Page 61 of Vicious Heir

“I’ll take care of you,mi esposa,” he promised, and for the first time, I believed him. I knew that he had been holding back from me, but to know that he’d been holding backthismuch was shocking. Gone was my stoic, cold man. It was a little overwhelming to suddenly be aware of how much someone loved you; I never thought it would happen for me.

“How do you know for sure that your father was the one who worked with the Rojas?” Tío Jose asked. “David could have let them in, and they betrayed and killed him. That would seem more likely, yes?”

“Father admitted to it, Tío,” Omar said. “He wasn’t ashamed of what he had done; he didn’t try to hide it or explain it away. He was upset with Angel, and he wanted him to suffer.”

It was an oversimplification, of course, but no one but us neededallof the details. “Then he wasn’t in his right mind,” Tío Andre insisted. “You said it yourself that his cancer was spreading rapidly; it’s obviously affected his ability to think clearly.”

“Then why would he be allowed to remain in charge?” Angel countered. “Even if it was dementia that moved him, he couldn’t be allowed to stay in command.”

“It should have been discussed before you made a unilateral decision.”

I laughed out loud, and both of his tios glared at me like they wished they could set me on fire. I stared back, refusing to cower away anymore. “I wasn’t aware that you all were run by committee,” I said. “Did Gustavo ask your permission for a lot of things? I didn’t picture him as the type who asked for anything, let alone to be allowed to do something.”

“This is different,” Tío Andre sneered at me.

Anger like I had never known rose up inside of me. “I was yourprincesawhen you had me pinned face-first to the wall,” I said. “Now, I’m just the annoying wife that Angel should shut up, right?” When he looked away, ashamed of himself, I asked again, “Isn’t that right?”

Angel snapped his fingers. “Oh, that reminds me,” he said, and in a move that almost seemed superhumanly fast, he grabbed the gun that he’d left on the table, aimed it at his Tío Andre, and pulled the trigger. A tiny red dot appeared on his forehead, but there was a spray of red behind him as the bullet sprayed gray matter and bits of skull all over the wall. The man fell to the ground in a heap; he reminded me of a marionette that had its strings cut.

When the reverberating sound of the gunshot tapered to nothing, Angel’s family shifted their eyes from the body on the floor to Angel, who had put the gun down again and was back to cuddling me close.

“Ifanyoneelse puts their hands on my wife, I promise I won’t be nearly as merciful,” Angel practically growled. “My father declared war on me by taking what’s mine, and I would burn the world down if anyone tried it again. Is that clear?”

There was a murmur of assent. “She’s safe with us,jefe,” Stefan said.

I wasn’t sure that either of us believed that, but if we couldn’t trust them, what kind of life would we have? I couldn’t take having to watch my back every second of the day. That wasn’t a way to live or raise a family.

“Things are going to be different,” Angel said, pushing me out of his lap so that we could both stand. “I’m not my father, nor am I going to try to emulate him. You can either fall in line and follow me, or end up like him.” He gestured to the body on the floor.

“I’m with you, cousin,” Manny was the first to say, heartily and without hesitation. “I would follow you and Emma anywhere.”

I blinked, a little shocked to hear my name in the equation…but I was Angel’s matriarch. I would sit at Angel’s right hand. What had I really thought that would mean?

Manny’s declaration was followed by more, and soon everyone in the room had pledged their fealty to Angel, and more than a few added my name to their pledge, just like Manny. It was touching in a way that I didn’t expect, and Angel’s fierce smile was more than enough to soothe any uncomfortable feelings that I might have had.

Only a handful of weeks ago, this would have broken me, being kidnapped, chased, and then threatened followed by an execution. My mind would have been able to handle it. I would have been terrified and disgusted…now all I could see was a man who would do anything for me and for our child. He would go against his father and his family to put my needs and comforts first.

Was that love? Was it obsession? It didn’t matter because Angel was mine, and I would never give him up. He called himself selfish because he couldn’t let me go, but he wasn’t the only selfish one. I could no more leave him than he could let me.

He touched my hand and brought it to his lips. “Are you tired,mi esposa?”

I was the kind of tired that was bone-deep, but there was a need that cut through the exhaustion. “I am,” I said, “but I need —”

Angel smiled, soft and genuine, and it shook me to my very core. “A shower, I know,” he said.

“I was going to sayyou,” I said, “but it would be preferable to get a shower first. I would rather not get any mud anywhere else.”

His expression went from warm to smoldering. “Youneedme, huh?” he asked.

“If you taunt me, I could go and take care of myself,” I said, acting as if I was going to walk out of the room, but he caught me around the waist and held on tight.

“Let me come with you,” he said. “Let me take care of you.”

I leaned into him. “Take me.”

CHAPTER32

Angel

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