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“Get away from me,” I hiss as he slips into the room, his head lowered, eyes obscured.
“Ah,” he says softly. “So, you aren’t just gifted with a magic tongue. You hold grudges, too. Grudges against the men who you believe have wronged you. Will you add me to your list?”
I bristle at the caution in his tone. It’s more irritating than his smug, mocking laughs. As if he really cares that he might have upset me.
Like hell, will I fall for that trick.
“I will add you to the same list that I add the men who want to use me only to their own ends. It’s rather long, so you have company there,” I spit. “The only thing I want from you is to find Pedro or get the hell out of my way.”
“Look at me.”
I spin around to put my back to him, eyeing the spines of the books nearest me. There are volumes of Shakespeare interspersed with encyclopedias and tomes on various topics. I finger one and try to ignore the alarm running down my spine as I sense him come up behind me.
“You make it rather difficult to apologize,” he says. “Almost as if you’re not used to it. I could hear the anger in your voice earlier. When my woman is upset, not even my business takes precedence over her. I got on a plane ten minutes after.”
Is that true? Horatio certainly seemed annoyed by the change in Jaguar’s arrival. I mull over the prospect of him rushing back just for me as his breath fans the back of my neck. Radiating possession, his hand grazes my hip next, the fingers outstretched.
I try to shift out of his reach, gripping the nearest shelf for balance. “Is that what you’re doing right now, Jaguar?” I rasp out. “Apologizing?”
I’m feeling bitter enough to twist the knife, even as my heart races when his fingers rake through my hair next.
“Shouldn’t a man get down on one knee, with flowers and chocolates?”
As if I know a damn thing about such gestures. Diego never apologized—and he certainly wouldn’t fly halfway across the country to address my concerns in person. Neither did my parents feel remorse for the hell they put my sister and me through. A man like Jaguar most definitely doesn’t.
“Real men do far more than that, chica,” he says softly. “But you wouldn’t know that. You think I doubted you. That makes you angry—you have a right to be. You know to take offense when the man meant to protect you has forsaken his vow. You know your worth. But…” He’s closer, his voice dripping into my ear. “Give me a chance to show you how a real man apologizes to his woman before you pass judgment,sí?”
He takes my hand, tugging me into him. My arms go around his waist out of sheer force of a habit. The resulting embrace is too fleeting to be called a hug. It’s more like… A full body caress. Perhaps his way of issuing yet another apology before he turns and guides me from the room. I shiver, feeling my heart pound like mad as his heat slams into me like a battering ram. I can feel the muscles of his chest flexing against my back as he leads me into the hall and toward those closed double doors.
The second we draw near, they part from the inside, revealing a wide, open space enclosed by gray walls and concrete flooring. Digging my heels in, I remember the horrifying moment when I woke up in Gatita’s cage.
“It’s alright.” Jaguar tugs on my hand, wrenching me forward. Only then do I realize that this room lacks a characteristic animal musk, and there is no jaguar in sight. Something strange, however, is lying on its side in the middle of the concrete floor. I strain to identify it. A mannequin with splayed limbs, splattered in red…?
“This is my first act of atonement to you,” Jaguar explains before I’ve identified the shadowy mass fully. I feel him release my hand as he steps forward, and another overhead light switches on.
As my eyes adjust to the dim lighting, I note the four men in black lurking on the outskirts of the room. A table against the far wall has a series of objects that I can’t make out clearly.
Not until Jaguar approaches and removes something from the array, lifting it for me to see. My breath catches, and my hands start to sweat. He’s decided to forgo feeding me to his pet this time. He’s elected to kill me himself.
Right alongside Bastian Cortez. I can see him clearly now—the bastard lies in a puddle of red liquid that’s quickly spreading over the floor. A flickering lightbulb above, illuminates his face—or what remains of the once proud fixer. One of his eyes is swollen shut, and only the harsh planes of his jaw make him recognizable.
“I decided to bring him here,” Jaguar continues, returning to my side with a knife raised. It’s a deceptively beautiful weapon, made of steel with a handle wrapped in black leather. If Jaguar expects me to tremble at the sight, I don’t. I keep my head high and my gaze fixed straight ahead. I won’t give him the satisfaction of screaming. I won’t…
“Here—” Reaching out, he presses the handle of the blade into my hand. Firm, his fingers curl around mine, helping them find purchase over the leather surface despite my alarm. “I will show you how to hold it.”
He manipulates my hand so that I’m extending the knife in front of me. Thick and firm, his fingers nudge mine into the proper position to grasp the short blade. His strong arms encircle me as he does, creating a cocoon as my knees threaten to buckle.
Dripping into my ear, his voice is sinful, coaxing my body into a relaxed state despite every fiber of my being wanting to scream in fear. “You wield it like this,” he says, with the same tone he used to coach Franco during their video game sessions. “Keep your grip steady. He’ll try to resist you, but his legs are broken. There is nowhere for him to run—”
Wield it.Horror dawns as I realize just what he means. Panicked, I let go of the knife, forcing him to catch it. “I-I don’t want to.”
“Not this time,” he says, moving to stand beside me in a fluid motion. “I won’t make you watch, either. But you should know what will happen to any man who threatens you. Who harms you. You are free to go.”
He nods toward the door and then steps forward, approaching Bastian, who spits onto the floor at his feet.
“I won’t tell you shit,” the man says.
“Oh,sí,sí,” Jaguar murmurs, crouching down to his level with the knife dangling from his right hand. “You think you won’t. For now. But believe me, I can be a very convincing man, as you will soon find out. Lupe—” he inclines his head toward me. “This is your chance to leave.”
