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I was pulled from one Valdez to the next. I watched Felipe leave, his retreating body only making me want to kill him more.
As he drew further and further away, the urge to reach for the knife dwindled and my heart eased.
Valerio whisked me into his arms and moved us around the dance floor expertly. Unlike his father, his aura was far more inviting. He didn’t carry this coldness that mimicked that of a snake. But still, I was suspicious of him as I was everyone.
There was something about Felipe that I did not trust. I mean, I didn’t’t trust anyone within the underworld, but him especially. There was a code to the world we lived in, and though I often pushed the limit when it came to the it, he disregarded it altogether.
“Penny for your thoughts, sister?” Valerio’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Did my father upset you?”
“Sister?” I cocked an eyebrow.
“You’re a Valdez now. That makes us family, and seeing as Andres is my brother, you are my sister by default.” He winked at me as we twirled around the dance floor. "Now tell me, why do you look so troubled? Is it Felipe?”
I shook my head. “I’m not troubled, and no one upset me. But your brother does make me nauseous every time I look at him.”
I had expected a frown or glare, but instead he laughed. The sound was thick and warm, like honey in the summer.
“You may just be his perfect match.” He dipped me, and I followed his lead. “I’ve never seen my brother so rattled by a woman before.”
I looked over his shoulder to the very man we were speaking of. Andres stood at the edge of the dance floor, watching me and his brother. He held onto his glass of bourbon with a tight grip, so much so that I could even see the white in his knuckles.
What was up his ass? Apart from the mandatory first dance that we did, I had not conversed with him for the majority of the night. I had left him to cool off after his little stunt at the end of the ceremony.
“I heard what you did to the warehouse. Only married a few hours and you're already costing us millions, Sav.”
I tensed slightly. “It was nothing personal toward you, Valerio. It was a warning to your brother to stay within the bounds of respect. I am sorry if I offended you.”
He snorted. “Please, that was old storage anyway. But my brother doesn’t take kindly to people who mess with his money and territory. I would say expect his response in due time.”
I was already keeping a watchful eye. But if Andres was clever, he would yield and draw himself back. We could start on a clean and new slate from this moment on. The last thing we needed to be doing was fighting each other when the real enemy was lurking within our waters. Our guns needed to point outside instead of in.
“He needs to learn to respect women.”
Valerio twirled me as I spoke. “He does respect women; I just think he doesn’t feel they have a place in leadership within this organization.”
I rolled my eyes, bringing us to a halt. “I have worked hard to keep my family name afloat. People like your father and brother came circling like sharks as I bled into the water. They didn’t give me any room to breathe before they started making their advances. Maybe it's not the fact they don't think women can lead, but rather that they don’t like a woman more powerful than them. Or maybe they despise the fact that I outsmarted them at every turn? Nonetheless, I will not have my own husband mock me in the face of my people and enemies. He either learns to fall in line, or I will make him. The choice is his, at the end of the day, but I will not sit pretty and allow him to throw dirt on my legacy.”
Valerio blinked. His hands were still tightly fastened on my waist. Something in the grey of his eyes shifted. There was the subtle shine of… respect?
He was no longer looking at me like some distressed woman barely able to stay afloat. No, he was looking at me like an equal, a colleague.
He leaned forward, his lips coming to my ear and his breath tickling the small hairs on the back of neck.
“You will fare very well in my family, Savina Valdez.” He pulled away with a small smile. “I think we are in for the show of our lives.”
I didn’t know exactly what he meant by that, but one thing I did know for sure: it seemed there was at least one Valdez brother that I could stomach to be around.
Chapter Ten
Andres’ POV
Why the hell was he talking to her for so long and why was she smiling at him like that? Up until this very moment, I hadn’t even known that the witch was capable of smiling.
I downed the remainder of my drink and gripped the glass tightly. I had spent the better part of twenty minutes just watching my brother taking up my wife. What was it about him that made her seem so… at ease?
I had a better face and a higher rank than he did. She was wearing my ring, for fuck’s sake, so why was she—hold on. Was I really acting like a jealous husband over the very woman I despised?
“Uhm, sir.” Seb cleared his throat and came to my side. His eyes were trained on the dance floor, but from the stiffness of his body, I could tell that he was nervous.
