Drawn Blue Lines: A Carrera Cartel Novel

by Kenborn, Cora

  Behind me, Ignacio groaned. “I know what I feel, and it’s bored. Deshazte de él,” he commanded, and a new guard grabbed Brody from behind. Get rid of him.

  The guard gave a slight nod in acknowledgment and shoved a gun against the back of Brody’s head, but he fought back, a dead resolve in his eyes that set everything in motion and tore one word from my throat.

  “No!” Ignacio was at the end of his rope, and I knew neither of us had much time. So, fighting against the haze, I jerked against him, the blade digging deeper into my skin. “Don’t hurt him! Do whatever you want to me but let him go!”

  Ignacio’s arms tightened around me, dragging me up from the chair to a standing position. “Are you still trying to win? I can appreciate that kind of fortitude, and if I were a patient man, I’d watch you kill yourself slowly, but you’ve proven to be somewhat of a pain in my ass.”

  Thick fingers grabbed my cheek, squeezing until I tasted blood. The harder he squeezed, the more Brody fought. Lights dimmed, and blackness swarmed in from the edges of my peripheral vision. More soundless words fell from my restrained mouth until the crack of a gunshot gave them sound.

  A scream of loss and heartbreak tore out of me as I closed my eyes and prayed for the knife to sink hard and fast.

  “Let her go and face me like a man.”

  My eyes flew open to find Brody standing in front of me, gun in his hand and the slumped body of the guard on the floor behind him. I didn’t know what to feel first—relief or fear. I wanted to tell him to save me. I wanted to tell him I loved him. I wanted to tell him I’d never leave him.

  Instead, the words that fell out of my mouth told him goodbye. “Brody, go find Santi, please. Find him and take him back to Val and Eden.”

  “No! I’m not leaving you here!”

  “You made me love you, and now I’m lost.” I choked out. That’s what me hiciste amarte, y ahora estoy perdida means. That’s what I said after I told you I loved you. But I was wrong, Brody. I didn’t lose my way when I fell for you. I found it.”

  I’d been strong this whole time, but time wasn’t a luxury I had anymore. Desperation overtook me, and although I hated myself for it, I used Brody’s own words against him. “No one was there to save me when he tore me out of my mother’s arms. I’ll never forgive you if you let Santi suffer the same fate. You promised me. You told me you wouldn’t make me regret kissing you, and I believed you. I told Val you’d never hurt me. Please don’t make me a liar.”

  The pain in his face destroyed me. “Who’s going to save you?”

  All those nights we confessed our truths, it was the one he never heard.

  “I told you. No one can save me.”

  Stepping forward as much as the blade allowed, I kicked backward, landing a hard heel between Ignacio’s legs. He let out a grunt, and the pressure against my neck lessened just enough that I managed to land an elbow into his ribcage and grab onto his wrist with both hands. I spun around, both of us fighting for the knife.

  “Time to die, pinche puta!” He shoved downward with a hard twist of his wrist.

  “You first, asshole!” Chaos ensued as a second shot rang out, and pain slashed through my body, shredding every fiber into frayed threads. Ignacio’s eyes widened just before he collapsed in a lifeless heap onto the concrete.

  I felt like I’d slipped underwater. Everything sounded muffled and waves rippled across my vision. Arms circled around me, holding me tight as hands pressed tightly against my middle. My mouth tasted bitter, and all I wanted to do was close my eyes and sleep.

  “Adriana! Oh, God, no!”

  A child’s cry floated somewhere above the surface, and my lips parted in a weak smile. “I broke the cycle.”

  Then everything went dark, and I sank to the bottom of the sea.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Brody

  Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

  The tiny waiting room got smaller by the minute. There wasn’t enough room to pace, and if someone didn’t give me an update soon, I’d tear this place apart with my bare hands. Every time I passed Leighton, she pursed her lips which I returned with a glare.

