“If you go with me, there’ll be distractions all around you, Cereza. Bullets could be flying from all angles, men shouting, and chaos erupting like you’ve never experienced.”
As his whispers broke into hoarse rasps, I bit my lip to keep from laughing. “Do I make you nervous, Danger?”
“No, you make me want to hold you against the fence and bend you over.”
My body temperature rose with the morning sun, and my palms became sticky against the grip. Squinting, I focused all my attention on the silver can sitting on the post.
“Shoot,” he whispered in my ear.
With calm composure, I squeezed the trigger, hitting the center of the can and knocking it off the post and across the lawn. Shocked, I lowered the gun and turned my chin excitedly over my shoulder. “Did you see—”
The rest of my words ended up in Val’s mouth as he crushed my lips with a bruising kiss. Grabbing my hips in a strong hold, he shifted our combined weight as he turned us against the fence, taking the gun from my hand.
“Hold on.”
“Val, someone will see us.”
“No one’s here,” he mumbled, his lips in my hair. “They’re all gone into town. I want you—now.”
My heart rate picked up as he ruled my body with an expert touch. I couldn’t hold back a lust-filled moan as his fingers released the button on my shorts, working them down my legs until they pooled at my feet.
A clang of metal and material rustled behind me while he fumbled with his own pants. Fire lit up every inch of my skin as his hand trailed up my spine, urging my head down as he pulled my hips back. “Whatever happens later, I need you to remember one thing,” he whispered hotly against my ear.
“What’s that?” I groaned.
In a surprise move, his fingers dug into my skin as he drove into me, the unexpected invasion tearing through me in a heated possession. Screaming, I threw my head back, at the same time his fingers wrapped around my throat.
“You belong to me.”
With unreserved intensity, Val plunged into me, each thrust claiming more and more of my identity. Intense friction drove me to the brink of insanity, my fingers slipping from my hold on the fence, only to be slammed back onto it by Val’s.
“Yes,” I moaned over and over until the word garbled in my throat, and I splintered apart in his hands.
A layer of sweat glistened between us, as with a roar of my name, he released a lifetime of fear into me, his body jerking with power.
Rolling his forehead onto my shoulder, he lowered us both to the ground, cradling me in his lap. Without hesitating, he enveloped me in a protective hold, his nose disappearing into my hair. “What have you done to me?”
Shifting in his arms, a glaze hovered in his warm chocolate eyes before he focused on the clouding sky. “What do you mean?”
One arm tightened as the other folded underneath his head. “I don’t need anyone, but I can’t breathe if your scent isn’t in my lungs. I can’t focus if your fire hair isn’t in my sight. I can’t enjoy a meal without your taste on my lips. I can’t hear if your voice isn’t fucking yelling what an asshole I am, and I can’t feel unless your skin slides under my fingers. So, yes, Cereza, what have you done to me?”
I fought the smile that threatened my lips. Lifting my chin, I whispered in his ear, “I’ve strengthened you.”
He arched an eyebrow and peered down at me, waiting for more.
“I’ve given you something else to live for other than anger and revenge. Just like you’ve done for me. I should hate you, Valentin Carrera. I should take your gun and put a bullet in you.”
He stroked my cheek. “Then, why don’t you?”
I glanced down at our entwined hands, the gravity of the words on my tongue constricting my chest. “I think I’d sooner stand in front of one for you.”
With my head laying against his chest, I felt the catch in his breath and the rumble in his throat as he admitted the words in the language meaning the most to him. “Te amo, Cereza.”
A tear slipped from the corner of my eye as I nodded. “Damn you, Danger. I love you too.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
VAL
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
The flight from Monterrey to Mexico City took an hour by private jet. Had it not been for the morbid nature of our destination, I would’ve found mild amusement in Eden’s shock at finding my father’s private jet waiting at Del Norte International Airport instead of the commercial airliner she expected. Even half-hearted, crude comments at joining the half-mile high club fell flat as both of us fidgeted with anticipation and anxiousness.
