Page 104 of Beautiful Dangerous

Her head shoots up, her eyes angry as they rest on mine, her jaw tightening. “You’re punishing him.”

It’s not a question, it’s a statement. She knows exactly what I’m doing, as I knew she would.

“In reality, Olivia, he is getting off lightly.”

Her eyes drop, just for the briefest of seconds, before they’re back on mine. And this time a little of that anger has subsided, to be replaced with a gut-wrenching sadness.

“You’re punishingme.” Her voice is barely a whisper as she says the words, and again my heart breaks for her, but this is what happens, when rules are broken.

“I’m so sorry, Olivia, but this is the way things have to be now. He crossed a line. You know he did.”

She does, know. Of course she does. And her and Lucca, they’ve still been talking, even after my return. Planning. Meeting. And yes, I engineered one of those meetings, when I told him to take her home, from The Garden. I know they talked, about being together. I know they kissed. I know how close they came to stepping over that line, again, so Olivia isn’t totally free of blame. I know the bikers – some of the bikers, particularly Angel Ruiz – offered to help them make their escape, and for that he should be punished, too. But sometimes business has to come first, and I need those men. I need that relationship, but I have eyes on them now. On him. Angel Ruiz. His encouragement has not been welcome. But whatever plans they’d been hoping to make, none of them will ever happen. That’s why I need to get Olivia to Mexico as soon as possible, because I know that once we are alone, away from all the distractions and ridiculous fantasies she’s been harboring, I can make her love me again. And we’ll be happy, as we were before. Happier, even, once we have our child.

“So did I, Javier. I crossed a line, too.”

She’s admitting her mistake, but I don’t want to hear it. She’s forgiven, I’m not blaming her for anything. I love her too much.

“No, Olivia.” I shake my head and stand up; take her hand and pull her up into my arms, sliding my fingers through her soft, dark hair, trailing them down her spine until my hand rests on the small of her back. And even though she flinches as I push her gently against me, I know it’s just because she still needs time, and I’ll give her some. A little more. But my patience will start to wear thin eventually, and she needs to know that. “I don’t want to hear you say that, okay? No more. It’s over.”

The look in her eyes tells me she’s taking those final two words in so many different ways, and when she looks at me I can feel the sadness seeping out of her. But she knows, deep down, that she can’t fight this. She can’t win.

“We are going to have a great life over there,mi amor. A beautiful, wonderful life. You’ll run our home, bring up our child, you’ll be the perfect wife, and the most incredible mother.”

I’m issuing instructions, yes, that’s exactly what they are. And she knows – the look in her eyes has changed and resignation now merges with the sadness, because she knows I’m telling her what she’s going to be now. And any straying from that will not be met with any leniency. I love her, but I won’t be made a fool of.

“You are going to be what you were always destined to be, Olivia. The wife of a powerful cartel boss. Do you understand?”

She holds my gaze, her eyes hardening slightly, and she doesn’t answer me. She stays silent, and that angers me. “Do you understand?” I hiss through clenched teeth, my fingers digging into her lower back, but she keeps her expression stoic. Because that’s the woman she is. The woman I turned her into.

“Yes,” she whispers. “I understand.”

“Good.”

I let go of her, and she can’t step back quick enough, she almost trips over her own feet in her haste, and that one small action breaks my heart all over again. But she’ll never know that. She will never know she is my weakness. Ever.

“Now go and talk to Celine. We have so much to organize, and not a great deal of time.”

“When are we leaving?” she asks as I walk toward the door, and I turn around and look at her, smiling slightly.

“Next week. That’s when our new life together begins.”

And now I have to make sure she has no way of saying goodbye to the old one.

Lucca

It’s like the wind’s been knocked out of me; like someone’s struck a blow to the back of my legs, and for the first time in my fucking life I’m scared. Javier knows, and that means my life is in danger. Putting me in charge of business this side of the border means nothing, it just means he’s keeping me close, watching me, I’m not safe now.

“Not in the mood for celebration, huh?” Angel slides a beer over to me, and I grab it and down most of it in one draft.

“I’m assuming he’s spoken to Eddie?”

“I guess we all know the score now.”

I drop my head and close my eyes and I’ve never felt so out of control at a time when I need to be more focused than I’ve ever been. “I can’t let him take her away, Angel.” I raise my head, shaking it, my eyes meeting his. “I can’t let him do it.”

“Then we’ve got to find a way to fix this shit.”

“How?”

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