  I was stalking around a hospital in blood-soaked clothes, but no matter how many disapproving looks I got, I refused to change. This was her blood. The only part of her I had with me right now, and I’d be damned if I’d let it go.

  I glanced at the clock and ran my hand through my hair. We’d been here over three hours. Three hours since I fired the bullet that severed Ignacio Vergara’s jugular. Three hours since I realized I was a second too late. Three hours since Val walked in with Santi in his arms to find Adriana in mine. Three hours since she slipped away from me.

  Three hours since everyone filtered into this piece of shit waiting room to hear if Adriana was alive or dead. I shifted a glance to the corner where a man sat by himself, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

  Val’s hand landed on my shoulder. “It’s a hard pill to swallow, isn’t it?”

  “What is?”

  He lifted a paper cup filled with coffee toward the man in the corner. “Your pride. Cristiano was with Adriana before you met her. They have a history. You want to hate him for it, but he just risked his life to save hers, knowing her heart belongs to another man.” Tipping the cup, he took a sip, giving me a side-eyed glance. “Sound familiar?”

  I sighed. “Does the jealousy ever go away?”

  “No. We’re men, we’re hardwired to protect what’s ours when we think it’s being threatened. But with time, you learn to trust in what you have and the person you’re with. In the end, you just have to remember that, yes, there was someone before you, but despite the stupid shit he pulled to get her back, and regardless of how bad you fucked up, she chose you.”

  I gave him a quick glance. “Are we still talking about me?

  Val didn’t answer. He just smiled and clapped me on the back. “Sometimes your worst enemies become your strongest allies, Harcourt. You helped me find my son. That’s twice you’ve saved the people I love most in this world. Anything you want is yours.”

  I exhaled, the ache in my chest deepening. “I want a miracle.”

  His fingers tightened on my shoulder. “Never count a Carrera out. When we want something, we fight for it.”

  He walked away before I could say anything else, but it was just as well. My attention was already redirected. Letting out another breath, I walked across the room to make my worst enemy my strongest ally.

  Cristiano glanced up, his gaze suspicious as I sat down next to him. “I’m sorry about your father.”

  He didn’t answer.

  “Look, believe it or not, I know what it’s like to find out you’re the son of a psychotic killer.” That earned me a raised eyebrow, and I shook my head. “Long story for another day.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m glad he’s dead,” he said, his jaw ticking with repressed rage. “The world’s better off.”

  I believed him. It took balls to come here knowing the blood that flowed through his veins. I had to respect that. “I know that feeling too. Listen, I want to thank you for what you did.”

  “I didn’t do it for you.”

  “Christ, can you knock that chip off your shoulder? I’m trying to extend an olive branch here.”

  He started to say something, then flattened his lips, silence sitting between us like a rock. Finally, he scrubbed a hand over his face. “Is there any news?”

  My pride yelled at me to punch him in the face and walk away, but Val’s words kept echoing in my head.

  “You want to hate him for it, but he just risked his life to save hers knowing her heart belongs to another man.”

  So instead, I did the opposite. I swallowed my pride, proving to everyone I earned Adriana’s kiss. “Not yet, but why don’t you come sit with the family? Val will be the first person they tell.”

  He sat up, his eyebrows bunched in confusion. “With the Carreras? I’m a Muñoz.”

  I chuckled and
clasped him on the shoulder. “I don’t think you’ll burst into flames. And if you do, we’re in a hospital. You could stand some scarring, pretty boy.”

  * * *

  “¿La familia de Adriana Carrera?”

  Five heads popped up followed by ten feet hitting the floor. My heart dropped as a man dressed in scrubs stood in front of us, his dark skin weathered and wrinkled.

  Val looked over at me, giving me a quick nod. “En inglés, por favor.” In English, please.

  The doctor glanced between us. “Very well. Are you Valentin Carrera?”

  Val nodded. “Yes, how is my sister? Is she…” His voice trailed off, and Eden wrapped her arms around him.