“Do you want me to go in with you?” Eden’s red hair fanned around her face as we stood outside Mexico City’s morgue.
A strike of irony hit me as people milled around the streets of Mexico’s largest city. My father was an arrogant son of a bitch. He lived for notoriety and the thrill of hearing his name whispered in hushed circles. He traveled with an entourage, lived outrageously, and spent money as if every day were his last on this earth.
Yet inside the plain, nondescript building in front of me, that same man lay on a metal slab beside the rest of humanity.
Sometimes, death truly was the great equalizer.
Brushing a stray hair off her cheek, I shifted a glance inside the thick glass door and shook my head. “No. I’d rather you wait with Mateo at the cantina across the street.” I couldn’t explain it, but even in death, I didn’t want her near my father. Some irrational part of me feared Eden walking in that room would stir whatever evil lay dormant in his cold body and damn her to my fate. I shifted a glance inside the thick glass door and blew out heavy breath. “I need to do this alone.”
“I can be quiet, Val. I’ll just be there if you need me.”
“I want you to listen to me, Eden, and I want you to hear my words, not your ego.” Dropping the hand holding her cheek, I shoved it in my pocket to resist touching her again. “We aren’t in Monterrey anymore. This is Mexico City. This is my father’s seat of power and only six hours from Guadalajara, which is Muñoz territory. Eyes have been on us from the moment we got on that plane at Del Norte. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
A flash of sadness swept across her face before hardened understanding melted it into a mask of cool indifference. “Of course, I do. Your father’s men, as well as Muñoz informers, are watching us. We have to act like you’re the ruthless asshole who kidnapped me, and I’m the petrified damsel in distress who fears for her life. Yeah, yeah. I’ve got it. You can’t touch me, smile at me, or otherwise act like you give a shit. You’re an emotional black hole.”
“Eden—”
“No, I get it, Val.” Attempting a quick smile meant only for me, she stepped backward before I could be tempted to reach for her. “Really, I get it. We’ll do what we have to do.”
“And then?”
Offering her wrist to Mateo, who stood at a respectable distance behind her, she held his eye until he sighed and grabbed it in a mock stronghold. “Ask me again when I’ve gotten justice for Nash.”
Something I couldn’t explain passed between us as her eyes flashed with promise. Then, as quickly as they’d warmed, they drained of all emotion, the corners of her mouth pulling into a frightened frown.
Glancing over her shoulder at Mateo, she pulled against his hold on her wrist, raising her voice. “Where are you taking me? I demand to talk to my father!”
Panic raced through me before Mateo’s hold moved up to her bicep, squeezing it with gentle pressure as he urged her across the street. “I’m not putting up with your shit right now, lady. Either you walk or I drag you. Your choice.”
My eyes shot between them as their stares connected and, with a slight tug from his hand, Eden purposely stumbled behind him, yelling obscenities about him hurting her.
Since I was six years old, I hadn’t been able to form normal relationships like everyone else around me. When a neighbor opened that cellar door and found m
e hungry, thirsty, and soiled, I swore I’d never put myself in a position to lose another person I cared about. The moment my foot hit the dirt and the sun hit my face, the part of my soul capable of forming lasting emotional attachment died, and a will to protect myself encased it with revenge and hate.
Somehow, the two people muttering obscenities and dragging each other across the street managed to break through the barbed wire and revive what I thought could never be salvaged.
The ability to care again.
Somewhere along the way, Mateo Cortes became my friend, and Eden Lachey stole the heart I didn’t know I still had. She made me want more than the life planned for me by a monster.
Gripping the door, I steeled my nerves for one last confrontation with the man who’d caused it all, before I put the final nail in his reign of terror.
* * *
As the heavy metal door slammed behind the medical examiner, I stood alone in the middle of the morgue, a metal drawer pulled out in front of me, and my father’s gray, lifeless cheeks reflected the flashing overhead fluorescent bulb from above.
