Page 61 of Loving Smoke

“I need to talk to you,” I demanded placing my hands on my hips.

He put his hand up in a gesture that meant not now, but I didn’t back down.

“Right, now.”

His brow furrowed and his face clouded. He turned his back on me facing the large picture window overlooking the pool from above and lowered his voice.

When he finished the call he turned back to me with a scowl. “I don’t appreciate you barging into my office without knocking.”

“And I don’t appreciate you keeping the truth from me.”

“I don’t like your attitude, Marisol.”

“And I don’t like being lied to. Everything you’ve told me since I’ve come home isn’t true.”

My phone buzzed in my pocket but I ignored it. Nothing would deter me from finding out the truth.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but now is not the time.” He flipped up his wrist. “Shouldn’t you be going to The Tropics?”

“I’m not going anywhere until I get some answers.”

He pushed against his desk to rise and I stormed further into the room. “How could you use me like this? Set me up for your own selfish needs.”

“Obviously something has you upset, but I cannot do this now.”

“You made me believe you needed me to distract Smoke. You said the Royal Bastards were the enemy when all along it was you.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“Fine, then let me be clearer. You told me it was the Royal Bastards who killed my mother.”

“It was them.”

“More like men you hired to dress like them.”

“Is that outlaw filling your head with lies? Trying to persuade you he’s innocent?”

“The only one filling my head with lies is you, but not anymore.”

“You’re getting too attached to him and letting him sway you. Don’t fall for his tricks.”

“Tricks? Interesting you should use that word since you’ve been tricking me all along. Summoning me to come home, then making me believe I was avenging my mother’s death when all along you were using me and setting me up.”

“I can see you’re upset?—”

“Upset that my father had my mother murdered in cold blood.” The words fell out of my mouth on a gasp. The realization stole the breath from my lungs. I leaned on the edge of the desk to regain my balance.

“You’ve always lived in a dream world, Marisol, and I blame myself for giving you too much privilege and your mother for making you weak.”

“My mother was a wonderful mother, and I will never forgive you for taking her away from me . . . and us.” I flung my arm toward the pool beyond his windows. “You’ve completely ruined Manny.”

Rico shook his head. “Manny’s weak. He’s always been weak. You on the other hand . . .”

“He feels defeated. He told me you wanted him to do your dirty work and when he refused you sent for me.”

“Instead of acting like a man he spends his days getting high and drunk like a weakling.”

“You will never understand true feelings.”

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