❝ criminal lips ❞

"You heard me, devil dogs and bad bitches! Come on in for the all-you-can-lick buffet of the most beautiful, tastiest delicacies south of the border!"

A man Cataleya recognized announced from the doorway of the bar, gesturing wildly as he shouted vulgar descriptions and profanities at anyone unlucky enough to be within earshot.

Cataleya let her eyes wash over the building, unchanged since she'd last seen it. Even the loud-mouth at the door had been there two years ago shouting out the same tired phrases. It felt strange being back at a place that reminded her of Las Visiones, but this time was different. It was different because she wasn't there for Las Visiones, or Amancio. It was different because she was finally free.

She and the brothers started towards the entrance, the family following close behind.

"I did my part," Jacob stressed, "we got you across the border. I'm not taking my children inside. We're done."

"Fine. You three stay out here with the devil's rejects, and have your own little Altamont."

Kate rolled her eyes, looking over at Cataleya and urging her to say something.

"Seth, that wasn't the deal," Cataleya reminded. She didn't want the family to have to go inside. Especially young Kate. Inside was like a minefield for young girls, and, sadly, she spoke from experience.

"No, the deal was that we stick together," Seth looked between the family and Cataleya, "until Richie and I finish our deal."

The man at the door was still shouting as they got closer, arms waving as he called out.

"We've got pan dulce of every flavor for you! Any way you like it, with all the fillings! Batata, piña, calabaza! Come on in and get it!"

Richie looked incredulously at the man, finding his flamboyant gestures annoying. He also wasn't pleased with the way he looked towards the two girls among them.

"Hold it, now! Hold it! Two new items have just been added on the à la carte menu: sweet, hot," he made a slurping sound as he licked his fingers, "cherry pies."

Cataleya stepped forward threateningly, but Seth put a hand in front of her to keep her from getting any closer.

"Okay, okay, easy, Tex," Seth pushed the man back with his free hand, "they're not gonna be on the menu."

"You leave that up to the cherrie–"

Seth threw a punch before the man could finish, a loud crack emanating from beneath his fist. The man yelled, going down to the ground as Seth walked past.

"Pinche malparido," the man spat, his words muffled by the hand that covered his face, "broke my damn nose..."

Cataleya stopped to look down at him as the others walked past her. "Hijo de la chingada..." she laughed, "you were bound to get hit one day."

"You coming, sweetheart?"

Cataleya walked in, Seth closing the doors behind them and wrapping an arm around her waist. She brushed it off as his excitement and let his arm remain there. Cataleya fondly looked up at his smile, only to watch it falter as he stared at a carving in the stone wall.

The eye.

Of the few times Cataleya had been inside, she couldn't say she noticed it before. She was always too nervous about her deals to soak in her surroundings.

Cataleya still hadn't mentioned the medallion to either brother, and she didn't plan to any time soon. Not if she didn't need to. Being the only thing she possessed of her father's, it was a private thing. The only people who'd actually seen it were her mother and brother, and Amancio. But the latter happened by force.

Richie joined them, standing on Cataleya's other side and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She felt warm between the two brothers. Warm and safe.

"Well, we made it. Welcome to paradise." Richie stared out at the multitude of dancers and miscreants that littered the bar as he gestured.

"Paradise?" Cataleya raised an eyebrow as she looked up at the taller man.

"Well, for me," he grinned. Richie let go of her, walking forward into the crowded bar.

Cataleya wouldn't call it paradise, really. In all honesty, ' The Titty Twister ' was a hot mess. But hey, she was free, she thought, and maybe paradise wasn't always white sandy beaches and mojitos. Maybe it was rock music and the stale stench of cigarette smoke. And maybe, just maybe, it was pressed suits and protective hands.

"–How about you, chulo?"

"I'm not a cholo," Richie deadpanned, looking past her.

The woman scoffed as she walked from him, Cataleya lightly laughing at the exchange.

She sauntered to Cataleya, leaning in to place a kiss on her cheek before whispering into her ear, "If you want a dance, mi hermosa, find me."

The woman slowly pulled away, running a finger across Cataleya's cheek before walking off.

Seth raised his eyebrow in question, Cataleya shrugging in reply.

