Page 24 of Bad Blood
“In a thousand-dollar dress?” He studies my face for a beat, and then takes a step back. “Prove it.”
“I don’t think I—”
“Drop to your knees, Colombianprincesa,” he clarifies scornfully. “Go ahead, gather up your winnings if you need them so badly.” He kicks a couple of loose chips in my direction with the toe of his dress shoe. “I’ve always wanted to see how low a Santiago can go.”
He can’t be serious?
That’s when I know his hate for me will never match my hate for him.
“Well?” He slides his hands into his pockets and waits, daring me to expose myself as an even greater fraud than he thinks I am already.
It’s just a power thing, I tell myself as I sink to the floor.Think of Ella. Think of the bonfire I’m going to make with that footage.
Still, it doesn’t stop the tears of shame from burning my eyes as I gather up pieces of black and gold plastic at the feet of one of my father’s greatest enemies.
“Why did you ask me for my name if you knew it already?” I mutter.
There’s movement in my periphery as he squats down on his haunches, bringing his face level with mine. “Because big cats like to play with their mice before the kill…Mickey.” There’s a pause. “Dios mío, look at you,” he mutters in disgust. “On your hands and knees like a whore. Why do you need it so badly, anyway? Daddy cut your allowance?”
“Like I said,” I rasp out, my voice trembling. “He doesn’t know.”
I find myself staring down the barrel of his gun.
“Wait!”
“I’m not known for my patience,señorita,” he says, slowly flexing his fingers around the grip. “If I were you, I’d start talking. Because on my side of the river, the punishment fits the crime, and I’ve already ruined one thief’s day. Would you like me to make it two?”
Hell no. But I can’t afford to back down now.
“You’re not known for your compassion either, Santi Carrera,” I grit out. “Why the hell would I bother telling you anything if you’re just going to kill me anyway?”
“You have three seconds.”
“Go ahead. Pull that trigger. Start the war to end all wars. See how far my father will go to avenge the death of his youngest daughter.” Now it’s my turn to shake my head in disgust. “I know all about you Carreras and your dirty tricks and deceit. You call me amaldita mentirosa,but tell me, have you taken a good look in the mirror lately?”
I’m rewarded for my words with cool steel pressed against my forehead. Whatever strings of patience this man had just snapped at my insults.
Me and my big mouth...
I close my eyes and wait for the bullet.
Chapter Eight
Santi
It’sher unapologetic insolence that shreds what little restraint I have left.
What the fuck happened to the patheticprincesawho was just crawling around on her hands and her knees in front of me, scraping up casino chips like they were her last meal ticket?
Now there’s this…fearlessness,but that emotion sits too close to stupidity. Thalia Santiago seems to have confused the two. There’s no other explanation for her to fling insults at me with a loaded Glock pressed against her forehead.
After I’d stopped pacing long enough to watch the video footage, I’d recognized her immediately. Cartel warfare isn’t contained by border walls. It spills out like poison, turning foreign soil into a game of land chess. The difference between a good boss and a dead one is knowing all the players. And just like in regular chess, I know when to watch and when to attack. Once I saw that heart-shaped face and long dark hair—a vision that struck a hauntingly familiar chord inside me—playing strategically was no longer an option.
A Santiago is a threat—whatever form it takes.
“Either answer the question or pull the trigger.” Her breathy voice fans across my face. “Indecisiveness is a poor quality in a leader,SeñorCarrera.”
A valiant effort, but I see right through her. It’s like my father always said,an enemy in a designer dress is still an enemy, and seduction wrapped in forced bravado is still fear.
