Page 436 of Rage

With my thumb and forefinger, I turn her chin toward me and capture her lips with my own. She sighs into the kiss, her lips parting as some of the tension leaves her body. “It’s going to take time for things to go back to normal,” I remind her.

“I know,” she grumbles. “I just want to be me again, you know? The old me that wasn’t like this.” Allie makes a frustrated noise in the back of her throat.

“I like this version of you,” I tell her. “You’re perfect. And he’s behind bars. Give yourself a chance to let that sink in. He can’t hurt you.”

She nods and rests her head against my shoulder, her body curling into mine. “What about when he gets out?” she whispers, finally voicing her deepest fear.

“He won’t,” I say firmly.

She doesn’t argue, but I already know what she’s thinking. She’s thinking that he will. That Miguel behind bars is only atemporary reprieve. She doesn’t want to get comfortable. But she needs to. Because I’ve got her. I won’t let anyone or anything hurt her again.

“What’s on your agenda today?” she asks.

Running my hand up and down her thigh, I consider pushing my meeting with Andrés, but I know I can’t. This might be my only shot. “I need to swing by the field. Coach wants to talk to me about next year,” I tell her. “I won’t be gone long. Do you want me to call one of the girls to?—”

“No,” she interrupts quickly, then more calmly says, “No. I’m okay. I don’t need a babysitter.”

Allie untangles herself from my hold and stands. I scowl, disliking the distance, but I wasn’t lying when I said I needed to run by the field. It just isn’t Coach I’ll be meeting.

Chapter Three

Roman

He stands in the middle of the field, his back turned, eyes fixed on the goalposts. The empty expanse makes my skin prickle. The stillness of the stadium feels out of place for a meeting like this.

“Is this supposed to be more inconspicuous?” I ask as I approach.

Andrés turns to face me, a slight smirk on his lips.

“I’m not sure a guy like me and a suit meeting on a football field on a Saturday will go unnoticed.”

He shrugs. “I don’t care if people see us,” he says. “I care if there are ears listening. And here,” Andrés waves around the field, “there are none.”

Fair point.

“So—”

“One moment,” he interrupts. “We have one more arrival.”

I follow his gaze and see a man walking across the field toward us. He’s dressed similarly to Andrés in dark slacks and a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He has the same dark brown hair and cold brown eyes. The closer he gets, the more their similarities become evident.

“A relative?” I ask.

“My brother,” Andrés says. “Adrián,” he introduces. “Adrián, this is Roman. Alejandra’s…” he considers me. “What are you to our cousin? You’re the boyfriend, right?”

I don’t like the way he asks that, as if ‘boyfriend’ isn’t sufficient. Maybe it isn’t. We’re young, but Allie is endgame. I won’t rise to the bait.

“Yep,” I tell him. “I’m the boyfriend. Nice to meet you.”

I hold out my hand and shake Adrián’s as he scrutinizes me.

“You’re also the son of the chief of police in Sun Valley,” he comments. “So, do you want to explain why you’re asking my brother to commit a crime?”

I cock my head. I hadn’t considered that angle.

“I’m not asking your brother to commit a crime,” I tell him. “I’m asking him to help me commit one. I don’t have the resources to get to Miguel now that he’s behind bars. But I assume you do?”

The brothers exchange looks. “We might,” Adrián hedges.

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