by Leylah Attar
I might have fixed the gap between my teeth, MaMaLu, but my true love didn’t need a space to slip his heart in. I’d had it all along.
I hugged him close and smiled, the happiest I’d ever been.
“Where do you think you’re going?” asked Damian, when I swung my legs over the bed a few minutes later.
“I want to check on Sierra.” I searched for my panties and put them back on.
“Hurry back. I miss you.”
I laughed and opened the door. The hallway was dark, but I knew the house like the back of my hand. A nightlight was on in Sierra’s room. She had kicked back the covers and her arm was hanging over the edge. I pulled the comforter over her and nudged her towards the center of the bed. She didn’t move. I tucked her arm back in and was about to leave when I spotted something on the bedside table. I picked it up and frowned.
A syringe.
I was pretty sure it hadn’t been there before. Whatever was inside had been used, but why would Damian leave a syringe lying around? Especially with Sierra—
“Don’t move.” A figure came out of the shadows.
I felt something cold pressing against my temple. A gun. I knew it was a gun because once upon a time, Damian had held one to the back of my head. I had the same sinking feeling now as I did then, except this time it was much, much deeper.
“Call him.” The intruder pulled me towards the door.
“Who?”
“Stop playing games, Skye. Call Esteban or Damian or whatever the fuck he’s calling himself these days.”
I knew that voice.
“Victor!” I swung around to face him, but he hit me with the gun. A stinging whack across cheek.
“Do as I say or she dies.” He pointed to Sierra.
“Damian,” I called, but my voice quivered.
Oh God. The syringe. What had he done to Sierra?
“Louder.” Victor prodded.
“Damian.”
He stepped out from the bedroom, pulling a t-shirt over his head. “Skye?” His voice was so warm and relaxed, I bit my lip to control the anguish. He had no idea what he was walking into.
You think there’s such a thing as too much happiness?
Victor swung me away from the door. We were standing in the center of the room, his gun aimed at me, when Damian walked in. For a split second, he froze, and then something kicked in—maybe it was his training at Caboras or maybe it was his take-charge personality. Either way, Damian assessed the situation and did the opposite of panic; he went lethally calm.
“Whatever you want, Victor. Let them go and it’s yours.”
“I want my arm back, motherfucker. You think you can give me that? Because if you can reattach every nerve you severed, you go right ahead. Do you know what it’s like to walk around with a paralyzed arm in my business? I lost everything. I—”
“Cut the drama, Victor. I get it. It was your dominant arm. You can’t shoot. Or use a can opener. Or stroke your dick right. You took a hit on the job, a job of your choosing, and now you’re holding me accountable for it. What do you want?”
It took Victor a moment to regroup. He had been expecting fear, submission, compliance.
“I want you to pay for it,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for you to get out of prison. Of course, I wasn’t expecting this cozy reunion.” He tilted his head towards me and Sierra. “A ready-made family, Damian. The bastard son has a bastard daughter.”
Damian’s fists clenched. “If you do anything to hurt her—”
“Don’t worry. I haven’t harmed a hair on her head. Just given her a little tranquilizer. Babysitting screaming kids in these situations is really not my thing.”
“You drugged my daughter?” There was a nerve ticking on Damian’s forehead. One I’d never seen before.
Victor laughed. “You drugged Warren’s daughter, didn’t you? Don’t like it when the tables are turned?” He yanked me closer.
“Your problem is with me, not them.”
“Your problem was with Warren, but it didn’t stop you from kidnapping Skye. Casualties get caught in the crossfire.” Victor shrugged. “You know that.”
Victor was worming his way under Damian’s skin, making him relive the horror of shooting me.
“You and I are more alike than you think,” he said. “Mercenaries at heart. You didn’t really think you could start over, did you? I thought it was a brilliant move, manipulating Skye to get to Warren, but I’m starting to think you fancy yourself in love with her now. I’ll save you the trouble. Women like her don’t love men like us. I loved your mother, but she shunned me. She said she wanted a better role model for you. I hated her, and I hated you. Warren set me up with a nice sum to keep her comfortable in Valdemoros. I left her to rot in there. I should have finished you off too. You came back to bite me, but I still have the final say.”
“You don’t have to do this,” said Damian. “Take everything. I can set you up for the rest of your life. You won’t ever need for anything.”
It sounded a lot like what I’d said to him on the boat, bargaining for my freedom. A cold knot formed in my stomach. Nothing could have deterred Damian then. His thirst for vengeance had set off a domino effect that was staring back at us now.
“You think this is about money?” Victor laughed. “I got a hefty settlement out of Warren. Part of our contract. And I have a nice disability check coming in every month. This isn’t about money, it’s about—”
“Revenge.” Damian said the word like it had filled his mouth with poison. “Trust me. I understand it all too well. It won’t bring you anything, Victor. It’s an empty promise. Walk away and—”
“Enough chit chat!” Victor barked. “Which one goes first? Her?” He pointed the gun at me. “Or her?” I started trembling when he trained it on Sierra. The stakes were too high. Damian couldn’t risk attacking him, not when he had us both at his mercy.
