by S Williams
Her eyes are wide as she tries to shoot again, but the gun clicks this time. No bullets.
I snatch the gun out of her hand and toss it, bringing my arm in the air and dropping my fist, slamming it across her jaw. She groans, but I punch her again. And again. And several more times.
I punch until her face is bloodied, and then I yank her up, dragging her useless body off the boat and throwing her into the shallow water.
I jump off the boat and grab her by the hair before she can get away, pushing her under the water, my hands closing around her throat as I stare down at her. Her eyes stretch, mouth wide open, gurgling.
“He will never love you. He calls me his reina, something I know he never in his entire life called you. You’re a worthless, stupid bitch.”
I squeeze even tighter, wanting to end her right now. Desperate to see her take her last breath—but a deep voice calls my name.
His voice.
“GIANNA!” Draco barks, and I look back. He walks toward me, the water splashing around him. “She. Is. Mine,” he fumes.
I let up, yanking her out of the water by the front of her shirt. She coughs hard, gasping even harder when she’s finally claimed oxygen.
But it doesn’t last long, because as soon as Draco reaches us, he wraps one large hand around her throat and squeezes it so tight, her eyes bulge right out of their sockets.
Her face turns red, then purple, then blue.
He’s panting hard, growling as he lifts her up and stares at her. He’s been shot in his left arm. It’s leaking blood, but it doesn’t seem to bother him one bit right now.
“I told you I would find you,” he rasps. “I told you this wouldn’t be pretty.”
He finally lets her go, and she falls into the water, landing on her back. We both glare down at her, and she looks right back up at us, only this time, when she looks at us, there isn’t power or authority in her eyes.
There is fear. Ultimate fear.
She’s afraid for her life.
Good.
She should be.
Sebastien, Diego, and Guillermo come to us, pushing their legs through the water, pointing their guns at her.
“Yes! Finally got the stupid bitch,” Sebastien says in Spanish with a grin, licking his lips.
“Ahora que, Jefe?” Guillermo asks, peering up at a battered Draco. What now? Draco’s right eye is bruised, his bottom lip busted, and some of his face is scraped and scratched. He was shot, but he’s alive.
He’s alive.
“Drag her ass,” he demands. “All the way to the tunnel. By her hair.”
Guillermo wastes no time following orders. He pushes his AK behind him and grabs Yessica’s wet, red hair. She screams for him to let go, but Guillermo and Sebastien get a kick out of it, sneering down at her, dragging her through the water and up the steps that lead up the wooden walkway.
“Where’s Patanza?” Draco asks Diego, fully concerned.
“Clark took her back to the hideout. She was shot in the shoulder. He got the bullet out. She’ll be okay, but we have to find a doctor quick to get her stitched up.”
“Oh, thank God,” I sigh. Patanza is a hard-ass, but she doesn’t deserve to die. She deserves to live again. She needs another chance.
Diego looks at Draco’s bloody arm and then mine. Mine is not nearly as bad as his. “Both of you need to see a doctor, too.”
Draco nods, shutting his eyes for a brief moment. His knees buckle, but I catch him, wrapping my arm around his waist.
“We need to get you to a doctor,” I say hurriedly. Diego starts to help, but I hold my hand up, letting him know I’ve got it.
“I’m fine,” Draco rasps. “Motherfucker was strong. Took everything in me to get him down with one good arm.” He looks down at me, gripping my chin, fixing my gaze on his. “I told you to stay hidden. To run. She could have killed you.”
I press my lips, walking toward the shore with him, Diego leading the way. “I didn’t want to run away.”
He delivers a ragged sigh, bringing me closer. “Fuck,” he murmurs.
“What?”
“We got her.”
I nod. “We did.”
“It’s still not over. I won’t be killing her right away, like I had planned.” He looks over at Guillermo and Sebastien, who are taking turns dragging Yessica across the wooden beams and then disappearing through the tall grass with her.