"You have a little–" Richie stepped up to her, grabbing hold of her chin and swiping his thumb over the edge of her jaw.

Cataleya shifted her weight from one foot to the other, trying to ignore the flutter in her stomach his close proximity caused.

"Lipstick," he finished, stare lingering as he continued to hold her chin.

Seth cleared his throat.

He'd quickly noticed the strange closeness his brother seemed to develop with Cataleya. Seth didn't want to say he was jealous – he'd only just met the girl – but he couldn't ignore the twinge of envy he felt seeing them together.

Richie's eyes flicked to his brother as he let go of Cataleya's face, starting down the stairs before turning back and sending her a smirk.

It must've been their newfound freedom that caused his boldness, Cataleya thought. Up until then, he'd been very cautious around her, gentle almost. That was anything but.

Seth clenched his jaw as he watched his brother somehow assimilate into the leather clad horde. He took a step closer to Cataleya, glancing down at his watch before reaching for her.

"Lose someone?" Jacob asked, pulling Scott back by the hood of his jacket when he tried following a woman highly lacking in clothes.

"He's not here yet." Seth started down the steps, hand resting on the small of Cataleya's back to usher her along with him.

The two made their way through the wild crowd with Seth leading them to a bar he'd noticed from the door.

"Hey," he caught the attention of the bartender, knocking on the counter with his fist, "I'm looking for a friend of mine, name of Carlos Madrigal. Said he was gonna meet me here."

Cataleya had heard that name before, a few times among higher up gang members, but she couldn't say she'd met him.

"Carlos ain't here," the bartender replied.

Seth sighed. "But he is on his way, right?"

"He comes and goes as he pleases. It's his place."

His place? Cataleya always made it a point to make deals on neutral ground. Being a fellow crook, she knew Seth wouldn't like this newfound information.

"This is his place?" Seth asked in disbelief.

The bartender looked bored with him, nodding in reply before asking, "So are you gonna drink or not?" He looked over to Cataleya then. "Want your usual?"

Cataleya muttered a quick "yeah," the bartender getting her a bottle before turning to Seth.

She took a long gulp, watching out the corner of her eye as Seth looked at her in confusion.

"Yeah... let me get a tall bottle of your best firewater, Cochise. And hey, when Carlos shows, give me the high sign, all right?"

The bartender didn't reply, his bored expression growing deeper as he turned away from them to the shelves of drinks.

Cataleya started heading for a table where the family sat, but Seth grabbed her arm.

"You've been here before."

"Only a few times. Remember those drugs I told you about? Guess where they went." Cataleya held out her arms, widely gesturing to their chaotic surroundings.

Seth furrowed his eyebrows in thought, thinking over what she'd just said. If she'd been here before, did that mean her gang had connections to Carlos?

"When you were in that gang, Las..."

"Visiones."

"Yeah, that one. Did you ever meet–"

"No," Cataleya stopped him, already knowing what words were about to leave his mouth. "I've never met Carlos. Or, at least I don't think I have. They never were big on sharing names around here."

She took another sip of her drink, spilling a bit on herself as someone roughly shoved past her.

"Watch it, asshole," she called after them, waving them off when they didn't acknowledge her.

Seth chuckled. She sure was something.

Cataleya sighed, thumb pointing behind her at the family's table. "I'm going sit."

Seth didn't have a chance to question her any longer as she swiftly turned and started for the table.

Cataleya dropped into a chair between Kate and Jacob, looking over her shoulder to see Seth walking off into the crowd.

The group sat in silence, Cataleya casually sipping at her bottle as the family let their eyes wander around the wild setting.

"So this gang," Jacob began, gaining Cataleya's attention. "You said you were running from them. How'd you get out?"

The family all looked expectantly at Cataleya now, waiting for her response.

"By doing exactly that, Padre. Running." She took a deep breath, pulling her hair down with her uninjured arm and running her fingers through it. "The guy who got me in was also the one that got me out." She laughed at the irony. "We ran for a while, split, and here I am."

Kate reached her hand up, lightly gripping Cataleya's wrist. "You've kept your promise to us so far. It was God's plan."

