Page 119 of Forbidden Fate

“And Zabala?”

Cruz looks down at his bloody hands. A silence passes. Then, “An eye for an eye.”

Esmeralda gasps.

I stare at him.

His face hardens. “He got what he deserved.”

Cruz killed Zabala.

I should feel horrified.

I do.

But not only horrified.

That’s the part I don’t want to examine.

Because Señora V is dead. Because Zabala came here with a gun. Because if Cruz hadn’t stopped him, he’d be dead. Esmeralda would be dead. Mercedes. Me. Everyone.

The Ace of Spades flashes in my mind.

Death.

Every prediction comes true…in a way. That’s what Esmeralda said.

The hair on the back of my neck stands on end.

I swallow hard. “Cruz.”

He shakes his head once.

Not now.

Right.

Not now.

He looks at Esmeralda. “Zabala won’t be the last.”

Her face is wet with tears. “What do you mean?”

“When he doesn’t return, Vega will send someone else.” Cruz’s voice sharpens. “As soon as he tries to contact Zabala and gets no response, he’ll send more men. Not one. Not two. An army.”

My stomach turns to ice.

“Here?” Esmeralda whispers.

“Yes.”

“But Señora—” Her voice breaks. “This is her house.”

“Right now it’s a target. As long as I’m alive, it’ll be a target. I should never have come here. And now you all have to leave.”

Esmeralda takes in a short breath. “I can’t.”

“You have to.”