by Logan Fox
“He would never hurt me,” she said quietly.
Finn looked away from her, glaring at something in the distance before gazing at her again. “I’ve seen the way he touches you. Looks at you. Like you’re his plaything.”
“And you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?” She put her lips in a line. “Since you own me? Since you fucking claimed me?”
Disbelief washed over Finn’s angry glare. “That’s not how I meant it.”
She steered her horse around Finn’s, chest too tight and her breath scorching her throat when she finally let it out. “Strange. It’s exactly what it sounded like.”
Finn didn’t follow her. She rode alone for a few paces, before rolling her eyes and guiding her mare to a halt with a sigh.
“I’m protecting you,” Finn said. “Sometimes, that means I have to stop you doing something as idiotic as locking yourself alone in a room with El fucking Guapo.”
Finn spurred his gelding after her when she urged her horse into a walk again. He pulled up beside her, making a grab for her horse’s bridle that she sidestepped with a twitch of her knees. “You planning on knifing him in the gut? Hmm? Slitting his throat? You’ll have to get close to do that. Too close. He’ll think you want something from him. And what if he takes it? What if he—”
“I can’t live like this, Finn.” She glanced at him, but looked away before his furious expression could make her even angrier. “Javier dies…or I’m left playing his puppet for the next few decades. And he’ll probably live to some ripe old age, too. Moving me every which damn way he wants.” She mimicked moving a piece on a chessboard. “What kind of life is that?”
“So your alternative is to seduce him?”
“Did I say that?” she snapped. She’d been thinking it, though. Sometimes, the way Javier smiled at her… it was like he knew something she didn’t and couldn’t wait for the day he got to tell her what it was.
“No.”
“I could tell him I want to talk about the cartel. Something. Anything! If I can just—”
“This is not up for discussion,” Finn said in a dangerously low voice.
The only sound for a few minutes was the clop of the horses’s hooves on the cracked ground until Finn let out a soft sigh and turned his face up to the sun. “When you came riding with Javier, how far out did he take you?”
She shifted in her saddle, drawing a deep breath before responding. “About another ten minutes out or so.”
“Could you see the perimeter of the compound?”
“No. Just more of this.” She waved a hand at the rocks and scrub around them.
“Then we’ll ride for another ten minutes and turn around.”
Cora looked down at her hands were she’d twisted the reigns around her fingers. She untangled herself and smoothed the leather strips, mind scrambling for some way to convince Finn of her plan.
A few seconds later, Finn murmured, “Or we could just keep riding.”
She spun to him, sliding in the saddle before she gripped the horse with her thighs. “What?”
Finn stared straight ahead. “We just keep riding. See how far we get before he comes for us.”
“And what about Lars?”
Finn turned his head to her, expression blank. “He’s a big boy, Cora. He can take care of himself.”
“Do you know what Javier would do to him?”
Finn pressed his eyes closed.
“You don’t, do you?” Cora demanded. “He’s spiteful. He would hurt—no he’d torture Lars, just because—”
“I fucking know that!”
“How, Finn?” Her voice was too shrill, but she couldn’t seem to control it. “How could you possibly know?”
“Did you think about us?” Finn’s jaw bunched. “Did you ever wonder where we were? Even once?”
Cora brought her horse to a halt. Finn kept going a few paces before slowing down. He didn’t look back at her.
“Did you?” he prompted.
“Of course I did,” Cora said through gritted teeth. She urged her gelding forward. “You think just because you left, I’d somehow be able to get you out of my mind?”
“Left?” Finn said carefully, turning calm eyes on her. “Left?”
“Yes. Left. Ran away.” She swept out a hand. “Whatever the hell you want to call it. I thought you were never coming back, and I still couldn’t stop thinking about you. Every night, I lay there, wondering what I’d done to piss you off so much that you’d—”
“We never left, Cora.”
“—just up and…” But her words trailed away as her heart began knocking against her ribcage. “What?” She sounded breathless to her own ears.
Finn started forward again. “We never left.” He lifted a hand, trailing the faint outline of a square on the side of his hair. She hadn’t even noticed—not that patch of shorter hair, or the line down the middle of it.
Her horse shook its mane, blowing at a fly that tried to land on its nose. She soothed it with an absent pat of her hand. “Finn…what are you saying?”
He glanced askance at her. “I know just how fucking psychotic Javier is because I experienced it first-hand. Lars too.”
Despite the heat of the Texan sun blazing above them, Cora felt cold sweat pop out on her skin. She licked her lips, swallowed hard. If she’d trusted herself not to fumble it, she’d have taken a water bottle from her saddle bag.
“But you left,” she said, her voice sounding hollow. “Javier said you begged him to let you—”
“I did beg him,” Finn said quietly as he pressed his fingers against his eyelids. “But not for that.” When he looked at her, it was all she could do not to sway away from him on her saddle. His eyes were cold and dark, a hard set to his jaw she’d never seen before. “I begged him to kill me if he’d stop beating Lars. I fucking begged him.”
