Page 8 of Cartel Viper (The Cartel Brotherhood #2)

Chapter Five

Javier

The woman in my arms should be nowhere near me. She’s right that Anton could walk in at any time. It would be way worse if Laura did. Anton might ask what I’m doing. Laura would put a blade through my eye before dragging her sister out. But I’m not letting go.

Not until Maddy makes me.

I’ve always thought of her like that, but I’ve never called her it.

Not before today, at least. No one around me ever shortened her name except for Laura, and that was only sometimes, so I didn’t either.

I never felt obligated to watch over her, but I always felt protective once I saw her fighting to keep that guy—who died for his sins three years later—from assaulting her.

Back then, she was more like a little sister or even a cousin since she was like Pablo’s little sister.

But she doesn’t feel like any sister should. She feels good.

She feels right.

I feel out of my fucking mind. This is an invitation to my death, but I haven’t pushed her away. I haven’t stepped away. I know what I should do, and I’m saying fuck off to my common sense.

“Javi, thank you for caring. I don’t want to go, but we have to. This is a horrible idea.”

“Yet neither of us is letting go.”

She wrapped her arms around my waist when my hand shifted to right above her ass.

I’m fighting so many urges right now, and one of them is to cup her ass and discover if it feels as good as it looks.

I’m certain it’s even better. I’ve wanted to gouge out every man’s eye who even glimpses at her tonight.

I know that’s nuts, but I’d hoist her over my shoulder and carry her away if I could.

Fucking barbaric.

It would just confirm what the other families say about me.

I don’t want to care, but I do. I do for Maddy’s sake.

“ Chiquita , I’ll let you go, but you have to promise me two things.”

“No.”

“You haven’t heard either thing.”

“That I’ll tell you what’s going on soon and that I’ll tell you if I need help. I won’t do either of those, Javi. Don’t ask and don’t tell me to.”

“Then you and I will walk out of here together, and I’ll take you straight to Maks. Anton can keep up if his knuckles dragging on the ground don’t slow his ass down.”

The guy went to UPENN on a full academic scholarship. He’s not stupid. He’s just not as smart as me, who went to Yale on a full academic scholarship too. Mine was entirely meritorious and had nothing to do with my family’s financial situation, which was far better than his at the time.

“No. Javier, don’t do this. Please don’t push me. I can’t.”

“You won’t.”

“I can’t. I’m not ready to talk about any of this. I can’t get anyone else involved.”

“Too late for that.”

“Joaquin isn’t in here making a fuss.”

“But he noticed the bruises too.”

“I don’t doubt that he did, but he’s minding his own business.”

I keep my left arm around her waist as my right hand tips her chin up.

Our gazes search each other, and I’ve never wanted to kiss a woman so much in my life.

I even think she might accept one if I offered.

But she’s a woman with bruises and secrets.

That usually means one thing. Having a man take advantage of her when she’s clearly vulnerable would be a move too despicable for even me.

“Madeline, I gave you a choice. You tell me the truth, or you get a shadow. You just made your decision, now you must live with that.”

“No.”

She tries to shake her head, but I’m still holding her chin. I pinch enough to keep her from moving, but not enough to hurt her.

“You can tell me no about any and everything. I’ll listen to you every time. But I’ll ignore it every time for your protection. You cannot convince me otherwise.”

“I’m safe, Javi. I’m not in that situation anymore. Let it go.”

“Is he dead?”

She goes rigid once more.

“Did you kill him, Madeline?”

She swallows before she shakes her head, and I let her.

“Did someone else kill him?”

She shakes her head again.

“Then whatever it was still is. You might not be in the same room as whoever this man is, but any man who’d harm you, like I believe this shitbag did, is a man who had complete control of you.

That’s the only way it could’ve happened.

He’s not a man who will just let you go. He will hunt you, won’t he?”

Her expression doesn’t change except for something in her eyes. I see it. She wants to appear defiant by not answering, but she’s crumbling inside.

“You are going to leave this restroom and go back to your family. You’re going to say a friend called, and you’re going to head back to your parents’ place to change.

I’m certain Tío Enrique and Tía Elodie already left for their honeymoon, so you don’t have to stay.

One of the Kutsenkos’ men will drive you home.

You will let me in the house when I knock on the back door. ”

“No!”

“Yes, Maddy. You will tell me absolutely everything.”

