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“I’ll deal with the funerals on my own. We lost nearly a dozen. Thankfully, none of the children were lost.”
I down the rest of the coffee and put the mug on the counter. “I’m going to spend the rest of the day in the office arranging the funerals. I need you to make sure that Camila gets home safely.”
“Will do, when she wakes up.” Ruben gets up and stretches, his joints cracking. “Last night was rough for her. She’s in one of the guest rooms right now.”
I nod. “Get some rest yourself.”
Glancing at Zoe, I watch as she seems to draw in on herself more than ever.
I look back at Ruben. “It’s been a long night for all of us. You’re going to need your rest. I need everybody at the top of their game. Once you’ve made sure Camila is home and safe with her security team, I want you to start digging for more information on Demarco.”
Ruben faces pinches as he nods. “I don’t know how possible that is going to be. Even though I’ve been coordinating with Billie, we don’t know anything more than we did before.”
“There has to be more out there.” I open the fridge and grab the plate of leftover fried chicken. “Zoe, we need to speak.”
Ruben looks between the two of us, his gaze landing on Zoe.
The corner of her mouth tips up as she gives a slight nod.
I don’t know what bond the two of them have formed, but at least she seems to be making more friends in the cartel. Maybe that will make life here easier for her.
Out of all the people she could befriend, Ruben is a good one. I know that he will put her life above his own when it comes down to it.
When I glance at Ruben, he clearly wavers between whether or not to leave the room.
I arch an eyebrow and clear my throat as I take a seat at the kitchen island.
Ruben sighs and dips his head, leaving the room.
“What is going on?” Zoe’s voice wavers.
She balls her hands into fists, digging her nails into her palms. “Why were we attacked at a party? Who is after you, Christian? Please. I need to know. Why do they want to kill you? Why do we keep getting attacked?”
I sigh and unwrap the plastic from the plate before pulling off a piece of the once crispy chicken skin. “Zoe, it’s not as simple as you’re making it seem.”
“Please.” She looks at me with those big green eyes, and I feel myself start to melt. “I don’t want to know everything, but it might help if I know why I keep almost dying.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her about her father, even though he has nothing to do with tonight.
I don’t want to hurt her, though. Not more than I already have.
It’s best that she learns the truth about him on her own. That way she really believes what she sees.
“Very well. Demarco Jones used to be my father’s right hand. Years ago, a lot of bad things went down. He faked his own death, and now he’s trying to kill me. I don’t know much more than that. It’s not the first time that someone has something to gain from my death, and I doubt it will be the last. It’s the nature of the job.”
I pop a piece of chicken in my mouth as Zoe nods.
It’s clear that she’s trying to take it all in.
Her hands relax as she shifts in her seat and takes a deep breath. As her shoulders roll back, I get the distinct feeling that I’m not about to like what she says.
“I know you’ve done a lot to protect me and help me build my career. I appreciate that. I really do. But you also scare the hell out of me, and I don’t know if I can keep living like this. Christian, I don’t know if I can do this.”
I swallow the anger, the hurt, that bubbles to the surface.
Zoe might be scared, but right now, she is making a choice. One that means she wants me as distant from her life as possible.
“Too fucking bad,” I say as I lean closer to her, the plate of leftovers in my hand. “You don’t get a choice. This is the life. You married into it, and you’re going to die in it. Just like the rest of us. Get your shit together and start acting like a cartel wife, Zoe.”