Moisture sparkled in the corner of Finn’s eyes. Her chest grew so tight that it ached. She managed to lick her lips again, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
“I know exactly what he’s capable of, Cora. That’s why you can’t stay here. If he ever does to you what he—” Finn’s voice cracked, and he faced away from her as his chest puffed out with a massive breath.
She wanted to reach across and soothe him, like she had her horse. But a tiny bud of anger blossomed inside her instead. It flowered like an explosion that made her voice so tight she could barely get it out.
“And you were ready to leave him behind?”
Finn turned to her, confusion in his eyes. He looked about to speak, but she didn’t let him.
“How could you?”
He blinked at her, as if seeing her for the first time. “He…he wouldn’t get caught. Not again. He could…he could—”
She gaped at him, a furious frown creasing her forehead. “And if he didn’t? You’d be okay with that?”
Finn’s face hardened. “I’m not okay with any of this.”
Cora sat up straight in her saddle. “Then leave, Finn.”
The hurt in his eyes branded a glowing ember on her heart. But she was too furious to take anything back.
She pointed at the distant, wavering horizon. “Out is that way.”
Then she reigned her horse around and headed back for Javier’s villa, swiping vengefully at a tear as it trickled down her cheek.
19
Strong foundations
She rode alone for several minutes, ears straining for the sound of hooves behind her. By the time they came, she’d almost given up hope that Finn would come after her. They rode in silence for a little while, until Javier’s villa came into view.
“Don’t you think if I could have left, I’d have done already?” Finn asked gruffly.
She’d even missed his gravelly voice, of all things. Hearing it now, when she’d thought he’d just keep riding in the direction she’d pointed…
“I don’t want you to feel trapped, Finn. You don’t owe me anything. I’m not keep—”
&nbs
p; Finn’s laugh cut her off. “When I’m not close to you, all I can think about is you.” He straightened in his saddle, and, without looking at her, added, “I can reach over and touch you, but I miss you already.”
She turned incredulous eyes on him. “I’m right here, Finn.”
“But for how long? You’re living on borrowed time.”
Her heart clenched at his words, but it was the truth, wasn’t it? As much as she kept insisting Javier would never hurt her…he’d killed her almost as certainly as if he’d sliced her throat. But knowing that, having something that dreadful hanging over her…
If any day could be her last, then she’d better start living the hell out of life.
“I get it, Finn.” She reached across and brushed her fingertips against his leg. “You’re worried about me. But don’t be. Right now, I’m more useful to Javier alive.”
“And when that changes?”
“Then we’ll deal with it.” She glanced across at him. “I’ll deal with it.” She pushed back her shoulders, trying to force confidence into her spine. It was more difficult than it should have been. Javier intimidated the living shit out of her. And after what she’d witnessed at breakfast? She’d thought he loved his wife—in his own weird way—but it seemed Gabriella was as much a plaything for Javier as anyone else who crossed his path. And she’d heard that whispered threat. The promise he’d made to his wife if she ever disrespected him.
She wasn’t fond of Gabriella, but she would never wish Javier’s rage on anyone. Which was why Finn’s suggestion that they leave Lars behind had struck her so hard.
Or maybe she was still reeling from the fact that they’d both been so close all this time. Had that been why she’d imagined she could feel them.
“And the wedding? How do you plan to manage that?” Finn glared at her, and she blushed.
“I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen.”
Finn snorted, but didn’t respond.
She would figure it out. Maybe she could speak to Neo—he hadn’t exactly seemed thrilled about the marriage either. If they could persuade Javier together, then—
“Are arranged marriages even legal?” Finn asked, cutting off her thought.
“In Mexico?” Cora shook her head and swiped a hand over her brow. The sun was warming up the land, and she was starting to sweat. There hadn’t been time to grab a hat or any water. And Finn had just wanted to keep riding? They would never have made it. “Pretty much. You could probably go and have it annulled. If you were the groom.”
“Without paperwork?” Finn murmured. “How does that hold up?”
“Tradition. Culture.” She shrugged. “Call it what—”
“You’re still wearing his ring.”
Cora looked over at him with a frown. For a moment, she didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. And then she looked down and twisted her hand, letting the ruby catch a ray of sunlight so it shone blood red against her hand. “I tried. I…I think I’ll need soap to get it off or something.”
“I’ll help you when we get back.”
“Thanks,” she murmured. Now that she was staring at it, her finger began to thrum. Was it cutting off circulation? She wriggled her hand, holding it against her gelding’s dark shoulder. “My mom had a ruby,” she said. “My father gave it to her.”
“You like it?” Finn asked, his voice rough and low.
“We can take it off,” she said quickly. Maybe too quickly.
Finn gave her a suspicious look. “You like him, don’t you?”
“Who?” She almost added, ’Neo,’ but managed to snap her jaw closed in time.
“You know who.”
She let out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t even know him.”
“You’ve never met him before?”
“Yesterday was the first time I even knew Javier had a son. Or a family.”
“I thought him and your father were close.”
Cora cleared her throat hard. “Finn, seriously. If you’re going to be jealous about the fact that my psycho godfather is forcing me to marry his son—”
Finn barked out a laugh. When she looked at him, he was smiling ruefully into the distance. “Fuck,” he muttered. “Sometimes, I think I’m a little psycho myself.”
