Page 59 of The Devil's Daughter

“I have very few regrets,mija, but one that haunts me the most is never admitting my love for him. He was always a passionate man who loved with his entire being, who deserved that love to be returned. It ismyfault Toni was taken to try to force my hand, to force me to give him Celeste. It is my fault you are in this position. If I had not withheldmylove, everything would be different.”

I give in to the impulse to reach out and take his hand this time. I think of the secret-filled thumb drive my brother gave me, commanding me to commit all the intel to memory so I would have ammunition if I was ever taken. There are only hints of what happened to Lola Flores, but enough evidence to suggest either Vicente Amador or Arturo Flores could have had her killed, based on their estrangement.

But that theory never made sense to me, once I found the scanned journal entries of hers that were included in the files. She loved both men and wanted nothing more than for them to patch things up, something she seemed very close to accomplishing. After these confessions, that either man could have killed her makes even less sense now.

“So you know he didn’t kill her,” I say.

He shakes his head and squeezes my hand. “I think I always knew it wasn’t him. And I believe he knew it wasn’t me. If either of us had solid proof, one of us would have been dead years ago.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” I ask, pleased, yet completely caught off-guard by his outpouring of honesty.

“Because I want you to keep your eyes wide open,mija. And tell your three men to do the same. And know that no matter what shape love takes for you, I will accept it if you believe it’s true. Because denying love is a path to ruin.”

He reaches out and cups the back of my head then, pulling me in to lay a chaste kiss on my forehead. When I look up again, Ben is gone, but I hope he stayed to the end.

30

Ben

Eavesdropping isn’t my style.I was only stepping in to tell Elle and Arturo that dinner was about to be served, but when I heard the first bit of his confession of love for a man we all believed was a monster, I was frozen.

I walk back down the corridor in a daze after hearing the rest, too many thoughts tumbling through my head to pin down. Drake and Baz are leaning over the rail, and turn when they hear me approach.

“Are they coming?” Drake asks, glancing behind me.

I don’t answer. I just close the distance, hook my hand around the back of his neck, and kiss him. He tenses at first, then eases into me with a low groan, opening to my thrusting tongue until we’re both breathless, our cocks hard where our hips nudge close. His reaction tells me everything I need to know.

When I pull away, I rest my forehead against his, but don’t release my hold on him.

“What the hell was that for?” he asks, his voice rough.

“We can never let anything come between us, okay?” I turn to Baz, who stands looking at us, a deep frown on his face. I reach for my brother, clamping my hand around the back of his neck and squeezing. “You got it,hermano? Nothing comes between the three of us. If we’re going to protect Elle, we have to be on the same page. We have to be completely honest about how we feel.”

“And how is that?” Drake asks.

His gaze is intense, searching, when I turn back to meet his eyes.

“I’m falling for you. Maybe not as hard as I fell for Elle, but the feelings are there and they’re not going away. I want more for us. More than just being bookends to her. I need you to know that.” I turn to Baz. “And I need you to be okay with it. You won’t lose me if you’re part of this.”

He gives a quick shake of his head, and claps a hand on both my shoulder and Drake’s. “I’m in, brother.”

“Promise you’re not holding back?” I ask.

He glances at Drake and chuckles. “Dude, if you think I’m going to confess I’m into Drake’s dick as much as you, I’m sorry. Trust me, if I change my mind, you’ll be the first to know. But Elle… I’m all-in for her, and you know it. Now do you want to clue us in on exactly what prompted this?”

“Maybe later. Let’s go eat.”

This time I let Drake head in to announce the meal, and a moment later, all five of us are seated around the big, rectangular table while the chef serves us supper.

I try to school my features when I look at Papá Flores, to avoid betraying my knowledge of the things I heard, but I can’t help but look at the man differently now. The anger I harbored for the past week is gone. I can’t imagine the kind of turmoil he went through, trying to balance the relationship he had with his wife and best friend, along with the business they were building together. I also got the sense Elle knew more than she let on. She didn’t seem surprised by the secrets he shared.

But knowing his history changes everything. Knowing he understands our predicament and is sympathetic to it lets me relax. Having a hearty meal to counteract the liquor I drank helps too.

“Delicious,” Arturo eventually says, nodding to Drake. “Please offer my compliments to your chef, Drake. Though I don’t think it can hold a candle to Elena’s cooking.”

Baz laughs. “Not even close. I think Mom’s cooking is what I miss most since we moved.”

“She misses you. Your mother believes you blame her for what happened.”

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