Page 14 of Sin and Seduction

“From whom?” I ask.

“From you,” is all he says, meeting my eyes with no humor this time.

“You had one the day you held a gun to my head. You didn’t need to take my sister and fuck her for one,” I snarl, and he shrugs again.

“You had several guns and men out. I had to get away safely. As for your sister, I never harmed her. If anything, I made her feel very...welcome during her stay.” I inch forward again, but Sergio holds me back.

“What do you want from us? A pardon? Money? How do I know you don’t have men waiting for you on the outside? Waiting for another ambush?” I question, and a dark shadow crosses over his features.

“I want an alliance,” he says, and I laugh right in his face.

“I don’t form alliances with the enemy. Especially one who murders his own blood, threatens my wife, and fucks my sister.” I point a gun to his head, and his face is completely serious now.

“I never murdered my parents,” he spits, eyeing me darkly.

“Bullshit. I have all the evidence to prove it,” I say, and his face is pure anger now, his muscles bulging against the ties.

“So, you have evidence of Juan Carlos slaughtering them with direct orders from his boss? You have the deed to my land which was given to Diego Flores, the true leader of Juan Carlos’s cartel here in the states?” I freeze at his words.

Silence echoes, and after a few minutes, I tuck my gun back into my belt, narrowing my eyes at him.

“Who is Diego Flores?” I ask, and James chuckles.

“Someone who’s been watching you a lot longer than you were watching Juan Carlos. Someone who’s home lurks in the shadows.”

“Why would you work for someone who killed your family and took your land?” I ask him.

“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,” he hisses, darkness crossing his features.

“How do I know that you’re telling me the truth?” I ask, and he chuckles.

“Because he has cameras all over LA watching you. Including here. He’s the one who ordered the ambush. And now you’ve just killed his assistant. My guess is he’s a lot more pissed off than he was before you threw his right-hand man into the ocean.” His voice is dark, and for the first time in my life, chills erupt over my skin.

Just fucking perfect.

7

Esmeralda

I zipup my last luggage case and pause when I hear the faint sounds of someone crying down the hall.

I step out and listen closely, realizing it’s coming from Gabriela’s bedroom. She was in such a rush when I saw her leave the plane, but I was in such a hurry to see my husband that I never stopped to check on her. She must be traumatized after these last couple of weeks. I know she’s probably not ready to talk about everything yet, but I could provide her with some bit of comfort from one trauma victim to another.

I knock softly on her door and hear a few sniffles. She doesn’t say anything, but I walk in anyway. She’s sitting on the floor by her bed, a suitcase thrown open with clothes littered everywhere. She doesn’t meet my eyes, but I take the opportunity to walk in and shut the door behind me. I take a seat next to her on the floor, her eyes on her feet as we sit together in silence. Tears are silently pouring from her beautiful, amber eyes.

“I know you’re probably not ready to talk about it,” I begin. “You’ve probably been through so much, but I just want you to know that I’m—”

“Shouldn’t you be with your husband?” she snarls at me, and I freeze, anger bubbling in my stomach.

“My husband is busy tending to the man that kidnapped you,” I hiss, and she scoffs, laughing harshly as she wipes the tears from her eyes.

“Everyone’s so eager to punish him, but they have zero interest in getting my side of things.” I’m confused as to why she’s defending the enemy, but I keep my voice leveled.

“Well, I’m here right now,” is all I say, and she turns to look at me, her eyes glancing down at my wedding ring.

“He’s not a monster like you think he is,” is all she says, and I try my best not to scoff.

“He helped kill my mother. He was ready to kill all of us. He kidnapped you and kept you in a barn, Gabriela—”

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