“Do you positively identify this man as your father, Alejandro Carrera, Mr. Carrera?”
“Yes.”
“Very well. Would you like a moment alone?”
“Excuse me?”
“A moment. Would you like a few moments to say some words to your father, Mr. Carrera?”
“Oh. Sure. I mean, yes, I would, thank you.”
The exchange replayed in my head and a sadistic laugh rumbled in my chest.
A few words. How about a lifetime of words? A lifetime of beatings, blood, and being sold into a life no father should ever take pleasure in bringing a son into. The Carrera name stood for death and destruction, and it all stemmed from the man lying on a slab with a white sheet draped over his chin.
“Why can’t I see all of his face?”
“Mr. Carrera, as I’m sure you know, your father didn’t die of natural causes. His throat was cut and it’s not something we like to display to family members.”
Stepping closer, I reached out to lower the sheet before I could think better of it. In this cartel life, I’d killed many men and tortured many more. Blood, or the inside of a man’s body didn’t cause me to break a sweat. However, one look at the savagery inflicted upon the man who’d given me life shot a haze across my vision that blinded me for a moment.
This is where I’ll end up if things don’t change between cartels.
“Bet you never thought it’d end like this, did you, old man?” Not that I expected anything other than the hum from the overhead light, but I paused before continuing. “You promised her you’d stay away from Mexico City. She believed you. She trusted you, and look what you did to her. Look what you did to all of us. My entire fucking family is dead because you couldn’t keep a goddamn promise. Do you know what it was like to hear them scream?” Rage built as memories flooded the tiny room. “I was six years old, you bastard! You only accepted me when I pledged to kill for you.”
Fresh pain from the constant screams I heard every time I closed my eyes had me wanting to resurrect him, just so I could slit his throat all over again.
“I damned myself to hell just to get justice for the women you allowed to die. I dreamed of the day I’d be powerful enough to take you down and watch you crawl on your knees while I took everything away from you. Then I planned to kill you myself and run this goddamn cartel my way.” Roaming a glance down his motionless corpse, a sadistic laugh tore from my throat. “Guess I’ll have to settle for the last part.”
“Mr. Carrera?” The door opened as the medical examiner stuck her no-nonsense ponytail through the crack. “Are you finished?”
With a last look at my father, I turned toward the door and smiled. “No, ma’am. I’m just getting started.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
EDEN
“Val’s fine. Stop dissecting your burrito, Eden. It’s dinner, not a science project.” Taking a slow drink of his beer, Mateo tipped the neck of the bottle toward the sleeveless, short black dress I wore. “And you can’t afford to skip any more meals.”
Dropping my fork with a clang against my plate, I ran my hands over the loose-fitting material self-consciously. “Are you trying to tell me I look like shit, Mateo?”
“Woman, you’ve been on some sort of self-imposed hunger strike since we met.” Lifting an eyebrow, he shook his head and brought his own overstuffed tortilla to his mouth. “A strong wind could carry you out to sea.”
“I had to exert some sort of control over my situation, you know,” I argued, picking my fork back up and trailing it through a glob of guacamole. “Being chained didn’t exactly lend itself to rational decision-making.”
“Cuffed.”
“What?”
“Cuffed. You said chained. You were cuffed not chained. You act like we had you hanging from a rafter in some dungeon.”
“Whatever,” I muttered, nibbling on a tortilla chip. It tasted like fried cardboard. My stomach churned, thinking of Val alone in the morgue with his father and raw emotions he’d kept bottled for years.
Sighing, Mateo finished chewing, then dropped his food back onto his plate, leveling an accusing stare at me. “Okay, truth or dare time, Eden.”
The chip crumbled in my hand as I returned his stare. “Be serious.”
“Oh, I’m very serious. Truth, or dare.”
I didn’t trust any questions Val’s right-hand man could possibly have for me, so the answer flew out before thought could piece together his game plan. “Dare.”
