Page 34 of Stealing Iris

The valet pulls Tino’s car to the front door. Iris will be at the door, ready to be taken home. That’s why he brought me outside. So she could go by quietly, and I wouldn’t make a bigger scene. My chest aches, creating a hollowness I’ve never felt before. It unravels the knot at my throat and takes over the rest of my body without me being able to put up any resistance.

“Your lady friend,” Montoya says, rather than asks.

I shove my hands into my pockets, stretching to loosen my shoulder muscles. “Iris.” I don’t offer more as I strain to hear the crunch of tires on the driveway, or the car door shutting with finality. A popular, upbeat song starts, and the crowd in the other room cheers, robbing me of the closure I need with unexpected desperation. She’ll be gone now, ortheyboth will. And I still don’t know how I feel about it, which only burns even more. My shoulders slump, and I ask the question swimming around in my gut. “I’m guessing you threw Conrado in the car with her.”

Montoya straightens, brushing some invisible dust off the sleeve of his designer suit. “No,” he replies, casually folding his arms. “I invited him to enjoy the harem.”

“What?” Every muscle goes rigid again, shooting tension down my back and behind my eyes. I glare at my partner, wanting to rip his neck out. “What the fuck are you doing?” I ask straight out because trying to read him will get me the same answers as always—a big lot of absolutely nothing.

Montoya cocks his head, the light spilling from the house, catching the white strands in his hair. “I don’t know yet.”

I scoff, a shot of mad laughter escaping as I shake my head in disbelief. “The guy…is amiserablepiece of—”

“It’s not him I’m interested in,” Montoya cuts in. “Conrado himself is of no consequence. It’s whathe holdsthat will be valuable in the end.”

Experience tells me I shouldn’t bother asking how he knows. Because he won’t have an answer. Instead, I stare out into the distance, catching a glimpse of taillights between the branches. I stand frozen, watching as they disappear into the pitch black covering all the mesquite and bramble surrounding the lodge. I keep my attention there, mostly because the urge to pound my fists into something is growing stronger, and Montoya would be the only target in reach. I fucked up enough already, I don’t need to add any more random acts of stupidity to the night.

“Trust me, Dante,” he assures me, putting a calming hand on my arm.

I shake my head, letting some of the tension drain away. What can I possibly say? My head is filled with the fact she betrayed me, andI let her.

“I have to get the hell out of here.” I spin around, leaving him, and a house full of guests I personally vetted, without a second thought.

*****

IRIS

“Are you okay?” Tino keeps asking, but I don’t know how to answer. A yes would be a lie, and a no might just make me fall apart where I sit. So I cradle my arm and keep my fingertips against my lips, fighting the urge to bite these gaudy nails as anxiety washes through me.

The blanket of city lights in the distance is beautiful. It’s been years since I’ve been out of Laredo, even if this was just an outing to a ranch. The place is majestic, at least what I got to see. Is it his place or Mr. Montoya’s? Maybe both? The older gentleman has an unmistakable air of authority. I may never know now.

I bite my lip to stop the trembling. He’d been so enthusiastic while he showed me around. My eyes burn, making me blink back the tears trying to escape. Why had I been so selfish? Why didn’t I follow him through the rest of the house? Maybe if I hadn’t practically jumped him as soon as I had the chance, we’d be having drinks right now instead of…having Tino drive me home.

I need to get my mind away from what happened with Dante. I should worry about what happened to Conny. It would be too much to hope he would just disappear, and I’d never have to worry about him again. With my luck, all he’ll get is kicked to the curb, and somehow that will be my fault.

“What did he do?” My voice comes out as a croak.

“He broke the rules.” The ominous explanation doesn’t surprise me at all, but it still doesn’t give me the answer to the only relevant question.

I sit back in the car’s plush seat, unseeing. So what should I expect now? As usual, Conny didn’t listen to what he was told. He ignored Tino’s instructions, despite him going over them several times before we got to the estate. What would I have to deal with tomorrow? Or maybe the day after, because likely he wouldn’t be in to work on Sunday. Not after taking off to God knows where and a dummy flight just to end up an hour or two outside of town. It’s all a fake-out, a lie so people don’t know where they are. Why? Because they’re up to something against the law. Yes, deep inside I knew, I just chose to ignore it.

Minutes later we’re back in town, the lights going by in a blur as we take the loop.

How can I tell him what happened? Conny is ready to turn me in at a moment’s notice. I’ll likely spend time in jail over something I didn’t do. Images flash through my mind, like the eternal second when you think your life’s coming to an end. My mother, thin and frail, being sick in a narrow, blue bucket. My father and I having a meal together at Bunny’s. Olga. The store. How much I wanted to go to school, to break away from my father’s expectations. It’s gone now—all of it. Yet none of that compares to the way I feel right now. Raw and ragged, as if I took a beating, not physical, but a long, drawn-out emotional one.

How did Dante become such a big part of my life so quickly? I constantly tried to distance myself from him—from men in general. They’d never been there for me, or my mom, when we needed them most. Not even my own father. So how could I expect Dante, someone I met a week ago, to be any different? My nearest and dearest example had shattered with my parents’ marriage. They included my mother dying practically alone, while the man who’d sworn to love her in front of God and family was in the guest room asleep, next to his girlfriend. A woman who had been ready to throw out my mother’s things by the time we got back from the burial. The topper was the huge fight only hours later because she wanted to move into the master bedroom. That’s when I really saw her for the first time, without the phony friendship and concern.

I’m dumb to think things were different. Always seeing what I want instead of what’s actually there. What would this be to him? A quick hookup? And I’ve been foolish enough to miss him so much I’d been about to give myself to him without a second thought, only to have him turn on me.

The door opens next to me. We’re in front of the house, and Tino’s standing by the door, his brows scrunched in a mask of concern. When did we get here? How long have I been lost in my own thoughts? I look around for my book bag, briefly forgetting we weren’t coming from the store like every other night. Heat runs up my cheeks as I step out of the car, taking, and actually needing, the hand he offered for support. Stress weighs down my legs, my entire body, making it a chore to drag myself out of the seat.

“Will you be okay, Iris?”

It’s more words than he’s ever said to me on his own. Though I heard the question many times, I still don’t know what to say. Holding my head high, I force out an answer. “I’ll be fine.” Hopefully that’ll be enough to let him leave in peace. I step forward, making my way up the driveway to the gate, teetering on the whorish heels Conny chose for me. Flipping the lock up, I turn my thumb sideways, fumbling over the tumblers with these ridiculous nails. Somehow, I make it inside without bothering to look back at Tino, though he has no fault in any of this. But when I make it into my room, I don’t bother turning on the lamp. I toss myself facedown on the narrow bed and do the one thing I haven’t done in months. I let myself cry, feeling sorry for the girl I’d been and the woman I’ll never have the chance to be.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

DANTE

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