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“And that makes you happy?”
“I know he misses you.” She flicks her eyes behind us before leaning over conspiratorially. “Javier’s mentioned you at least fifty times a day since arriving and looks at his phone twice as much. You’re the half of his soul keeping him together.”
***
20
MY MIND IS a dangerous place to be, and losing myself within is taking its toll. I’m angry and hurting and still not able to fully process that the woman who brought me into this world is now gone.
That I wasn’t here to protect her as a good son should.
That Ida Lucas was taken from us by a selfish son of a bitch wanting revenge over the death of a thieving asshole I killed a few months back. The same thieving asshole that left her in a wheelchair.
Two brothers. Each stole from her things that could never be replaced:
Her ability to walk. Her life.
“We’ll find him, Javi,” Alejandro vows, the hand on my shoulder squeezing tight. “I swear on my life that we’ll find him.”
“Rats never stay hidden for long.” He nods and I pick up my glass, throwing back the last of the Aguardiente before standing. “Call Tito and up the reward through the surrounding barrios. I want his head on a spike within twenty-four hours.”
“Listo.”
“I’ll be in my room. Let me know if...” Fuck, my heart thumps and palms sweat at the sight of her. My beautiful little criminal with a coquettish smile and warm eyes is standing just inside the doorway to the study watching me. How did she get here? How did she know I needed her?
Mariah’s looking a bit nervous, a little rumpled from what I guess is traveling, but here. She’s here, and it hits me then just how much I’ve been yearning for.
Her. Just her.
“Hi.” Mariah’s voice is soft, and I let it surround me. Soothe me. “Miss me?”
“Come here.” My voice is rough with the sudden emotions rushing through me. I’m holding a hand out for her and every finger shakes, arm muscles twitching until her dainty hand wraps around my rough one.
Then it’s calm, and I breathe.
No words are exchanged as I lose myself in her seafoam eyes, letting her presence give me the one thing I’ve been missing since Alejandro’s call: peace. A small semblance of what I’ve had with her these last few weeks, and right now, I feel blessed to have her standing in front of me.
“You never answered my question, Javi.” There’s a playful tsk that comes from the back of her throat, a mock glare, but it’s the twitch of her glossy lips that pulls a chuckle from me. “Making me wait is unacceptable.”
“It is.” I lift her hand and kiss each knuckle. “I’ve more than missed you, sweetheart. I’ve been a little lost without you.”
It’s the truth, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
There are times in our lives where showing weakness is a strength, and being honest with the woman that’s come to own my soul is one of them. So I let her see me. See the pain that’s settled into my heart and I can’t deal with alone.
“That’s because we don’t work well without the other.” Rising to the tips of her toes, Mariah kisses my chin and then pulls back, releasing my hand. “It’s why I’m here, Javi. I’m here for you...whatever you need.”
Without waiting for my reply, she looks over at a silent Alejandro and walks over, giving the usually serious man a quick hug. She says something to him—it’s too low for me to hear, but he smiles and walks toward the room’s entrance with a knowing expression on his face.
And when he’s right beside me, my cousin pauses his steps. “She’s one of the good ones, Javier. Treat her right.”
“I know.”
“Good.”
Then it’s just the two of us, and the tension rises for a completely different reason. My missing her goes deeper than just the physical. It goes past carnal hunger or the way we challenge each other.
“Show me your room.” Hips sway toward me and I follow the movement, admiring how beautiful she is in a simple pair of jeans and an old Spice Girl’s shirt. “You look like you need some rest.”
