Page 54 of Brutal Enforcer

“Lyse isn’t—”

“Isn’t a part of her family? Is she a victim of her father’s?” Angel scoffed. “When has thatevermattered? She’s a Rojas, and she’ll bear the weight of their crimes as much as any other member of her family.”

It was the same mindset I’d had not too long ago. “Lyse is so much more than that,” I insisted. I looked down at my hands, unable to stand the intensity of my brother’s stare. “She matters to me.”

Angel laughed; it was a cruel sound. “Shemattersto you?¿Qué demonios significa eso?” When I couldn’t answer, he demanded, “Do youloveher?”

“I’m sorry,hermano.” It didn’t answer his question. I wasn’t sure myself what the answer would be, but it was the best I could do. “I’ve made this mess, and I will do whatever you want me to do in order to fix it. My loyalty has always been with you.”

“Shut up,pendejo.” My jaw clicked as it closed. “Go get the woman.”

“What?”

“The Rojas woman,” Angel said. “The one you left alone in the kitchen with my pregnant wife.” The words came out as a growl. “Go. Get. Her.”

“Angel.”

He blinked, and it struck me again how much he looked like Padre. “Are you defying me, Omar?”

I shivered. It was the exact kind of question that Padre would ask that would end in a beating. “No,” I said. “No, of course not.”

I left the office as straight-backed as I could; I didn’t want Angel to think that I was running from him. I snaked my way through the house to the kitchen, and for a moment, my heart warmed again. Emma was showing Lyse how to roll the golfeados so that the person eating it could see the layers. I paused for a moment, watching them.

“You know, Omar’s never brought a woman around like this,” Emma said lightly, her eyes on her work, though I could almost feel her curiosity burning a hole through the counter.

Lyse snorted. “I find that hard to believe.”

Emma chuckled. “Let’s not pretend he’s a saint. But I’ve certainly never been introduced to any of them.”

A wry smile caught Lyse’s mouth. “Why am I not surprised that Omar would keep that part of his life separate? That sounds exactly like something he would do.”

Emma hummed. “That’s why this is so different.” She caught Lyse’s eye. “You’re different.”

A blush stained Lyse’s cheeks and I wanted nothing more than to run my thumbs along the color and pull her in for a kiss. “Because I’m the only daughter of the enemy cartel?” she muttered.

Emma stopped fiddling with the golfeados. “Well, yes. There’s certainly that. But Omar seems to think you’re worth the risk.”

“You think he’s an idiot,” Lyse said quietly, “for being with me?”

“I often think Omar is an idiot,” Emma said. The fact that she said it with such fondness made me smile. “But I think there is a different measure of tolerance where the heart is concerned. We don’t pick the people we fall for. It just sort of happens.”

I knew she was talking about Angel as much as she was referring to me and Lyse.

“You being here says a lot,” Emma noted.

“I don’t think Omar really had much choice in the matter. We couldn’t hide away forever.”

“If Omar didn’t want you to be here, meeting his family, then you wouldn’t be,” Emma said, laying her hand on her baby bump. “Never doubt how much that means.”

My blood ran cold. Emma was right. I’d wanted my family to meet Lyse. I’d wanted them to see what I saw. To feel the way I did about her. But Angel was proving that might not be possible. “Conejita,” I called softly.

Lyse looked up, and a smile stretched her face, like she could think of nothing better than seeing me. “That didn’t take nearly as long as I thought it would,” she said.

Emma’s smile, however, vanished. “How did it go?” Her tone was wary.

“Angel wants to see you,” I said, eyes only on Lyse.

Her dark eyes clouded with fear, and mine probably weren’t much better. I had no way to comfort her. She and I both knew that this was not going to be good. She turned and looked at Emma, offering her a watery smile. “Thank you for teaching me about golfeados. I really wanted to taste one.”

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