Page 94 of Falling for the Enemy

More so than any I’ve ever spoken.

TWENTY-FOUR

Alejandro

TWO WEEKS LATER

I wake to my phone ringing.

Still exhausted from spending more than half the night between Manzana’s legs, one of my favorite places to be, I extract her sleeping form from my arms, careful not to wake her.

She doesn’t even flinch.

Unlike when I first started staying at the mansion, Ari now sleeps like a rock. Before, she never lasted more than thirty minutes before jerking awake over the smallest things, such as a creaking floorboard or barking dog.

I tell myself it’s because of me.

And that when in my arms, she feels safe.

The high-pitched ringing ceases as I roll over, only to start all over again when I finally grasp the phone. Carmen’s name flashes across the screen, and my stomach immediately sinks.

Aware that my schedule consists of late nights spent at The Blue Ocean or one of the casinos owned by the Kings, she never calls before noon.

Something is wrong.

I sense it to the depths of my blackened soul.

Quickly clicking the green accept call icon flashing on the screen, I lift the phone to my ear. “Princesa, what’s—”

“H-Hermanito,” she cries in a clear panic, the sound of her distress a railroad spike to my hammering heart. “Please… I need you.”

Feeling the air shift with my plummeting mood, Ari wakes and sits up, blinking the sleep from her blue eyes.

“Where?” I ask, grabbing my clothes from the night before off the floor after jumping out of bed and nearly falling on my face thanks to the blankets that remain tangled around my legs. Placing the call on speaker, I toss the phone onto the bed and unwind the duvet. “Just give me a location and I’ll—”

“Toluca Memorial Hospital.”

The air in my lungs freezes. “Carmen—”

“It’s Jade.” The spike that remains embedded in my chest begins to twist, tearing flesh. “She’s hurt and…” Her voice trails off, a sob taking its place. “Benito is here with us, but I need you.”

My spine snaps straight.

Benito? I told that pendejo to stay away from my niece. I knew he wouldn’t listen, but I didn’t expect him to be so brazen, especially after I embedded a knife through his hand over Manzana. He truly is going to make me kill him.

And where is Javier?

Jade’s safety is his responsibility.

I step into my pants, my jaw tensing repeatedly, the urge to slam my fist into the wall nearly uncontrollable. I’ll deal with my men later. By the time I’m done with them, I may be down a few soldiers.

So be it.

“I’m on the way,” I tell her. “One hour and I’ll be there. Hang on for me until then, si?”

“Okay.” Another sob. “Just hurry.”

She ends the call and I turn to grab my shoes, my temples pounding as my head threatens to explode.

---