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“I… I don’t…” My voice trails off as I stiffen, paralyzed. In this arena, I have no idea what to do next. My usual arguments dissipate.
“I can see him in you, sometimes, your past lover,” Jaguar accuses. “When you’re too tired or in too much pain to hide it. It’s him looking out behind those sexy dark eyes. It’s him you cry out for when I’m fucking you. And it washimwho you were picturing with my cock shoved down your throat just now. Your entire expression is different then,” he adds, dragging his nails over my scalp. “You don’t have that cocky gleam. For a split second, I can see the real woman, devoted to a man who isn’t me.”
“You’re wrong,” I breathe out. “I’m not—”
“I told you what I want from you. Give me that, and you will truly become mine. But if you can’t… I am not a man who shares his toys willingly. I told you that once, but I’m not sure you understand what I mean. If you continue to pine for that bastard, I will uphold your promise not to make Braulio’s death public. I will save that honor solely foryou. I’ll gut him like a fish, Lupe. Then I’ll feed the pieces to my Gatita one by one. I will make you watch. Do you hear me?”
I do, but the heart of his argument chills me to the core more than his threat does.
I’m sure of it now—he knows about Diego.
In that case, he shouldn’t see love in me. He should see abject horror.
“And there it is,” he says against my throat. His tongue lathes at the flesh before he scrapes that same spot with his teeth. “That look in your eyes. If you want me to believe you, I suggest you do your best to forget him completely. Or I’ll have to rethink your usefulness after all, Lupe.”
He releases me without warning and moves to stand. Just to stay upright, I have to get on my hands and knees.
“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I insist, though why do I even feel the need to assuage his paranoia? I should encourage any chance that he might lose interest.
But I didn’t anticipate the panic I’d feel at the sight of that mocking coldness in his eyes again. I haven’t seen it since the night I woke up in Gatita’s cage.
When he turns his back to me, I can’t stop myself from blurting out, “Wait—”
“Get dressed,” he snaps, already halfway across the room. “We leave within the hour. I want you ready to entertain when we land. Show off that spicy little smile.”
“Entertain?” I croak, spinning to view him pause in the doorway.
“Yes.” His smile is feral, teeth bared. “I’ve decided to take you up on your offer. We’re throwing a little party tonight, Lupe—” He has the gall to wink. “At our Texas villa for all my lieutenants. I want to put your loyalty to the test yet again. We’re going to have a hell of a time. Wear something sexy. You don’t know who might be watching. Perhaps that lover of yours you’ve tried so hard to protect?”
He storms into the hall, shouting for Horatio, and I scramble to my feet, unsure what to do.
To buy myself more time to think, I shower first and then enter the closet wrapped only in a towel. At the tail end of Jaguar’s deadline, I start to select a plain black dress—but, at the last minute, I pick a red one instead. Boldly designed, it’s tight-fitting with a low-cut neckline, something Diego would never let me wear, and far too classy for Tiena’s tastes.
Maybe it’s my own style, mingled with Jaguar’s preferred color. A desperate set of armor against his mind games. I’m terrified to admit that I have no idea what the hell he has planned.
The worst part? Deep down, some twisted sliver of my soul isn’t fearful. It’s tingling with anticipation.
God help me.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
Unsurprising, given his wealth, Jaguar owns more than one private jet. We take a model far larger than the intimate plane Franco, and I utilized to drop him off—but there is no mistaking its owner’s mark. The spacious interior is a mixture of gray and black, Jaguar’s chosen color scheme.
“I’m beginning to sense a pattern,” I say with what I hope passes for a playful grin as Jaguar claims a leather seat across the aisle from mine.
I’m rewarded with only a grunt. As he did the first day I met him, he stares right through me, as if our dynamic has reverted back to a twisted game of cat and mouse.
I seethe while staring out my window. Maybe I should keep him bored this time. Let him naturally drift away. I can make a deal with Pedro to maintain Franco’s school somehow. The money I have is enough to pay his tuition for the rest of the year—if I use none for myself.
No matter the cost, I should want Jaguar to find a new piece of prey to hunt.
To that aim, I busy myself with texting Franco and Pedro to let them know I’ll be in Texas. Franco’s reply is only an emoji. Pedro’s, however, comes seconds before takeoff—We need to talk. Important. Call me.
My heart skips a beat. It isn’t like him to be so blunt. Has he figured out Tiena’s whereabouts, perhaps? Left with no other choice, I look over at Jaguar.
“Pedro wants me to call him,” I say, licking my lips.Dios mío, I don’t know why I’m so uneasy. My stomach churns in a way I’ve come to recognize as utter dread. Watching him only makes that unease build. His face is angled away, and I assume he didn’t hear me. Again, I try to get his attention. “Do you think you could ask the pilot to—”
“I’m surePedrocan wait until we land,” Jaguar snaps without looking up. “I sent him ahead, so he’s already in Texas. A few more hours of your time should be easy enough to spare. Think you can suffer me that long without turning to another man?”
