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“Don't call me that.” He backs away from my touch, sneering in my direction. “In fact, never call me that, or the other little nickname you have for me again. Never contact me, stay away from my family, and stay away from me.”
“Or what?”
“Or I'll be the one to take everything you have left, and it will no longer be my father you have to worry about.”
I laugh. “Now is not the time for jokes, Mateo.”
“Jokes? That's all I've been to you this whole time, a joke, haven’t I? Well, let me leave you to laugh alone.”
I reach for his arm and he slaps my hand away. “Don't touch me. I should have never let you to begin with. This whole time you thought I didn't know, but I did. I knew you couldn't really want me. After all, who would want some fucking sheltered princess,” he spits. He turns away and I don't reach for him again, no matter how much it kills me. I want to tell him I do want him. I wanted him from the moment I laid eyes on him, from the moment I slipped my coat over his shoulders. But I don't because I'm the weak one here, not him. I've fought against my feelings for him for weeks, shoving them down in a place of my mind and locking them away. “Mateo...wait!”
He spins around mid-walk. “What? What do you want? You want your revenge? Well, I'm right here, come get it. What has taken you so damn long, huh?”
“I wanted to hurt you before but I can't do it anymore. I never planned to kill you though. I never planned to fall for you either but here we are.” I let out a nervous chuckle. “This will stay between your father and me from here on out. I promise. You begged me not to walk away from you before. Please don't walk away from me now.”
“It's too late for that. You dragged me into this and it's bigger than you two now.”
“Mateo…”
“You destroyed me like you wanted. Mission accomplished. Now we both get to live with the outcome. Bye, Gabriel.” He kisses me long and hard, breathing me in one last time before grabbing his jacket and storming off.
I don't stop him. My gaze follows him until he disappears into the dark night. I stand there like the helpless man I am, watching the one good thing in my life walk away from me forever. Before I thought I had lost everything. It turns out I was wrong. On the other hand, I guess you can't lose something you never truly allowed yourself to have to begin with.
Twenty-three
Mateo
I want to scream and shout and tear things apart as I walk back across the street. Instead of going inside, I slide into my car parked outside the gate. Once buckled, I put the key in the ignition, and freeze when my gaze is met with someone else’s in the rearview mirror. The man smiles and the darkness filling his eyes is unnerving. “Hello there, pretty boy.”
It's the man from the club. The one Santiago kicked out almost a month ago. Before I can speak, he presses a knife to my neck. “I'd think about your next move very carefully if I were you.”
I close my eyes as the knife presses to my skin. I remain still, gripping the seat with my fingers. I don't want to know or see what's about to happen. I let myself drift off into my safe space, instead it's no longer me playing in the garden with my brother, it's Gabriel holding me in my bed and kissing me in the shower.
As much as I don't want him to be, Gabriel has become my safe haven. Which makes no sense since he set out to ruin me. I tremble at the touch of cold hands sliding beneath my coat and the smell of liquor and cigarettes hangs so strongly in the air. It pulls me further away from my memories, bringing me back to reality as the man's hands slip further down my body. Bang! Everything shakes and goes blurry around me, and time stands still with a loud ringing in my ears.
I open my eyes and broken glass is everywhere. The guy is motionless in the back seat. I step out of the car and a black sedan drives up. I think it's Gabriel until a man I've never seen before gets out. “Get in the car.”
I shake my head. “No, I don't want to.”
“I said get in the car. It's at your fiancé’s request.”
I swallow hard and another guy gets out and walks toward the backseat of my car. “I'll get this mess cleaned up and call for Ivan to take care of the body.”
The other guy nods and opens the back door of the sedan and I climb in. I jump up in my seat when I notice I'm not alone. Santiago is wearing a scowl on his face, along with one of his fancy suits. “Hola, mi amor. Did you have a good time tonight? I hope so, because it will be your last night out for a while.” He glances from me to the front of the car, tapping the back of the seat. “Driver, go around the block a few times.”
“Yes, sir.”
He reaches for my hand and I shake it off. Sneering, he grabs it again and places it on his leg, wrapping his fingers in mine. “Once we're back at the house, I'll tuck you in bed, and we are going to have a nice long chat in the morning. In the meantime, I brought you that tea you love so much from the coffee shop up the road.”
He hands me the warm cup and I clasp it in my free hand, staring down at it. “Drink it. It will help settle you.”
“Did you kill that man?”
He laughs, and his head falls back on the seat. “Yes. He touched what's mine after being warned before. Looks like someone else should have died right along with him. I need him alive for now though.”
“Who?”
He laughs again. “Oh, Mateo, you and your stupid questions. You know damn well who. Now please, mi amor, drink your tea.”
