Page 52 of Into the Light

“You had one thing that my son lacked,” he said as he reached his hand out toward mine. “And I can respect that.”

“Which is?”

“Brains.”

My eyes darted into the corner of the next room over Mr. Ortiz’s shoulders where Ember was breaking down. She was walking in this direction. As if Pico noticed the same thing, he moved me out of the way, and I grumbled a goodbye, and Pico changed the topic, talking about matters that likely interested Mr. Ortiz more. Money.

I glided into the back of the house, where I caught Ember midstride, and I shoved my hand to her mouth, begging her to be quiet. If she said anything, it would make things worse for the both of us, so I didn’t want to startle Mr. Ortiz to look in our direction.

“Come on,” I whispered in her ear as I gently wiped away some of her tears.

Just as we got outside, I paused but not before shoving her up against the house.

“What do you think you were about to do?” I barked. “Run up in there and suddenly be involved in the fucking Cartel business?” Fuck. I didn’t mean to scream at her. Regret churned in my stomach, making me feel nauseous.

“I-I—”

“I’m sorry. I was . . . pissed.” I admitted, interrupting her to genuinely apologize. “When I am around him, I become a different person, someone I don’t recognize at all, and I hate that it happens, but it does, and I am only human.”

Her delicate fingers pressed against my lips before her free hand wrapped around the small of my back, pulling me tight into her.

“Shh,” she murmured. “It’s okay. I get it.” God, the way she spoke felt like feathers tickling the back of my spine. It was melodic and beautiful, yet safe and comforting. How a voice could create those emotions from within me was beyond my understanding.

“Rain—”

“What did you hear?” I asked, my voice softening as I gazed into her eyes, my possessive instincts flaring, a deep longing in my chest.

“Everything,” she whispered, her voice trembling, her lower lip quivering. The moonlight painted her delicate features with a silvery glow, making her look ethereal in the dark woods surrounding us.

“I’m so fucking sorry, Ember.” Her fingers went up behind her ear as a single tear fell.

“Y-you did this?”

“Yes.” I would not start lying.

“Why?”

“They already had given you medicine to make you tired and pass out. It wasn’t a choice I had. Ash didn’t want to do it, but we knew without being marked you had a bigger target on your back especially when you went back to Dansport. I did it because you needed it and I was trying to do the right thing.”

She shook her head. “I-I cannot believe it. I always thought Ash did.”

“No. I was the one with the tattoo machine. I did it because he couldn’t. He gave the directive.”

“Why didn’t he ever tell me this?”

I shrugged because I had no idea. “The only reason I can think of is to protect me. He wanted us to get along. We were both so important to him.”

I paused as she processed the information she’d learned. “I’m so fucking sorry, Ember.”

My raspy tone was full of the pain and guilt I held onto.

“Our parents…” She trailed off.

“I know but we are not our parents. We do not live by their rules. We are not history repeating itself.”

She nodded. “No,” she whispered softly. “We are not.”

I pulled her closer, unable to resist the warmth of her body pressed against mine, my heart racing at her softness against the rugged backdrop of the forest. The ancient trees towered around us, their branches creating a canopy of secrets.

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