Page 98 of Falling for the Enemy

Desperate for revenge and having lost nearly everything, risking all he has left is something Stefano won’t think twice about.

“We’d need bait for it to work,” Javier says, his thoughts mirroring mine. “Something so enticing that Stefano is willing to risk us double-crossing him to attain it.”

I know exactly the bait he speaks of.

Back teeth grinding together, I cup my nape, squeezing hard. I can’t do what is required for this to work. As much as I know Stefano would jump at the chance to get his hands on her, offering Ari up on a silver platter isn’t something I’m willing to do.

I’ll ride into battle at her side anytime.

But I won’t put her at risk unnecessarily.

There has to be another way.

“Jefe,” Benito says, deciphering the turmoil that’s likely etched on my face. “DeMeo won’t stop. Not until he’s gotten what he wants.”

“He’s right,” Javier adds in agreement.

“This shit may not turn out so well if it happens again.” With each word, Benito’s voice grows louder. “What if next time he actually kills Jade?” Verbally going for my jugular, he rounds on me. “What if it’s Carmen that he goes after instead? They aren’t ruthless like Ari. They can’t defend themselves as she can.”

Every word strikes my heart.

Every damned one.

Mainly because he’s right.

“How will you handle seeing your sister lying in a pool of her own blood after you fail to keep her safe from—”

My knuckles crunch against his teeth as ghosts of the past rise from where I’ve buried them, the sight of my mother's blood-soaked corpse permanently seared into my mind’s eye.

The shock, the fear, the icy coldness that spread through me as she took her last breath, a tear spilling down her cheek.

I’ll never forget any of it.

And Carmen. Fuck! She’d fought with everything in her to save Mamá that night. Yet, through no fault of her own, she’d failed.

But I won’t. I can’t.

The risk is high, the cost potentially more than I’m willing to pay. Yet to keep my loved ones safe—my entire reason for starting this war—I’ll do whatever must be done.

It’s officially time to execute plan B.

TWENTY-FIVE

Ari

I’m tempted to shoot the men in my life.

When they decided it was acceptable to start treating me as if I’m a delicate wildflower in need of protection from being crushed, I’m unsure.

But I refuse to tolerate it a moment longer.

“Since each of you seems to suddenly believe you have some type of authority over me,” I begin, the look I shoot both Casper and Alejandro nothing less than scathing, “it’s clear a reminder of precisely who and what I am is needed.”

“Manzana,” Alejandro begins, “you’re not—”

“Don’t,” I snap, cutting him off as I stand from the dining room table where we sit. With Carmen and Jade upstairs because I insisted they stay at the mansion until James returns, the last thing I want to do is bring attention to the storm brewing around me. “Don’t you dare speak the words I know burn the tip of your tongue.”

“We’re just trying to protect you, Ari,” Casper says either bravely or stupidly, I can’t decide which, his fingers laced together behind his head. “If we do as Benito and Javier suggested and use you as bait to lure Stefano out into the open—”

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