Cataleya chuckled, studying the grain in the wooden table. "I don't know about God, Katey-Kakes, but something wanted me here."

The voice did.

And Cataleya hoped to whatever was up there that it was for good reason.

Her eyes snapped up at the sound of clinking glass. Seth set down five shots, sliding them to each occupant of the table.

Kate moved her hands to her lap as Seth sat down in the chair next to her.

"Not for me," Jacob slid his glass back towards Seth, much to the man's annoyance, "And not for them."

"Relax, Red Ryder," Seth slid the glasses back to the family, "these buckaroos earned their bonus. So did you, drink up."

Scott asked Jacob for permission as Cataleya downed hers, not having a problem with drinking right now. If anything, she earned a drunken stupor after all she endured.

"See? Cat's got the idea." Seth smiled, leaning over and refilling the girl's glass. "We're a band of brothers now. Crossed the desert, didn't even need Omar Sharif." Seth threw his glass back, swallowing the burning liquid.

"Didn't he kill a guy?" Cataleya asked, finishing off what remained of her bottle before downing yet another shot.

"Yep, love that scene." Seth refilled both his and Cataleya's glasses, smiling proudly as he did so.

Jacob glared at the man. "We're not your brothers. We're not your family," he growled, "we're your prisoners."

"Dad, don't," Kate's sweet voice cautioned.

Seth shook his head, grin still present as he fidgeted with the glass in his hand. "It's all right, little lady. You see, Papa Bears grumble. That's what Papa Bears do."

"Come on, Seth, don't be a dick," Cataleya advised, trying to hide the smirk that threatened to pull at her lips.

Seth noticed, mockingly winking at her as Jacob continued to berate him.

"You think you're on top of the world, don't you? But you're not. You're on the bottom. And you're scared–"

Seth pointed, immediately stopping Jacob from continuing. "And you think you're better than me." He tilted his head. "You too good to have a drink with a few common thieves, is that it?"

Jacob sent him daggers, staying silent as Seth ranted on.

"Now, like it or not, we are a family— a broken, messed-up sad excuse for a family."

Cataleya scoffed, and Seth let his eyes wander to her. "But goddamn it, we got to love each other, don't we?"

Seth turned his stare to Jacob, suddenly pulling Kate's chair closer to his. Both girls let out a small gasp, and Jacob's eyes widened before squinting in warning.

"So here goes, sis," Seth looked over at the young girl, "I left some bodies on the ground back in in Kansas. Now, no doubt they were good men and true, but they were in the wrong place at the wrong time and they stood between me and my freedom." Seth's eyes flicked to meet Cataleya's then. "Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

Cataleya looked down, away from his dark eyes to stare at the still full shot in her hand.

"Yes," Kate replied.

"Yes, what?"

Kate's voice held an annoyed edge, or whatever edge her small voice could muster as she answered. "I forgive you."

Seth slammed his hand onto the table, the movement causing some of the shot to slosh out onto Cataleya's hand. But she kept her stare directed at it, unmoving.

"How about you."

Cataleya could see Seth looking at her from the corner of her eye.

"What about me?"

"Confess."

Cataleya raised her head, an amused look on her face. "Yeah, right."

"No, seriously. You must have done something bad, right? And now that we know each other a little better..." Seth smirked, raising his eyebrow expectantly.

She shook her head, a small smile pulling at her lips as she looked back down to think. Cataleya had never killed anyone. She'd done bad things, but never that. Any wrongdoing she'd done while in the gang she'd already blamed herself for a thousand times. Drug dealing, the fights, it all seemed too repetitive to be confession worthy. She dug real deep, biting her lip in concentration as the others at the table looked to her curiously.

"When I was, maybe fifteen–"

"Haha! Here we go," Seth exclaimed, leaning forward onto the table to listen closely.

"–I'd been sorta seeing this older guy for a while. And my family was kind of religious, so we went to church often."

Cataleya quietly groaned, not wanting to finish considering the company present.

Seth mockingly placed his head in his hand, a goofy grin plastered on his face. "Continue."

"One day during mass he texted me to meet him, so I snuck out so we," Cataleya sighed, "so we could screw in the confessional."

Jacob's groan was drowned out by Seth's laughter.

