Page 40 of Scarred Queen

Sotza looked at her then, allowing her to see the pain and fury in his dark eyes, though his face was carefully blank. He spoke in low, measured tones, “Yes, I knew her well. She was supposed to have been mine. I saw her and loved her first. I courted her slowly, gently… we were both young. Our fathers worked together. But then she met your father, a youngcapoin thefamiliaorganization.”

“My family?” she askedsoftly.

“Yes,” he agreed. “Your father… he was exciting for her, fun and he made her laugh. He took her dancing and swimming. Things I couldn’t do for her while I was here, helping my family run our own organization. And my own humour is… sadlylacking.”

She smiled at him sympathetically. “I understand, this business is murder on a sense of humour,señor.”

He laughed sharply. “I see you are also like your father. I didn’t stand a chance against a man like that. I must admit, I had thought about taking out the competition.” He glanced toward Reyes. “But then I met him and saw why she loved him. He complemented her in every way that I couldn’t. While I was darkness to her light, he was light to her light. They were an extraordinary couple, full of energy and boldjoie de vivre, if you will pardon the expression. I couldn’t bring myself to take away something that she loved with such passion… and then she fell pregnant with you and I was forced to let hergo.”

Her throat felt suddenly dry and painful with the need to cry. She pressed the heel of her free hand against her eye for a moment. Then she blinked back the tears and swallowed past the lump. “M-my memories of them are fuzzy. It’s like when I was shot in the head and then went into a coma after, my childhood memories were scooped out. But they are slowly returning. It… helps to hear you speak of them fondly. Or almost fondly in my dad’scase.”

He chuckled. “I grew to enjoy his company. It gutted me when your family wastaken.”

“Then why did you allow Ignacio to take me? To keep the only surviving member of my mother’s family?” she asked, turning to him, anguish bright in hereyes.

He took both of her hands in his and spoke earnestly. “Child, I… or rather I should say, we, all of us in the underworld circles thought you were dead. I admit there were rumours of a beautiful woman with white blond hair decorating the arm of Hernandez in Miami, but none of us thought it could be you. Not after what had happened. There is a grave with your name on it right alongside theirs. I personally attended yourfuneral.”

Her mouth fell open in shock. She hadn’t known that. Ignacio had never allowed her to visit the graves, assuring her it would be too traumatizing, bring back memories of the accident. Instead, he hadn’t wanted her in that graveyard because she would have seen her own grave, started to question him about the accident and unravel thetruth.

Sotza shook his head and continued, “Of course, this was a weak excuse. I should have looked further into the rumours. It was too convenient that Hernandez had married a woman that looked so much like you, had the same name and was the correct age. I should have flown back to Miami myself and looked you in the eye. I should have done it for Sandra. But I was too damn grief-stricken. I didn’t want to believe it could betrue.”

She nodded her head, still stunned by everything he was revealing toher.

“I’m sorry, Casey,” he told her quietly. “So verysorry.”

She lifted her head and pierced him with eyes shimmering with determination and emotion. “Then help me Señor Sotza,” she said grimly. “I want revenge on the people that did this to my family; the ones that planned this and the ones that pulled the trigger. I won’t rest until they’re all dead. Give me this and I will forgive you, both for myself and mymother.”

He stared back at her, unable to smother the emotion in his dark eyes. She saw the sadness and his own need for vengeance reflecting back at her. A cool smile played around his thin lips as he masked every trace of feeling. “Of course I will help, child. As it happens I have been doing some digging over the years, attempting to find the source of the hit. There were many rumours floating around at the time, but as more time passed they died away. Still, one in particular persisted. This one I looked into and found sometruth.”

Casey’s heart started pounding in anticipation. She had to remember to school her features. “And?” sheasked.

“Though I wish to lay all of my cards at your very lovely feet, my dear, I am still a businessman. I find myself reluctant to give you this information and watch a cherished link to my past walk out of my life, possibly never to return,” he said, a twinkle in hiseye.

Casey laughed, knowing exactly where he was leading her. “I see,” she replied and tapped a fingernail against her lip. “And how exactly would you propose to remedy thisdilemma?”

“A trade negotiation with new routes into the United States,” he said without pause. “With you as my main point of contact and twice-yearlymeetings.”

Casey nodded her head and smiled. “I think this can be arranged,” she told him and then removed her hand from his, deciding Reyes was probably reaching his limit of her touching another man, even if it was in pursuit of information. “Come let’s walk and discuss details, you can show me the rest of this magnificentgarden.”

Sotza stood, nodded toward Reyes and led her down another path. He turned to her and said enigmatically, “I have another gift for you, my dear, one that I will give for free.” His face softened as he spoke. “I found this particular treasure when I was digging for information on yourfamily.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Casey was starting to panic.This wasnotgood.

“Get the men off my fucking plane,” Reyes snapped at Alejandro, his hand tight on hers as he dragged Casey across the tarmac toward the private jet. She nearly had to run to keep up with his rapid strides despite her long legs. She was cursing her choice of spiked high heels. Had she known she would be marathon walking she’d have chosenflats.

“What about the pilot?” Alejandro asked,confused.

Reyes didn’t bother to respond, just walked faster until Casey was actually running to keepup.

“Right,” Alejandro said. He shot Casey a pitying look and jogged toward the plane to empty it before Reyes and Caseyarrived.

Reyes hadn’t said a single word almost the entire time they were at Sotza’s. He’d watched her interactions intently and listened as she’d negotiated each minute detail with the tough Venezuelan businessman, but he’d never once stepped in. Had she overstepped? Promised too much in her quest for vengeance? Had she given away too many of Reyes’ resources? They’d discussed what she should and shouldn’t say, but Casey had definitely branched out on her own, instinctively knowing when to push Sotza and when to back off. He was not a man to take bullshit lightly, despite the soft spot he clearly held for Sandra’s daughter. Casey had felt as though she’d needed to pull out all the stops when maneuvering the older man into a position that was advantageous to her and the Bolivians. But one look at Reyes’ face now and she was positive she’d done somethingwrong.

His men left the plane quickly, not looking at her as they passed, though she could feel theirtension.

“Vete,” he barked, pointing toward a distanthangar.

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