Page 55 of Defy

He thinks he’s won.

But I’m still breathing.

“You never fooled me, Dominic. I knew from the first time I laid eyes on you and Daniella that you were in love. Even if you didn’t know who she really was. Your first mistake was thinking you could just waltz back in the family and take everything from me. Your second was thinking you’d get a happily ever after with her.”

It appears that I underestimated Luis. Either that or I was so blinded by my mission to get Libby out safely that I couldn’t see the plots and deception going on around us. He continues, the pride in his voice painfully noticeable, “You leave a trail of used, discarded people in your wake, hermano. Camila wasn’t to be taken for the fool you made her out to be the night you fucked Rosalita. We’ve been together twelve years now, by the way. Although, I’ll admit perhaps she got a littletoointoher role. Once Camila had gotten her taste of you, she went back to being a whore with your stamp on her. She was no good to me once she made her feelings known to Libby. There was no way Libby would ever trust her.” He narrows his eyes and keeps going. “But it was Irina who was the most upset.” Right on cue, Irina walks through Mateo’s living room to stand in front of me. She grabs my hair in a fist and pulls my head back with one hand, brutally covering her mouth with mine, while her other hand grabs its fill between my legs.

“Finally,” she breathes just before I shove her away from me with both of my hands. She giggles as she walks backward to stand next to Luis, licking her crimson lips the whole way. “Things could have been so different, Dominic. But you had to go and fall for her. Why is it that you would always fuck everyone but me? I was the best viable option for you and yet I was the one person you never looked at with desire.”

“Irina, what are you talking about? I’ve always loved you. Loved our relationship. You were like a sister to me. My quiet calm in the midst of the storm,” I explain.

“Your sister? Dominic, I never wanted to be yoursister. Iwantedto be your wife.”

The fuck?

I blow out a sigh of frustration and Luis’ lips curve into a smile, undoubtedly enjoying my anger. My eyes move around the room, reading the expressions on everyone’s faces, trying to gain information as quickly as I can. When I settle on Mateo’s face, his expression makes me pause. His eyes are dripping with disdain as he looks at my brother.

“I wouldn’t look so smug if I were you,” Mateo says to Luis. “You arrogant, entitled cocksucker.”

The shock on Luis’ face now is fucking priceless.

I settle in to hear the rest of Mateo’s speech and he doesn’t disappoint. “You show up, offering a trade on a golden platter. Disguising it as a fair swap when in reality all it does is leavemewith a mess. I kill him for you so your parents don’t disinherit youandyou get your title, rooms, and allowance back in exchange for bringing my daughter to me and keeping your parents off my back. It was win-win. But it seems you’re just as big of a fuck-up as your reputation would lead me to believe.” Mateo chuckles softly, remaining calm and then continues, “Thankfully, I’ve been in the game twice as long as you’ve been alive and I’ve perfected the art of being six steps ahead. To think you could outwit me was an arrogant assumption, boy.”

I haven’t noticed until just now that multiple other guards have filed into the room. One has Diego, one grabs Irina, and two step up to subdue Luis. And then there is the behemoth keeping tabs on me.

“Mateo.” I need his attention back on me. This is getting out of control. “Mateo, please, listen. Luis and Irina are right, I’m in love with your daughter and I will doanythingto get her out of here safely. You can feed me a bullet as soon as you’re done using me to get her to safety butplease, let me see her before it’s too late.”

“Daniella!” Mateo calls, the reverence in his voice unmistakable. “Come in here, please.”

I feel her before I see her and my heart constricts in my chest so tightly it might stop altogether. She walks hesitantly into the kitchen and then flings herself at me despite the guard flanking my side. “I’m sorry,” she whispers, peppering kisses all over my face, practically straddling my lap in the chair. “I’m sorry I was mad at you. I’m sorry I went with Irina. She said that it was the only way to keep us safe and that she’d help you find me. She was always so nice to me.” Her frantic hands are everywhere on my person and she buries her face in my neck. “Please forgive me.”

“Libby, you have nothing to apologize for. I’m the one who’s sorry. I just want you to be safe, no matter the cost, Princess. Can you ever forgive me? For everything?”

Irina chooses now to open her fucking mouth. “Yeah,Libby,do you forgive him for shoving his cock in Camila’s mouth? How about for all the times he fucked her? Because I sure don’t.”

I see the hurt and anger flit across Libby’s face. It’s brief but I don’t miss her wince. She hasn’t completely healed from that betrayal – not that I expected her to, but being faced with death does help put some things into perspective. I fucked up, but she knows she’s it for me.

I’m about to launch myself at Irina when Libby – the only one unrestrained and not held by a guard – marches up to Irina and punches her right in the mouth. When Libby pulls her hand back, blood is cascading down her knuckles. She smiles when she sees it and cocks back to throw another punch. The guards grab a hold of Irina’s arms as she tries to launch herself at Libby. A nod from Mateo and they begin to tie Irina’s hands to the legs of the chair they’ve placed her in.

“You know, Irina, Imelda was right. Dominic needs an equal. Well, on this hill,I’mroyalty so it looks like he found one.” Libby’s words hit their mark and Irina is seething, writhing against her restraints. My mother spoke the words to Camila but they aren’t lost on Irina. Speaking of…

“Where’s Camila?” The question pops out of my mouth while Irina groans and grunts in the background.

Painted green with jealousy, Luis answers me even as he watches Irina next to him. “At home. Probably plotting how to seduce you next because it’s always aboutyou, isn’t it Dominic?”

Mateo impatiently thrusts a phone at Luis. “Call your parents. I’m tired of this and I’m ready for it to end. Tell them you’re here. Tell them everyone’s here and they’re late to the party. I expect them within the hour.”

Luis does as he’s asked. I can’t hear my parents’ response to the phone call but they must confirm they’re coming because I see Luis’ face break out in relief.

“You stupid fool,” I address Luis. He’s still arrogant enough to think he’s going to walk away from this but what he doesn’t realize is that we’re all going to die. Every last one of us in this room. Plus, Mateo. Plus, Libby.

The order in which we die will be determined by the first shot, but the fact remains that none of us will leave this property.

Just as he said, Mateo Santos has been in the game a long time. He’s just as dirty as my own family. He may not have aged as well my parents, but he’s dealt with more heartache. He looks like a man ready to leave it all behind which makes him the most dangerous because he has nothing to lose. He’s calm and the sadness in his eyes is unmistakable. He orders for the rest of us - minus Libby, thank God - to be tied to the kitchen chairs we’ve been forced into.

Luis and Irina continue to fight and protest but they’ve been relieved of their weapons - if they even brought any - and they don’t have much choice. It’s either sit and be tied or be the first to get shot. While they’re seething across the room, Mateo addresses me again.

“You’re sure she’s forever?” he asks.

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