"Whoo! Wow..." Seth leaned back in his chair. "Looks like Kitty Cat got her religion."

"Don't ever call me that," Cataleya groaned, drinking her last shot. She was starting to feel the alcohol fuzzy her mind and silently thanked it.

Seth eyed her before following suit, urging the family to drink theirs as well.

"Here's to the Book of Revelations."

Cataleya raised her empty glass along with the family's full ones, staring at it as she quoted.

" ' For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it? ' "

Seth slapped his glass down onto the table, noisily scooting his chair back and standing. He looked over at Cataleya, his jaw set.

"I sure as hell can."

° ° °

"He's been gone a long time. Let's just go," Kate urged her family.

The three and Cataleya had been sitting at the small table for quite some time, and oddly enough, she started to worry about the brothers.

"We could hitchhike," Kate continued as Scott gave her an unbelieving look, "or pay someone to take us to the border."

Cataleya shook her head. "That sounds like another bad situation waiting to happen."

"Yeah, I've put you in enough bad situations already," Jacob agreed.

"We can't just stay here!" Kate exclaimed at her father. "Cataleya? There's got to be some way you can help."

Cataleya opened her mouth to respond when Jacob interrupted. "I don't think we have a choice."

Kate scoffed, the younger girl growing more and more annoyed with her father. "How can you say that, Dad?"

"Because Seth was right," Scott spoke up for the first time in a while. "He thinks this is judgment."

Kate stared at her brother, letting his words sink in before addressing her father again. "Is that true, Dad?" Her voice cracked. "Is God judging us?"

Jacob sighed. "No," he shook his head slowly, his eyes not meeting his children's, "I'm the only one who fell from grace."

Cataleya looked between the teen's faces, Kate's holding more confusion than fear. But Cataleya could see she was scared. "Jacob, no disrespect, but I think you're scaring them," she offered softly.

"I'm not trying to frighten them," he assured. He reached out to grab ahold of his daughter's hand. "Listen to me, both of you, and you too, Cataleya. We have to have faith in us, that we can bear this tribulation together, and that we–"

"Who are you trying to convince?" Scott asked. "Us, or yourself."

"I'm gonna go find Richie." Kate pushed her chair back before abruptly standing.

Cataleya grabbed her hand. She didn't want the young girl walking around alone.

"Hey, I'll go." Cataleya sent a small smile to the girl as she stood. "I know my way around, it'll be faster."

Kate hesitated, but eventually she dropped Cataleya's hand and sat back down.

"I'll be right back. I promise."

"You've kept the other one so far," Scott added, "so I trust you."

Cataleya placed her hand on his shoulder, smiling in response before snaking her way through the oddly placed tables.

The bar was big, but it wasn't that big. She should've easily spotted him. She groaned, having searched the crowd for what felt like the fifth time. Cataleya paused her search, leaning against the bar and bumming for a cigarette.

"¡Ay Caramba! What do we have here?" An older man leaned his back against the bar, turning his head toward Cataleya. "I've been craving something a little... spicy."

And I've been craving peace and quiet but we can't all get what we want. Cataleya turned to face the man with a bored expression. "Can I help you?"

She blew smoke into his face and held in a laugh as she watched him struggle not to cough.

"I hope so. What's a caliente girl like you doing all alone?"

Cataleya sighed. "Dude, you're skirting a fine line between racism and cheap pick up lines. And I'm actually looking for someone, so goodbye."

"Now, wait just a minute." The man stuck his arm out in front of her, and it took everything she had not slam the bottle in his hand over his head. "What's your name?"

"Cataleya." She figured the quicker she got this over with, the quicker he would leave her alone.

"That's cute," the man grinned widely in a way she assumed he thought was attractive, "do people call you Cat for short?"

"Not twice," Cataleya sneered, her fists balled at her sides.

"Oh, Kitty's got claws. I like'em feisty."

"Listen, you asqueroso–"

"Sex Machine."

"What?"

"The name's Sex Machine," the man proudly stated, cocking the gun suggestively placed over his crotch.

Cataleya couldn't help the small snicker that slipped past her lips as she tilted her head, squinting down at the gun. "Hmm," she mused, "I guess size really does matter." She sent a sarcastic smile his way before pushing his arm away and leaving him behind.

