Page 12 of Broken Cracks

“You’re not telling me the truth. There’s something you’re not saying. Please talk to me.”

Damon lifts his throat up and runs a hand down it. “Miguel Cardez. Is this the man whose family you were taking care of, Izzy?” he asks with an icy stare like I’m the enemy.

“Yes, it’s Miguel Cardez. He was my captor, and he’s a cruel, vile son of a bitch. I wouldn’t spit on his grave.”

Damon places his hands on his head, rolling his eyes up to the ceiling.

“Fuck.” He walks over to the bed, sinking down in defeat. “Okay, the club works with the Cardez Cartel.” His eyes cut to mine as he dropsthebombshell, and my eyes fill with tears as I swipe them away.

“Okay,” I say in a trembling voice.The Dark Angels work with the cartel… it’s too complicated. It’s too much, and I’m going to die if I stay with you, Damon. Farewell.

I tell him with my eyes, but I listen.

“We lost their drugs and we got hit by an enemy club called the Savage Outlaws. When I met you last night, we were on a run to get our drugs back, because otherwise…” He looks up as he licks his lips. “The cartel kills. The cops interfered so we had to divert their attention; Sledge and I ran them to the border. Now, we got a chance to get the drugs back, but the crew knows you were with Miguel. There’s a battle, but I don’t want you thinking it’s your fault.”

It is, though. I left one bad situation to walk right back into the lion’s den. I shudder, crossing my arms over myself. “I see. Not much you can do,” I mutter quietly as a beat of silence exists between us.

“Our VP wants to use you as bait, to settle the score, but hear me out. I’m thinking we stage a giveaway under the terms that Miguel has to be there to receive you and then I ambush him and shoot that rat bastard right between the eyes.”

I shake my head, almost wanting to break down. “No, no, it’s not going to go like that,” I choke up. “There are too many things that can go wrong. If you kill Miguel, it’s endless. He’s only in the top position because his wife Gilda’s father put him there. San Carlo Cardez is the real one in charge. The whole of the famiglia will come after you.” I cry, sniffing and wiping my nose as Damon tries to reach out to me. I draw back from him; our union is pointless. There’s no hope when you’re involved with the Cardezes. “You won’t survive them. I can’t let you put your life, your brothers’ lives and the MC at risk like this. It’s better to let me go, tell them I snuck out while you were sleeping, make it up. Please, Damon, I beg you to let me go… I’m no good for you.”

“Stop, stop! I can work it out. It’s going to work. My brothers have and will back us both up. Izzy, you gotta believe me.”

Playbacks of Miguel flash like a horror movie cycling through my brain and I fall to the floor in anguish. I would work all day in the field to make myself unattractive to him. I would find ways to be with his son or wife until late, staying up so I didn’t have to dread being in my bed at night and him coming in to force my panties down and enter me. It never worked; he would still have his way with me, and in the morning, I could feel him branded inside me. His vile smirk and winking across the table as we all sat having breakfast induced my gag reflex.

“What’s wrong, Isabella? Are you not feeling well this morning?”Gilda would ask me, and I would give her a weary smile. He’d broken my soul into pieces, and as far as I was concerned, fighting for me wasn’t worth it.

I had nothing, and I still have nothing. I can’t bear to see his face, and even if he dies, he’s stripped me of my dignity. I want to be married to my new husband— I could see his face, so loving and kind. I wanted to be that happy, joyful girl. The one that skipped around in ring-a-Rosies with her students, loving to hear their sweet melodic voices, and receiving cute stick pictures because they loved me. She would never again see the light of day. That girl with the simple dreams would never live them out—a devil had torched them in hell.

“Izzy, come to me. Come on. I promise. I’m a man of my word and keep my promises.” Damon’s bluebell eyes draw me out of my own personal underworld as he holds me up, hugging me. He doesn’t let go, and his heartbeat, that distinctive smell of him, calms my brokenness. I hug him back, laying my head on his chest as he kisses the top of my head.

“I’m sorry,” I tell him, because I am. “I don’t have a family; you have to keep yours. You lost yours like me, and you can’t turn your back on your brothers.”

“Izzy,” he says lightly, and the way my name falls off his tongue is like falling into a cloud. His hands are calloused and hard on the inside, but to me they soothe. “Hey, where did you go just now? You were somewhere else… I was talking to you and then you went somewhere else.”

“A dark place.” I bite down on my bottom lip. “It’s not so good inside my head, and I don’t have anyone to talk to about what happened to me. Miguel is not a man to play with. I went through so much in that house. I cannot explain to you,” I say to him as my stomach churns like a washing machine.

Damon’s nostrils flare as hatred flashes in his eyes. “I’m going to break him in half, same thing I did to my father.”

I begin to sob again, wanting,needingto run. I shake uncontrollably as I look into the eyes of a man I think I could love. I can love him, and he can love me, but I’m not sure if we can make it work. “You have to let me go; you have to let me go, Damon. I can’t stay. I can’t,” I sob and it’s tearing me apart.

“Don’t say that, Izzy, I care, I know what it feels like to have no one in your corner. Nobody is gonna die on my watch. Izzy, please.” Damon’s choked up emotion surprises me and he starts to cry with me.

“What are we going to do?”

We wrap our arms around one another in a cocoon, and it feels like a place where only we can exist, our own safe bubble of love. It’s a rare place, and I just want to hold onto the elusive feeling for a little while longer.

Chapter Eight

Psych

A self-fulfilling prophecy has come true. I’m losing another woman I care about. A childhood curse crushing my life. I hang onto Isabella for dear life; it’s all I can do. She’s a bawling mess and her tears soaking my shirt are the same ones soaking hers. I refuse to let her go.

Miguel Cardez, one man taking over my current life, and my soul feels as if it’s been snatched away, and it might as well be—every woman I’ve ever loved gets taken.

We cry together until we can’t cry anymore. I’m caught in the middle of doing what’s right for my brothers and hanging on to the love of my life. I’m swaying from the pain, and my head’s in orbit again. “Hey, let’s lay down. Let’s just lay together and let it rest for a minute. We can pretend it’s you and me, because I can’t deal with not having you in my life.” My throat feels as if it’s full of cut glass, and the salt from my tears is all that’s left.

Isabella’s pretty eyes are puffy and we’re both worn out with no solution. If I can’t work this out, I’m gonna lose, and gonna lose big-time. I fall back and immediately Isabella places her head on my chest. Letting my hands run through her wavy, glossy locks, I’m praying it’s not going to be the last time. No words are spoken, but it’s enough for me that she’s in my arms for now. Her slender, smooth leg wraps around my waist. All I can think about is how I want to wake up like this, with her legs intertwined between mine.

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