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“Such pretty words from such a sexy little mouth,” Jaguar growls. “Some men might be tempted to test how far you’ll go to back up that promise.”
He opens the door on his end and climbs out of the vehicle, leaving me to follow. He doesn’t extend his hand or offer me any assistance, regulating me once again to a plaything he’s merely toying with. His moods are so volatile and hard to get a grasp on.
Already paces away, he walks at a speed I sprint to keep up with, risking my balance in Pedro’s borrowed high heels. When I finally take stock of our surroundings, my belly dips ominously. I’m used to luxury after lurking on the periphery of Braulio’s influence.
Never have I seen a mansion of this opulence up close.
The man must bathe in money, but the sprawling, modern-style architecture and the decadent fountains lining the entrance aren’t what thrill me. The windows do. So many large, gleaming windows that reveal swaths of the dwelling’s interior.
An abundance of glass signifies the confidence of a man who does not feel the need to hide behind high walls or hired muscle. He taunts those against him to line up their shot and take it. If they have the balls to.
As I follow him inside, my heart skips another beat. A pristine foyer lined in gold-flecked marble paves the way deeper inside, but Jaguar doesn’t take me on a tour. Instead, he heads up a winding staircase and into what seems to be a personal billiard room overlooking an illuminated outdoor pool where several scantily-clad women mill about in the water. I’m not threatened by them.
What I find waiting for me on the leather couches and leaning against the massive pool table in the center of the room, however, terrifies me.
CHAPTERFOUR
At least ten men fixate in my direction. With every passing second, my alarm grows. They eye me the way Francisco would the jelly donuts I’d bring him during our visits. Like a child promised a tantalizing treat.
To cement my unease, Jaguar stalks forward to claim the spotlight, his teeth bared in a feral grin. Although I am not too familiar with his emotions, I recognize danger when I see it. With his eyes flashing, he ticks every box in the potential hazard category.
“You want to earn my help, chica?” he asks. “Then show my friends and me here just how badly you want it.”
Shit.Panic robs me of all my senses, and I stumble back on my heels, seconds from bolting altogether. I don’t know why I’m surprised whenever men reveal their true colors. Of course, Jaguar is no different than the rest, lording his power over those much weaker.
The sad part? I would easily fall into his trap if I didn’t know better. Desperation would urge me to let these men do whatever they wanted to. I’d tell myself I had no choice. No hope. Sometimes, when I’m feeling charitable, I like to think that’s how Tiena felt before crawling to Braulio on her hands and knees, her honor and pride be damned.
It’s a lie, of course. Tiena was never alone—she always had me.
And I still have Pedro. His words come to me now, and I say them with all the conviction I can muster. In reality, it’s just one simple phrase. “No.”
“No?” Jaguar laughs in a slow, menacing way. His eyes seem to darken to a lethal hue, verging on black. “But I thought you wanted my help so badly.”
“I do,” I admit, lifting my chin to better hold that penetrating stare. A part of me wails that I’m blowing my only chance, and I should shut up and commit to the reckless danger I signed up for.
But after meeting Jaguar in person, I think Pedro was right in one assessment. He is nothing if not prideful—and selfish.
Fortunately for me, I know exactly how to stroke such an ego. “Do you really think I’d insult you by debasing myself at the first opportunity? Any woman worthy of you would never sink so low.”
More importantly, such a woman would lose his respect forever.
“Oh?” His eyelids lower a fraction—something I’m beginning to find happens when he’s thinking. Or when he’s caught off guard. Emboldened by the reaction, I take a single step forward, my eyes on him.
“I respect you far too much to ever insult you like that, Jaguar.”
“Insult me?” He strokes his chin and levels me with another searing glance. “Oh no, Lupe. You putting on this bullshit act is what insults me.” His free hand clenches into a fist. “You know what I do like? Women who shut their mouths and obey. You want my help, Lupe? I’ve just named my price. Show us all a very good time, and I’ll consider your request.”
Bastard.I can’t help the anger that rips through me, white-hot. Instantly, part of his aloof veneer vanishes. He isn’t all-powerful and armed with dangerous cunning. He’s a ruthless sadist, just like Braulio. Just like…
Diego.
My blood runs cold at the observation. It’s been so long since I’ve dared to think of his name. The fact that I am now must be a warning sign from my subconscious, and I rush to heed it. Turning on my heel, I head blindly for the door.
And I make my first major mistake of the night.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Jaguar’s tone teleports me a decade into the past. I’d been on the verge of seventeen then, so enamored with an older man I’d given him everything. My body. My soul. My sanity.
Only to have him throw it all in my face and mockingly demand, “Where the hell do you think you’re going, butterfly?”He meant it as an opened-ended question. By that point, I had no one to run to but him.
