I’d had an entire day to mull over Eduardo’s betrayal. The fucking head of the Abarco cartel. For years. At first, I’d been blinded by anger, then I’d felt like a fool, but now fear had set in. He was the only person in the outside world who knew how to contact me.
Just when I’d been about to smash the burner phone, Donato had stopped me. He’d taken it to see if we could glean any evidence from the device. After all, Eduardo had been the one to give it to me. Thank God I hadn’t told him my exact location. But that didn’t mean my sister, and now Holly and Gabriel, weren’t possibly in danger. At least he wouldn’t know that I was aware of the truth. As Donato pointed out, we had some time to plot our next move.
“Carlos. What’s going on?” The worry in her voice had me tightening my arm around her.
I longed to tell her everything and at the same time wanted to keep her as far away from all of it as possible.
“Someone I trusted . . .” How did I put into words what he’d done? Betrayal didn’t seem strong enough.
“Let you down,” she finished so I didn’t have to. “Is that going to affect your farming?”
I hadn’t even thought about crops or what would become of the compound. There was no question Eduardo’s cartel wanted the property for themselves. I didn’t care other than how it would impact the people of my country.
“Yes.” Her hair was silk around my rough finger, one that had pulled a trigger more times than I could count. The contrast was profound.
She was a beauty. I was a beast.
“Do you have to go home?”
Home. I hadn’t had one of those since Mama died. Until now.
“I probably should return, but I’m not.” I traced down her jaw. “And that place is not my home.”
Understanding filled her eyes. She splayed her hand on my chest, and her touch soothed me. I lifted her hand and kissed the tips of each of her fingers.
I had an obligation to Holly, Gabriel, and Muriella. If I was dead, I couldn’t fulfill that. The problem was, I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stay alive. Eduardo was aware of how valuable the location of my whereabouts was to my enemies. If he found me, he could sell the information to the highest bidder and get rid of me.
It was for the best if I left New York. Thank God I’d stopped short of telling Eduardo about Muriella.
My new burner phone rang. I answered without saying a word.
“Your tooth has been discovered in the rubble.” Donato delivered the news with a hint of surprise.
“Why would he—”
“I don’t know.”
There was a beat of silence. In our world, the rules were simple. Do whatever was necessary to defeat your rivals. Sometimes that meant peace, and sometimes it meant war. In no way did it behoove Eduardo Sandoval to find the tooth I’d sent him. He had no reason to protect me, yet that was a move which gave me shelter. He should want me out in the open.
“Where has he been hiding all these years? I know every member of that family like the back of my hand.” My father had hunted them down and returned what they’d done to Mama a thousandfold. They’d survived his wrath by staying in the shadows and out of his way.
Who was the man Eduardo had claimed was his brother? Was he a plant to infiltrate our organization? When he’d cried about the loss and had been so passionate about dismantling the drug world, I’d believed him.
“When your father began taking out the family, he was sent away so they would have a surviving member,” Donato recapped.
“We would’ve known about him.”
“He was the child of Abarca’s mistress.”
I shuddered. Every time I heard that name it haunted me with memories of Mama being kidnapped and how I hadn’t been able to save her.
Holly sat up and moved to the opposite end of the sofa. I prayed she hadn’t picked up on the conversation. I wasn’t ready to lose her yet.
When I frowned at the distance, she touched my knee.
“Is that his real name?”
“Yes. He’s lived a mostly quiet life in the shadows, apparently biding his time. Abarca has been the public figurehead, but Eduardo is the one who masterminds everything.”
He was good. He’d fooled me, infiltrated my family’s cartel, and earned enough trust to get me to confide in him. I was tired of being surrounded by liars and constantly having to watch my back. It had been a pleasant change to think I was working on the same side as someone instead of fighting against everyone. But I’d been wrong.
“I don’t care about the land, if that’s what he wants. But I can’t let him have it. Not after what his family did to mine. If it were anyone but him, I’d say fuck it.” I’d set fire to the only house I’d ever lived in, but it was different destroying it by my own choice instead of having it stolen. I couldn’t dishonor Mama’s memory by letting them of all people have the compound.
“There was a tracking device in the phone he gave you. You need to be prepared to move. Quickly.”
I nearly choked at his words. Donato was right, though hearing it out loud was crippling. I’d just found a place where I belonged. I’d smiled, actually felt something, when I hadn’t in so long.
“Anything else?”
“No. When I have more, I’ll let you know.”
I didn’t want to hear more. As naïve as it was for a man who’d lived through what I had, I just wanted what had happened before I’d arrived in New York to go away so I could have my clean start.
I dropped the phone onto the arm of the sofa. Holly grabbed my other hand. The worry on her face flooded me with guilt. She had her own burdens to bear. It should be me taking on hers instead of the other way around.
“Come here, please.”
She yielded, settling her cheek against my chest.
