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Another hand brushes my shoulder, but I evade the touch and flee. Turning on my heel, I retreat to the periphery of the rooftop, desperate for air. God, what to do? I should leave. Try to reschedule my flight and forsake this stupid plan.
I even take a step toward the elevator we came in through.
Only one thing makes me hesitate—I think of Franco. Of his beautiful face and the way his hazel eyes had seemed hollow beside the bruise I saw on him last. There is no way in hell I can leave him to the whims of that monster with no way out. I can’t…
“You stupid bitch.”
A hard surface presses into my lower back, heedless of the wounds there. I hiss through my teeth, but a hand clamps over my mouth, smothering any cry I make. In the same instance, someone steps in front of me, blocking my body from view of anyone in nearby proximity.
“You dumb, twisted little cunt,” my captor growls. “I knew Tiena was a sick little bitch, but you, Lupe? What the fuck did she tell you, huh? If you think she has your back, you’re wrong. She’s already sold you out, you stupid bitch. We’re both dead—”
Braulio. I recognize his voice, which means he must be the owner of the unseen weapon digging into my skin. I should be afraid, I think. Deep down, a part of me knows that. As the seconds tick past, I don’t feel a damn thing.
Just irritation. Emboldened by it, I bite down on his hand until he wrenches it free, gripping my throat instead. “I don’t know, Braulio,” I choke out. “Why don’t you ask her? Where is she—”
“Shut the fuck up.” He shoves the object into me hard, and I wince. Fire sears through the deepest wound, and a warm substance drips down my hip a heartbeat later.
“I should have known better than trust her stupid ass plan. That little cunt shoots her mouth off, and then some sick motherfucker comes asking aboutyou. Did you set me up from the fucking start?”
Asking about me? “Jaguar? You were a fool to move against him in the first place. Did you even think about what could happen to Franco?”
“Don’t play dumb, Lupita. Did you think about what could happen to you? Tiena isn’t here to protect you, not that she fucking would.” Laughing, Braulio maneuvers me away from the main party to a vacant corner filled only with crates of electronic equipment.
“I knew that cunt was planning something stupid, but this takes the cake,” he says, sounding borderline incoherent. His grip tightens to a painful degree, drawing a hiss from my lips that I can’t smother. “I played along, let her use me like a fucking puppet—but I’m not as dumb as you bitches think. She thought she could make an outside deal? Well, so did I. Fuck her. When you see her in Hell, tell that bitch I said hello.”
“So you killed her, then.” I don’t anticipate the pain I feel. Despite everything she’s done, I’ll always love her, no matter the cost to me.
But Braulio doesn’t rush to gloat. He keeps rambling. “She set me up. Told me to hire that fucking accountant. Then, to cover her bases, she sent you after Jaguar the second shit got too hot. God damn her.” He sounds hysterical. Incoherent almost, and that weapon bites into me deeper and deeper. It’s a gun. I recognize the shape, and my heart begins to beat a little faster. At the rate he’s going, he might miss a clean kill and make it hurt. “But tell me, where does he come into play? That other fucker? The one with the eye patch? When he first asked about you, I thought he was being slick. You don’t mean shit to anyone. But he wanted you so badly, you little cunt. Damn near threatened to cut my balls off if I didn’t do what he wanted, but no one puts the screws to me. No fucking one—”
“Jaguar?” I ask again. My heart lurches as a tiny voice in my head whispers,Oh, you poor thing. You know it wasn’t him…
“I don’t remember the fucker’s name,” Braulio hisses. “He talked a big ass game, but he knew the plan. I’m sure you bitches roped him in. Oh, you stupid cunt. I knew you were psychotic, but stupid? You must be if you and that bitch sold me out. The joke’s on you. I’m the one in control now, and you? You’re already dead—”
“Apparently, Tiena’s dead, too,” I snap. “So, what next? You kill me here and run off with your tail between your legs?”
“Kill you? Oh no, Pita. That’s not the deal I made. He asked for you alive, that sick fuck. You must have crossed him real bad. But why should I? He can have your body for all I fucking care.”
He shoves me forward, and I realize we’re approaching a battered metal door that must lead to a staircase.No, a part of me warns. If I let him take me, I’ll be as good as dead.
I dig my heels into the floor, and try to distract him.Think, Pita!
“Who asked about me?” I ask, straining my neck to meet his gaze from over my shoulder. Stalling him is only partly behind my curiosity. Apart from Jaguar, I don’t know who could want me. Did Tiena rope another narco into her scheme?
“I remember now, his name.” Without warning, he shoves me down and slams his foot into my back.
It hurts. I can’t silence a scream, though a laugh edges it. I didn’t think Braulio had it in him to hit someone who wasn’t cowering in response. Like Tiena. Like his son. He’s gotten bolder since I saw him last.
“Whatever Tiena did to you, you deserved it,” I tell him, rolling onto my stomach. At the same time, I scan the nearest stack of crates for anything I can use as a weapon. God, I can’t let him take me. “Do you hear me, you stupid bastard? You deserve it!”
“And you deserve what’s waiting for you, too, Lupita. He told me what he has in mind for you, and it is sick shit. Ah, now I remember. His name,” Braulio says as though I never spoke. He kicks me again, so hard I wheeze. Then he levels his pistol at my skull. “Diego—”
“Leave the woman and go,” a voice commands. I vaguely recognize it. Dazed, I look up and see a lanky figure standing paces away. I know him. The man from last night. Horatio. “Now. Before Jaguar decides to make it clear that his woman is not to be touched. Go.”
Footsteps echo wildly, and I assume Braulio retreats, but my vision is too blurry to see by. I just lie here, tasting blood on my tongue and feeling it drip down my back.
“Come, miss.” Horatio hooks a hand beneath my waist and hauls me to my feet. He brings me into the elevator and then through a darkened lobby. There must be a car waiting nearby. I’m shoved onto a spacious back seat, but when a familiar voice trickles into my ear, I realize I’m late for the party.
“Bad luck, chica,” Jaguar says with a sigh. “Braulio can be very possessive. I should have known better than to parade you before him. Horatio told me he had a gun to your skull, but you were still running your mouth, cursing him to hell and back. Sexy.”
