Page 112 of Liar

It lasts a few minutes, like Diego actually believes Hayden will break the silence first. Then, abruptly, the wind goes out of his sails.

“You’ll hurt her.”

Hayden leans forward. “Don’t you think I know that?” There’s so much emotion in his tone that my brother’s jaw drops, as does mine.

Does Hayden really believe this nonsense? “Tell him, Diego. That I’m stronger than he thinks.”

Diego clears his throat, shakes his head, then clears his throat again. Then, he changes the subject. “I located the tunnel like you asked. The entrance is inside a warehouse less than a mile from the border ... which is why it took me so fucking long to get here.” He grumbles the last part. “Marifer hired laborers to dig the motherfucker out by hand using shovels. Less noise that way. She already breached the wall above when Ignacio took over. A dozen Sureños have been assigned to patrol the place until the digging is completed. And the Colombians must be feeling confident Ignacio will deliver as they’ve left Tijuana in his hands.”

“We’ll know for certain after I meet with them.”

“You’re in contact with Colombians?” Diego asks, surprised.

Hayden clucks his tongue. “Did you think Marifer and Ignacio were the only players?”

“What did you offer them?”

“Nothing yet.” He takes a drag from his beer, then placing the bottle on the coffee table, sits back into the sofa and ever so casually places his arm around my shoulders. It’s like he can’t stop himself from touching me, not even with my brother right here. I grin like a fool, loving the contact.

Diego notices all right. His eyes shifting from Hayden to me and then back to the man beside me.

“You’ll agree to pushing their drugs once we ruin Los Sureños?”

I stiffen.

“I’ll divert the drugs elsewhere.” Hayden looks at me. “Keep Loreto safe.”

Silence falls, until Diego clears his throat.

“What will you have me do now?”

“Return to Tijuana and decide on the best way to blow up the tunnel. That might require entering into it. Are you game?”

I scowl.

“Fuck, yeah.”

“Wait for my orders. Understand?”

Diego grins.

“Be careful. Please,” I warn him.

“Keep your sister company while I speak with Ignacio.”

“That should go over well.”

Hayden rises to his feet, all business. “If I could put a bullet in his head today, I would. He’s going to regret touching her when I do kill him. That’s a promise.”

Diego and I stare wide-eyed at each other long after he departs.

34

Two weeks later, and Hayden’s called back to Rome. The call comes early in the morning, waking me from a deep, sex-induced sleep. My husband might be strictly business but whenever I’m around, his hands are all over me.

“Antonio, calm the fuck down. Tell me exactly what happened,” Hayden roughly demands into the phone. He stalks back and forth in front of the bed, growing angrier by the second as he listens intently to what his childhood friend is saying.

“How did our man miss it? We expected they’d make a powerplay.”