by LP Lovell
His gaze holds mine for a beat longer. “Fine. Dismissed.” Samuel and Carlos leave the room, but just as I reach the door, Rafael’s hand wraps around my wrist, stopping me. “Not you.”
I sigh and glance over my shoulder at him. “If you want to talk about Una, I don’t want to talk about it.”
His eyes search my face before he releases me. “Fine.”
I walk out of the room without a backward glance. It seems we’re about to dive into a fight with the Russians, and I honestly don’t know whether my own sister will be instrumental in our victory or our absolute destruction.
29
Rafael
I stare at my laptop screen, listening to the dial tone ring out and watching the little row of dots blink across the screen. It finally cuts out, and the screen goes black before Nero comes into view.
“Rafael.”
“I’m in.”
His expression softens for a moment, though he quickly hides the relief. “Good.”
“I need to know the plan.”
He nods. “I need a place that’s remote. This will get messy if there’re too many people around. You said you have a house that no one knows about.”
I lean back in my chair. If I lead the Russian here to this house and this fails, he’ll know where the house is. But honestly, if we fail, then we’re all fucked either way. “What are you thinking?”
The screen shifts and comes to rest on Una. I don’t even know how I feel about her, but I sure as shit don’t like her.
“I’m going to tell Nicholai that my son is in the house. He’ll assume it’s heavily defended. He’ll send the bulk of his force in.”
“How many?” Anna was right. Just business, that’s all this is, though we both know we’re ignoring the elephant in the room.
“I don’t know yet. But while I deal with them, you and Nero handle Nicholai himself. He’ll have no more than ten as his personal guard.”
“Oh, ten Elite? Is that all?” I snort.
“We’ll need weapons,” Nero says, turning the screen back to him. “She goes back to Russia tonight. We can assume he’ll move fast.”
“Weapons I can do. I have to ask though, is Una is going to single-handedly take down enough Elite to overrun my villa?”
Nero looks somber. “She’ll have help.”
I nod. “Okay then.”
“And Rafael.” Una appears over Nero’s shoulder. “I want my sister safe.”
I bristle instantly. “She’s safe with me.”
“She’s not safe anywhere near Nicholai,” Una snaps.
“I don’t think you’re in any position to make demands where Anna is concerned, do you?” Nero lifts a brow, and I stare him down. I don’t give a fuck who Una is or whether she birthed Jesus Christ himself; she’s insane. She hurt Anna. That’s as much as I need to know.
“Rafael can look after Anna,” Nero cuts in. “He did get her away from Nicholai.”
“I don’t give—”
“At great cost to himself. He’s not going to put her in any kind of danger.” I nod at him, and he returns the gesture. “Una goes back tonight. I’ll fly down tomorrow. We’ll have no notice other than when they land.”
“Great.” He hangs up, and I close the laptop.
Keep Anna safe. That seems to be getting harder and harder.
Standing, I leave the office and make my way upstairs. The house is quiet, aside from the guards silently standing at every exterior doorway. Ever since the Sinaloa upped their levels of violence, we’ve been on high alert with doubled guard rotations.
I climb the stairs and quietly push open the bedroom door. The room is dark, with only a slice of moonlight cutting through the room. Anna always sleeps with the balcony doors open. I think she likes the fresh air after so many years without it. I love when she wakes up in the morning, the sun dancing over her skin and that small smile on her lips. I love the way she stretches like a cat sunbathing in its favorite spot. I go to the balcony doorway and take out a cigar, lighting it. I suck the smoke deep into my lungs, holding it there until that sweet, toxic burn works its way through my chest. I exhale, and the smoke disappears into the night sky as though it never was. And there I stand, smoking as I watch my little warrior sleep—my favorite habit.
