Page 41 of Deceptive Vows

“Congrats on your conquest.” He smiles. “Having control of the Alvarez Cartel is no mere thing. I’m sure that will add to your good favor regarding the upcoming decision of leadership.”

“I hope so.”

Like everyone else, he’s aware of the animosity between Ivan and me, and the increased tension between us now that we know my father’s plans.

“I’m sure it will,” he agrees. “Well, leave investigating Raul to me. If there’s anything more to find, I’ll find it.”

I don’t doubt that.

“Thank you.”

Now all I have to worry about is the princess.

* * *

I manage to finish everything I have planned for the rest of the day.

When I get ready to leave, I think of the princess again. It’s just past ten, so I’m guessing she could be in bed by now.

I haven’t received any calls from Aleksander, so she must have been the good little lamb I thought she’d be. After this morning, I am interested to see what I’m going to come home to.

Since I have access to the house’s security system set up on my computer, I decide to take a quick look.

I find the camera in my bedroom and see her sitting in the corner of the room by the window. She has her knees hugged to her chest and her head resting on top of her knees.

Curled up like that, she looks smaller and helpless. That childlike position illustrates her defeat and makes her seem younger than her nineteen years.

It’s then I remember she’s barely a woman.

Seeing her in my room feels strange, but she’s a pretty sight I can’t wait to explore again and stake my claim on.

Poor thing.She will have anxiously waited all day, wondering what was going to happen to her. I have her daily schedule regimented, but the times when she’s by herself must seem like an eternity of torture for not knowing anything about me, or what I plan to do to her next.

I know she’s fucking worried about José, too. I don’t care what relationship she has with him; I don’t like it. I am a possessive prick, but there’s more to them that grates on my nerves. More I can’t put my fucking finger on.

When she lifts her head, I realize she’s crying.

I have no sympathy for tears. They don’t work on men like me, but something about seeing her like that gets to me, and I remember her words from yesterday.

Is it true?

Is she really not evil?

She sounded sure I wouldn’t think she was evil.

Would it matter?

Maybe. Maybe it would matter in terms of how I treated her. Or maybe it wouldn’t.

I don’t know either way. What I do know is, regardless of where she came from, I’m attracted to her.

So, what would I think of her if I knew her?

The word on the street in Mexico is that Raul’s spawn is just as ruthless as him. I’ve heard of her doing terrible things to the house staff. Shit you wouldn’t expect a woman of that age to think of.

People from all over fear my family as much as they revere them and would never fuck with us, but there are different categories of evil. We wouldn’t kill for fun, or some fucking shit like kill just to see what a person looked like dead. That’s what Raul was like. He was fucking crazy.

People tell tall tales and say all manner of shit to keep others in line, but that stuff about him and his daughter would have been mostly true.