“Where do we go from here?”
He runs his tongue over his lips, exhaling. “To the one place I love.” He sighs. “Lantía. Home.”
Before we go, we hear a bell chime and look to our left, at the boat coming to dock. Ruben appears and steps off the boat, coming our way.
“Glad to see you alive, Jefe!” Ruben says boastfully, lightly clapping Draco on his good shoulder.
Draco chuckles. “Thank you, Ruben. For what you did. I will never be able to repay you.”
“Hey, now. You can repay me by remaining my best buyer!”
Draco gives him a light smile, bringing a hand up and squeezing his shoulder. “You have my word.”
Ruben nods and then looks down at me. “La Patrona,” he sings with a full smile on his lips. “Quite the beauty. And one hell of a fighter. I saw the way you got to her boat.” He looks up at Draco. “You’ve got yourself a keeper, Jefe. Don’t lose this one.”
“Trust me,” Draco murmurs, his eyes shifting down to bolt with mine. “I won’t. Not ever again.”
My heart flutters deep in my chest, my cheeks blazing red.
“I will have my men take care of these bodies for you. Clean up the area. Safe travels, Jefe.” He looks at me again. “Patrona.” Ruben steps back, tipping his fedora and slightly bowing his head before putting the hat back on and jogging back to his boat.
We make it back to the hideout, battered and exhausted, taking the tunnel and going through the same building.
Most of us are injured, but no one is complaining—no one but Yessica. It gets to a point where she’s so uncooperative that they have to knock her out with a hard blow to the face just to get her to be quiet.
When we reach the exit of the building, I spot the three BMWs. Beside one of them is a black plastic bag with what looks like a body inside it.
As if Draco sees it at the same time as me, he tenses up, but keeps walking, though his breathing is a little heavier now. My eyes fill with tears in an instant.
Emilio…
Damn it, Emilio.
Emilio risked his life for me and then gave it for him.
From what I was told, Emilio didn’t have many people that knew him other than us. He had no friends. He has a grandpa in a nursing home with dementia. A part of me wonders if his grandpa will even remember him—or miss him.
It breaks my heart.
As we climb into the backseat of the car, I know one thing for sure.
I will remember him forever.
He respected me, and I respected him just the same. He took care of me when he didn’t even have to.
He was good to me…a good man, gone way too soon.
In this business, there must be devotion and sacrifice. He delivered both for our sakes.
For him, for Thiago, for Mom and Daddy, I will live on.
I will conquer. I will rise.
I will be what I need to be in order for their legacy to live on.
For Draco’s legacy to live on.
44
GIANNA
It’s been more than forty-eight hours since we landed in Lantía.
I’m restless, and so is he. I’ve debated whether or not to go to the shed—whether I want to see her one last time and remember the look in her eyes, or just stay put here and forget all about her.
Draco shuts off the TV and goes to the bathroom, picking up a can of shaving cream and a razor. He looks through the corner of his eye at me when I step into the bathroom.
We are still on the run, though we’re taking a minor pit stop for now. Turns out we spent too much time a
t the marina. The cameras were only supposed to shut off for fifteen minutes—it’s what security agreed to. We took longer than that, so they know who shot up that marina.
The images the media have aren’t very clear—they’re terrible cameras—but besides Draco, they’re now looking for a woman with red hair as well as a brunette. Yessica and me.
He has enemies everywhere. They don’t just stop at Yessica. They’ll continue to flood in, knock on the doors, demand things from him and threaten his life.
He is still wanted. Still a threat to society, even though I no longer see him that way.
“What is it, Gianna? You look bothered.” His eyes land on mine.
I press my lips, shrugging. “I don’t know,” I murmur.
He sighs and dispenses a handful of cream in his hand, applying it to his face. “I know what you’re thinking,” he murmurs.
“What?”
“How you want your face to be one of the last faces she sees before she’s gone.”
I look him over.
Spot on.
“I just want to see her.”
