Page 18 of Mercenary

She flinches. “I deserve that, and more. But Madelyn, right now, you have to trust me. You’re in danger.”

Diego returns, interrupting us. “Sit down and lie back.” He opens a large first-aid kit. It’s fully stocked: antiseptic, bandages, a jar of pills—painkillers?—and a small silver gun. What for, to shoot his victims before patching them up? He readjusts the throw blanket over her then begins dabbing the deeper cuts with a cotton ball soaked with antiseptic. This is accompanied another round of curses, ending with, “He’s a dead man.”

“He’s untouchable, you know that,” Luciana softly says. “I should have listened and not been so headstrong.”

“You think?”

“Madelyn, sit down before you wear out the carpet.”

“I’m fine where I am.”

Diego turns his head to scowl at me, then shakes his head. “You look like her.”

I freeze, afraid I didn’t hear him correctly.

“Kylie.”

Oh my God. He knows my sister. “Is she okay?”

“Alive. For now.”

“For now?” I choke out. “What do you mean?”

He narrows eyes at me. “You can’t really be that innocent.”

I feel my spine straighten. “I’m not stupid. But my sister hadn’t been home much after our mother passed away. With school and her busy schedule, we barely talked. What has she done? How much trouble is she in?”

He studies me like I’ve grown two horns.

“She’ll be fine, Madelyn,” Luciana interrupts. “And so will you. Diego is going to make sure of it. Right?” She arches an eyebrow at him.

“He did this to you,conejito. You, of all people. For that reason alone, I’ll do what I can to help her. And this one”—he points a finger at me—“is so fucking innocent, she won’t survive the next twenty-four hours alone.” He stands. “I need to make a phone call.”

“Thank you. Hand the kit to Madelyn and she’ll finish up.”

Diego does as directed and I take his place by the sofa once he leaves.

“He likes you.”

“Like a hangover.”

She sucks in a breath. “Remember what I told you on the beach, that you’ll always be my best friend no matter what?”

I nod.

“That was the truth, I swear it.”

“I want to believe you. But how would you feel if you discovered our friendship began as a lie?”

“Ouch.” Luciana looks crestfallen.

What I feel is numb. “Tell me everything. Help me understand.”

“Diego asked me to keep an eye on you. To call him with weekly updates. He wouldn’t tell me why but it was part of the agreement I negotiated so I could come home. After a while, I even forgot why I was calling him. You had become such an important part of my life, it seemed natural to share our adventures with him.”

“Why would a stranger need you to spy on me?”

“You have a sister?”