I held her too tightly as I tried to memorize what this moment felt like. I’d known a lot of loss throughout my life. Far too much. I hated I’d only just found Muriella, but at least I could take comfort she was part of a larger family now and settled here. But Holly and Gabriel? I’d been given a teaser of what my life could look like . . . if my hands weren’t so stained with blood. Holly had accepted the gun, probably understanding that my life hadn’t been a good one. That was where I’d draw the line. I’d fight for Holly and Gabriel with everything I had. Even if that meant I had to let them go.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Carlos
“Where are we going?”
Between Holly and Gabriel, they’d asked the question no less than two hundred times since we’d left the apartment. And I was having so much fun keeping them in suspense.
“We’re not far now.”
It was interesting to see this place without the scales of trouble over my eyes. I still had more than I wanted, but I’d managed to set that aside for the day.
I glanced in the rearview mirror. Gabriel’s head bobbed as he looked out the window, soaking up the winter green fields. His eyes were glued to a horse grazing by a fence near the road. Then they darted up to a bird flying high above.
His innocence and curiosity caused my blood to pump a little faster. I hadn’t asked Holly’s permission about our excursion, and what if I’d gotten this wrong? What if Gabriel didn’t like it?
I turned down a dirt drive, and Holly snapped her head toward me.
“Is that a hangar?” She pointed out the windshield toward the metal buildings.
The image of my father pointing a gun at Muriella flashed through my mind, but I shoved it away. She was safe. He couldn’t reach us here anymore.
“What’s a hangar?”
I rolled to a stop away from the large door and looked back at Gabriel. “I’ll show you.”
We hurried across the dirt. I yanked open the door. Gabriel’s eyes rounded when he saw what was inside.
“A real airplane?” He raced around the plane.
Holly and I watched him. His excitement was contagious, but I couldn’t get a read on what she was thinking.
&nbs
p; “Since the puppy isn’t a possibility right now, this seemed like the next best thing.” I shoved my hands in my pockets. That odd feeling I only had when the two of them were near grew stronger as Gabriel touched the smooth finish of the plane.
“You bought him a plane?” Holly asked incredulously.
“It’s mine.” When she gave me her stern mother look, I tried to think about anything but how beautiful she was when she was angry. “I had it before I knew you.”
She didn’t seem completely convinced that was the truth.
“Can we go inside?” Gabriel sprinted to us, his cheeks flushed with excitement.
“Are you sure you want to?” I teased.
“Yes,” he shouted.
When we stepped into the plane, he stopped as if uncertain where to go. He took in the opulent leather seating area which was a far cry from the commercial jet he’d flown to New York on.
“Want to see the cockpit?”
He nodded, unable to speak. Holly followed us to the front of the plane. I sat in the captain’s chair and hoisted Gabriel onto my lap.
“Does this look familiar?” I asked. After school we’d not only been playing soccer, but I’d been teaching him about flying.
“That’s the alt-alt-itude indicator.” He motioned to the correct instrument and pride surged through me. I’d taught him that.
“Very good.”
We spent over an hour with him asking questions about everything. Holly was mostly quiet, but she appeared pleased.
“Want to take her up?”
Gabriel gripped my knee. “Can we?”
My gaze averted to Holly. “Can we?”
“Okay.”
* * *
“That was awesome.” Gabriel beamed as we entered their apartment. “Can we do it again?”
“Whenever your mom says it’s okay.” I ruffled his hair and prayed to Mama we could have more days just like this.
“We’ll see.” Holly put up a tough front, but by the time we took off, she was as interested as her son in flying.
“I can’t wait to tell everybody at school about this.” He practically glided toward his room.
I couldn’t help what felt like a smile shaping my mouth.
“I’ve never seen him so excited.” Holly appeared wistful as she stared after him.
“You don’t seem to be.”
She’d been quiet on the way home, then again, Gabriel had chattered the entire drive back. I held open my arms, but she hesitated before she stepped into them. I didn’t like that.
“I’m not ungrateful.” She planted her hands on my sides, and I slid mine around her back. “And I’m so happy he got to experience something new.”
“We can go anytime you like.”
She frowned. “I just—today made me feel like I’m not good enough.” When her eyes met mine, they were conflicted. “I do the best I can, but this was just one more example of something I can’t give him.”
I recoiled at the same time my heart seized. “No.” Instinctively, I pulled her against me. “Beauty, I never meant to make you feel that way.”
“I know.” She swallowed hard. “I’m so afraid of making mistakes, or that Gabriel will miss out because he only has me.” She dropped her chin and rested the crown of her head on my chest. “I’m ruining an amazing day.”
I kissed her hair. “You couldn’t ruin anything even if you tried.”
She snickered and looked up, some of the turbulence gone. “Sweet talk isn’t necessary.”
“Not sweet talk.” I brushed my lips against hers. “Truth.”
She nipped at my jaw. “Thank you.”
What little space existed between us, I erased. “Gabriel doesn’t only have you.”
“You keep proving that, but it’s hard for me to accept especially given our agreement.”
Her light kiss softened the blow of those words. I’d agreed to just sex as a means to getting what I wanted. It tore me apart she could believe that’s all I’d ever need from her. She was wrong, but words didn’t mean a thing. I had to keep showing her exactly how I felt.
