Page 155 of Forbidden Fate

I lift an eyebrow. “You hardly know us.”

“But we knew Señora,” Esmeralda says. “And any friend of hers is a friend of ours.”

Mercedes steps closer to me, her face streaked with tears and fury. “You need a car.”

“I have one.”

“That piece of trash?” she says.

“It runs.”

“For how long?”

“Long enough.”

Esmeralda shakes her head. “Take mine. I’m one of only two girls that has one. The others piled into Violetta’s SUV.”

“No.”

“Cruz—”

“No.” I look at them both. “You need your vehicle. You need to get everyone away from here. Far away.”

“We can help you.”

“You already did.” I look down at Adriana.

“What do we do with her?” Mercedes asks.

“Leave her.”

Esmeralda’s eyes widen. “Here?”

“Someone will find her. She’s not your problem.”

“She’ll come after us.”

“Not if you’re gone before she wakes. She won’t have any interest in you. Only in me.” I look at Mercedes. “I can take you with me to the airport.”

“We don’t have passports.”

“But you can fly somewhere else in Colombia.”

“No,” Esmeralda says. “We’ll stay. We’ll meet the others. We’re not the ones they want.”

She’s not wrong.

I nod. “If that’s your choice.” I hug them both. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

I get into the stolen car and I drive.

Away from the brothel.

Away from the dead.

Away from Adriana sprawled on the ground behind me.

Toward the airport.