The sheets are tossed to the side, revealing her long, toned legs and the white lace underwear she has on. The moonlight plays through the golden strands of her hair, turning them silver, and for a second, she could be her sister. Except she’s not. With a sigh, I pinch the bridge of my nose. I need to get her away from here before Nicholai comes because honestly, if this goes wrong, we could all die. But not her. I can’t let her die. The thought of being separated from her has an icy cold fear settling into my gut, eating away at any sense of selflessness. It terrifies me. Losing her terrifies me. If I send her away, I might lose her. If I keep her here, I’m every bit as likely to seal her fate. I think of Una as selfish and disturbed, but at least she wants Anna safe.
I flick my cigar over the edge of the balcony and move closer to the bed, stripping my pants and shirt as I go. As soon as I slide beneath the sheets, she’s rolling toward me like gravity, even in sleep. I wrap an arm around her, pulling her to my chest as I inhale her scent.
“Rafael?” she whispers.
“Yeah, baby?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I trail my fingers over her side.
“You’re a bad liar.” She turns her face and kisses my chest. Fuck, she’s so sweet, so pure and innocent. I can’t allow her to be dragged into this shit. She’s suffered enough.
“Let’s not talk about it.” I roll on top of her, and she blinks up at me with eyes so utterly trusting. I brush my lips over hers, and a small sigh escapes her.
“Did you talk to Nero?”
“Uh huh.” I kiss her harder until all she can think of, all she can feel, is me. Her fingers rake through my hair, her body bowing beneath me. She’s so supple, so pliant under my hold. But only for me. She’s mine, and she’ll never belong to anyone else.
She slides her hand over my mouth, a smirk dancing over lips as she pushes me back an inch. “What did he say?”
I groan and roll onto my back. “He’s flying down here tomorrow. They’re using the villa. Nicholai will probably attack in the next few days.”
She sits up, sweeping her hair away from her face. “Here? In days?”
“I’m sending you away,” I say, fixing my gaze on the ceiling.
“What?”
“I’m sending you to the mansion with a guard detail.”
She swings a leg over my hips, climbing on top of me. Her fingers grip my jaw, forcing me to look at her. A frown pulls at her features, but I can see the panic in her eyes. She’s scared.
“I don’t want to go to the mansion.”
“Avecita, I can’t have you near Nicholai. If this goes wrong…”
“What? What happens if this goes wrong, Rafael?”
I inhale a deep breath. “We all die,” I whisper.
She closes her eyes, her hair falling over her face like a curtain. I stroke it back behind her ear, trailing my fingers over the soft skin of her cheek as I do. “You’ll never be safe as long as he lives. Your sister, her son—”
“I don’t care about them,” she cuts me off.
“You don’t mean that. Even if you can’t bring yourself to feel for Una right now, you wouldn’t want anything to happen to her child. And I can’t let anything happen to the cartel.”
Her hand tenses on my chest, nails digging into my skin. “Let’s just run. You and me. We can leave this.”
I cup her cheek. “The cartel is my family. I’m their leader. I won’t leave them like this. It was me who brought this danger down on them. They never should have been involved in any kind of fight with the Russians.”
“But you are—because of me.”
“No. We’re here because of decisions I made.” I pull her gaze to mine. “Decisions I do
not regret for a second.”
“You should have left me there,” she whispers.
“If I could think rationally when it comes to you, maybe I would have. If there were even a choice, maybe I would have made a different one.” She nods solemnly. “But I can’t be rational when it comes to you. There’s never a choice.”
She places her trembling hand on my cheek. “I can’t leave you. So don’t ask me to.”
“I won’t put you in danger.”
“We’re always in danger. It’s the life we live, but I’d rather die with you than live without you.”
“Anna…”
“You’re the only thing that has ever made sense, Rafe. You’re the only one that has ever made this life feel like something worth living.”
Fuck, she rips me apart, and she doesn’t even know it. I don’t want her away from me even though I know it’s selfish. She doesn’t want to go. I should force her, consequences be damned, but truthfully, if the situation were reversed, I wouldn’t leave her.
“Ride or die then?”
