Page 77 of Chris

That’s all they were to him.

Things to use.

“That’s what I want, Samuel,” Jorge said, his tone thick with pleasure at his plan coming together. “Finally, this will be the message I need to send for it to be clear where Papá and I stand—he is no longer running this organization. I am.”

“You’re looking for a problem, then.”

Valeria knew better than to spy, and yet, she stayed right where she was. Sometimes, eavesdropping was the only way she got any information. No one ever thought to inform her because what did it matter? She was a woman, nothing more. Jorge’s wife—his thing to do with what he wanted, whether anyone cared what happened to her.

A part of her figured she needed to listen to Abril more and take the woman’s advice. If she planned to make it out of here alive, then she would use everything to her advantage.

“He’s old, and his ways show it,” Jorge snapped. “What is he going to do at his age? Step back—that is his only option, now. To step back and see my way is the better way. And if we have to tear apart the García cartel when this is all said and done to finish it, then so be it.”

“You don’t understand the issue with that at all, do you?”

“No, I don’t understand your issues.”

“They are the same things!”

Jorge’s annoyance came out in a dark grunt. The sound told Valeria that Samuel was walking a thin line with Jorge’s patience. A dangerous thing, no matter which way someone tried to spin it.

Mostly, she tried to stay out of her husband’s way when he was in this kind of mood. Come to think of it, he had been like this for the last week. Ever since they returned to the ranch from the vacation home. She had seen little of Chris throughout the week, other than his occasional walk around the property.

Here, Jorge sheltered her.

It made things hard.

“This is done,” Jorge hissed to his brother, “and nothing you say to sway my decisions will work, so quit before it becomes an annoyance I will have to deal with, Samuel. Do you hear me? Stop.”

“I’m only trying to make you look at the bigger picture. All you see is what you want, but not what will happen because of it, or who will suffer for it, Jorge.”

“I’m done discussing this. The deal with the Canadians will be completed soon. Once it is, and we have the full supply control or all of Canada, we won’t need Papá, or his fucking deal with the Garcías to merge our organizations. And with that much territory behind our name, it won’t matter what the García cartel tries to do to us—it won’t leave a dent.”

“How soon until it’s finalized?”

“Chris will leave by mid-week, or that’s what he explained,” Jorge replied, “so I assume before then.”

What?

Valeria’s heart stopped.

Chris was leaving?

That soon?

Within a couple of days?

Maybe less?

What did that mean for her? Or … for Maria?

She didn’t give a single shit about the rest of Jorge’s plans—nothing he planned against his own father, or the rival cartel, helped her. It would not get her out of here, and would only force him to seclude her and his child further away from the public while his manufactured wars raged on.

That’s how this life worked.

The conversation continued in the kitchen with her husband and his brother unaware that the fluttering hope she had allowed herself to feel now seemed like shards of glass inside her chest. Her legs became weak, and she slipped down to sit on the step, drawing her knees to her chest as she realized this was over.

They would never get free.