“Take me.” Damian put his hands up and got down on his knees. “Right here, right now. Pump as many bullets into me as you like. You don’t really want them.”
Icy fear tightened around my heart. He meant every word. Damian was willing to lay down his life for Sierra and me. He wanted to do it. He was blaming himself for bringing this down on us. If he’d stayed away, Sierra and I wouldn’t be here.
Maybe someday I’ll be the hero that you and your mama deserve.
“Witnesses are messy, Damian. You’re all dead anyway,” said Victor. “Choose. Or I’ll choose for you.”
My heart started pounding erratically as fearful images flashed through my mind.
“What do you do, Skye?” Damian’s voice pulled me out of the downward spiral.
I fight back and I fight hard.
I raised the syringe I was holding and plunged it into Victor’s thigh. He screamed and let go of me. Damian moved at the same time, knocking him off his feet. Victor pulled the syringe out of his flesh, and got up, still holding the gun. Damian stood like a shield between him and me. I knew what he was planning to do.
“Don’t,” I said.
He did it anyway—threw himself straight at Victor. The gun went off, but Damian deflected Victor’s hand so it zinged to the ceiling. The two men crashed through the doorway and fell on the railing that opened to the foyer below. It was dark, but I could make out their forms, grappling for control. Victor still had the gun, but with one arm paralyzed, he was no match for Damian. He lost his grip and it fell below. Damian punched him. Hard. Twice in the gut. Victor doubled over. When he straightened, he was holding another gun.
“I always carry a spare.” He smirked, but the pain in his gut made him flinch when he tried to move. “I think we’ve wasted enough time, don’t you? Kneel. Both of you!”
He was standing at the top of the stairs, facing the room.
“Her first, then you, then the kid,” he said to Damian.
He had it worked out so that any which way, Damian had something to lose. As long as he kept his gun trained on me, he knew Da
mian wouldn’t try anything. Once he shot me, he’d still have Sierra as leverage.
Damian and I held hands as we knelt. I don’t know when I started crying, but tears were spilling down my cheeks. It had started here, and this is where it was going to end. All three of us in one night.
“Please don’t hurt her,” I begged Victor. “She’s just a little girl.”
“She’s lucky. She’ll go in her sleep,” he replied.
Damian’s fingers squeezed around mine, so tight that I thought my bones would crack. It was the only way he could hold himself back from ripping Victor’s throat. If he went for him, he risked losing me, but if he waited, he risked losing Sierra.
“On five, Damian,” I whispered.
His eyes widened a fraction.
5 . . .
We were going to do this together. No matter what happened to the two of us, we were going to make sure Sierra remained unharmed.
4 . . .
Victor aimed the gun at my head.
3 . . .
I love you, Estebandido. Always you. Only you.
2 . . .
I love you, güerita. Don’t be afraid. Love don’t die.
The gun went off before we moved. My eyes squeezed shut at the deafening bang. I waited for the pain that was sure to follow.
It never came.
Fuck!!!!!!!!!!
He’d shot Damian.
My soul felt an agony so deep, the bullet might as well have ripped through it. Damian’s hand was still in mine, so warm, so real. The pain was so raw that I gasped, forgetting, for a moment, the simple act of how to breathe. A part of me wanted to die right then.
Shoot me. Shoot me now.
But the other part, the part that was a mother, refused to surrender.
Sierra.
I thought of her helpless little form. It was pure torture. I always tucked her in at night, always put her to sleep. I’d skipped that tonight, and now I would never know the sweetness of her breath, the weight of her leg keeping me from leaving, the way she bounced on my bed in the morning.
Wake up, wake up, wake up.
I had lost Damian and now I was going to die, knowing my daughter would be next. How can anyone feel so much pain and still be alive?
Dear Lord, bless my soul. And watch over Sierra.
I couldn’t go on. I heaved through the torment that was clawing at my insides, and squeezed Damian’s hand, anticipating the next bullet.
He squeezed back.
My eyes flew open.
Damian was still kneeling beside me, unharmed. Victor was standing in front of us, eyes vacant, staring straight ahead. His collar was splattered with blood. He stood there for a beat before falling backwards. His body toppled down the stairs. Rafael stood at the foot of the stairs, holding the gun that Victor had dropped earlier.
“I came back for my phone,” he said.
Damian and I stared at each other, and then at him. He’d shot Victor in the back of the head.
“You took him down in one shot,” said Damian, his eyes on the gun that was still smoking in Rafael’s hand.
“I saw a man shoot my mother and father. I wasn’t about to stand by and witness someone do the same to you and Skye.”
Damian let out his breath and wrapped me up in his arms. “You picked a hell of a good day to come through,” he said to Rafael. Our bodies were so tense, it took a few seconds for relief to settle in.
“The wedding would have been crap without a best man.”
We tried to laugh, but none of us could. Victor’s contorted body lay in a pool of blood at the base of the staircase. My knees wobbled when Damian helped me up.
“I thought he killed you.” I clutched his shirt and sobbed.
“I saw myself in him. The way I’d been.” He held me so fiercely I could barely breathe. “You were my saving grace, Skye.”
We clung to each other, acknowledging the glorious miracle of being alive.
