Page 90 of Obsession & Oath

I push the door open and step inside. The usual hum of voices fades as the men look up at me, their faces stoic.

Rocco sits at the far end of the table, his eyes hard as he murmurs something to the guy next to him. Teo stands by a map on the wall, his gaze distant, while the screen beside him does something impressive and analytical.

I don’t look directly at Teo, not trusting myself to keep my emotions in check. Instead, I focus on the map, pretending to care about the Guild’s logistics and the moves we need to make in the next few weeks.

Teo doesn’t seem fooled. He watches me for a moment, his dark eyes sharp. “You wanna spit it out? Or do you need a couple more minutes?”

“Asshole,” I mutter.

Teo raises an eyebrow, leaning against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. “You want me to be a real asshole? I can tell you why I think you’re about to ask me what you’re about to ask me.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I say flatly.

He doesn’t push further on that, waiting for me to fill the silence like he knows I will.

“Have you heard anything?”

“You’re going to have to be a little more specific.”

“The bullet wound,” I bite out, then glance around to make sure no one is paying attention. “How bad was it?”

Despite his earlier goading, the smirk falls from Teo’s face as he sighs.

“We haven’t heard anything. If she was admitted anywhere, I might have been able to pick up something, but…” he gestures to his computer screen absently. “It’s equally likely they have professional medical care in the mansion, so...”

No news didn’t mean bad news; it just tightened the coil of guilt and worry in my stomach.

“You’re asking me the wrong question, anyway,” Teo finishes with a pointed look.

I have to restrain myself from rolling my eyes. “Enlighten me.”

“Thought you might be interested in who fired the first shot.”

“What do you mean?”

He doesn’t seem to want to say it out loud, content in just waiting for me to figure it out for myself.

“It wasn’t us, was it?” It’s not even really a question.

Fuck. The weight of it hits me like a punch to the gut. The Cartel. They were trying to kill her. That thought, that realization, sends a chill down my spine.

Teo meets my gaze, his expression grave. “I’m saying it wasn’t me. It wasn’t you. Rocco and Leon were so focused on getting Mia out…our men didn’t arrive until after she fell.”

I swallow hard, feeling like I can’t breathe. I try to keep my composure, but the fury is bubbling beneath the surface. I can’t stop the thoughts of Carmen alone with them, hurt, vulnerable, and at their mercy.

Teo gives me a long look before breaking the silence, his voice quieter now. “You need to get your shit together, Dante.”

I look at him, struggling to keep the tumult of emotion in check. “Why would Rubio…that’s hisdaughter.”

“You can’t think of a single reason the Cartel might be questioning her loyalties?”

No. There’s no way. He couldn’t possiblyknow…

Before I can respond to Teo, the door slams open.

“All right, everyone sit your asses down,” Leon barks as he strides up to the table. But it’s not the demand in his voice that captures everyone’s attention; it’s the woman in his shadow.

Mia looks, thankfully, so much better, no longer the disheveled, bloodied woman I saw in that warehouse. Her wounds have been tended to, and the bruises on her face have faded, but not enough to erase the remnants of the hell she’s been through.

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