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“Hola.”
It was all I could think of to say. One word that meant nothing, but then again, sometimes everything could be said without saying anything at all.
Kind of like a kiss.
* * *
Val stood at the bottom of the stairs outside the estate, shuffling from foot to foot. Brody grinned and kissed my cheek. “I’ll wait near the car and give you two a minute.” I nodded, watching him walk away as Val scratched the back of his head.
“You’ll be back for Santi’s baptism, right?”
I nodded. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“You sure you’re okay to fly? You can rest here for a few days.”
“Val! It’s been six weeks. I’m fine. Stop being a big brother.”
He chuckled. “Give me a break, I’ve got twenty-four years to catch up on.” An awkward silence passed between us again, and he took a step toward me, his expression turning serious. “Thanks for saving my son.”
“Thanks for the kidney.”
“Yeah well, don’t expect another one.”
It was my turn to chuckle. If anyone had told me two months ago that I would’ve risked my life to save a Carrera, or anyone but myself for that matter, I would’ve laughed in their face. That wasn’t who I was. Definitely not the person I was raised to be. Self-sacrifice was for the weak and stupid. I thought the only way to survive was to ensure others didn’t.
Then Brody Harcourt turned my life upside down, and it would never right itself.
I never wanted it to.
I’d learned to love. I learned to be loved.
I learned to forgive. I learned to be forgiven.
On instinct, my eyes found him, his gaze already locked on me. Those green and brown swirls that commanded such passion. They saw me like none other.
Val stepped beside me. “Keep that one in line.”
I glanced up to see his eyes focused on Brody, the beginnings of a smile on his face. “Not a chance,” I shot back with a wink.
“Hey, Adriana?”
“Yeah?”
“I…” He scratched his chin, whatever he was going to say lost as the cartel boss pushed the big brother to the back of the line. “Don’t go soft on me just because you’re in love and shit.”
Sometimes I really liked the cartel boss a lot more. But I’d never tell my brother that.
“Not a chance. Haven’t you heard? I’m a Carrera.”
Epilogue
Adriana
Houston, Texas
One Year Later
They say life comes full circle to a place of meaning just to show you how much you’ve grown. I remembered thinking everything that was wrong in my life started the moment I walked into Caliente Cantina, and it would end there.
