Page 106 of Sovereign Oaths

And I helped.

He was a shell of the man I met a few months ago. He had so little left.

His territories in Cuba and Mexico were gone. The Velez had taken over already. The shreds of his holdings here could be taken by the next group to rise in power. He didn’t have the numbers to defend it.

Wasn’t this enough?

Couldn’t the Velez be satisfied?

No.

And there was nothing I could do to save him.

He was so pathetic I almost wanted to. Not that I had any control in this situation. I’d played my role perfectly.This was his fate. He’d chosen it over and over. He’d been warned. The Velez weren’t known for being subtle with their threats.

Footsteps pounded from somewhere behind me. It was the two-second warning before thick arms wrapped around my chest.

I screamed, real terror washing over me as the memory of being handcuffed next to Ama filled my mind. Being carried out of that building with shots firing around us. Watching Ama get hit once, twice, three times before we cleared the exit. Them taking her away in a different car. I couldn’t help her.

I kicked. I thrashed. I threw my legs out, knocking over the chair and blocking Alessio from getting to me in time.

“Millie!” he roared as he pushed it out of the way.

We were already moving. The distance between him and me grew as my captor ran away to the waiting van.

“Alessio!” My voice broke. My tears were real.

His face was pure terror, watching his worst nightmare come to life as I was dragged away.

“Aless––” A hand slapped my mouth, blocking my final scream.

He was running toward us, but the van door opened.

“Amor!” His eyes were wide in horror.

I reached for him, trying one last time to escape as the doors slammed shut, and the van took off.

“Sorry, Emilia.” The man behind me scooted back and helped me sit up on the back row. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

I wiped my cheeks, brushing the black streaks onto my shirt. “No, you did great.”

He offered a tight smile. “We’ll be at the building in about ten. Do you want some water?”

The man in the passenger seat twisted, and I finally relaxed at seeing Cruz. “Here you go.”

He held out a bottle for me, and I quickly drank it down. “Thanks.”

“You o––”

I shook my head. “Don’t.”

He frowned but turned back around as I slumped and closed my eyes. I’d never get the image of Alessio’s face from my mind.

There was nothing fake about his feelings. He loved and cared about me as much as he could, and I was his end.

But I wasn’t the only one responsible. He’d accepted his death with every decision he’d made since he had taken over for his father. He had his own crimes to answer for.

Inviting children into his clubs and killing them with his drugs. Stealing homes and land from families in Mexico. Using his weapons to kill those who didn’t leave willingly. Issuing orders to use and then kill children looking for work. Not just in Miami, but Cuba and Mexico. Extorting, exploiting, and abusing for years.

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