Page 60 of Beautiful Dangerous

But you don’t want that…

No, I don’t, I don’t want any of this.

It doesn’t matter whatyouwant. He’s back. And Olivia is his wife.Hiswife…

I know that.

I know…

“It’s not my place to tell you how to run your business, Javier,” Eddie continues. “I’m just telling you what I know. What I’ve heard.”

“No, Eddie, you’re right. Olivia wasn’t just some figurehead, put in place to look pretty while someone else did the work, it was all her. She deserves to play her part, and she will continue to do that. Alongside me.”

He casts another glance in my direction, because he knows he’s just contradicted everything he told me earlier, about keeping Olivia away from the frontline now, but Eddie’s right. Javier needs Olivia more than he realized. Maybe more than he wants to need her, as part of the cartel, but she’s made too much progress, courted too many new contacts to be pushed aside now.

“Now I’m back, I’m going to need Lucca with me, which means Olivia is going to need more security. I don’t want her going anywhere alone, especially once wind of my reappearance reaches certain circles. I have my own soldiers at all of our premises, but they will need to remain in place. What she needs is someone with her at all times. Can I trust you to help out where necessary, Eddie?”

Hearing that makes my stomach sink, I’ve been so used to being around her, just the two of us…

And look how you abused that privilege.

The betrayal it led to.

You’re safer away from her.

Safer, but not happier.

“Of course. I’ll get someone over to the house immediately.” I watch as Eddie beckons Angel over, and my stomach sinks even lower. Even though I know that what happened between him and Olivia was nothing more than sex, I still hate the idea of him being too close to her.

Because you’re jealous…?

Yeah. Because I’m fucking jealous!

“You alright with this, Angel?” Eddie asks.

“Whatever you need me to do.” Angel shrugs.

“Okay. Thank you, Eddie. Now, onto other business. But first, I need to thank you personally for helping us to rid the world of Tony and Emilio Pino.”

“We have each other’s backs, Javier.”

And all of a sudden the enormity of the precipice we’re all standing on right now sinks further in. We may have ignited a war that’s been quietly raging for as long as the Delgado family can remember, but it’s one I know Javier is going to win. No matter what it takes, and what that means for me and Olivia…

Thereisno you and Olivia.

But I want there to be.

Does she still want that, too…?

Olivia

“I hear your husband has risen from the dead, Olivia.”

The deep, heavily accented voice of Endo French travels down a somewhat crackly line, making me wonder just where the hell he’s calling from. Or, indeed, why – given what he’s just said; what he now knows – he’s callingme. Shouldn’t he be contacting Javier? Shouldn’t he be talking tohim?

“Is that the reason why my shipment is now in the hands of the Delgado cartel? Why Tony and Emilio are no longer with us?”

“Have you spoken to Javier?”

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