Page 106 of Drawn Blue Lines

“I have a task for you. Don’t fuck it up, or I’ll kill you. But first, I’ll make you watch everyone you love suffer—including Brody Harcourt.”

I gripped the wall, tears streaming down my face.

“I’ll put you back on top and make sure you live to see it.”

It’d be so easy to fall into old habits. I could never trust Ignacio, but he needed the Carrera name, at least for now. And he offered something no one else had.

Time.

But I couldn’t walk down this path and expect Brody to stand by my side. I’d never be his princesa. I’d be his enemy. A pariah.

There was no way out for me. If I yielded to Ignacio’s demands, I’d lose Brody and destroy Val. If I refused him, I’d still lose Brody and destroy Val. The only difference between the two was with Ignacio, the people I’d come to care about lived.

A gurgle stopped me in my tracks, and wiping my eyes, I peeked inside the cracked door. A white crib sat against a pale blue wall, and a navy-blue hand-painted crown spanned the area above it. Right below the crown was written, once upon a time, there was a little prince.

Santiago’s nursery.

I couldn’t stop myself. I went inside and leaned over the crib. Santiago lay on his back, his tiny hands reaching for the moon and stars mobile hanging above him. As if sensing my presence, his dark eyes turned toward me, and he smiled.

Leaning down, I smiled back and rubbed his soft cheek. I traced his full lips, the sharp slant of his nose, and his strong angled jawline. Maybe I just refused to see them before, but they were there.

Strong Carrera features.

I saw my own face in this tiny baby. This innocent child whose blood ran in my veins. My nephew. Santiago knew nothing of my past. He was my chance to start fresh without any scars or memories. He was a child whose fate rested in my hands.

The truth hit me so hard, I gripped the edge of the crib to keep my balance. I was right. Life had come full circle. What was once ruined, now had the power to rectify. Twenty-four years ago, Ignacio was given a choice, and he changed the course of my life. Now, faced with the same one, I had the power to break the cycle or fall victim to it.

“Familia,” I whispered.

“My familia, considering he’s the only blood relative I have left, thanks to you.”

I flinched but didn’t turn around. “I’m not the same person I was back then, Eden.”

I heard her step farther into the room, and I closed my eyes.

“Neither am I. Back then, I was just some stupid bartender who watched her brother get murdered in front of her own eyes. I had moments where I wanted to die too. I was weak. But I made a choice when I followed Val to Mexico, and I left that woman behind. Now, I’m a cartel kingpin’s wife.”

I twisted around, meeting her hardened stare. “You hate me.”

“Can you blame me?” she asked, silence engulfing the room as she crossed her arms over her long cherry-red hair. “You took great pleasure in telling me how you used me from the beginning to hurt Val. Or don’t you remember?”

I remembered. I just wished I didn’t.

* * *

Houston, Texas

One year ago

“Hello, Eden.”

The moment Eden’s eyes adjusted to the shock of the light, they settled right on me as if in a daze. She recognized me, but her fatigued brain couldn’t put the pieces in correct order.

She would soon enough.

“How do you know me?”

“Marisol, this is Valentin Carrera’s whore.” Manuel motioned dramatically from me and then back to Eden, giving her a wink. “Eden Lachey, meet the beauty and brains of this operation—Marisol Muñoz, my sister.”

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