He looks sideways at me. “Then go. But this time, don’t set anyone free.”
I bite a smile, rubbing his back as he smirks. After putting on a pair of jeans and a loose white blouse, I tie my damp hair up and make my way down stairs.
When I get to the main level, there aren’t many people around. We have two maids and one butler, and they’re most likely in the other kitchen, beyond the dining area. None of the guards are in this area. They’re probably keeping watch at the shed. Draco wanted most of their eyes on her.
I walk through the smaller kitchen and Diego is standing by the doors when I walk out, just like I told him to. I walk past the pool, down the stone steps that lead to the rickety bridge.
And then the shed appears.
That old, familiar place.
My heart beats a little faster, breath faltering.
This place still gives me nightmares.
I pull the door open and step inside, the stench of urine consuming me. I hear noises, chains rattling, and my brows pull together when I hear men cursing, followed by deep and heavy grunts.
I continue my walk down the thin hallway, stopping in front of the second cell.
And there she is, standing but bent over.
Shackles are around her ankles, her wrists tied tightly with rope, bloody from trying to resist. Her red hair is matted, some of it hanging in front of her face.
She isn’t alone.
Two of the guards are here, Sebastien with his cock in her mouth and Diego with his cock in her asshole.
I swallow hard, watching the chains yank and tug, hearing her groaning and moaning, and I’m not sure if it’s from pleasure or pain. Diego slaps her ass while Sebastien grips her hair.
I know Draco didn’t order this. And I also know he wouldn’t care that it is happening. He told them he didn’t care what they did to her. To make her suffer.
And it seems she is.
I almost get the urge to open the gate and stop them—tell them that’s enough—but her eyes drift over to mine as Sebastien shoves himself deeper down her throat. Though her eyes are glistening, I see the anger in them. The hatred.
Her nostrils flare as he grips her head and slams deeper, cramming his entire cock in until it disappears. She whimpers, and I step forward, gripping the handle, but when she brings her bound wrists up and points both of her middle fingers at me, I release the handle.
I back away, listening to the chains rattle even harder and her moans turn into cries. I can’t watch anymore. And I also won’t stop them. So instead of interrupting, I turn my back and walk away. For now.
45
DRACO
After getting dressed, I walk down the hallway to the spare bedrooms and knock on the last door at the end of the hallway.
My nurse and maid, Juanita, answers it, smiling at me. “Hola, Jefe,” she murmurs, letting me in.
I give her a slight nod, stepping into the room and looking at the bed. Patanza spots me and tries sitting up against the headboard, but she groans instead, wincing as she adjusts her arm in the sling.
“Relax, Patanza,” I tell her, and she sighs, slouching into a comfortable position again. I take the chair beside the bed as Juanita goes to the bathroom and runs some water. “How are you feeling?”
“Better. Sore as fuck, but better.”
I huff a laugh.
“How about you?” she asks, looking at my bandaged arm.
I glance down at it. “It’s fine. Healing.”
She nods. “Where’s Patrona?”
I smirk. “Oh, she’s Patrona to you again?”
She sucks her teeth, dropping her gaze. “She always was. I was just pissed at her. Said some stupid things.”
I sigh, dropping my elbows on top of my thighs. “So did I. She knows it’s just how we are.” I look around the room. “Has Clark come to see you today?”
“Not yet.” I see her face flush when I ask the question, her chin dipping. “He stayed here all night, took care of me, got me what I needed when it was time for Juanita to go. I don’t think he caught much sleep. He said I kept waking up…said I was crying in my sleep.” She shakes her head. “Like I’m some stupid, abandoned puppy. His words exactly.”
I chuckle. “He’s a true smartass. He might have Thiago beat.”
She looks up at me when I say Thiago’s name. “Thiago had a dry and dark sense of humor. Clark’s sense of humor is a little more…blunt.”
“You like him.” It’s a statement, not a question.
“He saved my life,” she says, like that will prove she doesn’t.
