Page 25 of Cartel Rose (Jorge)

Fuck me.

“Do I need to?”TíoEnrique’s tone isn’t quite ice, but an arctic blast is about to blow through.

“My intuition says there’s still something to learn here.”

There’s a long pause. Mytíonever pauses to think something over. He’s likely ten steps ahead of me already. He pauses to make you want to shit yourself.

My phone pings, and I know I have another call coming in. I recognize the number.

“Tío, Anneliese is calling. I have to go.”

“Está bien.” All right.

I don’t wait for him to say more before I click over.

“He—”

“Jorge, help!”

Chapter Seven

Liesel

“I’m on my way,chiquita.”

I hear a car alarm beep, but it barely registers with me as I stare at the amputated hand in a box on my desk. I barely shifted my gaze away from it long enough to find Jorge’s business card and dial his number.

“Jorge, I need you. Hurry.”

“I’m coming. I’m almost in the building.”

There’s silence for a moment, then I hear the elevator ding. He must’ve practically run to the elevator. It feels like an eternity before I hear his voice again.

“I’m coming into your office right now.”

The blinds on my glass wall are shut, but my door is open. I see him step through the office suite’s doorway as I snap the lid shut on the box. It’s only now that I think about the type of package sent to me. It’s not a regular shipping box. It’s more like a gift one with a lid that flips open. I can’t handle looking at it any longer.

He enters my office without knocking, shutting the door behind him. I feel like I can breathe again. The tightness in mychest eases only a fraction, but it’s enough to keep the panic at bay.

“What happened, Liesel?”

His voice is soft yet commanding. It allows me to focus on something specific rather than the way my mind raced a moment ago. I point to the box and look away. He lifts the lid but says nothing. I hear him close it again, and his hands gently cup the outside of my arms.

“Is that your father’s?”

I nod. “The ring. He’s never taken it off.”

Jorge offers me a tight smile. I’m gazing into his eyes, but not everything registers. It’s as though my brain is in a fog. He pulls me against him, and I shudder. I hunch, so I can listen to his heartbeat and feel his heat seeping into me. With his arms wrapped around me, I feel protected. But it doesn’t last long since I pull away and look up at him.

“How did you get here so fast?”

I guess some things are becoming clearer to me. I suspected he might’ve been outside my building, but I wasn’t sure. I told myself that’s why I called him and not somebody else, because I knew he was nearby. But that’s not the entire truth. I feel safe with him. Only him.

He watches me as he fires off some text. I can’t read what he’s writing, but his thumbs are going a mile a minute.

“Liesel, you need to come with me to my hotel.”

I shake my head.