Page 54 of Devil's Vow (Diablos Cartel)

“You’ll let us be together?”

“If he comes, yes.” He bristles as if the thought alone is distasteful. “I’ll wait with you, and when he shows up, I will personally take you to a priest so that you can be married tonight.”

I throw myself against him, elated that he’s giving us a chance. “Thank you, Papi. Thank you!”

He takes hold of my arms and pulls me away. “But,” he starts. Of course there’s a but. “If he doesn’t come, you will do as I say. You will accept Diego.”

Looking toward the door again, I consent with a nod, because I’m sure he will show. “Okay.”

And we wait. For hours, we wait. Tears trail down my cheeks as the first morning light makes an appearance against a clear blue sky. I ball my hands into fists and bite my lower lip until it bleeds when customers once again fill the room.

I swallow down the ache of rejection and let out a long, painful breath. “He’s not coming.”

“I know.”

The tone in his voice has me turning to him. “What do you mean, you know?”

“He ran, Soni. He’s gone.”

Everything spins as I listen to him tell me how Santos left Villanueva yesterday. How no one knows where he went but that he took everything.

“He left?” I wince at the sound of my own words. “Why didn’t you tell me this when you first got here?”

“I’d hoped he was still planning on coming. For your sake. And I knew you wouldn’t have believed me. You had to see for yourself.” He takes my hand and squeezes. “I’d be lying if I said I’m not relieved. He’s not a good man for you, Soni. It’s not his fault. Ezequiel was right about his father. He was a deadbeat who drank and gambled their money away. And when he was done with it, he tried to mortgage the house. But no bank would lend him the money, so he came to me. I took on his debt in exchange for work.”

“But Santos said you stole their land.”

Waving the idea away, he says, “He only said that to pit you against me. I don’t need to steal anyone’s land. You know that.”

Of course I do.

“Are you ready to go home?” he asks.

My shoulders slump as I scan the station one last time. He’s not here. He’s not coming. “I’m ready.”

* * *

I go straight to my bed and don’t leave it for days.

Tears flow from my eyes until there are no more left, but even then, I weep. My heart aches more than I ever thought possible.

Every second of my time spent with Santos is dissected as I play them over and over again in my mind. Did I imagine it all? Did he try to tell me he didn’t love me the same way I love him?

Amelia steps out of the bathroom, wiping her mouth for the hundredth time after being sick. She still has no idea what she’s going to do about this baby, and I can’t help her now. All I can do is wallow in misery as I consider my own bleak future.

“I’m going to get some crackers,” she tells me. “Do you want anything?”

“I want to die.”

“Sorry. You can’t.” She shrugs. “We’re both fucked now.”

She leaves me lying in the dark, staring toward the window I so often escaped through.

Santos.

“Pendejo,”Dumbass, I whisper. “Cabron.”Fucker. “I fucking hate you.”

The door opens and I pull the blanket up to my neck. “That was fast,” I say, assuming it’s my sister. “Did you get the crackers?”

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