Page 106 of Blurred Red Lines
Her words started to sink in, and my hand gripped the glass so hard I worried it might shatter in my hands. “It can’t be.”
“Esteban Muñoz took Adriana and raised her as his own daughter. He raised your sister to hate her own family and plan their deaths.” I felt her behind me before her hands touched my back. “I saw it in your eyes in that basement when you looked at her. You felt a connection with her, but you didn’t know why and it confused the hell out of you. Now you know.”
I swallowed hard, forcing the vomit I knew would eventually rise back down. “What are the papers in your hand?”
“Faked birth certificates, real birth certificates, blood records, and hospital records. A paper trail of proof that Brody dug up supporting what we’ve found. Esteban’s wife only gave birth once, and that was to Manuel. She’s your sister, Val.”
Turning, I met her stare, allowing her to see the fear that rolled through me. “If this is true, what will happen to her, Eden? This is all so farfetched, and she doesn’t know. All she knows is her entire family is dead now. What if she’s unsavable?”
Eden smiled knowingly. “She’s a Carrera. She’s not unsavable.”
I swallowed hard and grabbed her hand. “She ordered the hit on your brother. How would you ever forgive her for that?”
“One thing at a time, Danger.” Sighing softly, she buried her chin in my back. “Look, yesterday I thought I’d never see you again. That plan worked out well, huh?”
“I’m worried any goodness that might have been inside her has been eaten away by Muñoz influence.” I’d lived with the death and destruction of both our families my whole existence. I had no idea how she’d return from a lifetime of that kind of mind control.
“You both have your mother’s blood, as much as your father’s, Val. Give her time. She’ll find herself and seek you out. When that time comes, we’ll deal with it and be there for her.”
“What about you,Cereza?” I asked, turning and snaking my arms around her waist. “What’ve you found?”
A smile broke out across her lips as she wrapped her arms around my neck. Pressing her lips against my ear, she whispered with the strongest conviction I’d ever heard from her.
“Home.”
Epilogue
TWO MONTHS LATER
EDEN
“Val!” He sank his teeth into my shoulder as my body tumbled over the crest. Panting, I struggled to focus on his face as I grabbed it between my palms and brought his lips to mine. After a devastating kiss that found us both exhausted and collapsing in bed, he rolled to the side and scooped me in his arms.
“So,Cereza, how does it feel to sleep with the most powerful man in Mexico?”
A full-chested laugh escaped before I could stop it, causing him to raise an eyebrow. “Oh, please, Carrera. Do you really think you hold all the power around here?” The cocked eyebrow raised even higher, and my smile widened. The confused look on his face was priceless. “Come on, get dressed. We’re going to be late.”
He watched as I threw the covers back and opened the closet. “We? Where do you think you’re going?”
Adrenaline rushed through my veins as I met his stare, ready for the next step in my life. “We have a meeting.”
* * *
As the lastman walked out of the room, Val returned to his seat beside me at the head of the table and placed a shot of tequila by my folded hands.
I shot a side-glance at him. “Añejotequila? Straight shot, in a stem glass, not a highball, room temp, and if it hasn’t aged at least three years, shove it up the owner’s ass?”
“Warm house tequila, in a dirty shot glass. Cartel special.”
“Ah, big spender.”
Glancing around the room, he sat back in his chair. “So, was this your plan all along? World domination?”
With Mateo’s help, I’d finally figured out how I could be with Val and still keep my identity.
As equals.
I refused to be his dirty little secret or the little woman waiting at home for him to maybe come home, or maybe not. If what we had was going to work, I had to be in on every decision, every strategic move, and every dangerous situation he put himself in.