She noticed a small tent-like area tucked away in the corner of the bar and made her way toward it. She pulled back the curtain, finding Richie sitting under a dancing girl.

Cataleya leaned against the entrance and watched in amusement, taking a drag and blowing the smoke in their direction.

Richie caught her eye, and her smirk, before he started to shove the girl off of him. "That's enough, you can go."

The woman sent him an annoyed look before sauntering away. She slowed as she neared Cataleya, lightly trailing her fingers along the side of her neck as she walked out. "If you still want that dance..."

Cataleya breathed out through her nose and looked to the ground, shaking her head.

"Smoking kills, you know," Richie quipped, leaning back onto the couch he sat on. He pat the small area beside him, motioning for Cataleya to sit.

"Oh yeah?" She started towards him. "Well, so do you."

He plucked the cigarette from her fingers as she sat, chuckling at her response.

She watched as he inhaled and slowly exhaled, a minuscule cloud of smoke seemingly floating on his lips before disappearing. He looked down at her then, returning the cigarette between her lips.

She pulled it out before speaking. "So, having fun in paradise?"

Richie angled himself toward her, letting his arm rest on the back of the couch behind her. He shrugged. "Maybe. What about you? Are you having fun?"

She handed the cigarette back to him. Cataleya caught herself enjoying the way he looked just then, laid back and relaxed. This Richie was a stark change from the pristinely dressed, serious man she'd first met at the liquor store. It suited him.

"Cata?"

She realized she'd been staring, and she also realized he must've noticed based on the smirk that seemed plastered to his face. She felt the warm blush on her cheeks again and looked away.

"If that's what you call getting hit on by creeps with cock guns and wanting to get black out drunk, then yeah. I'm having tons."

He laughed, tapping the cigarette and watching the ashes fall. "I don't know about the first part, but that second part is exactly what I'd call fun."

They fell into another comfortable silence, passing the cigarette back and forth until it was pretty much gone. Cataleya stomped it under her combat boot, sighing as she leaned back onto the couch.

She stiffened when she first felt his fingers lightly toy with her hair. Cataleya soon relaxed, the minor repetitive movement almost calming.

Richie exhaled. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah."

He turned to her, his brow slightly knitted together in a serious look. "Do I look like a cholo?"

Cataleya felt the laughter burst from her before she could stop it, the man beside her growing more and more confused. "I'm sorry, what?"

"That dancer, she kept calling me cholo. Even after I told her I wasn't."

"Richie," Cataleya breathed, letting the remaining laughter calm before finishing, "she wasn't calling you a cholo. She was probably saying chulo."

His brow furrowed deeper.

"It's a compliment. She was saying you were cute."

"Oh," Richie nodded, "that makes more sense than ' Mexican gangster. ' "

"I would hope so," Cataleya lightly chuckled.

Richie looked at her then, a small smirk playing on his lips. "So..."

She raised an eyebrow, not liking the mischievous glint his eyes held.

"Do you think I'm... chulo?"

She shoved his arm playfully, shaking her head. What an idiot.

"I'll take that as a yes." He looked down at her, watching her smile as she lightly punched his arm.

Richie liked when she smiled. He almost couldn't look at her when she did, like the way one couldn't completely look at the sun. Physically she reminded him of the woman the voice belonged to, and maybe that was what originally drew him in, their similarities. But there was something about Cataleya that surpassed even the beautiful woman in his mind. Cataleya was cosmic. He could feel it.

"Whatever..." Cataleya grew conscious of the way Richie's gaze lingered on her, the small smile on his lips not helping her to look away. She decided to break his attention from her by quickly changing the subject. "Do you want your jacket back?"

"Hm?" Richie hummed in question.

"I really don't think this giant bloodstain is gonna raise any alarms with this group." Cataleya pulled the side of the blazer away from her to look down at the dark red trail running down the side of her white shirt.

"It's fine," Richie shook his head, pulling the side of the jacket from her hands and back over the stain. He couldn't look at it any longer without thinking about how it was partly his fault it was there. "Looks better on you anyways. Plus," he smirked, "gives those creeps less of you to look at."

