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The answer is easy: he can’t. Dead men don’t have a voice.
Solimar’s eyes shift for a brief second toward her father and…
Nothing. No pity or love. No remorse or longing for a relationship he failed to nurture.
However, when those stunning greys meet mine again, they come alive. Bright and happy, and the hint of naughtiness behind them is a delicious promise for tonight. Later. Much later.
Veronica and her brother are giving her away, and neither turns to look at the once patriarch of their family. Not when he calls their name. Not when their grandfather sneers a few choice words.
He does shut up a few seconds later when Geronimo takes a seat beside him. Pussy.
“Who gives this woman to this man?” the priest asks, nervously swallowing.
“Her mother and brother do.” Veronica’s voice is strong, leaving no room for the questions sitting on the God-fearing man’s tongue. This isn’t a normal wedding, and its ending will never be forgotten. The three of them have made peace with what’s to come. They’ve seen the evidence I turned in to the secretary of justice early this morning. “May God always bless this union, Mija.”
“Thank you, Mom.” They hug, wiping away the happy tears that have fallen. “I love you both so much.”
“We know.” Nudging her chin in my direction, Veronica smiles warmly at me. “Protect each other, and never go a day without saying I love you.”
“You have my word; she’ll always be safe with me.” Slim fingers entwine with mine as her mother and brother find their seats on my side of the aisle in the same pew as my kin.
I bring her hand to my lips and kiss each knuckle. “You ready?”
“I’ve always been yours, Alejandro.”
Together, we turn to face the priest. A united front.
He begins the service by reading a passage from the Bible about love and its unselfishness. About the purity of our union, and the blessing it is to find one’s soulmate.
And while he talks and leads us into a prayer, I nod at the man entering the room from behind the officiant. He’s tall and quiet and gives me a nod, letting me know all is in place. No one sees him walk around and then take his place off to the side, blending in with my guards and a few members of the state’s military.
Solimar knows, though. You can see the resolve in those expressive eyes and the nerves begin to take control. I mouth the word breathe and she nods, thighs slightly rubbing together.
She has a weapon there. A wedding gift from me.
Strapped to her thigh is an all-gold Ruger I had designed for her small hand. My first of many wedding gifts, and when I presented it to her this morning, she giggled like a little girl with excitement.
“If anyone sees any reason why these two should not be wed, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.” As the priest finishes his question, Lino walks in and removes her younger brother from the scene. He’s injured. The bullet wound was thankfully a clean entry/exit, but he’s not cleared to participate past this role.
There’s a beat of silence that follows their exit before hell descends upon the room.
Her father and grandfather both stand, shouting to the room their hatred for me and my wife. They charge toward us while the Cortez duo sits and doesn’t move an inch—biding their time to see if an escape is possible.
And I’ll let them. Maybe.
“This hijueputa is a criminal and disgrace to our nation. He needs to be arrested.” That comes from her grandfather, an older-than-dirt man charging the altar with an undignified expression marring his features. And he almost makes it to the edge, just a few steps shy, when the federal employee steps forward with a signed indictment in his hand, courtesy of the vice president.
He’ll be in charge for the next three months until election day.
He’ll step in and then disappear without a trace to a quaint little villa in Tuscany.
You see, no member of government is above the law, and our current president has a laundry list of infractions, from embezzling to the murder of innocent women in Thailand to sell everything from their organs to forced sexual acts while alive. Then, you have his attempt to take over my land and poppy production/sale.
He overstepped his bounds and will now pay the price along with his father.
The mid-morning news is already running the scandal along with the news of my marriage to Solimar Quintero.
“Jose Quintero, you are under arrest for the death of Mr. Lucas Sr. and the false imprisonment/confiscation of all his belongings.”
