by Julia Sykes
“Who are you?” I didn’t understand why this stranger would care about my wellbeing or how she knew about the terms of my captivity.
“I’m Carmen Ronaldo. I’m going to be your sister-in-law.” She reached out and covered my hand with hers, giving me a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll keep you safe, Sofia. We’re family now.”
“No, wait.” I pushed up onto my elbows, wincing when the world tilted. “You think you’re helping me, but you’re not. I don’t know what my father has told you, but I want to be with Mateo. I don’t want to marry Pedro Ronaldo. Daddy arranged the marriage without my consent. I didn’t even know about it until Mateo told me.”
“What?” Carmen demanded, her gentle demeanor honing to something sharp and forbidding.
Regaining some of my balance, I managed to sit upright and assess my surroundings. I was in an opulent, unfamiliar bedroom. Varied shades of blue contrasted elegantly with ivory, creating a sumptuous atmosphere. Two huge bay windows broke up the damask-patterned wallpaper, but the light that filled the room was cast by the crystal chandelier; it was dark outside, a crescent moon shining bright against the black night sky.
“Where am I?” Panic constricted my throat. I had an awful suspicion where I was, and what that would mean if Mateo tried to come get me. Things would get violent if I didn’t talk my way out of this.
“This is our estate,” Carmen replied briskly, her attention still fixed on my declaration that I didn’t want to marry her brother. “We’re close to the port of Lazaro Cardenas, which our family controls. Otherwise, we’re isolated out here. The compound is completely secure.”
My stomach grew heavy with dread as my worst suspicions were confirmed.
“You have to let me leave,” I implored. “Mateo won’t let you keep me here. He’ll come for me, and a lot of people will die.”
If Mateo was willing to conspire to kill Pedro to prevent me from marrying him, I shuddered to think what he might do to anyone who stood between us now.
“You’re scared of him,” Carmen surmised, her tense posture easing. “Don’t worry. This place is a fortress. No one can hurt you here.”
“I’m scared for you,” I corrected her. “I’m not sure what my father has told you, but he refuses to accept that I don’t want to marry Pedro. I never agreed to the marriage, and I never will. I love Mateo.”
Carmen crossed her arms over her chest, her features pinched with uncertainty. After a few seconds of consideration, she shook her head, dismissing my assertions.
“You’re young, and you’ve been in a distressing situation with Ignazio. Your perceptions are clouded by what he wants you to see, and whatever he told you was no more than a means to control you. I guarantee it.
“Love is a lie that men use to trap you and destroy you. I understand that you’ve been sheltered from the truth about our business dealings, so the concept of an arranged marriage might seem odd to you. But I promise that our family will provide for you and protect you. That’s what matters. Love isn’t real. Safety and stability are.”
“You have to listen to me,” I begged. “This will not end well for you if you don’t send me back to Mateo right now. Please, I—”
The bedroom door opened, and Daddy cut through my desperate plea. “Princesa.” He beamed, as though thrilled to see me after a long vacation. He walked toward me with open arms, seeking my embrace.
I scrambled back, getting to my feet and using the four-poster bed as a defensive barrier between us.
His jaw went slack, his bright green eyes clouding with hurt.
“What have you done, Daddy?” I demanded, a rush of rage clearing the last of the cobwebs from my mind.
“I coordinated your rescue, of course,” he said, baffled by my reaction. “After Ignazio got violent with me at the wedding and dragged you away, I knew I had to save you from him. I’ve been working to arrange your extraction ever since. Adrián will be furious, but I couldn’t leave my little girl with that animal. My good friend Pedro has agreed to help me push Adrián out of power. You’ll be safe here from now on.”
“Mateo didn’t drag me away,” I shot back, unable to wrap my mind around Daddy’s delusion. “I asked him to take me home. He only pushed you out of the way because you’d cornered me and wouldn’t listen to me when I told you I don’t want to marry Pedro.” I turned my attention on Carmen, reinforcing my assertion. “I don’t want to marry your brother.”
