Page 14 of Vicious Angel


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“I’ll be on the first flight to Grozny tomorrow morning. I suggest you head back to Mexico and meet with your great-uncle. Until then, we won’t be making any arrangements for our wedding.”

“I see. Am I to understand you only came to London to see me, then?”

Eset turns to look at me, and there’s a mischievous sparkle in her eye. “I came for the art, the food, and then I suppose you’re next on the list.”

“Well, the art has been unique, and the food here is something I love. I imagine when you hear that I’ve spoken with my great-uncle, we’ll set the date.”

“Yes, and I’ll make sure it’s for something as soon as possible. Once you pledge your loyalty to Alejandro, I don’t want your father to catch wind of it before we’re married.” Julio has the ability to influence his son, and I’m not foolish about that fact. Sure, Santos doesn’t agree with what Julio is doing and what Julio aims to achieve… but I understand what it’s like having a power-hungry father. They’ll do anything to keep power on their horizon, and I mean anything. So the sooner Santos and I are married after he meets with Alejandro, the better for both of us.

“I’ll head back to Mexico tomorrow morning then, and after I speak with my Great-Uncle Alejandro, I’ll make arrangements to tell my father how well this has gone. I don’t want him thinking anything fishy is going on. At least not until we’re together and married. Eventually, he’s going to find out I’ve betrayed him.”

“How are you going to deal with that once he finds out?”

“That’s a loaded question. I’ll handle it however I need to. There’s no telling what he’s going to do.” We both know Julio won’t be pleased. He’s the type of man who only sees his value in his power, and I know whatever Julio does, it’s going to be monumental. Santos could very well lose his father over this, and I hope he’s prepared for that.

“Good answer. What are you going to tell him about our dates?” I’m only asking this because I’m curious to know how Santos will paint the picture of our time together.

“I’ll tell him I was taken with your beauty and intelligence and that everything I’ve ever heard about you is nothing more than a drastic understatement. I’ll go on to tell him that I asked important personal questions in order to plan our dates and say we had a great time out at a pub, went to an art museum, and then sat for hours at a rooftop restaurant here in London chatting, connecting deeply. I’ll add that we both get along very well and that I can see myself having you as my wife, and that you seemed to be taken with me. Of course, I’ll tell him you’re a bit hard to read, but you seemed happy, and we exchanged phone numbers.” We haven’t communicated at all directly since this is an arrangement between our families, but now it looks like it’s becoming an arrangement between the two of us.

“Speaking of, we should probably do that. Give me your phone,” I state, and Santos hands his over while I unlock mine and then give it to him. I pull up his contacts, add my name to his phone, and then put in my number. Once I’m done, I save it and hand his phone back to him. Santos does the same thing.

“I feel like what I’m telling my father isn’t a far-fetched lie. I’ve enjoyed my time with you, Eset, and I hope you’ve enjoyed your time with me as well.”

I want to say I have, but I won’t let this man think he has any hold on me. “It hasn’t been bad. Once you meet with your great-uncle, you can give me a ring. It’ll need to be flashy, given you’re a Ramirez marrying an Umarova. Our wedding will no doubt be one of the largest mafia weddings of the century.”

“I can’t imagine it being anything else.” Santos smirks, and a tall figure coming from the elevators causes me to divert my attention. It’s Goran, and he approaches my vehicle. I roll down my window in preparation because there’s obviously something he wants to say to me.

“Miss Eset, Ruslan just called me. There’s a problem with obtaining a flight for tomorrow morning. The best he can do is have something here in two hours.”

What in the world? “Did he say why?”

“He only said he needs you home as soon as possible, not tomorrow.” Goran’s words have me thinking something has gone terribly wrong in Grozny, but surely one of my brothers would’ve reached out to me by now.

“Okay, I’ll head back to the hotel and get everything ready. Tell him I’ll be on the jet.”

Goran nods. “Yes, Miss.” And then he walks away.

I roll my window back up, and Santos is staring at my right-hand man, who’s already yards away.

“You could take a picture. It lasts longer,” I quip, and Santos pulls his eyes to mine.

“I don’t understand him. He gives me a feeling like he’s infatuated with you.” Ah, so Santos is the jealous type?

“He’s a security guard on my team. I assure you, there’s nothing more than that going on. Even if he did have a small, harmless crush, it wouldn’t mean anything. I’m a woman with immense power, and the man I marry needs to be of a mafia bloodline or have some sort of power.” The last bit of what I’m saying might cut Santos a bit deep, but he needs to see that he does have power. He just doesn’t know how to use it yet.

In fact, I think Santos mistakenly thinks that his father is the source of his power, but that isn’t accurate. His great-uncle is where he’ll get his power and respect, and it will start happening as soon as Santos tells Alejandro he’s loyal to him. “When you meet with your great-uncle, it would be best to tell him you’re engaged to me. I believe it will take away some tension between the two of you, and I believe he’ll trust you a bit more.”

“I’m sure he’s going to reach out to your family for confirmation,” Santos states.

“That’s fine. We’ll make sure to clarify anything he might have questions about. I’ll speak to him myself if I have to.” Santos doing this will only help everyone, minus his father. I’m trying not to get my hopes up that Santos will do what I need him to, but I do believe he wouldn’t betray me. I think he has his own motives that prove he needs his freedom as badly as I need this marriage. When it comes to other prospective suitors, Santos is the best match, and I think he’s the type of man I could keep on a tight leash if I needed to.

Other men from mafia families wouldn’t tolerate a woman like me. They’d hit me, rape me, and strip away my dignity and spirit bit by bit. Santos doesn’t strike me as the type of man who would ever do any of those things. If I’m being honest with myself, I think he appreciates my spirit and dignity.

“I appreciate that, thank you,” Santos tells me, and I start the SUV.

“There’s no reason to thank me. We’re both doing this for a reason, and we need it to happen.” I pull out of the parking space and exit the parking garage within a couple of minutes.

“What do you say about heading to get some dessert before we head back to the hotel?” Santos suggests, and I could really go for something sweet right now.

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