Page 106 of Unspoken Promises

“Fuck you,” I spit.

He’s deep in his murky story and ignores me. “I had no idea you’d be my most valuable asset when your mother became a mule to pay her debt to my men. They told methere was a daughter. An eleven-year-old. What should they do with little Lucy Murphy while her mother crosses the border stuffed with drugs? My answer is always the same on these occasions. Bring her to Father.”

This man is revolting. He’s the scum of the earth. I’m overwhelmed with thoughts of my mother. The second bit of faith I had was that she did love me. Even maybe, that one day she’d come back.

He ruined me. He ruined my mother. Men like him spread destruction throughout the most vulnerable places.

His tone is patronizing. “Yourmamitawas an addict.” A smug laugh leaves his lips. “Don’t tell me it doesn’t make sense. You’re too smart to think I’m lying. You came to me malnourished with less than ten items of clothing to your name, including panties.”

Every word dropping from his lips is ugly and crude.

I defend my need for this to be untrue, to think it’s all this man’s fault along with those slimy drug dealers in my neighborhood, but my words are meek and unconvincing. “She took care of me.”

“Did she? Did she really?” He bites. “Did she take care of you or did she keep you alive?”

The agony I hid so deep rises to the surface. I shudder at the thought of him knowing so much about me. He took a defenseless young girl, a woman on the edge, and used them both. But much as I want to focus solely on him, because over the years it was a way to ignore the pain around my mom abandoning me, I can’t now. I can’t pretend he stole me.

In an instant, shame consumes my whole life. Everything I value in myself, my wits, my intelligence, even my loyalty to Anton has been called into question, and my life becomes worse than meaningless. My own mother left mein the hands of corruption. I remember the day she lied to me. On our way to his compound, she told me everything was going to be okay. The memory burns a savage trail down my insides.

I can hardly breathe; my throat is so tight, and tears stain my cheeks. Even my nose runs with rejection, pouring deep sorrow out of my body.There’s nothing I want more than to be strong, but the pain is too much.

I gaze up at Anton sharply. How could he be part of this? How was he able to make me think there was hope in a world where there was none?

His jaw is clenched, his fists curled in so tightly his nails must be digging into his palms. I see regret in his eyes but I know better than to believe it. I don’t know him. He’s a stranger to me. The Anton I knew never existed.

And now, Father turns back to gaze at me with soulless eyes. “You’re lucky you didn’t end up like some of the others who came to me. You can’t say you weren’t kept in comfort.”

“You stole my youth. You stole my freedom,” I snarl.

His condescending gaze meets mine. “I thought you’d be desperate to hear this story. Doesn’t every orphan want to know where they came from?”

My voice is ragged and doesn’t sound like my own “One day you’ll get what you deserve…”

He smiles, and evil pours from his every feature while he continues his tale. “Your mother told my men you were a genius. That you were a coding expert. Nowthatpiqued my interest because I’ve always taken a special interest in the brainy ones. More valuable than a whore. More lucrative than a mule.”

What is he saying? Were there others like me in his compound?Oh God, I hope there are no children there.

“You sure earned your way out of the brothel. I hadpeople test you. Teach you. They all said how brilliant you were. And charming, too. I waited years, watching from afar, using the best talent in my organization to teach you, though over the years it was you who became the teacher.”

My biggest nightmare is a reality. “You used me to commit crimes?”

He pinches together his finger and thumb. “Just a bit. When your mom left you, I would have never predicted you’d be the jewel in my crown but you,mi Tesoro, allowed me my greatest desire—revenge against your little boyfriend. You allowed me to, shall we say… open the door?”

True terror crushes my heart. My boyfriend.The door…I was used to get to Enzo?

Pain, regret, and shame rip through me so hard my heart squeezes, a stone pressing into my sternum. I hacked GhostEye? It’s not possible. I would have known… I wish the pits of Hell would burn thorough the wooden beams and incinerate this man.

“You…” My voice is strained. I can’t even say anything more than one simple word. “Ensenada.”

He raises his left hand, and I didn’t notice earlier, he’s missing two fingers. “Revenge is a noble cause.”

My stomach roils. I swallow hard to keep from screaming. From crying… Father is the man who killed Enzo’s cousin?

His disturbing gaze bores into me.

Tears make hot tracks down my cheeks. “Ineverhacked GhostEye. I didn’t help you.” I can’t believe I did anything to hurt Enzo. To put his company at risk.

“Well, not directly. But we set up tasks, one by one, each time adding new challenges my own hackers faced when trying to break through his defenses. Don’t worry,mi angel, you just told us what to do, you didn’t have to get your hands dirty.”

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