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He tilted his head to the side, considering me. “Rumor has it that the untouchable king of AC has fallen in love. A weakness, at last, after so long. And then there’s your sister.”
“What does she have to do with anything?”
“She was there when Miguel died. He was a Castillo, you know, and we have a tradition in our family.” He took a switchblade from his suit pocket and flicked it open. “An eye for an eye,” he said, watching my eyes widen in fear. Savoring it.
“How original. Did you come up with that yourself?” I bit out. I couldn’t help myself. Whatever was going to happen here was going to happen regardless of what I said or did. So, fuck them.
A flash of anger rippled through Juan. He brought the knife to my eyebrow and trailed it down my face, circling my eye. “Shall I take it literally? Would Renato still want you if I blinded you?”
I met his stare unflinchingly.
He broke off after a moment of tense silence and chuckled. He withdrew his knife, and I took a quick breath, the dizziness still clouding my thoughts.
“I see what interested him about you, Mrs. De Sanctis. Your job isn’t to bleed. It’s to be bait. Your sister, though…she’ll bleed for Miguel. She’s the eye I’ll take in exchange for the loss.”
I felt sick. “The police are looking for her, did you know that? Searching for her might lead her to your men.”
It was a weak argument to make, but I had nothing else.
Juan smirked. “Who do you think told us where to look for her?”
His words hit me like a bucket of ice water.What the hell?
“Whose house do you think this is? It isn’t mine,” he said, crouching in front of me and waving his hand around. “People in high places are sick of the stranglehold Renato De Sanctis has over this state, and they’re finally going to do something about it. The King of AC’s kingdom is about to come crashing down. You and your sister are just the beginning of it.”
“You think you and your little ragtag operation of thugs can take on the De Sanctis family? You’re delusional.”
“You’ll see. Maybe I’ll keep you around long enough to see your husband kneel to me, and then I’ll kill you and make him watch before I end him. That has a nice symmetry to it, doesn’t it?”
“Sounds like a loser’s wet dream,” I spit at him, trying to hide my fear at his words. “You’re no match for him on his worst day.”
A muscle twitched in Juan’s jaw. He glared at me and then shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe he won’t even come for you, his forced, unimportant little wife. Maybe we’re both delusional to think that he’d care at all about you or your sister.”
No. You’re wrong. He’ll come for me, as surely as the sun will rise in the east.I didn’t voice that conviction, it was too damning, but I knew it in my bones. All my life, I’d struggled to trust that someone would come through for me, but now, it seemed impossible that Renatowouldn’tcome for me. He’d rip the world apart to find me. There was no question.
“Take her upstairs and out of my sight. She stinks,” Juan said with a cruel smile.
Choke on it, fucker,I thought mutinously as I was manhandled out of the room.
“Wait!” Juan called before his goons could drag me away. He rose smoothly, making a show of fastidiously picking lint off his shiny, pinstripe suit as he approached.
Another layer of fear washed over me, deeper and more terrifying than before. What was he going to do? It was easier to talk back when he was safely across the other side of the room. This man was nothing like my husband. He had no soft spot for me. He could do whatever he wanted.
Juan stopped in front of me and whistled, circling a finger in the air, indicating for his men to turn me around. Then I was facing away from the boss and waiting to see what the hell he wanted.
Juan whistled. “A religious woman, are you, Mrs De Sanctis?” His hand brushed over the rosary wrapped around my wrist.
“If I said yes, would you let me go?” I attempted.
He snorted. “Cute.” He fumbled at my wrist and sharp pain sliced my skin. I was hauled back around and Juan stood before me, smirking. The rosary was in his fist, cut open. He folded his knife and tucked it away. The place where he’d cut me while taking off the rosary burned. I felt naked without it, for some reason.
Juan lifted the beaded necklace and turned it around, studying it. Had my husband tracked Lucy with it? Juan smirked.
“Here,” he tossed the rosary to one of his men. “Take this out and ride around with it. Let’s not make it too easy on the King of AC. Making him sweat a little will make him more open to negotiating, and if not, maybe worrying about this bitch will disturb that damn infamous calm and he’ll fuck up.”
Juan leaned in, sending me reeling back. “If that’s the case, then I’ll be moving into Casa Nera by the weekend.”
The thought of the Castillo Cartel moving into Casa Nera was abhorrent. I didn’t know when exactly I’d started to consider that place home, but somehow, it had happened. It wasn’t dark and disturbing, not really. It was cozy and classic, an ode to history which my husband was determined to preserve. Most of all, the thought of the De Sanctis men being killed by these thugs hurt my heart. Surely, it was impossible. The De Sanctis family was too powerful.