Completely unbidden, Cora’s mind served her a perfectly preserved memory of Finn slamming a man’s head into the concrete floor. Her stomach twisted just as it had back then, and she squeezed her eyes closed as she willed the memory to fade. Forcing away the image of Finn’s cruel smile as blood sprayed on his face.
“You okay?” Finn asked again.
“I’m fine!” She twitched the reigns, giving him an irritated look. “Let’s get back.” She snapped the reigns, urging her horse into a trot. In the far distance, the stables reared up. Her eyes tracked west, and for a moment she stared at the heat haze hiding the western portion of Javier’s compound. If she remembered correctly, that was where he’d planted his poppies.
No doubt Finn would have a lot to say about that. Javier peddling a drug his sister was in rehab for. He’d never mentioned his sister at the farm…had she been adopted? When she looked over at Finn, he rode with a slight frown on his face. How many secrets did he have, this ferocious man? And how many of those secrets had shaped him into the person he was today?
She could ask the same of herself.
There was a caw overhead. Cora craned back her head, and couldn’t stop the shudder that tore through her.
The crows had followed them and circled above their horses as they made their way back to the stables.
Come to think of it, La Sombra suited her perfectly. There always had, perhaps always would be, a shadow cast over her heart.
20
Strangers
The sun baked down on the back of Zachary’s neck where he stood outside the tunnel mouth. The angle of the sun made it impossible to keep the heat from his skin, despite his cowboy hat. The construction manager had insisted he wear a hard hat this close to the building site, but he hadn’t even bothered with a response.
Unless a tree was about to be felled, he was sure he was safe out here.
Duncan came up to him, murmured, “Lo promito, Don Zachary.”
“What is it now?” There was a snap in his voice. It had been there for days already.
“Pedro just called. Said some people showed up outside today.”
“Some people?” Zachary asked, turning narrowed eyes on Duncan. “Is there a reason you’re informing me of ‘some people’ in a random suburb in Terlingua?”
“It was a young couple. Both driving expensive cars. He said something about them didn’t sit right.”
Zachary stared past Duncan as he wrestled with a wave of irritation. He turned and headed back for the ranch. He’d walked here in the hopes that the exercise would clear his mind. And it had, right up until Duncan had spoken.
“Something didn’t sit right,” Zachary repeated slowly.
Duncan hurriedly added, “He says it’s not the family that’s usually there. Strangers.”
“Strangers…” Zachary said, crossing his hands behind his back as he dipped his head to get the sun from his eyes.
“He just thought it was strange. You said to report anything strange if—”
“Yes,” Zachary interrupted. “Something out of the ordinary. Not a pair of kids fucking.”
Duncan stopped walking. “How did you know—?”
“Because what else would they be doing?” Zachary spat out. “Tell Pedro to stop wasting my time.”
The statement irritated him even more. He had nothing but time these days. Absolutely nothing to fill his hours with.
But that still didn’t mean his halcones could fill it with bullshit.
“There’s something else, jefe,” Duncan said. “Your vet called.”
Zachary turned to him and stopped walking. “Dr. Ford?”
Duncan nodded. “Well, not him. His office lady. She said she has to reschedule your dog’s appoint
ment.”
He bristled at Duncan’s offhand intonation of ‘dog’, but tried not to fixate on it. “Why?”
“She didn’t say.” Duncan shrugged. “When do you want to do it?”
Zachary studied him for a moment before he turned and began walking again.
“Don? Should I phone and reschedule?”
“No,” Zachary answered without slowing. “I’ll call myself.”
21
Gabby
It was people like Cora that made him believe in fucking karma. Seriously, the chick had to have been Hitler’s wife in a previous incarnation or something. That, or she’d managed to piss off one of her saints enough that even a swift and merciful death wasn’t good enough for her. Oh yes, they planned on making her suffer.
Maybe she was paying for her father’s sins. Him and Javier had surely destroyed thousands of lives with their drugs. ODs, broken homes, delinquency. Maybe one man couldn’t suffer enough for all those crimes, so the universal mind was forcing his only remaining heir to suffer.
When Lars got back to the villa, the patio table had been cleared. He stood for a moment, staring forlornly at the clean table while his stomach rumbled at him in disgust. Well, when Princess Cora flounced away from a table, he was expected to follow, despite how empty his stomach was. He headed for their room, but caught a whiff of something spicy enough to make his nose twitch food by the stairs. When he followed the smell, it led him toward the kitchens.
Maybe they could whip him up a little something warm for breakfast. Unlike Finn and Cora, he couldn’t live on coffee alone.
He got lost on the way to the kitchen. Not just that, he lost the damn smell, too. He stood in a small garden, mostly walled except for the archway he’d come through. He was about to turn back when he saw an ornate steel door, partly covered by a particularly enthusiastic ivy.
Stepping closer, he caught wind of a different scent. His nose wrinkled at the smell. Something familiar, but he couldn’t place it. He stepped away, something primeval in his body suddenly urging him to get the fuck out of dodge.
