put my hand on the small of Luisa’s back and guided her up the stairs. We paused in the doorway, looking Este over. “Esteban Mendoza,” I said to him. “Meet your ruler, Luisa Chavez.” I leaned into her ear. “You know, he’s your employee now. How does that make you feel?”

She grinned at Este before she stared up at me. “Makes me feel like I should keep a Taser gun on me at all times. You know, just in case he misbehaves.” She then winked at him and went inside the house.

I laughed at the look of fear in his eyes. I patted him on the shoulder. “She’s not kidding either. She killed a man back there. I think she’s gotten a taste for it.”

We left the bewildered Este out on the steps, and I quickly led her straight up to our bedroom, where I would bring her fire and she would bring me peace, that beautiful peace.

I was her king.

She was my queen.

And we had a fucking empire to rule.

After we were done fucking, of course.

After all, I was still Javier Bernal.

THE END