Daddy fixed me with his deepest, most disapproving frown. “You’re acting very foolish, Sofia. It’s past time I separated you from Ignazio. He’s dangerous.”
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to my bride?” a new voice drawled.
A strange man stepped across the threshold, his cold gray eyes fixed on me. He was short in stature—maybe an inch taller than me—but he was broad, his bulk evident beneath his tailored slacks and blue dress shirt. His lips pressed together, all but disappearing beneath his thick, black mustache.
“Sofia, this is Pedro,” Daddy said firmly. “The wedding is tomorrow. It’s all been set up for your arrival.”
“My arrival?” I choked. “More like abduction. I don’t consent to any of this.” I met Pedro Ronaldo squarely in the eye. If Daddy wouldn’t listen, maybe this stranger would. “I don’t want to marry you. I love Mateo.”
“No, you don’t!” Daddy barked, his face going red with rage.
My fists curled at my sides, my own fury riding me hard. “Denying it doesn’t make it any less true,” I hissed. “I love Mateo, and I won’t marry anyone else. You can’t make me.”
Pedro scowled at Daddy. “You didn’t tell me she was infatuated with Ignazio. You said he was holding her hostage.”
“He was,” Daddy insisted. “Sofia is just confused. She’s an impressionable young girl, and she thinks the best of everyone.”
“Not anymore,” I seethed. “I definitely don’t think highly of you, Daddy.”
“You also told me she was respectful and meek,” Pedro accused, his mounting anger fixed on my father, discussing my character traits as though I wasn’t even in the room with them.
“She can speak for herself,” I insisted. “Let me leave and get back to Mateo before he does something drastic. He’s not going to allow you to keep me here.”
Pedro sneered. “If Ignazio is foolish enough to try to attack me in my own home, he’ll find that it’s well-defended. He’ll be dead before he can get anywhere near me. If he possesses more than two brain cells, he’ll focus on protecting Adrián instead of coming here to die.”
His icy eyes narrowed, pinning me in place. “This alliance between your father and me is a done deal. We’re going to war. Caesar will take America from Adrián, while I eliminate Stefano Duarte here in Mexico. You will be an obedient wife and play your part without complaint. I didn’t get to where I am today by tolerating insubordination.”
My stomach turned, and I took a step back. Pedro didn’t care if I consented to this marriage any more than Daddy did. My gut knew what he meant by playing my part, even if my brain didn’t want to fully acknowledge the threat of rape.
“Pedro, we should talk about this,” Carmen insisted, the flash of fear in her eyes belying her assertive posture. “Caesar lied to us about Sofia’s willingness to marry you. What else isn’t he telling us? We can’t go to war without considering the risks.”
“I’ve told you everything,” Daddy countered, but he appeared shaken, too. He placed his hand on Pedro’s shoulder, a friendly, reassuring gesture. “I didn’t understand how badly Ignazio had warped my little girl. We should postpone the wedding until she’s had a chance to calm down. She’s not thinking straight.”
“There’s no point postponing it, because I will never agree to it.” My declaration wavered with fear, but I had to stand my ground on this. Daddy seemed to realize that Pedro did not have my best interests at heart. My father might have betrayed me, but in his mind, he was doing all this for my own good. If I could get him on my side, he would
protect me.
I lifted my chin and met Pedro’s fierce scowl head-on. “I will never marry you. I love Mateo.”
His icy blue glare turned on Daddy. “Maybe Carmen is right. What else have you been lying about, Caesar? Is my bride even a virgin?”
“Ignazio promised—”
“I’m not,” I cut Daddy off. “Mateo makes love to me because I ask him to. Not because he bargained for the right to my body in some sick power negotiations. I will never give myself to any man who claims me in an illicit deal without my consent.”
Pedro’s frigid stare made my blood freeze in my veins. “I don’t care about your consent. This marriage is happening. The wedding goes forward tomorrow as planned. Anything else would cause public embarrassment at this point. I’m not going to be a laughingstock because a silly woman has notions about romance. That’s not how the world works. Your Daddy might have indulged you in the past, but I won’t be humiliated just to spare your feelings.”