A small smile pulls at her lips. “Always.” She leans forward and cups my face with both hands before kissing me. Her lips are soft and sweet, her teeth grazing my bottom lip. She’s so curious, so trusting, and yet completely unaware of how sexy she is.
I flip her onto her back and settle between her thighs. “It’s been a while since I had a taste of you, little warrior.” Her cheeks stain pink under the silvery moonlight, and I smirk. So innocent.
I drag her underwear down her legs, and she squirms against the mattress. “Rafe. You don’t—” Her breathy moan cuts off her words, and I groan at the taste of her. Fuck. I’ll never get enough of her—never need anyone else. She’s like crack, and I’m permanently craving my high.
This right here is everything worth fighting for. Ride or die.
“I’m having the Hummers brought up,” Samuel says as soon as I walk into the kitchen in the morning. “Carlos has called in men from the city, but I don’t think there will be enough.”
Anna quietly slides away from me and goes to the coffee machine. Maria is bustling around the kitchen pretending she hears nothing as usual. She kisses Anna’s cheek and ushers her to a seat before making the coffee herself. “Anna and I will handle that,” I say.
She looks up at me, her brows pulling together. “We will?”
I say nothing, taking the mug of coffee that Maria hands me. “Nero will be here within the next few hours,” I say to Samuel while staring at my phone. “If I’m not back, start making preparations. Give him whatever he needs.”
Samuel nods. “You need some men?”
“No. I’ll go alone.”
He flashes me a disapproving look. It’s not safe in Juarez right now. The city is a war zone, but I need to seem trusting and approachable if I’m to get the extra men we need. Anna will help.
30
Anna
I sit anxiously next to Rafael. Ricardo Rosi sits across from us—his elbows braced on the desk in front of him and a smoking cigarette hanging between his fingers. It’s just him and us, but I can’t help but feel as though it’s a trap. Rafael leans back in his chair, the picture of calm confidence as he takes a cigar from his pocket and places it between his lips. There’s a pregnant pause as he lights it, inhaling and exhaling thick clouds of smoke several times before he finally speaks.
“Your problem with me is based on the Russians.”
Ricardo snorts. “My problem is that you reneged on a deal.”
“I have a proposition for you. Help me. The Russians will no longer be a problem, and I’ll give you the port at only a ten percent cut.”
Ricardo is silent for a moment. “What kind of help?”
“I need men.”
“What for?”
Rafael silently scrubs a hand over the stubble of his jaw, and my leg bounces as the tension in the room grows. He places a hand on my thigh, stilling me. “I’m expecting an attack on one of my properties. I believe an alliance would be advantageous to both of us.”
“Advantageous.” Ricardo laughs, shaking his head. “I will give it to you, Rafael, you are very good with words. Better than your father ever was.” Rafael’s fingers twitch at the mention of his father, digging into my thigh. “But do you really expect me to make any agreements based on that limited information? I assume this attack you speak of is from the Sinaloa.”
Rafael says nothing, and I can almost see the shutters lowering behind Ricardo’s eyes. How can Rafe expect this man to align with him if he doesn’t trust him with information?
“It’s the Russians,” I say. Ricardo’s gaze snaps to me, his eyes narrowing as he assesses me. “A mutual problem that could be neutralized if you were to enter into an alliance with us.” Rafael glances at me briefly, but it’s all I need. He’s pissed off.
His lips twitch. “So, you would have me go up against the Russians?”
“Yes,” Rafael says curtly.
“Why are they attacking you?”
Rafael hesitates, and I slide my hand over his on my thigh. “It’s a trap. I’m luring them to me. Their business is not something I care for, however, as you know, their power is sizeable. I cannot fight them alone.”
“So you set the trap without knowing whether I would agree to this?”
Rafael sighs and takes another long drag on the cigar. “I know you well enough to know that you are a businessman through and through, Ricardo. Petty grudges are not your style. If they were, then you would have aligned with Dominges in the last few months and taken me out.”
He sniffs and flicks his cigarette into the ashtray. “I do not think that Dominges is a good long-term prospect. He draws too much attention.”
