Page 124 of Corrupted Kingdom

I didn’t bother answering the brave question. It irritated me.

‘Aren’t you going to read yours?’ I said instead.

He cracked his open and threw the cookie into his mouth, as he unfurled the quote that had been jammed inside. He laughed, handing the piece of paper to me. I took it reluctantly. What I really wanted was for him to fucking leave so I could see the rest of the photos that were clutched in my hand.

‘If you would rule the world quietly, you must keep it amused.’

I handed it back to him. ‘Looks like you got the right one. I don’t want to rule the world.’

Murphy tilted his head to the side. ‘Everybody wants to rule the world, Mariana. Which reminds me. If you tell anyone what we spoke about – Dornan included – I will slit your throat ear to ear and hang you off a fucking bridge. And I’ll make sure your son sees you die. Got it?’

A chill ran through me. ‘Yeah. I got it.’

I opened the door for him, shoving him out and slamming it as hard as I could behind him.

I didn’t want to rule the world. I didn’t care about power.

I just wanted to be free.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

MARIANA

It was late. Almost midnight, by the time Murphy had left. I spread the photos across my coffee table, drinking them in as his words started to hit home.

I wanted to believe what he was saying. Wanted to believe it wasn’t a cruel trick, a test, as Emilio was so fond of subjecting people to. But I’d known Murphy a long time now, knew his subtle little tells, could pretty much always pick when he was lying.

But, faced with the possibility of seeing my son again, my heart overrode my brain until I was so confused, I had no idea if he was lying or telling the truth. My BS meter was completely screwed in the face of the chance to reunite with Luis.

Murphy wanted me to embezzle money for him. A lot of money. It was a probable death sentence. Emilio had people everywhere – hell, he had Murphy, one of the most senior and powerful officers in the DEA.

But it seemed Murphy had grown tired of playing second fiddle to the Il Sangue Cartel. Seemed he wanted it all for himself. Seemed he was cleaning house, and he wanted me to assist him. Maybe it had something to do with Allie. Perhaps it was true love.

I looked at the photos one by one. Luis riding a bicycle. Luis entering a school classroom, a backpack slung over one shoulder. Luis kicking a soccer ball. His hair was long, his skin darker than mine. Lord, he looked exactly like his father. His eyes were the only thing that said he was mine. He looked exactly as I’d imagined he would, and that was a miracle within itself. It was as if I’d dreamed him into existence. He was exquisite. Greedily, as I examined the photographs, I wanted more. I wanted to hear his voice. I wondered if it still had that high, child-like pitch. He was almost twelve. Soon, it’d get deeper, more mature.

I wanted to hear his voice as a child just once before he grew up. Just one time. I wanted to hold him in my arms. I wanted to look into his eyes and see him looking back. I wanted to be his mother.

My hands were shaking.

I weighed up my options. If I told Dornan, Murphy would deny everything. He’d make sure I died, but worst of all, he’d hurt Luis. I’d heard his threat, and I knew he wasn’t bluffing.

Fuck.

If Emilio went down, what did that mean for Dornan? For John, even? For Guillermo?

If Emilio went down, what did that mean for me?

The notion that I might one day be free of the Il Sangue Cartel seemed so ludicrous, I couldn’t even picture it. I was a survivor, and survivors didn’t live on hope and dreams. They lived on blending in and doing what they were fucking told.

Dornan. Luis. It seemed like I was going to have to risk one to protect the other.

Dornan would understand, I reasoned with myself. He was a father. He knew the ferocity of a parent’s love.

I’d always loved Luis above all else, even though I’d never known him, even though he’d never remember a single thing about the precious few hours we spent as mother and son before he was taken away. But Dornan against Luis? One or the other? I’d never had to face that ultimatum before.

I thought of how far I’d be willing to go to protect my son. Would I betray Dornan? Could I?

Of course I could. I loved Dornan beyond words, beyond space and time and every shitty thing that stood between us ever finding freedom. But I loved my son more. He was a part of me. He came from me. And I’d tear the fucking world down to lay my eyes on him one more time.

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