Page 12 of Cartel Cobra

“Tell me the truth, Ana. I knowpapá’sasked you this, but I don’t believe you’ve told him the truth. Does Domingo have a temper?”

“He’s never hurt me, Kiko.”

I’ve used that nickname for my older brother since I started to talk but couldn’t say Enrique.

“That isn’t what I asked. I know he won’t hurt you. You’d stab him or shoot him if he did. But does he have a temper? Will he try to intimidate you? Scare you?”

“You’re avoiding the reason I called.”

“No, I’m not. I want to know if the real reason is because Domingo did something.”

“How do you know I’m with Domingo? I only said I was in a restaurant. I didn’t say who with.”

“You think I haven’t pulled up your tracker and Domingo’s? You call me at nearly eleven at night asking me about an enforcer, and you don’t think I looked up where you are and where your fiancé is? Did Esteban do something, and Domingo didn’t protect you? I’ll ki?—”

“No. Nothing like that at all. Stop, Kiko. Your imagination is running away with you. It made me nervous to see Paco, Chuy, and Cokie walk into a restaurant with him.”

Francisco, Jesus, and Jorge Hierro are men Enrique and Luis can’t stand. The three brothers used to pick fights with mine until Enrique put Paco in the hospital for nearly a monthwith a stab wound to his kidneys. Chuy thought to defend his older brother and went after Luis, not knowing Cokie would try to attack me while Luis and I headed to tennis courts in our neighborhood.

Luis lost his mind when he saw Cokie reach for me. He was half an inch from slicing Chuy’s jugular and didn’t finish the kill, so he could get to me. Cokie discovered my brothers weren’t the only ones who carried knives. He’s legally blind in his right eye because I almost skewered it. I only had time to nick it before Luis launched himself at Cokie.

“Leave now, Ana. I don’t care if you and Domingo haven’t finished dinner. I don’t want you around the Hierro brothers.”

“I know. But should I fear Esteban because he’s with them? I’ve seen him around a few times recently, but he wasn’t with any oftío’smen. He is tonight.”

“No. You don’t know Esteban, but I do. He won’t touch my sisters.”

I suck my lips in as I look over my shoulder at where Esteban and I stood as we practically dry humped each other.

“If you say so.”

“Ana—”

“Yeah?”

My brother rarely pauses when he’s speaking. If he has something to say, he’s already thought it through.

“If anything happens, you can trust Esteban. He’s the only man anywhere nearTíoHumberto that you can.”

“What do you mean? Why are you telling me that? Kiko, is something going to happen?”

“No. I know how things appear, but you know in our world it’s never that simple. Esteban and Matáis are theonlymen outside our family I trust completely.”

What the fuck? He didn’t say Domingo.

“Why are you letting me marry a man you don’t trust?”

“Luciana?”

How much did Domingo hear?

Chapter Four

Esteban

“My sister asked about you.”

I glance over at Enrique as I steer my boat into the center of Lake Guatavita for the second time in a week. I stepped out of the restaurant restroom as Lucy walked past me. I ducked in there to text Enrique what I learned from the Hierro brothers. I got a name. I didn’t plan a hookup. I knew they’d notice her if she went back out to Domingo, and that was the last thing I wanted.

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