“Fine. I dare you to eat everything on your plate.” A smirk coated his face as he sat back and crossed his arms for dramatic effect.
Son of a bitch.
The thought of even biting into my chicken burrito make my mouth water, and not in the ‘oh, my God, I’m salivating for more,’ kind of way. No, a metallic taste filled every crevice, forcing me to swallow in more of a ‘oh, my God, I may just puke more than a drunk virgin on prom night,’ kind of way.
However, a dare was a dare.
Steeling my nerves, I tried to hold my breath as I bit into the vile concoction, but chewing and swallowing apparently required oxygen and use of fine motor skills. Gagging on impact, I immediately spit it all out in my napkin.
“I can’t do it, Mateo. God, I’m sorry. I just can’t. I’m too worked up to eat.”
His expression never changed as he simply nodded in acknowledgement. “Truth, it is.”
“No.”
“Then I suggest you open that napkin and start licking, Lachey.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Try me.”
If I had any clue where we were, or how to get back, I’d leave his ass just for being a dick. “Jesus, fine! Ask your stupid question.”
Leaning his elbows on the table, his eyes studied my every move. “What’s going on between you and my boss?”
“Nothing.”
“Eden…”
Pushing my plate away, I rubbed my temples as a headache brewed between them. “All right, there’s…something. I just don’t know what to call it, or label it, or…fuck, I don’t know. Val doesn’t want anyone to know, okay? He thinks it makes him vulnerable.”
“He’s absolutely right.”
The gravity in his voice didn’t lessen the ball of dread sitting in the pit of my stomach. “I don’t want to hurt him, Mateo.”
Crumbling his own napkin, he threw it in his plate. “Look, I’m not going to tell you what to do. Whatever you and Val do is between you two. That’s none of my business.”
“Thank—”
“But when it jeopardizes his life,” he interrupted, folding his arms across the table, “That’s when it becomes my business. I like you, Eden. I think you’ve been given a shitty deal in life just like him. Maybe in another time, you could’ve been good for each other.”
My heart sank. “But now?”
“You’re in Mexico City, waiting on a man wh
o’s identifying the body of his father, one of the most notorious drug lords in the world, then he’ll meet with that man’s cartel to follow in his footsteps. You’re not going to change him.” He tilted his chin to hold my stare. “I want you to understand that. This isn’t a game. You won’t live happily ever after. If you step into this ring, be prepared to fight.”
I heard every word of his literal and double meanings. The words he spoke hurt to hear, but I’d come to respect Mateo as a straight shooter when it came to the truth. This was no different. Whether I wanted to hear it or not, the truth he spoke couldn’t be refuted.
Luckily, I’d reconciled myself to the fact that happily ever after was a lie fabricated by Disney and jewelry stores.
Standing, I glanced out of the window as Val exited the heavy glass door of the morgue.
“Come on Mateo, it’s time to find your ringside seat.”
* * *
My ringside seat turned into a backseat. As in the backseat of the charcoal colored Tahoe that Val and Mateo put me in before getting in their own car and heading to the meeting with Alejandro’s top men.
I’d argued and pleaded until almost making a scene. In the end, I knew it was useless.
“Val, you promised to take me. Don’t end up lying to me, too.”
“That’s not fair, Cereza. I promised to bring you to Mexico. I promised to let you come with me to Mexico City. Not once did I agree to let you walk into a room of rapists and killers looking like an all-you-can-eat buffet.”
As Mateo conveniently found something extraordinarily interesting on the side of a nearby building, Val leaned into the Tahoe, shrouded by the blessing of darkness and kissed me quickly, but purposely. Resting my hands on his chest, I felt his heart beat wildly against my palm.
“How am I supposed to get closure for Nash if Manuel Muñoz is still walking around, Val?”
“We’ll get him. Tonight, isn’t the night, though.”
“When?”
“Don’t fear the enemy that hates you, Eden, but the fake friend that hugs you.”
Blurred Red Lines: A Carrera Cartel Novel Page 20