“He likes you, too. Gia said he went running to save you when he saw you go down.”
Her face reddens even more. I’ve never seen her like this, not even for my cousin.
“Where is La Patrona anyway?”
I point out the open window, where the shed is as I stand again. “Taking care of things with our prisoner, I’m assuming.”
“Good,” she huffs. “Bitch deserves whatever comes her way.”
I walk toward her, kissing the top of her head. I know she’s only a few years younger than me, but she’s always felt like a sister to me. Like I helped raise her.
“I don’t know what I would have done had I lost you, Patanza,” I tell her in Spanish and she looks up, her eyes glistening now. “You are more than just a soldier and a body to me. You are family. Thank you for always having my back.”
Her bottom lip almost trembles. Almost. “Gracias, Jefe.”
I step back. “Get some rest.”
She bobs her head, and I turn, leaving her.
She’s alive. She’s safe. We all are, for now, but none of us will be satisfied until Hernandez is gone.
“Jefe,” Patanza calls, and I look back. “Has Gia told you?”
“Told me what?” I ask, turning halfway, peering over my shoulder at her.
She shakes her head rapidly and pulls her line of sight away as Juanita comes to her side, helping her out the bed. “Never mind,” she murmurs.
46
GIANNA
When I return to the shed an hour later, after taking a brief visit to the library and talking to Draco for a bit, everything but Yessica’s bra is gone.
Her panties are shredded.
Her knees are dirty now, her mouth red and swollen.
She sees me coming in and goes still, breathing quicker, mascara running down her cheeks.
“Wow,” I breathe. “Were you crying?”
“Fuck you,” she spits at me.
I fold my arms. “I bet you’re hungry. Thirsty.”
Her eyebrows fuse together, lips pressing tight. I look back, nodding at the two butlers. They walk into the shed and set up a folded table and two chairs. Guillermo steps into the room and unlocks her shackles, like I asked him to do, and then slices through the thick rope around her wrists.
I walk over to pick up her di
rty pants, handing them to her. She snatches them away, tugging them over her legs with haste.
“Siéntate,” I command. Sit.
She glares for a brief moment, but sits nonetheless. When she does, I nod my head at Guillermo who lifts his gun and aims it at the back of her head.
“You try to run, try to lunge for me, or try anything I don’t like, and he’ll shoot you. Maybe not in the head, like he should do, but somewhere where it’ll hurt.”
“Why are you doing this?” she says, voice dry. Coarse.
I sit back in my seat. “You treated me to a nice meal when your people took me, so I want to treat you to one, too. This will be the last meal you’ll ever have. May as well enjoy it.”
She doesn’t say anything, just glares at me, eyes misty. Her tongue runs over her lips as the butler places her plate down in front of her.
The butler sets some silverware down, pours water into a plastic cup, and then takes off, dusting his gloved hands off.
Sebastien comes into the cell with a handgun and gives it to me. Before he takes off, he gives Yessica a small sneer, grabbing his crotch, and she cringes, snatching her eyes away.
I place my Daddy’s gun on the middle of my lap, smiling softly at her. When I know she can’t stand the aromas smacking her in the face and making her belly rumble, I tell her, “You can eat.”
She digs in, eyeing me several times, scarfing down the French toast and eggs. She goes between the bread and the fruit, and then to her cup of water, guzzling it all down and then looking at my cup like she wants more.
I slide the cup toward her with the tip of my gun, and she glances at it briefly before picking it up and sipping it.
“I remember what it was like to starve. To be thirsty.” I sigh, sitting back in my chair, watching her eat some more. “I would have killed for a meal like this. Actually—I almost did kill someone when I was first brought here, and I ended up getting many meals like this later on.” I lean forward. “How does it feel?” I ask. “To be at the very bottom again? To feel worthless? All your men gone. Your money, gone. No one working with you anymore—all of them siding with The Jefe again. With a man that will never love you.”