“Now wait, Pedro,” Daddy cajoled. He wiped sweat from his brow. “I won’t let you talk to my little girl that way. You promised me she would be provided for and treated well.”
“And you promised me a virgin,” he shot back. “The terms have changed. You’d better pray this doesn’t get out. If a rumor goes around that Ignazio deflowered my bride, I will find a way to vent my displeasure.”
“I don’t agree to these new terms.” Daddy swelled with fury, his protective instincts finally rising to defend me. “Our deal is off. I won’t allow my daughter to marry a man like you.”
Pedro moved faster than I could comprehend, and I caught a flash of silver just before Daddy bellowed in pain. Pedro got in his face, their chests nearly touching as my would-be fiancé snarled at my father.
Pedro stepped back abruptly, and Daddy dropped to the hardwood floor with an agonized yell. The blade at Pedro’s side dripped crimson, and a matching shade bloomed on Daddy’s white shirt.
I rushed to him, my scream echoing through the room. I dropped to my knees beside him, but my hands fluttered uselessly around his bleeding body.
“He’ll live,” Pedro announced, wiping the bloody blade on his slacks and returning it to the holster at his back. “If you agree to marry me without putting up a fuss. That way, I won’t have to hurt you to make you cooperate, and Caesar can heal up to carry through his end of the bargain. I won’t be made to look like a fool because of a woman’s willfulness. You exist to serve my needs. Tell me you will cooperate, and I’ll call for medical attention for your father. We can still salvage this deal.”
Daddy struggled to push himself up, only to drop back to the floor with an agonized cry. He reached for me blindly, gripping my hand in his. “I’m sorry, princesa,” he rasped, his eyes shining with anguish.
“Daddy,” I whispered brokenly, my heart shredding in my chest. Everything was happening too fast, and my brain was paralyzed by the horror of the events unfolding around me.
“This isn’t what we talked about, Pedro,” Carmen interjected, her voice edged with anxiety. “And it’s not a sensible strategy. If Ignazio feels the same about her as she does about him, he will fight for her. You’ve seen what he’s capable of. Do you want to invite that threat into our lives?”
I tore my eyes from the blood pooling beneath my father’s body, so I could focus on my only ally in the room. Carmen was trying to reason with Pedro. Maybe she could help Daddy and me.
“If Ignazio tries to come for her, I’ll put him down,” Pedro declared. “And if he’s not alive to guard Adrián Rodríguez, it’ll be that much easier to take control of America.”
He fixed her with a contemptuous glare. “I know your angle, and it won’t work, Carmen. You have a soft spot for this girl, but I won’t be manipulated. You stand beside me, or I’ll find another way to make you useful.”
Carmen’s bronze cheeks paled, but she advanced on her brother, positioning her body as a shield between us. “I’m not going to allow you to force yourself on Sofia.”
Pedro lashed out, swift and vicious. The sickening impact of his hand against her cheek cracked through the room, hitting her with enough force that she dropped, her body sprawled out next to my father’s.
He towered over her, spittle flying from his lips as he vibrated with rage. “Miguel Armendariz would be a much more loyal dog if I gave you to him as a treat. He’s been begging me to give you back to him for years. Is that what you want?”
Carmen gagged, and I wasn’t certain if it was from the sickening injury he’d inflicted or from the stark terror invoked by his threat.
His attention riveted on me, his gray eyes glinting with malice. “Do you want to save your Daddy’s life? Promise me you won’t give me any trouble, and I’ll get him the medical attention he needs to survive.”
I nodded vigorously, the world blurring with my tears. No matter how Daddy had betrayed me, I couldn’t let him die.
“I promise.”
“Pedro…” Carmen groaned, struggling to get to her feet.
He shoved her away, sending her crashing back down.
“Call the doctor to see to Caesar,” he commanded her coldly. “I need him well enough to walk her down the aisle tomorrow. Don’t let him lose too much blood.”
His fist caught in my curls, and he dragged me to my feet. I shrieked as I was pulled free from Daddy’s weak grip on my hand.
