Page 112 of Drawn Blue Lines

My heart fell to my feet. “He told you that? And he’s still breathing?”

Pursing his lips, he gave me an unenthusiastic shrug. “I’ve had a long time to process it. I’ve just been waiting for him to grow the balls to face me.”

I palmed my forehead, my vision going in and out of focus. “Dios mío, ¿qué demonios está pasando?” My God, what the hell is happening? “You knew? All this time, you knew?”

He had the nerve to look offended. “Why do you seem so surprised? I’m the boss of the most powerful cartel in the world. I own most of Mexico’s officials and half of the politicians in the southeastern United States. Plus, anyone with half a brain knew the minute I left Houston I had half a dozen men watching every move the two of them made.”

“But you did nothing,” I argued, still not comprehending his logic. “You even made him a top lieutenant. Why?”

Val’s calm veneer vanished. “Trust me, if he’d touched her, that would’ve been his last breath.” Once the dark cloud passed, he uncoiled. “But Eden came back to me, and besides, how could I blame him? I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same thing. Love does crazy things to a man, Adriana,” he said, tapping his temple. “Makes him loco en la cabeza.”

Unbelievable.

I sank onto the bed, my body feeling like a sack of lead weights. If the whole thing weren’t so tragic, it would’ve been comical. The one thing that forced Brody into this mess, Val knew about all along.

The bed dipped as Val sat beside me and clasped his hands in his lap. “Plus, how could I kill him when he confessed to being in love with my sister?”

My head snapped to the side. “He said those words?”

“Oh, he said a lot more than just those words. But judging by your reaction, they’re words you haven’t heard yet, so I’ll keep them to myself. They’re not mine to tell.”

He’s in love with me. He loves me.

“Adriana, we need to talk about Cristiano Vergara.”

I winced, the words like a sharp knife stabbing into my already severed heart. I had no idea what all he knew, but I had a feeling it edged dangerously close to the truth. “I know, but not now, okay?” I couldn’t sit still. I paced. I wrung my hands, and eventually I ended up right back where I started—by the window where Brody and Leighton were saying their goodbyes. Even from a distance, their embrace looked so genuine, so filled with love and trust that I blurted out, “Do you think we would’ve been like them? You know, if things had been different.”

Val joined me by the window, watching the siblings before answering. “I’d like to think so. When everything happened to Leighton, I saw a different side to him. He risked everything for her—his career, his reputation, his life. Over the years, I’ve thought a lot about the day you were taken. What I could’ve done. Maybe if I hadn’t run like a little bitch, I could’ve saved you and our mother.”

My heart lodged in my throat at the image of a six-year-old Val, running for his life while being chased by his mother’s screams. “Or you would’ve died right along with her.”

Val didn’t answer. He just stared out the window as horrific memories played across his face. Memories I was spared, while they became a burden he carried alone.

I’d come to a crossroads. I could forge ahead and dig a trail of tears or follow the worn coward’s path. It was because of that burden and the fragile bond we’d established that I chose the coward’s path, once again proving I was irredeemably selfish.

“I was in Santiago’s nursery today.”

And sadistic.

Val chuckled. “I heard.”

Biting my lip, I pressed my palm against the glass. “Are you sure he’s safe in there?”

He tilted his chin, his dark eyebrows bunching together. “What do you mean?”

“When I walked by, the door was ajar, and he was all alone. You have staff and sicarios coming in and out of this house all day. Don’t you think there should be some security measures in place in case—”

“Santi is fine.” The bite in his tone wasn’t anger; it was conviction. His confidence wouldn’t entertain the thought of anything less. “The staff is thoroughly vetted, and my men know if they step foot past the first floor, they’ll be shot.”

It was that unyielding confidence, and my suspicion that he knew the truth anyway that made my decision. Rounding my lips, I blew out a nervous breath and closed my eyes. “Val, I need to tell you—”

“Hey, Danger, I’ve been looking for you. I…” Eden’s voice trailed off as she hovered in the doorway, her bright smile fading.

Val held up a hand, his steady eyes locked with mine. “Un momento, Cereza. Adriana and I are talking.”

The room crackled with tension, and I forced a weak smile. “It’s fine, go. It’s nothing that can’t wait an hour.”

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