Page 37 of Till Death Do Us Part

“Qué pasa aqui?”

Liliana and I both jumped at the booming deep voice of her husband.

“Nada,” Liliana said quickly, lifting what was left of the muffin. “SeñoraRoríguez brought me a muffin.”

Clenching my teeth, I steadied my shoulders as Gerardo Ruiz turned to me. At Liliana’s use of my new last name, his menacing expression changed. Her husband couldn’t complain that she was speaking withel Patr?n’sdaughter-in-law.

“Señora,” he said with enough sugar to put me in a diabetic coma. “Felicidadeson your wedding.”

“Gracias.I was just talking to your lovely wife about being newly married and not knowing many people.” Although I saw the way Liliana was cowering, I went on. “She tells me you live north.”

“Sí.”

“It would be lovely if Aléjandro and I could visit sometime.”

He stood taller. “We would be honored.”

“I’ll speak to him.” I turned to Liliana. “I hope you enjoy the muffin. Thank you both for coming to our wedding.”

When I started to walk away, I saw Aléjandro looking my direction with a puzzled expression. Smiling at other guests, I went to him and reached for his arm. My smile stayed in place, and I spoke in a whisper. “She has bruises on her wrists.”

He turned his gaze on me. “Mia, he’s her husband. Maybe it’s kink, not abuse.”

I shook my head. “I offered for us to visit them sometime.”

His lips were pressed together.

“The possibility of a visit from you could save her a lot of pain.”

“And you know this how?”

“I know it.”

Aléjandro exhaled. “We can plan a visit.”

“No. Tell him you’ll let him know the next time you’re in the area. Keep him wondering. I promise it will be better for her.”

Aléjandro wrapped his arm around my back and squeezed me to him. “Day one and you’re causing problems with one of our lieutenants.”

My cheeks rose in a smile. “Dario warned you.”

“He did.”

After brunch, both families gathered around as Aléjandro and I opened the few presents we received. It was more about the thought because we truly didn’t need anything. From what Dario had told me, there wasn’t anything Aléjandro couldn’t afford. Like he said, this was a marriage better suited for the daughter of a capo.

Once my family began to leave, it was also time for Aléjandro and me to go. We both thanked Andrés and Valentina for their hospitality. I gathered my belongings. Next, my husband led me to a Porsche 911 Turbo with a sleek silver exterior and a deep red and black leather interior.

I settled into the soft leather seat as Aléjandro put our bags under the front hood and got behind the wheel. After all the noise and activity of the morning wedding continuation, the quietness within the car was sensory deprivation. There were millions of questions in my head, each one eager to be voiced. Yet as he started the car, and drove down the lane toward the gate, I remained silent.

My thoughts were too random. I was having trouble reconciling the man last night who was unhappy about my demand with the one who this morning carefully and gently caressed my body and washed my hair…and even turned down a blow job.

Soon, the scenes beyond the windows captivated me, being so different than what I was used to in Missouri. The streets were lined with palm trees and flowering bushes. The sky high above was a vibrant blue. He drove us down a road that wound high along the cliffs above the ocean beaches far below. The sea was alive with waves sparkling like the diamonds in my wedding band.

Finally, we came to another gate similar to the one at the Ruiz home. Aléjandro entered a code and the gate slid back, allowing us entry.

“Do we have guards?” It was the first question I allowed myself to voice.

“Sí,” he turned to me and back to the road. “You will stay protected, Mia.”

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