“Are there any rosquillas left?” she asked with a sheepish grin. Gabriel had consumed his fair share, but my Beauty had a sweet tooth.
“I’m not sure,” I teased. “But we can bake more.”
The doorbell rang at the same time Holly’s phone did. A quizzical look passed between us. I tracked to the door, and she answered.
After a quick check through the spy hole, my brows shot up.
“We need to talk.” Donato’s somber appearance set me on edge. Not today. This was supposed to be one day free of the outside problems. He glanced past me, the lines across his forehead deepening. “Perhaps it’s best done somewhere else.”
I turned to let Holly know we were going to step outside. She had the phone pressed to her face as if she were trying to process what the person on the other end was telling her. I had the urge to yank the device away and tell whoever it was not to ever cause my Beauty trouble again.
“Jason,” Donato said quietly.
That one name had my attention back on him. If he bothered Holly, I’d kill him.
A clatter came from behind me. I swung around in time to see the phone bounce on the stone countertop.
Holly was ghostly pale.
“Beauty?”
Troubled green eyes met mine. “My brother escaped from jail.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Holly
Perfect days didn’t exist.
I’d known that from experience practically my whole life, yet the day Carlos took us flying, the fairy-tale princess inside me gained hope like I’d never had. It scared me. But that didn’t stop the hope from spreading like wildfire.
Then the hard dose of reality had squelched those flames, this time courtesy of Jason. I worried about him constantly, but when he was behind bars, I could breathe easier. What was he thinking to escape prison? How had he escaped?
Donato and Carlos seemed to be business associates of sorts. What that business was, I likely didn’t want to know. I doubted it was farming, though. But the man had been supportive and appeared to be doing everything he could to find my brother.
His wife, Valentina, had joined us when it became apparent Donato would be at my apartment for some time. In part, I thought he called her to keep Gabriel occupied, for which I was grateful.
“Do you have any Parmesan, love?” She looked over her shoulder at me from the refrigerator.
“I’m not sure,” I said, embarrassed I didn’t know the contents of my own kitchen.
She didn’t seem to mind as she continued to make herself at home. When she’d arrived, the woman was loaded down with grocery bags while balanced on high heels. Truthfully, I was a little in awe.
“Have I stirred this enough?” Gabriel sat on a barstool Valentina had pulled over near the stove. She didn’t seem to mind when he spilled something. In fact, she appeared to like having him cook with her.
She stopped her search and peered in the pot of tomato sauce. “A little more.”
He followed her instruction eagerly. The day had been full of new experiences for him. This was one I never thought possible. I’d never had it myself. Sure, he and I cooked together all the time, but it was different with a grandma. I couldn’t give him that because he would never go anywhere near my mother. His other grandmother—I swallowed past the lump in my throat. He wouldn’t ever have the chance with her either.
Even though Valentina wasn’t his grandmother, she was doting on him as if she were. It was surreal really. I’d seen moving to New York as a safer option. A chance for a new life. I hadn’t realized I’d find myself in a new community of people who genuinely adored my son. Who had just as warmly accepted me. If I could free myself from Drew . . .
“Holly, help me make the garlic spread. The butter is soft enough now.” Valentina seemed to read my thoughts and wanted me to get out of my own head.
She set up the ingredients
on the same side of the island where she and Gabriel were. I rounded it and accepted the knife she offered.
“Mince the garlic, please. When you’re finished, I’ll tell you what to do next.”
As I chopped, I caught Carlos watching us. He seemed to be drinking in the scene, thirsty for the kind of family we were pretending to be at this moment. Or maybe that was what I wanted to see because I felt the same.
Valentina squeezed my shoulder. The gesture was supportive and kind and mothering, much like I’d done to Gabriel countless times. Being on the receiving end—it—it was nice.
“That’s perfect. Let’s mash it into the butter with a fork.” She stayed beside me and sliced the Italian loaf of bread she’d brought with her. “Dinner will be ready soon,” she called with an authority that had Donato wrapping up his phone call.
“We’ll set the table,” he said as he stood from the sofa.
Valentina winked at me. She had this man, who exuded so much power it radiated from him, trained. And I couldn’t help it. I winked back. Then I wondered if I’d ever have that.
* * *
“The first president to fly on a plane was Theodore Roosevelt,” Gabriel said after he swallowed a bite of chicken bigger than he was. “But he wasn’t still president then. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first to fly in office.”
Where did he learn these things?
“One day you can pilot Air Force One,” Valentina said.
His eyes lit up.
“Or you could be president,” Donato added.
“I’d rather be a pilot.”
We all laughed, and Gabriel shrugged. They’d indulged his endless chatter over dinner about puppies and planes, seemingly hanging on his every word. And I was grateful.
Donato’s phone rang. The smile on my face froze. Carlos flashed a reassuring look across the table. It wasn’t a promise of good news, but that he’d be there for me no matter what happened.
“Excuse me.” Donato placed his napkin on the table and moved away.
Dangerous Redemption: A Single Parent Forbidden Romance Novel (Paths To Love Book 4) Page 16