  “Mr. Carrera, the laceration your sister suffered was serious, but it could’ve been a lot worse. The blade missed her liver by millimeters. She lost a lot of blood, and there was some internal bleeding, but we were able to repair the damage and stop it.”

  My eyes bounced between them, the words twisting around in my head.

  She’s all right.

  Val released the breath he’d been holding. “So, she’s going to be okay?”

  “Mr. Carrera, the information you gave stated your sister received a kidney transplant when she was fourteen?”

  “Yes, she was born with type 1 diabetes.”

  The doctor flipped through the chart in his hands and rubbed his eyes. “Eleven years is a long time for a donor kidney to last with proper care, however from examination and bloodwork I can tell you it’s failing at an incredibly rapid pace.”

  Cristiano cleared his throat, and we all turned around. “When I was in that warehouse, Ignacio told me when he took her the first time, he tortured her and gained her cooperation by withholding her anti-rejection meds.”

  “Do you know how long she was without them?” the doctor asked.

  “Two days, maybe three?”

  Everyone’s eyes turned back toward the doctor. “One day, maybe two would cause serious problems, but three days would’ve caused irreversible damage to an already deteriorating organ. The donor kidney is failing, and with the stab wound, Adriana’s body is going into shock.”

  “What are you saying?” I whispered, words sounding like they came from someone else.

  “We have her stabilized for now, but without an immediate transplant, there’s nothing we can do.”

  Val exploded, shaking off Eden’s arm and crowding against the doctor. “Then give her one, goddammit!”

  To his credit, the doctor didn’t back down. He stared up at the man who everyone knew owned the hospital and everyone in it. “Mr. Carrera, we can’t just hand one over. There are waiting lists with thousands of people. I understand your unique situation, but I refuse to play God with people’s lives.”

  “I’ll donate.”

  Leighton whipped around, her jaw dropping. “Brody!”

  I didn’t care. I’d give her both kidneys. I’d give her my heart. Hell, she already had it.

  The doctor shook his head. “As admirable as that is, it’s not that simple. There needs to be testing done. Blood matching to ensure the kidney won’t be rejected. Ideally, she would need a parent for her best chances.”

  I wasn’t backing down. “Her parents are dead.”

  A distant look crossed Val’s face. “What about a sibling?”

  You could’ve heard a pin drop. No one said anything until a fiery redhead attacked him like a linebacker. “Val, no! I know you want to help her, but it’s major surgery! We just got Santi back, and I can’t…” Tears spilled down her face. “…I can’t risk losing you too.”

  He leaned down and kissed her on the head. “Adriana is my sister. She just risked her life to save our son. I owe her more than a kidney, Cereza. I owe her my life. We both do.”

  The doctor offered a sympathetic smile. “I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. There are blood tests that need to be done, as well as X-rays and abdominal CT scan. Not to mention the follow-up tests that must be analyzed a minimum of three days later. This isn’t an immediate procedure, Mr. Carrera.”

  Val cracked a brittle smile. “Perhaps that’s true for most of your patients. However, I’m sure you’d prefer the details of your trip to Monterrey remain private just as much as I’d prefer to stop discussing extraneous tests that aren’t any of my concern.”

  The doctor’s face blanched. I had no idea what happened in Monterrey, but apparently, it was enough to bypass hospital protocol.

  “Of course, Mr. Carrera, but even siblings only have a twenty five percent chance of being a perfect match, and only a fifty percent chance of being a half match.”

  Val kissed Eden again, prying away from the death grip she had on his arm. “Go check on Santi. I have some odds to beat.”

  Six hours later, I paced again, this time for an entirely different reason, but no less impatiently. I also had company as Cristiano, Leighton, and Mateo followed in line behind me. We were a train of anxiety, unsure if we’d arrive at our destination or derail and crash.

  Until Eden appeared, her face chalky. “He beat the odds,” she whispered.

  I stepped forward, too afraid to hope. “What does that mean?”

  “It means he’s a perfect match.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Adriana

  Tethered.

