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“I’ve been absent from business dealings recently. That’s all. I have some things I have to handle that can’t wait.”
“Okay. I’ll come with you.” Truthfully, I don’t want to leave the villa, but I’m terrified of being anywhere without him. I’ve been proven right too many times. I’m not safe without him.
“We’ll have double the usual men.”
“Rafe—”
“Juarez is very unstable right now.”
“Why? What happened?” He says nothing. “Rafael?”
He sighs and drags a hand over his stubble. “I traded you for the use of the port. When I allowed the Russian to use the port, I had to rescind my deal with Ricardo.”
“Okay.”
“Too much traffic through that port, and it doesn’t matter how many Mexican authorities I pay off, the Americans will be all over it. Then we’re all fucked.” I nod. “Ricardo isn’t happy. He and Dominges are now aligned.”
I frown. “Aligned? Against you?”
He releases a long breath. “Dominges already wants you, but…when you were taken…”
I sigh. “You thought it was him.” He nods. “What did you do?”
“Dominges and I have danced around each other for a long time. War was inevitable between us at some point. The Sinaloa are not a concern, but Ricardo has seen you, he knows what you are to me. Dominges always wanted you back, but now…”
“You really think Dominges would try and get me again?” Surely, after one failed attempt, he wouldn’t bother? Either way, I’m getting really tired of being taken.
He lifts his hand, brushing his thumb over my bottom lip. “You’re my one weak spot, avecita. They will aim for it if they can.” His eyes soften as he threads his fingers through my hair and pulls me close to his chest. I inhale the distinct scent of him, absorbing the heat of his body. Through all the stress and the fear, I always have this. I have him, and when he holds me like this, I feel as though nothing in the world could ever touch me. It’s such a false sense of security. After all, Rafael is just one man. One man, but my everything. And now he’s made enemies. For me. If anything were to happen to him… I’ve managed to come back from some of the worst atrocities imaginable, but to lose him…there is no coming back from that. I already know that. I wind my arms around his wide back and fist his shirt in both hands.
“I hate this,” I whisper.
His lips press into my hair, and his warm breath rushes over my scalp. “It will settle down.”
“Will it?” I ask. Will we always be like this? Looking over our shoulder, wondering who is going to come at us next.
“This is the cartel, little warrior. It’s built on a foundation of cocaine and bloodshed. That’ll never change because men always want more power, more money, more corruption. It is the nature of men such as us.”
I pull away from him, meeting his eyes. “What about you? Do you want more power and money?”
He smirks. “I don’t need more power or money.”
“I didn’t ask if you needed it.”
His fingers tighten in my hair until he’s pulled my head back, imprisoning me. His lips whisper over mine without ever making full contact. “I have everything I want, right here.”
“So then let them have whatever it is they want. Let them have more territory, more money.”
He kisses me gently. “Ah, avecita. So wise and yet so naive in so many ways. If I give them a single grain of sand from my territory, they will think I am weak. Give them an inch, and they will take everything.”
Part of me wants to beg him to just walk away, to leave all of this behind, but I can’t. Rafael is a cartel boss. It’s part of who he is, what he is. I love him. All of him. So I can’t ask him to change, to walk away from his family. Which means I have to stand beside him as he walks straight into a war.
“Are you in danger?” I ask. Already knowing the answer.
A small smile pulls at his lips. “I live a dangerous life.”
I close my eyes and inhale a deep breath, trying to will the panic away. This is new for me. I’ve always had to worry about myself, but it’s different when it’s someone else. Looking after yourself is easy because you can control your own actions, even if you can’t control what happens to you. I can’t control what Rafael does, and that terrifies me.
“Hey.” He tugs on my hair, forcing my head back until my gaze crashes into his. “Don’t worry about it.”
I roll my eyes. “Really, Rafe?”
He smirks. “I’m Rafael D’Cruze, baby.”
“God, you’re impossible.” On a smile, he kisses me hard and slaps my ass. “Go, get ready. We leave in fifteen minutes.”