“No. I’ll turn the alarm back on, and I won’t let you in. And I’m not going home unless I’m with my parents. You can’t make me do any of this, Javi. Don’t force me.”

That’s a bucket of ice over me.

“Then tell Maks and his family what’s going on.

If you don’t, I will. You need protection, Maddy.

I’ll never force you. That’s the last thing I want.

But I will not back down. I kept your secret the first time, and it was against my better judgment back then.

There were hours every day when I feared for you because I couldn’t be close to you.

I couldn’t get to you if you’d needed me.

I can be there now if you’ll let me. If you won’t, then it’ll be a bratva man who is. ”

“What? Are you going to order Maks to give me guards? That would go over so damn well.”

“The moment I tell him someone hurt you and is likely hunting you, Laura won’t let you out of her sight. Do you want to be under house arrest with Laura and Maks as your wardens —never mind your mom and dad—or do you want freedom to come and go with me as just your shadow?”

“You’re manipulating me, Javier. I don’t appreciate it.”

“I’m not. I’m talking to you like a woman who knows more about the life I live and your sister lives than you should.

It means you know what she can arrange and what I can do.

Do you want one man as your guard or an eight-man rotation?

It’s me or Maks, his brothers, and his cousins. Choose now, chiquita .”

“You.”

She doesn’t hesitate, but she resents it. I don’t care.

“I can’t protect you if I don’t know the truth.”

“You’ll have to figure out how to. I won’t reject your offer anymore, but I’m not telling you anything else.”

“Then I will see the boogeyman in anyone who goes near you. Do you want me to confront every man in sight?”

“No. I’ll tell you some of it, but not tonight. I want to stay with my family. It’s been ages since I’ve had fun with them. I want to enjoy it.”

I stare down at her before I nod. Relief settles over her, and a surge of guilt washes over me for pushing way too hard. I dialed it down about a million from how I’d be if I were interrogating a man, but obviously, I was still too much. I don’t want to remind her of whoever I want to learn about.

I suspect it’s the guy she was with, and I just want her to give in and tell me. But at the same time, if that’s who did this, I’m not surprised she doesn’t want to tell me. She fears him, and she doesn’t want to admit she stayed with a man who mistreated her.

“Tomorrow, Maddy. That’s as long as I’m willing to wait.”

A knock on the door signals we’ve run out of time. I can’t believe Anton waited this long, but I’m glad he did.

“Coming! Meet me at the park?” She says the second part to only me.

“Nine?”

“Okay.”

She steps out of the stall, and I go back to standing on the toilet seat. I listen to her when she speaks to Anton.

“Sorry about that. I had to take a call about a patient. I needed privacy to discuss the case.”

“No worries.”

Anton’s voice fades as he responds, and the door closes a moment later.

I count to a hundred before I step down.

I ease open the restroom door and count to forty before I step out.

No one appears, but I know we have men hidden in the shadows as added security.

There was nearly a scene between Olivia Mancinelli, the Mafia underboss’s wife, and Cormac O’Rourke’s date.

We have history with the woman’s family, so I stuck close by since the woman’s brother was there too. Sack of shit he is.

Besides that, it’s been the perfect event. The wedding was moving, and I don’t remember a time I’ve been prouder to be part of my family than when I stood in the row of groomsmen as my tío married his soulmate. I glance in Maddy’s direction as I return to the ballroom.

I wonder what she’d look like in a wedding dress rather than the gown she’s in now.

My eyes feel like I rubbed them with sandpaper. I’m exhausted, and I wish I could blame it on a hangover or fucking a bridesmaid all night. Considering the three women who stood beside Tía Elodie are all married and connected to a different syndicate, I definitely didn’t go after any of them.

Instead, I spent all night two houses down from Maddy’s parents’ house.

I had to park farther down the street until Tío Luis and Tía Margherita got home.

I couldn’t risk them recognizing my car.

Once I was in position, I remained camped out there until Maddy got in her car twenty minutes ago.

I’ve followed her most of the way to the park, but I took a shortcut to get here first.

I’ve already swept the area, and it’s clear.

It’s a state park, not one with a playground.

There’s no one nearby on the trails, but there could be at any minute.

I park at the far end of the lot, nearly out of sight.

It’s where Maddy and I ended up with our dates that night.

I hope she figures out this is the spot.