Page 53 of Defy

“What aren’t you saying, D?”

He licks his lips before he starts talking again. “He isn’t going to hurt her,” he says again like he’s calming me down before pissing me off. “But he does plan to use her as leverage.”

I was right. I’m pissed.

“No fucking way, Diego. I’ll kill the old man. She’s done being used. He can use me instead. I’ll be worth more to my parents after this change in events anyway.”

Fuck, I don’t want to go back to living under that roof but if it ensures Libby’s freedom, then so fucking be it.

“He’s planning on using her as leverage againstyou,Dominic. Not your parents.”

I jerk back in confusion. “Me? What does he need leverage against me for? What do I have that he wants?”

“Look man, I love you like a brother and I hope like hell that I’m doing the right thing but now I need to let him explain the rest.”

Shortly after that, we pull up to Mateo Santos’ guardhouse.

Seventeen

AFTER A PRETTY INTIMATE frisk and a full search of our car that included knifing the leather in all the seats to make sure Diego and I had nothing hidden, the guards are instructed to escort us to the house.

Mateo Santos is waiting when we arrive.

We stare at each other for what feels like eternity before Mateo speaks.

“Dominic,” he says calmly. “I can’t say yours is a face I ever wanted to see again.” His voice is brittle. He hasn’t aged well. A rounded posture has him appearing several inches shorter than the man I remember.

“Mateo. Is Libby here?” I ask as calmly as I can, hoping my desire to choke this old man out isn’t clear as day.

“How is it that you happened uponbothof my daughters? When you fled, I thought it was because you couldn’t bear to carry the weight of your sins. To think, I almost felt sorry for you. And then you reappear, only to walk my other daughter right into the lion’s den.”

Fuck, fuck,fuck.

I throw a glance at Diego, his eyes widening slightly. Apparently, he’s surprised by Mateo’s cold, questioning demeanor. Did he expect we’d hug?

Mateo’s feeling me out. Checking the story for himself.

I’ll bite.

“The first was my parents doing, sir, as you know. The second was by some cruel twist of fate.” I want to say so much more but I keep my answers simple to allow him time to process.

He’s dressed in suit pants and a collared shirt. He doesn’t walk with a cane but it looks like he may need one soon if he wishes to stay vertical. Where our compound is coastal, Mateo’s is in the mountains. Slightly easier to defend because you can see people coming for miles and it’s unlikely they could attack from above. It reminds me of Richard and Bea’s in a way, with the birds’ eye view from the hill.

The gray, stone house is imposing in size for sure but nowhere near the fortress I just left. We’re standing in the front yard, in clear view of the guardhouse.

“What is it you want, Dominic?” he asks.

“I want to get Libby out of the country, Mateo. My parents will come for her and they’ll kill you both,” I tell him truthfully.

“I’ve barely even gotten her back yet,” he says wistfully. Almost like he doesn’t fully understand the situation and I wonder if perhaps dementia has begun to claim his mind.

“Mateo, I don’t have much time here. Please.Pleasecan I speak to Libby?” Based on his demeanor and line of questioning, I’m assuming she isin fact, here.

“I think you’ve done enough for my daughters, Dominic.”

No. No, I refuse for this to be it.

“Please, let me speak to her. If she doesn’t want to talk to me, then I’ll go, but you have to believe me, I love her, Mateo. I had no idea who she was when we met. I was trying to save her life when I was backed into a corner with no choice but to call my brother for help. Fuck, I’mstilltrying to save her life.”

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