AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Because you seem like a good ally to have.”
I didn’t even try to hide my snort. “More like, because you’re at war with my grandfather and I’m good collateral.”
“He’s at war with me.”
The distinction was so clear, I was surprised I hadn’t noticed it before. What had put them at war with each other? Was it something like the battle with my father, where Victor Paez had taken something that Emmanuel Osorio thought of as his, or did Paez have something that Emmanuel wanted?
“You know how to reach me if you change your mind. For now, I’ll slow my supply to your city. You have two weeks to sort out our little friend before it’s back to business as usual.”
It wasn’t much, but I had to hope it would be enough. “I appreciate it.”
“You should. Keep in touch, little queen. I’m curious to see where you go from here. Perhaps this will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
The line went dead before I could answer. Good thing too, since all I could think was, God, I hope not.
Chapter Nineteen
Mari
With the bullshit truce and the raid taking my focus, I’d put off thinking about Cameron as long as I could. It wasn’t that I was naïve and praying things were different; I just needed time to process and space to readjust my thinking.
This was my cousin. The one man in my family I trusted above all else, and he’d taken that trust and pounded it into the dirt.
Still, I didn’t know how to handle him. Did I torture the information from his lips or kill him quickly? Did I string him up as a warning to the others in our family to toe the line or hide his indiscretions in case it made me look weak?
I needed outside opinions on the situation. I needed clarity.
I needed Shara.
That was the easiest part of the decision. My men weren’t pleased at my leaving the house with a target on my head, despite the fact that Shara’s apartment was as fortified as the Celestine. If it weren’t, I would’ve moved her ages ago. Still, they insisted on shadowing me to the apartment and searching it before I went in.
We’re not going to risk your life over something as small as checking a few rooms.
Well, when they put it that way.
The trek to Shara’s took no time at all, and I was still trying to piece together how I wanted to say things when the door opened. Only, Shara wasn’t the one answering it.
“Rafael?”
Getting caught off guard was the worst possible scenario, but I just couldn’t wrap my head around my uncle being in Shara’s apartment. Why was he here? Where was she? Had he hurt her? If so, there wasn’t a single thing he could do to save himself from my wrath.
“Come inside.”
Immediately, I bristled. “Pretty sure you can’t invite people into my space.”
Breathing came easier when Shara hip bumped him out of the way, her beaded braids clicking together as she did. She grinned at our shell-shocked faces, but her smile faded to apprehension and discomfort fast. Yeah, something had definitely happened.
“Are you okay?”
“Fine,” she whispered, glancing back at Rafael before turning resolutely to me. “Definitely hard, though.”
Fuck, I’d completely forgotten how much Rafael looked like Antoni. Shara had only met him once, and it had ended with her running away. I couldn’t imagine how she felt trapped in a room with him.
“Whatever happened, you don’t need to?—”
“Get away from the door,” a voice snapped. There was so much aggression there, I stepped closer, ready to put my body between Shara and whoever it was, yet all she did was roll her eyes.
“Don’t bark at me, Christian.”