Pedro jerked my head back, forcing me to stare up into his merciless, storm cloud eyes. “We’re going to get to know each other better, my pretty bride,” he threatened softly. “There’s no point waiting for our wedding night, since Ignazio sent me damaged goods. You’re going to prove to me that you can be my obedient wife.”
Bile rose in the back of my throat, and I trembled in his cruel grip. “Please, I—”
He silenced me with a slap across my cheek, the shock of sound registering before the stinging pain.
“No more talking,” he hissed. “I have other uses for your mouth.”
He yanked on my curls, coercing me to follow where he led. My world blurred with horrified tears, and I heard Daddy wheezing my name as my future husband dragged me off to teach me my new wifely duties.
Chapter 24
Mateo
“Less growling, more breathing,” Adrián ordered coldly. “You need to get your shit together, Mateo. We’re almost there.”
I hadn’t breathed properly for hours. Even since I’d realized Sofia had been taken from the venue where she was supposed to perform for the first time, I’d been suffocating. My impotent rage was all but debilitating, consuming me without an outlet. I was only functioning now because I’d been able to unleash my fury with a clear purpose back at Caesar’s house.
That was where I’d gone to look for her first. I’d left a gory mess behind, slaughtering everyone who’d dared to guard the place. I finally extracted a confession from one of the dying men: Caesar had taken Sofia to Pedro Ronaldo’s estate in Mexico.
Caesar’s fancy mansion would be little more than a smoldering ruin by now. I’d torched the place where he’d tormented Sofia as a child. She would never go back there, and neither would he. Luckily for her mother, she was away on vacation. Otherwise, I might not have spared the bitch.
“Sofia won’t be harmed,” Adrián tried to reason with me for the dozenth time, his ice-cold clarity the only thing tying me to sanity. “If Caesar is with her, he’ll make sure she’s safe. Ronaldo has nothing to gain by hurting her. We will hit the perimeter hard and fast. No firepower on the house until we’re inside and have eyes on the ground. Duarte’s men will attack the southern defenses. Ronaldo doesn’t have the manpower to stop all of us.”
This full-scale assault was exactly what Adrián had tried to avoid by making our truce with Caesar regarding Sofia’s virginity. The attack would be costly and bloody, but the relationship with Caesar was completely unsalvageable now that he’d brazenly stolen Sofia from me.
“She’s not a virgin,” I admitted to Adrián on a rasp, my
fear for her eating me up inside. “What if Ronaldo finds out before I get to her?”
Adrián bit out a curse. “You’d better hope he doesn’t.”
We both knew the ugly truth: Sofia had far less value to him as a sullied bride. He might be keeping her comfortable right now if he still planned to marry her, but if he thought she didn’t have to remain pure for their wedding night…
“Breathe,” Adrián snapped. “Snarling like a feral animal isn’t going to get Sofia out of this safely. You have to use your head, Mateo. Focus. We rendezvous with Duarte in thirty seconds, and then everyone gets into position. I need you lucid right now. I didn’t come down to Mexico with you because I intend to die tonight.”
Our slow progress made me want to tear this truck apart from the inside. Adrián’s private jet had gotten us to a nearby airstrip, but we had to take a quieter approach down the winding dirt roads to reach Ronaldo’s remote estate. I would have much preferred to drop straight onto his property with a chopper, but Adrián had called out my plan as idiotic the moment I voiced it.
He was right, of course. Sofia could get hit accidentally if I incited a firefight right on top of her.
Adrián was a better strategist that me on my best day, and with Sofia in danger, I was barely clinging to my humanity.
The truck came to a stop, and Adrián hopped out. I did the same, joining him in the thick darkness of the forest that surrounded our convoy.
Stefano Duarte’s perfect grin flashed in the truck’s headlights. His black eyes flickered over my face and down my body.
“You look positively terrifying, Mateo,” he approved, as though he was paying me a high compliment. “The blood of your enemies is a good look on you.”
I flexed my fists, feeling the dried blood cracking around my knuckles. The strange tightness on my skin told me that my forearms and face were covered in gore, too.
Things had gotten messy back at Caesar’s house.