Page 132 of The Crowned Garza

Two boxes. One holds a brand-new cell phone. The other contains a velvet pouch, which holds…my new best friend. The knife that became mine two nights ago. The knife that saved me from sexual assault yesterday. The knife I thought I’d never see again after ManBun took it from me.

I sweep my thumb along its bronze handle, over the tiny crucifix carved at the bottom.

It’s a message to me. One I understand loud and clear.

Vengeance was reaped.

At the very least, Bruno isn’t alive anymore. But I hope Carlos still is, though. Carlos thinks I’m pretty.

Flipping the knife open, I glide my fingertip along the sharp blade, wondering how he did it. Smooth and swift like he did with the Super? Or painfully slow?

The idea of either shouldn’t delight me.

But God help my wretched soul, it does.

~

IT’S AFTER MIDNIGHTand I’m the last to leave the restaurant again.

At this hour, my car’s usually the only one left in the staff parking. But tonight, there’s a familiar Range Rover parked several spots down from mine.

I falter a bit, but then pick up the pace and beeline for my car.

My heart lurches at the sound of the car door slamming behind me, of the steady, confident footsteps trailing me.

With hasty fingers, I try to yank open the door but end up fumbling, my key fob clattering to the ground. “Shit.”

I bend down to snatch it up, but when I’m upright again, a surge of electricity zaps through me at the hard, unmoving chest now at my back. Long, capable, reassuring arms curve around me from behind, making my breath hitch.

Without an ounce of resistance, my body sighs and relaxes into his hold. And I hate it. Hate the way my heart balloons without cease, so much I’m expecting it to explode out of my chest any minute now. And I hate, hate,hatethat this iseverythingI need.

His body shudders behind mine as he nuzzles his face in my hair.

He feels so warm, so safe, so…right.

“Ti amo, piccola regina.” The gruffly mumbled words damn near knock the wind out of me. “I love you. I’m in love with you.Ti amo. I love you so fucking much.”

I—Wait—He…what?

“I—” My throat catches. “I d-don’t believe you.”

“It’s only ever been you for me, Tillie Garza.”

See, now this…this pisses me off. Because I’m tired. I’m tired of him messing with me, manipulating my feelings, screwing with my emotions. I’m tired of him reeling me in then dropping me. Over and over and over again. I’mtired!

Loving him is debilitating. Exhausting. It shouldn’t be like this. I’ve never been in love before, but I’ve witnessed love. I’ve watched my brothers get brought down to their knees by love, so Iknowit shouldn’t be like this. Shouldn’t be this complicated, this confusing, this achy, this damnhard.

“No.” Wrestling out of his hug, I whirl around and chuck at his chest. “No! You don’t love me. You’re a liar. You love to fuck with me, sure, but you don’tloveme. If you did, you’d choose me. You wouldn’t keep messing with my head. You. Would. Choose. Me.”

Eyes stormy, he shakes his head at me. “I chose you a long time ago,regina. How do you not see that? Messing with your head? How? I’ve beenwaitingfor you. This whole time I’ve been waiting foryouto be ready forme.”

This motherfreaking mind-fucker.“How does that even make any goddamn sense? Youleave. That’s what you do, Saint. You toy with me and then you leave me!”

“Where have I been, Tillie? Where did I go? Nowhere. Youknowthis. I’ve never left you and never will. I’m always with you. I’m always there. I see you, I hear you, I watch you, I fucking breathe you. My entire existence isyou, Tillie Garza.”

With a harsh grunt, he drags a hand down his face, takes a deep breath, then makes a slow three-sixty turn, as if trying his damnedest not to get worked up. “You’re no ordinary girl,regina. You’re Tillie goddamn Garza. Full of curiosity and defiance. Experimenting, exploring, resisting, breaking the rules, you crave all that. When you don’t get the freedom to make your own choices, you rebel. Iknowyou. Claiming you and locking you down—like I wanted to—wouldn’t have worked with you. I knew the path to your heart wouldn’t be that straightforward. To win your selfish heart, I knew I would have to be selfless. And I willingly embarked on a ride I knew would be fucking painful.”

He stares down at the ground for several beats, rubs his jaw, then lifts his gaze to me again. “You were…young. Having fun. And I knew I needed to let you have that. Go out there and experience what you needed to experience, explore what you needed to explore, learn what you needed to learn, so when the time came, you wouldn’t feel like you gave up anything, missed out on anything. Have no doubt in your mind that there’s nothing better, no one better for you thanme.