Page 41 of Blood Diamond

As I leave her makeshift clinic, a harem beauty doesn’t appear to show me the way. I wander aimlessly, afraid that I might accidentally stumble upon Gatita’s cage.

Near a set of stairs that hopefully lead to the front of the house, a sudden noise makes me stop short. This section of the hall is empty, but there’s a room nearby with the door slightly ajar. I inch toward it, and another muffled noise is my reward. A whimper?

A swatch of pitch-black darkness is all I can make out through the cracked doorway, but when a masculine voice rings out, I think I recognize it.

“…the bitch. She set him up,” a man moans. Niles?

The sharp, accented voice that answers him is easier to peg—Horatio. “Who? I need a name.”

A high-pitched whine echoes off the walls, and I inch backward, my heart in my throat. Only God knows what kind of torture could make such a sound. Something far worse than even Gatita’s claws.

“That bitch,” Niles repeats frantically. “That cunt Tiena—”

“Hey!”

I jump and whirl around to find a blond woman gazing down at me from the top of the stairs. With a curt nod, she beckons me toward her, and seconds later, I’m shown into the foyer and unceremoniously reunited with Jaguar. He smiles at my appearance, but despite his insistence of the contrary, he doesn’t seem more impressed with this version of me than the prior iterations.

“Beautiful,” he says, regardless. When I come close enough, he takes my hand and brings my fingers to his lips. The gesture doesn’t feel charming in the slightest. It’s a warning. All I can hear is Nile’s voice naming Tiena as an accomplice. To Ronaldo’s scheme or something worse?

In any case, it’s not like I can ask him.

Smiling, he releases me and heads for the door. “Shall we?”

This time, we take a red sports car but are followed by what seems like his full entourage. At least ten men and women pile into several vehicles and tail us to a high-rise in the heart of the city.

“Tonight, one of my lieutenants is having a little party,” Jaguar explains, to my utter alarm. Visually, he seems casual enough, leaning back with one hand on the steering wheel, but I’m not fooled. He isn’t the type to dole out exposition for the hell of it. “We shouldn’t be long. We’re here merely to mingle.”

“You don’t strike me as the mingling type,” I say, risking his ire.

To my surprise, he smiles in that charming way, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “You’ll see.”

When we finally exit the car, Jaguar leads me inside on his arm while four women from his harem flank us on either side. I’m tense the entire trip through a spacious lobby and into a glass elevator leading up.

The second we arrive on the rooftop floor, I realize exactly why he brought me here. While I rarely accompanied Tiena to her social gatherings, I recognize a narco party when I see it. The excess of wealth and the opulent glamor are unmistakable—nothing at all like the small get-together he made it seem. Not to mention, every man here looks far too dangerous to be mingling around a buffet for the hell of it.

I can only think of a few chilling explanations for our visit here. One, he wanted to show me off—but not out of vanity.

Those in the nearest vicinity to us turn our way and audibly gasp at the sight of me. Tiena in the flesh. These aren’t any old party guests, either. They’re all friends of Braulio. I recognize their faces from years spent in Tiena’s periphery, though I know none personally.

They, however, seem to take Jaguar’s stylistic choices at face value. I’mher,fresh from exile.

And where his friends linger, I’m sure Braulio himself isn’t far behind.

Damn.

Damn.

Damn.

“You seem nervous, Tiena,” Jaguar murmurs against my ear as we step out of the posh elevator that brought us to this open-air level. “Don’t tell me you’re feeling shy.”

I am. None of these strangers know the truth, but there is one tiny flaw in my plan that I haven’t let myself consider—Braulio does. He knows about my existence, and if Tiena really is dead, he’ll know instantly that I’m not her. He’ll have no reason to keep his mouth shut either, and there goes my ruse.

Dios mío,I can’t let him see me.

“I need to use the restroom,” I whisper, inching toward the thickest press of people.

“Oh no, you don’t.” Jaguar grabs my hand, gripping it tight. A hard tug on his part yanks me into him, and I’m effectively trapped. “You’re going to stay by my side, and we’ll see how good of an actor dear Braulio is. One more test, chica. Let’s hope you pass, huh? I’ve grown accustomed to that sexy little ass.”

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