Total pages in book: 180
Estimated words: 170747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 683(@250wpm)___ 569(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 170747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 683(@250wpm)___ 569(@300wpm)
I cup her cheek, sliding my fingers through her hair. “Avecita, she can break your heart. And I’ll be right here to put it back together.”
Her forehead falls to my chest and I hold her there. “If I give it to you, will you keep it safe for me?” she whispers.
“Always.”
She lifts her face again until her lips are only a whisper away from mine. “You’re the only person in this world I trust. You’re all I have now."
“I’m sure your sister has her reasons. Don’t write her off.”
Her gaze hardens, her expression becoming closed off. “I already have.”
“I don’t say this to defend her. I say this because I see how much it hurts you.”
“My sister is gone, Rafael. Maybe she sold her soul to the devil to survive.”
“Can you blame her?”
“No. I did the same.” She pulls away from me, pressing herself against the door. That impenetrable bubble falls around her again, leaving me on the outside, an observer looking in. I don’t think I can fix this. I was so scared that the Russians would break her, steal her from me, but it seems the real threat was a lot closer to home. Her own sister.
“Give it time, avecita.” I don’t know what else to say to her. Nothing will make it any better.
The sun beats down on my back as I step up to the front of the bar. Two of Ricardo’s armed men open the double doors in front of us, and I squeeze Anna’s hand as I move inside. Carlos is on her other side, and I’m grateful for his presence. Having her with me like this, only highlights how weak I am for her, but what else am I supposed to do? The thought of leaving her, of having her away from me…I’d kill Ricardo and all his men just to be done with it and get back to her. As it is, I’ve put this meeting off for a month because I couldn’t leave her.
Ricardo is leaned over a pool table—cue in hand as he takes a shot. Heavy smoke that hangs in the air in thick swirls. Ricardo pockets a ball and straightens, his gaze swinging to me.
“Ah, Rafael.” His shoulders are rigid, his posture tense.
“Ricardo.” I force myself to paint the picture of casual calm, pulling out a chair for Anna at the bar before taking a seat next to her. The barman places a bottle of beer in front of me, and I take it, tipping the cold glass back against my lips.
“It seems we have a problem,” Ricardo leans against the bar next to me.
“Problem? No.”
“You are reneging on your deal, are you not?”
I turn on the stool to face him fully. “The message relayed was that there would be a delay on you using my port, was it not?”
His jaw ticks. “You made a deal with the Russians.”
“Tsk, tsk. Where did you hear that?”
“You would deal with the Russians?” He spits on the floor, anger permeating every inch of his body. “For a girl.” He shakes his head. “You are on the cusp of war with the Sinaloa and now this?”
My temper rattles against the tight restraints I’ve placed on it. “I’d be careful listening to Dominges. After all, he is in bed with the Russians.” There’s a beat, a moment of hesitation in his eyes, and I see it. “My fight is with him and him alone.”
“Have you made a deal with them?”
“Of sorts.” I take a cigar from my pocket and light it.
“Well then, it seems you are the one not to be trusted.”
My fists tighten, and he catches the movement. Anna’s small hand lands on my back. “It’s my fault,” she says. I close my eyes for a second, gritting my teeth. What the fuck is she doing? “Rafael is handling it. Just give him a little time.”
He glares at her and I want to rip his eyes from his head before he shifts his attention back to me. “How much time?”
“I don’t know. Soon, and then our deal will resume, and I’ll drop my cut.”
He swipes a glass of liquor from the bar as soon as it’s placed in front of him. “This is bad business, Rafael.” Don’t I know it.
“Who would you rather get in bed with, me or Dominges?”
“He hasn’t let me down.” He downs the drink. “I don’t appreciate these kinds of setbacks.”
“I tell you what, you keep supplying him until such time as I can let you use the docks again.”
He blows out a long breath. “If you allow the Russians into Mexico, you’re going to have much bigger problems than just me or Dominges. You risk provoking every cartel in the country.”
“It won’t come to that.” The problem is, I can’t possibly know that because I have no plan whatsoever at this point. I just know that I cannot allow Nicholai Ivanov to use that port because half the drug lords in Mexico will be gunning for me. Russians are like the anti-Christ around here. I won’t put Anna in that kind of danger. I won’t risk my cartel, my family.