“You’ve been with him all this while?”
Another nonverbal assent.
“He kidnapped you?”
I sigh softly, staring down at the patch of grass.
“Not exactly.”
Like he keeps saying, he didn’t know I was Ignacio Navarro’s daughter when his brothers hatched the plot. Rafaelle’s not blameless and will never be. But he can get a little grace for that.
“What the fuck does not exactly mean?”
I wrench my head towards him in surprise. I’ve never heard Carlos curse. He pinches the bridge of his nose, and my eyes are involuntarily drawn to the gloves he’s wearing, knowing what’s underneath.
“Carlos, I’m in trouble,” I begin.
“Clearly,” he drawls, looking at me.
“No, I mean I’m fucked. Literally,” I pause, not knowing where to start. “I found my father. Or should I say, I was informed about his identity? His name is Ignacio Navarro. A Mexican drug lord in the city.”
Carlos’s eyes light up in recognition.
“The Vitales are keeping me because of him,” I continue, all of them except one that is. Rafaelle has made it clear he doesn’t care about my identity. “They want to use me in a trade for power.”
“They’ll return you to your father?” he questions, gaze thoughtful and intent.
“Yes. And I’m not sure I want that. My mother kept me away from him for a very good reason. This man whoever he is, seems like bad news. And you know what they say, better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.”
He frowns, “The ones you know in this case being the Vitales? You want to stay with the man that tortured me and kidnapped you.”
I huff out a small breath. I was really hoping he’d be able to provide me with unbiased advice but if his grudge against Rafaelle is going to hold him back, then maybe I should say anything else.
Not that I blame him for being angry. He has every right to be. And I wish he never experienced what he did in the arms of the man I’m falling in love with.
“The Vitales seem decent and honestly, I don’t hate being with Rafaelle,” I confess tightly, my cheek growing hot. I can’t even look at Carlos as I say the words. “Especially not since he’s the father of my baby girl.”
Carlos stiffens. He clears his throat, rubbing the stubble on his cheek.
“What do you mean by that, Lily? You have a daughter?”
my tongue darts out to wet my lips as I nod, “Yes, she’s 9 months old. Her name is Milagro. But I call her Mila. She’s the reason I left the city back then. I wasn’t running from Rafaelle, Carlos. I was trying to protect my daughter. And now-” I hesitate. “I think I regret that decision.”
“No,” he snaps. “That might be the smartest thing you’ve done in this entire ordeal.”
My eyes lift to his in surprise.
“You’re naïve, Lily. And you have no idea what type of man Rafaelle Vitale is. You want to reveal this secret now? After so long? You’ll be lucky if he doesn’t kill you and take your daughter away forever.”
“He wouldn’t do that,” I say, although the words are hollow and sound fake even to my own ears.
“Trust me, sport. He could do worse.”
My throat dries, “I know he tortured you and that was-”
“This isn’t about that,” he interrupts. “Do I think he’s a piece of shit for what he did, sure. But the Vitales are legendary in the underworld. And Rafaelle has always been the demon among them. A soulless monster with no empathy or heart.”
“He’s…he’s not soulless.”