“Let’s go check on Sierra,” I said.
“Call the police,” Damian said to Rafael. “And an ambulance. I want to make sure Sierra’s all right. Victor sedated her.”
“I’m on it,” he replied. “Go look after your girls.”
“I will. And Rafael?” Damian turned to him. “Are you all right?”
Rafael nodded and dropped the gun. “I’m just glad I got here when I did.”
“I owe you one. Big time.”
“You saved my life twice, Damian. I simply returned the favor. Two for two. Accounts balanced.”
“There were three of us. Don’t tell me this screwed up your brain cells, Mr. Mathemagician.”
Rafael attempted a smile, but were were all too shaken up. “Tell Sierra I want a rematch when she’s ready.”
“Game on, Rambo. But I have a feeling she’s still going to kick your butt.”
DAMIAN AND SIERRA WERE TOSSING peanuts into each other’s mouths.
Crunch. Crunch Crunch.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
“Oh my God. Would you two stop that? It’s driving me insane! We’re never going to get this place ready.” I swept up the stray peanuts rolling on the floor.
We were at Damian’s island retreat, getting it ready so Rafael and his fiancée could honeymoon there.
“You know you don’t have to lift a finger.” Damian took the broom from me and set it aside. “I can have a crew come in and fix up the place in no time.”
“The man saved our lives, Damian. It’s the least I can do.”
“Clean is clean whether you do it yourself or hire someone to look after it.”
“You used to insist I do the chores around here.”
“That’s when I thought you were a self-entitled princess.”
“And now?” I linked my arms around his neck.
“Now I want you fully focused on other tasks.” Lifting one hand, he slipped his fingers under my shoulder strap and kissed the small, puckered scar.
I nudged him gently and motioned to our rapt audience. Sierra was watching us as if we were her favorite movie.
“Sierra—”
“I know, I know.” She cut Damian off. “Go read a book. Do you know how many books I’ve read this week? You guys are always kissing.” She made a face, but I caught her grin before she left.
“This bedroom is way too crowded for the three of us.” Damian went back to nuzzling my neck. “I’m thinking we could use an extension. Maybe a second storey.”
“Or you could sleep in the shack.” I trailed my nails down his back.
“Keep doing that and I’ll carry you off there right now.” One large hand tightened around my midriff.
“Not now,” I said, extracting myself from his grip. “When she’s napping.”
“She never naps,” Damian growled.
“Unless she’s tired.”
“Right.” He grinned and grabbed my hand. “Let’s go tire her out.”
Damian came out of the ocean, skin glistening in the sun, and walked towards me. I wished there was a longer stretch of beach between us because I could watch him forever. He was molded bronze in motion, hair wet and wild from his swim, sand sticking to his feet. He plunked down on the towel beside me and leaned over to kiss me. Salty drops on warm lips.
“She’s a bundle of energy,” he said.
I put my head on his chest and we watched Sierra jump the waves.
“I can’t see,” I said, after a while.
“I can’t help it,” he replied. His erection was blocking my view.
I laughed and handed him a bottle of sunblock. “Another twenty minutes and she’ll be all worn out.”
“Flip.” Damian straddled my back and started working the lotion in. “I have a wedding gift for you. I was going to surprise you with it, but I need your input. I bought some property in Paza del Mar. The site of the old warehouse.”
“The one you blew up? Where El Charro and his men died?”
“That’s the one. I want to build something good there, so
mething worthwhile.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“How would you like to expand the work you do in Valdemoros? A permanent facility where you can employ some of the women you work with, when they get out. They can help you fulfill your orders and you can focus on training and education. You can still hold your workshops in Valdemoros, but you’d have a bigger base. There’s nothing to stop you from going international. I already have a shipping network in place. You can put some of the profits towards the charity you had Nick set up and use the rest to your discretion. Fair wages, women’s shelters, clinics, education programs—” He stopped rubbing lotion on my back and froze. “Skye?”
“I wish MaMaLu had those options back then,” I said, as I wiped the tears. “I wish you did, too.”
“Hey.” He rolled on to his back and stretched out beside me. “Sometimes everything gets dismantled so something better can be pieced together.”
I nodded, and traced his jaw. He was the perfect example. “Let’s do it,” I said. “Let’s build something that Sierra can be proud of.”
She came bounding out of the ocean, spraying us with seawater and enthusiasm. “Look!” She held up a seashell. “This one?”
I had been showing her how to pick the right ones for a necklace. She’d seen the one Damian had made for me and wanted one for herself.
“This one’s perfect.” I opened up the picnic basket and added it to the collection she was raking up. “When you have enough, Dad will make you a necklace.”
Damian and Sierra exchanged a strange look.
“What’s that about?” I asked.
“I’m hungry!” she said. “I want the ceviche.”
Damian had packed it for us in three separate containers.
“This one for me. This one for Dad. This one for you.” She handed them out, looking at Damian for confirmation.
He winked.
She smiled.
“Hey, all I get is a clam?” I asked, staring into mine. “What’s going on?” My eyes slid from her to Damian.
“Open it!” Sierra was so excited, Damian had to hold her down.