Page 16 of Cartel Viper
“I’m not. I’m talking to you like a woman who knows more about the life I live and your sister lives than you should. It means you know what she can arrange and what I can do. Do you want one man as your guard or an eight-man rotation? It’s me or Maks, his brothers, and his cousins. Choose now,chiquita.”
“You.”
She doesn’t hesitate, but she resents it. I don’t care.
“I can’t protect you if I don’t know the truth.”
“You’ll have to figure out how to. I won’t reject your offer anymore, but I’m not telling you anything else.”
“Then I will see the boogeyman in anyone who goes near you. Do you want me to confront every man in sight?”
“No. I’ll tell you some of it, but not tonight. I want to stay with my family. It’s been ages since I’ve had fun with them. I want to enjoy it.”
I stare down at her before I nod. Relief settles over her, and a surge of guilt washes over me for pushing way too hard. I dialed it down about a million from how I’d be if I were interrogating a man, but obviously, I was still too much. I don’t want to remind her of whoever I want to learn about.
I suspect it’s the guy she was with, and I just want her to give in and tell me. But at the same time, if that’s who did this, I’m not surprised she doesn’t want to tell me. She fears him, and she doesn’t want to admit she stayed with a man who mistreated her.
“Tomorrow, Maddy. That’s as long as I’m willing to wait.”
A knock on the door signals we’ve run out of time. I can’t believe Anton waited this long, but I’m glad he did.
“Coming! Meet me at the park?” She says the second part to only me.
“Nine?”
“Okay.”
She steps out of the stall, and I go back to standing on the toilet seat. I listen to her when she speaks to Anton.
“Sorry about that. I had to take a call about a patient. I needed privacy to discuss the case.”
“No worries.”
Anton’s voice fades as he responds, and the door closes a moment later. I count to a hundred before I step down. I ease open the restroom door and count to forty before I step out. No one appears, but I know we have men hidden in the shadows as added security. There was nearly a scene between Olivia Mancinelli, the Mafia underboss’s wife, and Cormac O’Rourke’s date. We have history with the woman’s family, so I stuck close by since the woman’s brother was there too. Sack of shit he is.
Besides that, it’s been the perfect event. The wedding was moving, and I don’t remember a time I’ve been prouder to be part of my family than when I stood in the row of groomsmen as mytíomarried his soulmate. I glance in Maddy’s direction as I return to the ballroom.
I wonder what she’d look like in a wedding dress rather than the gown she’s in now.
My eyes feel like I rubbed them with sandpaper. I’m exhausted, and I wish I could blame it on a hangover or fucking a bridesmaid all night. Considering the three women who stood besideTíaElodie are all married and connected to a different syndicate, I definitely didn’t go after any of them.
Instead, I spent all night two houses down from Maddy’s parents’ house. I had to park farther down the street untilTíoLuis andTíaMargherita got home. I couldn’t risk themrecognizing my car. Once I was in position, I remained camped out there until Maddy got in her car twenty minutes ago. I’ve followed her most of the way to the park, but I took a shortcut to get here first.
I’ve already swept the area, and it’s clear. It’s a state park, not one with a playground. There’s no one nearby on the trails, but there could be at any minute. I park at the far end of the lot, nearly out of sight. It’s where Maddy and I ended up with our dates that night. I hope she figures out this is the spot.
I only have to wait another two minutes before her car appears. She backs into the spot like I did and looks over at me. I climb out of my car, and she opens her door.
“No.”
She hears me and looks over again as I walk around the hood of my car and approach her. Her door is ajar, so I open it. However, I block her from getting out.
“From now on, you don’t get out unless I open the door or give you a signal that it’s safe.”
“A signal or open it for me? You’re supposed to be a ghost. You can’t come near me without someone noticing, and if you’re hidden, I won’t see any signal.”
“Do not get out of the car again until I let you know it’s safe, Maddy.”
I step aside, and she climbs out. She opens her mouth to disagree, but when I shake my head, she snaps it shut. She pushes the car door hard enough to slam it, but I catch it, closing it with barely a sound. She turns toward some tables, but I open my passenger door.