Cataleya softly scoffed. "Oh, really? And what if I want people to look?"

"Maybe just one person," he tested, brushing a piece of hair behind her ear.

Cataleya felt her heart stutter at the movement and tried her hardest to ignore how he seemed to be slowly getting closer. "You're right. There is one person."

Richie raised his eyebrows as he placed a hand on the side of her face. "Yeah? Who?"

She almost choked on her words as he ran his thumb across her cheek. "Seth."

"What?" Richie's thumb stopped, and he leaned back away from her.

"Oh yeah," Cataleya exaggerated, "I've totally got the hots for your brother."

Richie rolled his eyes when he realized she wasn't serious, returning to pulling her towards him.

Cataleya couldn't deny what was happening now.

"Richie..."

She knew what he was doing, and her breath caught in her throat as his hand traveled to the back of her neck. She should've stopped him, she thought. This was wrong. He was a killer, her kidnapper, a–

All of her thoughts immediately halted as his lips met her own. She could taste the alcohol on his lips, his mouth moving hungrily over hers. She needed so badly to pull away, but she soon realized that she didn't want to.

Her boldness got ahead of her as she swiped her tongue along his lip, insistent. He had no hesitance in letting her in, his hand on her neck pulling her closer to him.

Cataleya couldn't find words to describe it, the way their mouths seemed to meld together. Fireworks seemed mundane in comparison to the way he felt against her skin. Richie pulled her closer still, Cataleya almost in his lap as she tugged on the hair at the back of his neck.

And that's when she saw her. The woman. The voice.

Was this a vision? Like the ones Richie had talked about? She'd never had one before, but now, as Richie's hands held her face between them, she could see it clear as day.

The woman held her hand out to Cataleya, but right when Cataleya placed her own in the woman's, it ignited in flames.

Cataleya gasped, her eyes opening as she quickly pulled away from him. They stared at each other for a few seconds as Richie reached up to fix his glasses, speechless.

What the hell?

She ran her fingers through her hair, looking away from Richie and unfortunately meeting the eyes of another Gecko.

The look on his face was one of hurt, she noticed, but it quickly glazed over. And now, he looked furious.

Richie tried gaining back her attention as she looked at Seth, realization washing over her.

"Cata?"

Cataleya wasn't sure what to say to either of them. She just glanced between the two brothers before standing and shoving past Seth to walk out.

"Cata." Richie called after her as he stood from the couch.

Seth sent him a glare before walking after Cataleya, accidentally grabbing her hurt arm in his rush to reach her.

She hissed in pain, turning around to snap at him. "What do you want?"

She didn't know why she snapped at him. Maybe it was because she was angry at herself. She shouldn't have kissed Richie, no matter how good it felt. Cataleya couldn't seem to shake the sight of Seth's hurt expression out of her head and she cursed herself for even caring.

In some twisted way she cared for the brothers. She realized this now, and she couldn't wait to get away and force herself to forget all about them.

"What's going on between you and my brother?" Seth insisted, his eyes so dark they were almost black.

Cataleya shrugged in annoyance. "Nothing." She turned away from him, marching to find the family again. "Why do you even care?"

"Because–" Seth stopped walking, letting Cataleya get lost in the crowd as he stood there, rooted in that one spot.

He didn't know why he cared. Seth had only just met Cataleya, but there was something about her that seemed to grow on him the longer he was around her. She was so enigmatic, and it made him want to know everything about her.

No, he didn't know why he cared.

But he did. A lot.

°°°

author's note;

Since there's only 5 more chapters until part two I've decided that some weeks I may double update. Friday will still be the official update day, but I'll occasionally drop a new chapter randomly before then if I'm feeling up to it.

They're finally in the Twister, and next chapter is when shít starts really going down. 👀👀👀 Also, Richie and Cataleya... What do y'all think? 🤔 Meant to be or just coincidental? I guess we'll see...

Chapter 8 coming Friday, and it's a long one. So is this one but I think it's like over 5000 words lmao. Speaking of, I hope y'all don't mind the hella long 30+ page chapters because it's hard for me to get everything into shorter ones.

Until next time. Thank y'all for checking it out and don't forget to vote if you liked it! 🖤

;tabitha