Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84181 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84181 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
“She took someone important from me—from us. He was important to many of us around this table. He left an impact, especially on me. Yes, he frustrated me constantly. Yes, he tested my boundaries—my limits…but that is what I loved about my cousin. I loved that he pushed me—drove me to do the things I needed to do. I loved that he tested me, because in this world, there is never a moment where I will not be tested. Whether he knew it or not, he was keeping me on my toes. He was keeping my power at its highest. He was doing all that he could, not only for himself, but for me to stay afloat as well.” He drops his head, some of his raven hair tumbling onto his forehead.
“We will find Hernandez and trust me, I will make her pay. But if you’re sitting at this table, it means I trust you in some way. And I am telling you now to accept who I am and how I do things, because it will only get worse from here. Things will only get dirtier until I win. I am not a man who begs, but right now, I am asking that you keep fighting with me. Keep going. We will get her. That is my word.”
Silence consumes each and every one of us. I don’t know how his words, even though they’re still brutal and gritty, are so powerful. I don’t know how he expects us to react after hearing that.
But, I do what I can. Say, what I can.
“I will always fight with you,” I whisper, grabbing his hand on top of the table and squeezing it. “Always, Jefe.”
“Sí, Jefe,” Patanza adds. “Siempre.”
“Always, hijo,” Mrs. Molina adds softly.
Clark clears his throat, holding his half-empty glass in the air. “As long as I come out of this on top too, I will be by your side, Jefe.”
“Good,” Draco murmurs. He squeezes my hand in return, sighing. “Finish your breakfast and then go pack lightly. I have a few calls to make, but as soon as I’m done, we will be on our way to Acapulco.”
“Acapulco?” Clark asks as Draco pushes back in his chair and stands.
“A lead was found by one of my tech men when I sent her the numbers and locations from Henry’s phone. Her voice was caught on a satellite phone. Location says she’s stationed somewhere in Acapulco.”
With those words, no one is finishing breakfast. We all push out of our chairs, ready to start packing—ready for this to be over with already.
“I’ll help you pack,” Patanza murmurs to me.
Draco, Clark, and Emilio are already out of the dining room. Mrs. Molina remains in her chair, and I look back at her. She speaks before I can get away.
“Emilio told me what he did for you two nights ago,” she says, her voice low.
I stop at the opening that leads to the hallway, turning to face her. My chin falls, words trying to escape, but I don’t say anything.
“When?” she asks.
“When what?” I murmur.
“You know what I’m asking.”
I press my lips, giving her the only answer I can. “Soon.”
She sighs, pushing back in her seat, stacking the plates beside her. “I am too old to hold onto grudges, Gia. I’ve gone through my fair share of mistakes. You didn’t trust him then, but you trust him now, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I answer.
“Good. Because he needs you right now. And that’s something he’ll never admit out loud.” She looks me over, her eyes tense, focused. “Protect him and yourself. I want to see you both when it’s all over.”
I give her a light nod and nothing more.
“Come on, let’s get your stuff packed,” Patanza says over my shoulder. She takes off, her boots crunching on the tile as she drifts down the hallway and toward the bedroom. Before I can get around the corner, Mrs. Molina calls my name again.
“Yes?” I answer when she steps closer.
“Make sure you don’t let him down again,” she says. “Or it will be my wrath you have to face the next time. Not his.”
She says it, and I know she means it. Her face is stale, but still soft somehow. Her eyes edgy, bordering on dangerous.
She may seem like a sweet, innocent woman, but I’m more than positive Mrs. Molina has gotten her hands dirty in the past.
Being with men like Draco, it changes you. You’re forced to defend yourself. Your hands are dirtied up the instant you take interest in a Molina, but as soon as you fall for one, it takes no time at all for the same hands to be smeared with someone else’s blood.
35
GIANNA
I thought we’d never fucking land.
When the wheels of the jet finally come to a stop, we all gear up, leaving the jet’s cabin, the soles of our shoes clinging to the black asphalt as a wave of sticky heat wraps around us, a taste of salt in the air, stinging my dry lips.