Page 59 of Brutal Enforcer

“Myconejitahas claws,” I murmured against her hair. Checking the time, I reluctantly drew back. “You need to go, or you’ll miss your train.”

Lyse glared at me, resentful, but she did what I asked: she headed for the terminal with her shoulders straight and her head held high.God, but I love her, I thought. I would find a way back to her when the time was right. Until then, I would do whatever I had to do to earn Angel’s trust again. I would do anything to keep my brother safe.

They had a viewing window in the station, and I watched Lyse cross the platform and board the train. It hurt watching her go, but it would keep her safe. That was what mattered. A few minutes later, the train pulled out, and Lyse was on her way to New York City.

I pulled out my phone and called Lili. “What?” She sounded absolutely miserable.

“I just put Lyse on a train,” I said. “I’m headed home.”

“Really? You’re not going to leave?”

I sighed and started for the parking lot. “Where else am I going,Mija? I’m a Castillo, through and through, even if our older brother iscabezón.”

She laughed wetly. “I think that’s a family trait.”

“You’re probably right.” I gave it a breath. “Want to tell me about Matteo Rojas?”

“Not for all the money in the world,idiota.”

CHAPTER31

Lyse

Iswiped at the stray tears on my face as I settled into my train seat, and cursed Omar Castillo.You make me love you, and you send me away, I thought. Out of all the times to be noble, he had to pick now?

“Whoever he is, he’s not worth it, sweetheart.” I looked across the aisle: an elderly man was digging a novel out of a laptop case. He smiled at me softly. “Whoever made you cry like that,” he said, pointing at my face. “He’s not worth all that sadness.”

I wiped at my cheeks again, self-conscious. “How do you know these aren’t tears of joy?” I asked. “I could be thrilled beyond words.”

He tutted at me. “Your eyes are very expressive,” he said. “They say everything that your words don’t. Whoever you left behind, he’s broken your heart.”

I huffed. “It wasn’t justoneguy,” I said, and when the old man’s eyebrows went up in surprise, I waved my hand with a laugh. “I mean, there is a guy, yes, but our families are the bigger issue.”

“They don’t want you together?”

I shook my head. “It’s more complicated than that.”

The man tutted and again opened his book. “Love is never that complicated.”

If you knew the world that we lived in, I thought. “I’m glad it was easy for you, then.”

He glanced at me; his face was unreadable. “I wouldn’t call it easy,” he said. “The love part was easy: I knew my wife was the one for me after a handful of dates. But life has a way of beating people down, and even the strongest loves become brittle with age. The years that you don’t particularlylikethe person that you love? Those aren’t easy. The year that your partner is diagnosed with terminal cancer? That isn’t easy.”

I ducked my head. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“It’s one of the inevitabilities of life, unfortunately,” he said. “I wished I had gone first…but I wouldn’t want her to experience this kind of pain either. You.” He pointed at me. “You’re too young to experience loss like mine...especially if your sweetheart is still around.”

His advice was sweet, if a little bit sappy, but it stoked the anger that was growing in my belly. Not only had Omar walked away from me, put me on a train to a brand-new city with nothing but a credit card, but he made the choice for me. He didn’t give me the option to stay and fight with him.

Fuck this. I didn’t have to go to New York by myself just because Omar told me to. I could do whatever I wanted. “Thank you,” I said to the man.

“For what?”

I smiled at him. “For clarity.”

Standing up, I wove through the crowd of people still trying to get on the train and stepped down onto the platform that was farthest from where I got on. If Omar saw me leave the train, he’d make me get back on. He might even take me to New York himself, but he wouldn’t stay, so getting caught wasn’t an option.

I had to come up with a plan before I saw him again. I needed him to know that I was going to stand by his side, no matter what our families might throw at us…I just needed a way to do that.

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