Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 116046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 580(@200wpm)___ 464(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 580(@200wpm)___ 464(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
“My mother put them off as long as she could, pretending to consider which cartel she wanted to affiliate the town with, but eventually they grew tired of her delays and kidnapped her. They took her to a meeting where they demanded she pick one of them for a partner. To everyone’s surprise, she went with a powerful young cartel lord from the northern part of the country. A man still making a name for himself. And she didn’t just become business partners with him, she married him.”
“Why? Did she love him?”
“Oh, very much. People used to joke that Victoria and Pablo’s love was one of the great romances of the age. There were even some local folk songs written about their courtship.” A twinkle of warmth entered her dark eyes as she smiled at me. “My mother was instantly drawn to my father, but she said the moment she kissed him for the first time, she knew he was the love of her life.”
“So, like, real love at first sight?”
“Real love at first sight. Or should I say, first kiss?” Judith confirmed with an odd look on her face. “It seems to be the way it works with my family. Nothing as obvious as Cupid’s Arrow, at least for me. I can tell you, the moment I met my husband, I knew he would be someone special in my life. Our first kiss sealed the deal. My children, of course, think I’m foolish, but they’ll learn.”
The drugs were getting to me, and my mind was hazy as I fought off unconsciousness. “Don’t leave.”
She patted my hand with a mysterious smile. “I won’t, mija. Now, go to sleep.”
“Promise?”
“I swear you are safe, Joy. I won’t let anything hurt you anymore.”
Reassured, my thoughts slowed and the world around me faded to black.
Chapter 3
Spent adrenaline still pinged around my system, my muscles twitching from the effort involved in literally beating the life out of a man. I won’t lie or bother to cover up the truth. I enjoyed killing those mother fuckers that hurt Joy. Normally I felt a sense of pride and peace at a job well done after executing vermin like them, but not now. The only thing I felt was anxious to get back to her side, to see if she’d woken up yet. The doctor said her concussion wasn’t bad, but I knew how easily a good knock to the head could scramble a person’s brain forever.
My dad wordlessly handed me a glass of tequila, my family’s poison of choice, and I gave him a small salute before downing it. With his bald head gleaming, he raised his glass as well before quickly tipping it back. The sharp burn of alcohol cleared my tired thoughts, and I sucked in a breath of air, tasting the delicious undertones of the drink. I’d spent time as a teenager at my grandparent’s hotel in El Salvador, tending bar when I was seventeen. My grandfather Pablo had been at my side for the first two weeks, giving me a crash course on the different types of high quality spirits they served. Considering some of the shots cost thousands of dollars, my grandfather didn’t want anyone, even his beloved grandson, literally pouring money down the drain.
My dad ran one thick finger around the rim of his empty glass slowly, his prominent features drawn tight with anger. Both he and my mother usually appeared far younger than their actual age, but tonight he wore every year, every torment and sadness he’d experienced, on his tanned face. He’d assisted with the torture of Manny while I focused on Ray—the fucker who’d hurt Joy.
A sound caught my attention, and I turned to find a shaken Leo sagging against the doorway leading to my father’s library, his normally tan face a waxy, yellow color. “Hannah hates me.”
My dad and I exchanged a quick look and I could see his worry as clear as my own. Leo was a shattered man, and it disturbed the fuck out of me to witness my normally stoic friend in such a disheveled state. His long hair hung around his face, and his dark eyes were haunted with pain. Seeing him so obviously hurting made me wish I could make Hannah forgive him, although I knew it wasn’t my place to butt into their relationship. The whole thing was a huge mess, and I had no idea how he’d win Hannah’s heart back. She was pissed we all deceived her, hiding the fact that the Cordova Group was also a cartel, and I’d been on the receiving end of her silent treatment when I’d gone to visit her. It wasn’t fun, and I’d felt an unusual sense of guilt as she’d silently judged me.
“Hannah will come around,” my father replied in a soothing voice. He handed Leo a crystal glass filled almost to the brim with liquor. “You just need to let her adjust, give her time to heal.”