Page 284 of Hate Mates

Something in his voice makes me look at him, at the blood dripping from the side of his mouth, at the cold eyes that will probably be the last thing I see before I die.

And now I'm freezing again. My gaze is everywhere at once, on the crashed truck, the long tree-lined driveway, the fresh snow on the ground.

We are out in the open, and I'm naked. The same panic I felt when I woke up in that box, alone in the dark, now spikes the walls of my chest. I'm surrounded by a mob of criminals. I'veseen gatherings like this. You don't grow up in this life without learning to recognize the signs. My insides tremble. I don't know if it is from the fear or the cold starting to seep through my skin. Dario Cordero and his family kidnapped me. They're either going to kill me, try to ransom me, or worse, pass me around.

They'll have to kill me first.

I lift a knee and catch Dario at his side, forcing him to release my hands. The second he frees me, I turn to bolt. Instead, I find myself eyes-to-eye with him, his hand pulling at my hair, forcing me to stare at him.

"Calmate, Soledad," he says.

"Fuck you," I spit back. "Let me go."

He shakes his head. "There's nowhere for you to go. You wouldn't make it a mile down the mountain without clothes."

"My father will pay you well."

He smirks, and it ices my insides. He's toying with me. I've seen Ludovico, my father, kill men before. I was eight, hiding in his office, the first time I saw him murder someone. He smiled like Dario just did. I never forgot it.

That's how I know I'm going to suffer a fate worse than death. Dario hates me. But I'll be damned if I go down without a fight.

I step closer to him, not missing the way his eyes rake over me. Then I lift my knee, but he turns sideways.

Feet rush toward us.

"No," he yells.

First, the pain breaks on the back of my head, and then, the world fades to black as the warmth surrounds me.

Chapter Three

"Let me the fuck out of here."

Glass crashes against the wall behind me again. She's been at it all day.

"You fucking pig. You kidnapped me. Ludovico is going to kill you for this."

I grit my teeth, and the pain breaks over my jaw. It's the annoying reminder of the two times her fist made contact with my face. I can't let it get to me. Instead, I stare at my father, sitting back in his cowhide, leather office chair while sipping his afternoon coffee.

"Ludovico is mobilizing the streets, looking for her. It's only a matter of time before he knows she's here."

"You can always call him and tell him what happened. You'rePatriarcas. He will believe you," my cousin, Diego, offers.

My father turns a look that should incinerate him on the spot. "Are you stupid,pendejo?"

Across the room, Gustavo's gaze meets mine. I can read theI told you soin his silent response. Diego is a naive fool.

"If we return her, we'll look like the kidnappers. Not to mention, Ludovico will think we hurt her. Either way, he'll takethat as an offense. It would spark a war none of us is ready for," Gustavo explains.

"Oh. What can we do then?" my cousin asks.

We stare at each other in silence.

"Elio is our man. Anyone who saw him drive up here and puts two and two together would think he acted on my orders," my father says.

I snort. "That's ridiculous. Our men are the best. Why would we ask Elio, a driver, to do this?"

"No importa, Dario. You know as I do, only optics matter." He rubs his beard with the back of his nails. "I've thought about it all night. We only have two choices. One, we kill Soledad."

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