Page 15 of Sin and Seduction

“He was ready to shoot Juan Carlos before Dante even was!” she shouts, and I freeze, stunned by her admission.

“What do you mean?” I ask, apprehension spreading along my core.

“The attack wasn’t just your father’s plan. His tie with my family has been under direct orders from his boss since my brothers were children. Juan Carlos was merely a puppet in his operation. A face that he could hide behind.”

Just when I think it’s all about to be over.

“Continue,” I say, confusion and fear mixing like a cocktail in my stomach.

“Diego Flores is the head of the Mexican cartel. He’s the one who ordered the ambush and my father’s murder. Your father just got caught up and distracted when he found out your mother had you. Believe me; a lot more would’ve been done to my family if you weren’t in the picture. You were never a roadblock to Dante, Emmie. You were a roadblock to Diego. His assistant was too preoccupied with you to fully carry out his plans to kill my own family.”

My head is spinning. Everything that I’ve known has been flipped upside down completely.

“And what does James have to do with this? How do you know for certain that he was ready to kill my father? Why would his own assistant do that?” I can’t stop the questions from falling out of my mouth.

“Around the same time my father was murdered, Diego was working with James’s father in Wyoming. He used his farm to grow some of his product, but Mr. Rowen got greedy and started keeping more of the profit than he was supposed to. Diego had your father kill them while James watched. He had just turned eighteen.” Her voice is laced with sadness.

“If he did all of that, why would James work for them?” None of this is making sense.

“James knew he’d be as good as dead if he went against them. The deed to the land was in his name, and that’s all Diego really wanted. A quiet, secluded place for his business. James has been playing along ever since, waiting for the right moment to take revenge.”

I stare at Gabriela, trying to make sense of everything she had just told me. Minutes go by, and we sit on the floor in silence.

“Does Dante know?” I ask.

“I’m sure he does now. The question is if he believes it or not. He could be killing an innocent man down there right now out of his own stubbornness.”

My stomach drops, but another question lingers as I watch more tears fall from her eyes.

“You’ve been in this business long enough. I know you’ve seen your fair share of innocent men be taken without explanation. So why does this one have you in such distress? What happened at that farm, Gabriela?” I question her, and she avoids eye contact with me, silence stretching across the room.

“Do you...do you have feelings for him?” I ask, and she laughs.

“I met him two weeks ago, and he’s kept me in a disgusting house in the middle of nowhere,” is all she says, tears still falling.

“Then why are you crying, and why did Dante seem so pissed at you?” I stare at her, feeling even more confused now.

She’s silent for a while, but I don’t back down.

“What did Dante walk into when he found you, Gabriela? You can trust me.”

She stares at me with guilty eyes, her teeth biting her lip constantly.

“I...he...we were…” blush forms across her cheeks, and I immediately know what she’s struggling to say.

“Wow,” I blow out. “That was probably very awkward.” I laugh slightly. This whole day was a complete whirlwind.

I thoughtmyfamily was a shit show.

“You have no idea,” she says, chuckling slightly as she wipes her eyes.

I sit in front of her and grab her hands, forcing her to look at me.

“Listen to me, Dante won’t kill him if he knows what’s going on. It’d be stupid of him to kill the only source of information he has about Diego. Trust me.” I wipe her eyes, and she lets me, sighing and slumping all at once.

“As for this sticky mess you’ve found yourself in, don’t worry. I married a man who held me hostage. I’m the last one to judge you.” She laughs, and I smooth her hair back.

“So...do you have feelings for him?” I ask, and she blushes again.

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