Page 77 of Brutal Mercy

“Chica, you never should have married him,” Diego states with a disappointed shake of his head.

“Better him than someone who had my parents killed and kidnapped my sister.” Luna trembles against me, whether from rage or fear or both, I don’t know.

Diego shrugs. “Your father was adamant I stay away from you. But what he didn’t understand was I take what I want. And I wanted you to belong to me. I would have taken care of you.”

“I don’t need that.” Luna sneers.

“And yet you married my enemy. Have you asked yourself why he would marry you?” Diego plants the seed of doubt.

Luna tenses at my side. And I know her well enough when she looks at me. My failure to be honest with her from the start has doubt stirring.

I murmur. “Don’t listen to him. He’s jealous.”

“If that were the case, you wouldn’t have called my father with the news.” He pegs Luna with a hard glare. “That’s right. He only married you to strike back at me and my father. Not because he cares about you. You’re simply a means to an end.”

Luna looks stricken. And I know we need to abort the night at the ballet. There’s no way we’ll make it through the show without me killing him with my bare hands. And I won’t do Luna or her sister a lot of good if I’m locked up for murder one.

“Let’s go.”

“Did I say something wrong?” Diego jibes as I escort her from the box, his evil laughter following us into the hall.

I glance at Luna. “I know you have questions. Not here. We’ll talk on the way home. There are too many ears here. Understand?”

Luna nods and lets me lead her out to the SUV. How the fuck did Diego know we were going to be at the ballet tonight? We must have a rat in our organization. And when I find them, they will wish for death before I’m through with them.

I shoot a quick text off to Ares, telling him to watch his back because something’s up. I fill him in on Diego being at the ballet and that we need to figure out who the rat in our midst might be.

Chapter twenty-one

Luna

Ican’tstopshaking,and we’re almost to the compound.

A part of me wondered how I would react if I ran into Diego again. And now I know. Memories of his assault left me shaky and wanting to hide. I’m glad we didn’t stay to watch the ballet. It was a nice thought.

“I’m sorry. If I had known he would be there, I never would have taken you.”

Finally, I glance at Hades. At the time of his proposition, I knew he didn’t marry me for altruistic reasons. Deep down, I knew there was some part of it I was missing, but there was too much going on, and I was hurting and scared.

But learning the truth from Diego, of all people, hurts.

More than I want it to. But as much as I tried earlier today to expunge him from my heart, I couldn’t do it.

“Is it true? Is that why you wanted to marry me? To get back at them?”

“Yes. We’ve been on the precipice of war with the cartel for years. And I needed an excuse that made them the aggressor. It’s easier to sell a war to your people if they think you were attacked first.”

“And I ran straight into you.” Giving him the ammunition he needed to go to war. Really, did I think he married me because he wanted to? Because he found the chemistry between us too potent and undeniable to stay away?

I wanted to. Which makes me an idiot.

“You knew when you married me that we weren’t a love connection.”

“No, we weren’t,” I reply as the gates of the compound come into view. I really do love it out here. I’ve barely begun exploring the house. “But I don’t know where that leaves us.”

“Earlier today, you mentioned a divorce, but you need to understand you’re married to a selfish bastard. Whether you want to be or not, you’re mine, and I won’t let you go.”

The SUV pulls up in front of the house. I wait while he exits before he helps me out. Hades puts his hand on my lower back and escorts me inside.

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