Rafael smiles. “So, do we have an agreement?”
“I will give you men. You will allow me use of the port for only ten percent, and something else.” Ricardo’s gaze slides to me.
Rafael stiffens. “What?”
“I want to know why half the worlds crime lords seem to want her.” He jerks his head at me.
“She escaped Dominges, made him look bad. He wants her back. As for the Russians…I pissed them off. They took her to get to me.”
He grins. “No, it’s more than that. Dominges, perhaps. But the Russians…I heard it’s Nicholai Ivanov you’re dealing with.”
Rafael shrugs. “He wants a port. He knows none of us will ever give him a foothold in Mexico. He’s going to regret backing me into a corner though. I’d like nothing more than to remove him and reinstate our deal.”
Ricardo leans back in his seat, his eyes flicking between the two of us. “Okay. You have a deal.”
Rafael stands, offering me his hand before pulling me to my feet. “I’ll be in touch.” He and Ricardo shake hands before we walk out of the office and through Ricardo’s townhouse. The car idles outside the front door, and Rafael opens the back door, waiting for me to get in. As soon as the door closes, we’re pulling away.
Rafael says nothing for long minutes, and I can feel his anger pulsating around the both of us. I fidget in my seat. “Rafael.”
He turns to face me, reaching out and gripping a handful of my hair. I gasp as he tugs my head back, sending a sting over my scalp.
“You walk a fine line, little warrior.”
I grit my teeth. I’m not scared of him. “If you want him to trust you, you have to give him something.”
His face inches toward mine. “Give a man enough rope, and he’ll hang you with it.”
“It’s not in his interest to screw you over.”
He huffs a small laugh, his eyes dropping to my lips. “I’ll be sure to ask your advice the next time I need help running my cartel.”
I try to yank away from his grasp. “Why even bring me with you if you just want a pretty ornament?”
His hold softens before his fingers wind around my throat. My heart skips a little, a fissure of fear slipping through a crack in the stone wall I’ve erected to keep it contained. “
I bring you because my men have proven that they cannot keep you safe. I keep you safe, Anna. Do you know why?” I say nothing, staring back at him defiantly. “Because I’m Rafael D’Cruze. Now, I love you, and you are undoubtedly my weakness, but do not forget who I am.” He releases me, and I put as much distance as possible between us. He turns his gaze out the window, ignoring me for the rest of the long drive back to the villa.
As soon as we step into the house, Samuel is waiting, his expression stern. “Nero Verdi is here,” he says. No sooner have the words left his mouth than a man appears in the hallway, shadowed by two others. He moves closer, his steps lithe and graceful, like a big cat stalking prey. Eyes the color of whiskey, instantly search me out. I always thought Rafael was intimidating, but I think there was always an underlying feeling of safety in his presence. I knew he wasn’t the soulless monster he pretended to be. This man though…I can almost see him calculating, planning, manipulating, all in the space of the few seconds that his eyes have locked with mine. His coldness contrasts with his obvious beauty. The Italian is striking in every way, and I can picture my equally beautiful sister at his side.
“Anna,” he says. I eye him warily. “You look just like her.”
“So I’m told.”
His lips twitch. “I’m glad to see you’re okay. Una is…protective of you.”
I snort. “Right.” I can’t listen to this bullshit anymore. Whatever deals Rafael needs to make to save his cartel, he can make without me. I want nothing to do with Nero Verdi or my sister. Without acknowledging either of them, I turn to walk away. Fingers wrap around my upper arm, and I freeze, my back tense. Rafael turns me to face him, gripping my chin before he places his lips over mine. The kiss is soft and sweet, an apology maybe. It’s only when he pulls away that I remember Nero and his men are watching. My face heats, and I drop my chin to my chest before walking away.
I need to find Lucas. He’s the only normal person around here. I need his sense of calm, his innocence. I’ve spent too long surrounded by questionable men, and it’s starting to suffocate me.