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I didn’t like it. Leaving Mara behind…it felt wrong—a harrowing warning clawing at my gut, telling me to turn around and stick by her side.

She could take care of herself, I knew that.

She was ever the soldier and fucking deadly with her gun, which had to be the hottest thing I’d ever seen.

But that didn’t mean leaving her to fend for herself was an option I wanted to consider.

In sickness and in health…

‘Til death do us part.

It was the vow I had already made. We may not have been married yet, but the day I slipped that ring onto her finger was the day I swore to myself that I would never abandon her.

And I swore it again on the day she allowed me to take her…

allowed me to feel what it was like to have her wrapped around me.

To be the supple white petal of a fresh white rose being caressed by the universe, offering me the one thing no one had ever had from her before and co uld never have now that it was mine.

Something I would treasure and hold sacred every day for the rest of my life.

And yet, here I was, leaving her behind.

Fuck …I hated this. I clenched my jaw, desperately trying to hold it together.

To not hint at the frustration and anger and fear and utter turmoil that was being apart from my promised.

But the faster we got this done, the faster I would be with her again.

The faster we could get the hell out, and the faster I could feel her wrapped in my arms once more.

The soldier opened the access door to the roof of the facility. Sunlight poured in, the morning air cool and crisp. “Make it fast,” he barked at us, holding the hound by the collar.

“Yes, sir,” Matias said, giving a flashy smile as he followed Mara’s cousin out onto the roof. “I’ll take the back left corner,” he added, looking at me and then Javier. Not waiting for a reply, he took off.

“Let’s tackle the other side,” I said, pointing to the back right.

De la Puente didn’t argue. He nodded and started walking to the back.

Good. I wasn’t in the mood to argue with the smartass.

As it was, I was close to punching him after the stunt he pulled.

I understood why he did it, but it didn’t make me any more forgiving.

The guard remained by the access door, giving plenty of leash back to the hellhound, which paced back and forth, tracking us with gluttonous eyes.

Javier muttered under his breath, keeping his sight on our target. “You got to reel in the aggression, Mr. President . You’re going to get us killed.”

I ground my teeth harder, swearing I was going to crack a molar. “Do you have any fucking clue how hard it is to leave her behind?”

“Entiendo más de lo que tú sabes . ” We reached the concrete base holding the corner of the tower.

He translated, “I understand more than you know.” Javier crouched, his back to the officer as he grabbed the bag and opened it wide, revealing tools.

“Remember, I had to walk away from Mara once already knowing full well that her life was shit at the Palace.” He pulled out several until the explosives came into view.

“There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t regret abandoning my cousins.

The only reason why I didn’t dissent was because of them. ”

I crouched on the opposite side, making sure I could keep an eye on the guard and his mutt. “And yet you left her anyway, and that’s what I’m doing right now,” I muscled through my tense jaw.

“You’re right. I left them both. And maybe if I had stayed, Jacob would still be alive. That man was a brother to me. I’m sure you can share in my sorrow seeing as your brother also met his death at my uncle’s hands.”

Everything stiffened within me at the mention of Chase.

I hadn’t forgotten that he and Liddy were friends while stationed in Telvia.

When he discovered she was at the reeducation camp, he was torn between trying to help her escape and letting it be.

He never admitted to helping her—my father and Sasha had both forbidden it since it could have destroyed his chances of matching with Mara—but I had always suspected he had.

He went from being concerned about her safety to accepting she was gone too fast for me not to suspect.

What never occurred to me until now was that Chase would have known Javier de la Puente at the Academy.

“You knew Chase, didn’t you?” My eyes never left the guard, but I could see Javier’s hands pause over his work for a moment before pushing forward once more.

“I did,” he finally said. “He didn’t trust me and I didn’t trust him, but I can say without a doubt that your brother was a good man.”

My chest tightened, the old, familiar feeling of guilt curling into the pit of my stomach. My brother had been a good man. But my selfish actions and inability to stand idly by while someone else threatened to hurt Mara cost him his life.

Javier spoke again, pulling my attention out from painful memories.

“I respected your brother and will forever be indebted to him and what he did to help Liddy and me escape this fucking shithole. But I’ll never forgive myself for walking away from my cousins.

All I can do now is everything in my power to help remove my uncle from power and assist Mara in every way I know how.

“And if that means keeping your ass from getting killed, then I’ll do it.

But I’m going to raze you every step of the way because soon enough, we’ll be family.

And I may not be Mara’s brother by blood, but you better believe I’m her brother by heart.

And if she’ll let me, I’ll walk her down that aisle and give her away to you.

” He stopped, pointing a finger at me, drawing my attention away from the officer.

“Pero que dios me perdone—may god forgive me—if you ever do anything to harm her, I will kill you myself, Calvernon. I will destroy you.”

Javier’s eyes were like polished obsidian, and I heard the truth of the threat they spoke to me, mirroring the man’s words. At that moment, I decided I liked Javier de la Puente. Because anyone who would kill to defend Mara was a person I respected and wanted to keep close.

“I would expect nothing less, de la Puente, and I fully intend to hold you to that promise.” We stared at each other, eyes communicating so much more than our mouths ever could.

And once we reached our unspoken agreement, I smirked.

“All right then. Are you going to bat your eyelashes at me next, or are we going to get this done so we can get back to your cousin?”

Javier grinned. “Así es como me gusta…that’s how I like it.”

We both got back to work, and I just kept wondering how Mara was doing.