  That was the only way to describe the feeling. Suspended in a quiet, private space high above the world. Like a hot air balloon still anchored to the ground. I looked down as the world still went on without me, but I remained tethered by a cord.

  Beeps and voices hummed below me, but where I floated, it was peaceful. I glanced down at the rope holding me down and wondered what would happen if I cut it. Where would I go? Would I come back?

  Maybe I didn’t want to. Up here, the air was clear. I could breathe. I didn’t cough. I didn’t shake. I wasn’t cold. I wasn’t tired. I wasn’t sick.

  “Pretty, isn’t it?”

  I spun around to see a dark-haired woman in a white flowing dress and familiar warm chocolate eyes dotted with gold. I’d seen her before. Not here, but in a dream.

  “Mamá? How’d you get in here?”

  She laughed, the soft, lyrical sound of her voice carried by the breeze. “I’ve always been with you, cariño.

  “Where am I?”

  “Your safe place. This is where you keep all your memories.”

  I shook my head, my head suddenly feeling heavy. “I can’t remember any.”

  She lifted a hand, brushing my hair back. “Yes, you do.”

  * * *

  Guadalajara

  Fifteen years ago

  I twisted my fingers together while standing outside Papá’s office. I knew he was busy, and it was forbidden, but the sound drew me near.

  “Marisol, did you get lost again?”

  Click clack click clack click clack.

  I peeked into the office, keeping my eyes on the ground. “No, sir.”

  “Come in here.”

  The invitation filled me with anxiety, yet my feet moved without my permission, and I stepped into the dark office, the dank, sweet leather scent of rain-soaked earth filling my nose. Papá sat at his desk, a lit cigar between his fingers as a row of silver balls hanging from wires clacked together.

  Back and forth.

  “What’s that?” I heard myself whisper.

  “A pendulum.”

  “What is it for?”

  “It’s a reminder that nothing is stationary. Any situation can fluctuate from one extreme to the other at any given time. One must always prepare for the unexpected and never become complacent, Marisol.”

  I didn’t know what most of that stuff meant, but it sounded scary. I didn’t think I ever wanted a pendulum. “Does it ever stop?”

  He leaned forward, taking a long puff off the end of his cigar. “You should hope not, pequeña. The moment the pendulum stops clicking, the clock starts ticking.”

  I giggled. “That rhymes!”

  A cold smile
split across his mouth. One that never reached his eyes and sent a shiver down my spine. “You laugh like your mother. The voice of an angel spoken by the lips of the devil.”

  I frowned. “But Mamá never laughs.”

  His gaze shifted back to the pendulum. “No, pequeña. She can’t. Not anymore.”

  * * *

  Houston, Texas

  One Year Ago

  “Hello, Val.”

  His dark eyebrows bunched together. “Do I know you?”

  “Probably not. But I’ve studied you for a while now, and I think I understand you more than most anyone.”

  “I doubt that,” he shot back with full conviction.

  Stepping out of the shadows, I ran a hand through my long hair, and he immediately took a step back.

  “I’m the one that ordered the hit on your new girlfriend’s brother.” I smiled and moved closer. “I’m the one who’s been tracking you, turning all your allies against you.” I pounded my chest with my palm. “I’m the one who watched you long enough to know you had such a hard-on for your own lieutenant’s bartender that it was just a matter of time before you fucked up.”

  “Oh, my God,” Eden croaked, her voice hushed and strained from Manuel’s restrictive hold. “It’s you. You’re the woman from the bar. You were sitting at the end the night Val came in. I remember because…because it was the night Nash was killed.”

  I pulled my hair to the side and tucked the other behind my ear. “Marisol. Marisol Muñoz.”

  “Muñoz?”

  “Yes, Valentin…Muñoz. As in Manuel’s sister and Esteban’s daughter. I’ve been away for many years while you’ve been in America. Too bad we won’t be getting better acquainted.”

  * * *

  Guadalajara