Page 25 of Raphael

Grasping the balcony railing, She lifted her one leg over it, then the other.

“Mamma,” I warned, panic evident in my voice. I surged forward but before I could reach her, she pushed away.

“Love you, hijo.”

I watched her slim body flying through the air, her dark hair whipping around, like a dark, ominous cloud and even starker against her white wedding gown.

And just like that, my father managed to kill another good thing in my life.

Sasha Nikolaev killing my father a few years later eliminated the rotten apple of my life. Yes, karma was a fucking bitch.

ChapterFourteen

SAILOR

The cab driver flicked a look in his rearview mirror for the hundredth time.

He probably thought I was unstable. I couldn’t blame him. My hair was a tangled mess, my face sweaty and my clothes wrinkled and dirty.

“There was an explosion,” I muttered my explanation. He didn’t seem to buy it.

I shrugged my shoulders and pulled out my phone, then dialed Royce. He was my favorite Ashford brother, not that I didn’t love them all. But he was the closest one to our age, apart from Kingston who was kidnapped way before I met Aurora.

“Yo, girl.” And he had a unique way of greeting me.

“Yo back,” I greeted him. “I need a favor.”

“Say the word, blondie, and you got it.” He knew I hated when he called me blondie. He thought it was a frivolous thing but the truth was that I hated it because it reminded me of my father’s fucked up convictions. That racist, ignorant bastard.

There was no sense dwelling on the man who gave me life. He’d never change and the only way to deal with him was to bring him down.

For Anya. For Gabriel.

“Could I use your family cabin?” I asked.

“Of course,” he answered quickly. “Is everything okay?”

No.“Yes.”

The Ashfords have done a lot for me and Gabriel. Willow and Aurora helped me raise him. Our friendship was the only reason I graduated college and was able to offer a good life to Gabriel.

I refused to pull them all into this shit. I started it, and I’d finish it.

When he remained quiet, probably pondering whether to believe me or not, I continued, “I just need a little break. It’s been stressful since the article and the Feds constantly on me. Not that I have to worry about them tailing me any longer.”

“They aren’t tailing you anymore?”

“No.” Truthfully, I forgot about them the moment my eyes connected with Raphael.

“That doesn’t seem right,” he grumbled. I could already picture his eyebrows scrunching in displeasure. “Let me put security on you.”

“No!” I blurted, a tad bit too quickly. “No, thank you. I don’t need any security.”

A heartbeat of silence followed.

“Sailor, are you in trouble?”

I scoffed. “No.” God, I was an idiot. I should have Royce ship Gabriel and me somewhere where neither the Tijuana nor Santos Cartel could find us. Except, I couldn’t keep running to the Ashfords for help. They had enough on their own plates.