Page 44

Dario shrugs. “What can I say? You left an impression.”
Suddenly, I’m reminded of why Cordero never liked Dario. He’s a cobista, a smarmy asshole. I also remember something else. I don’t have to entertain him if I don’t want to. “You don’t seem the monogamous type.”
Dario scrunches his face in mock offense. “You wound me, Precioso.”
“That’s too bad. My answer is no.”
I move to stand, but Dario rests a hand on my shoulder. “Women don’t say no to me.”
The first tendrils of fear twist in my gut, but I still manage to hold onto my bravado. “I believe I just did.”
Looking from Dario’s hand to his face, I glimpse the monster inside. At that moment, I realize what’s really happening. “I know what you’re doing, and your efforts to romance me into compliance won’t work. My brother told me what kind of snake you are. And since El Gran guaranteed that I won’t be made to work for your father, you can fuck off.”
The grip on my shoulder tightens like a vise. “It’s true that your father’s daughter is protected. You’re right about that, but El Gran didn’t say anything about the wife of a Copa’s son.”
Dario pauses to let the words sink in. “The fool is old-fashioned and would never question a man’s authority over his family.”
Tears well up in my eyes as Dario digs his fingers into my flesh. Still, I hold onto my defiance. “You’re insane if you think I’ll marry you.”
Dario releases my shoulder to wind his fingers around my neck. “Oh, I think you will. You’ll beg me to put my ring on your finger. If you don’t believe me, I’ll put it another way. You will agree to become my wife, or your father won’t live to see Dia de los padres. At that point, you’ll become my whore. Either way, you will work for my father.”
Dario’s grip becomes a soft caress, and he bends to feather his lips over my cheek. Anyone who walks in will see our intimate position and assume we’re lovers. Dario remains close enough to whisper in my ear, sending a shockwave of icy shivers all over my body when he breathes, “If anyone hears of this, you’ll both be dead.”
As footsteps announce my father’s return to the dining room, Dario stands upright again. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at seven. I’m hosting a charity event at my father’s estate. It’ll be the perfect opportunity to introduce our relationship.”
Bending to kiss my hand again, he murmurs low enough that only I can hear. “And Marisol, if you make me look bad, your father won’t live to see morning.”
I stare blankly ahead as Dario gently lowers my hand to my lap. He then turns to my father, who’s watching from the archway. “Señor.”
Dario tips his head and walks out, leaving me paralyzed. I stare at the flowers for the longest time, thinking I’ve gone from one tangle into another with no possible way out.
I don’t doubt what the bastard threatened. If I tell my father, he won’t hesitate to call El Gran. The Don of the Puerto Rican mob won’t appreciate someone in the organization circumventing his orders, but I don’t think he’d kill the son of one of his most profitable Copas over me. Dario would get a slap on the wrist, and the Borreros would pay the price.
If I’m to get out of this, I’ll have to do it on my own. Help me, Cordero. What am I supposed to do? My brother’s voice is silent. And why not? He left me all alone in this world of monsters.
For the first time since losing Cordero, I allow full reign to my anger. It’s not fair. He doesn’t deserve it, but if Cordero hadn’t died, I wouldn’t have made that stupid promise, and the Cruz family wouldn’t spare me a single thought.
I’m on my own here. If I’m going to taste freedom, I’ll have to get out of this mess myself. Until then, I’ll have to put on a brave face. Apá can’t see my turmoil. If he does, he’ll press, and Dario will keep his dark promise. Every twisted part.
My father slips into the chair beside mine, his features drawn in disappointment. I know what he’s about to say, and it’ll hurt to hear it. Since I’m a lousy liar, I’ll have to resort to more extreme measures.
“I heard him say he’s picking you up for an event this weekend. I don’t understand, mija. Why would you agree to let him court you after what I did to keep you away from this?”
Stiffen up, Marisol. Unless you want your father dead, you better inject some steel into that spine of yours. I think about my lost career, Austin, and even Piper and laugh at the irony to cover the sob that wants to escape. “What you did? You mean the phone call you made to the mob boss to save me from a horrible future? My future was bright until your world burned it down. Thanks to your choices, I lost my mother. I was happy in Virginia until a rival family learned that your daughter possibly had the skills to create more addictive drugs.
“Because of who you are, I had to leave the job for which I’d trained for almost twelve years. In your world, I don’t get to be a scientist. All your criminal friends and rivals see me as a moneymaker and have no interest in my willingness to participate.”
“I am no criminal.”
My father’s denial makes the venom flow much, much easier. I’m ready to burn the whole house down at this point. “No? You’ve aligned yourself with them, made money for them, and taken money from them. Everyone that these men have hurt, every life lost, their blood is also on your hands. How could you bring children into that life? What possible future did you imagine for Cordero and me?”
Apá shoves away from the table, fury and pain in his eyes in equal measures. “I have always loved you and your brother. You are my greatest joy in life.”
I snort inelegantly and raise a water glass to him in toast. “Well, congratulations. I’m glad you found something to make you happy. I, on the other hand, have learned I’ll never get that chance.”
“You could have said no. Don’t be with him. Don’t do this.”
“Why not? If Cruz is good enough for El Gran and you, who am I to reject him? Will I receive a better offer from a soldier? How about one of the street dealers? Better the Devil You Know, right?”