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For a moment, I thought Matteo might disappoint me and throw the kind of tantrum he had been wont to do from the moment that I’d met the little runt. However, he took a breath and very calmly said, “You lied about Lyse.”
“ThatBastardokilled her.”
“I saw her at the train station two weeks ago. She called me.”
Luis’s eyes went wide with rage. “You spoke with your sister…in person?”
“You told me she wasdead,” Matteo spat, matching his father’s anger. “Madrestillbelieves that she’s dead, but she can’t hold a funeral becauseyoutold her that the Castillos weren’t done desecrating her body. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
This was getting dodgy; they were going to start drawing attention to themselves, and I couldnotafford to be a part of that. Working with Luis, allowing him to convince me that his sweet, virginal daughter was worth my loyalty, had been useful once upon a time, but now that she’d been defiled by someone other than me, we were down to the contingency plan.
“Watch yourself, Matteo.”
“No.” The word was a growl. It was a little like watching a puppy get his adult teeth; it was easy to see the man that Matteo would become with a little…shaping. “Why did youlie? Why would you send Jesus tokillLyse?”
Luis sneered, and I had to actively stop myself from doing the same. Lyse was atraitor. She let that beast touch her. “Your sister made her choice,” Luis said.
“Onlyafteryou gave her no other option!”
“Matteo.” I had to step in before this turned into a yelling match. “Your sister betrayed us long before Jesus went to the island. She choseLa Bestiaover me, over all of you.”
Matteo gave me an unfriendly look. “Stay out of this.”
My fists clenched, but I bit back the rebuke that was on the tip of my tongue. “You’re not being objective,” I said. “I know it hurts that your sister betrayed your family, but the fact of the matter is, she did, and now we all have to deal with the aftermath.”
“Who iswe, Señor Suarez?” Matteo demanded. “You’re not a Rojas, and you’re obviously not marrying my sister, so what the fuck are you still doing here?”
He wasn’t entirely…wrong. This was all starting to look like a sinking ship that I refused to drown on, but Luis Rojas and I knew far too much about each other now to let the other walk away. I’d have to put a bullet between his eyes before that could happen.
But…maybe the boy needed a demonstration of who was in charge here.
“Luis, you’ve protected your son for far too long. It’s time that he grew up, don’t you think?”
The older man looked like I’d socked him in the stomach. I might as well have. “We’re at my nephew’s funeral.”
His attempts to appeal to my kinder nature left me cold. “All the better. Let him see what happens if he continues to act like a willful pup.”
“Apá.”
Luis cuffed his son, splitting his lip with the family crest on his finger. Matteo spat blood onto the floor. “Keep quiet if you know what’s good for you,” Luis intoned.
“See, Matteo,” I said, putting an arm around his shoulders. He tensed, looking deeply confused. “Your father realized a long time ago that he was a little fish. Didn’t you, Luis? Especially compared to the Castillos.”
Luis gnashed his teeth. “The Castillos are only in power because Gustavo was a cold sonofabitch who would sell out his own children to get what he wanted.”
“So, you’re trying to be Gustavo Castillo now, Apá?”
I tightened my hold on him, effectively blocking his airway with my forearm. Matteo was stronger than me, and with very little effort, he was able to push me away, but I got to see the fear in his eyes first. It was just a glimpse, but for a split-second, he’d panicked.Sweet. “Respect your father, boy.”
Matteo snarled, but he didn’t fly off the handle. “He disrespected our family when he wrote my sister off for dead. If sheallowedOmar Castillo to touch her, it was because you waited too long to get her. I won’t forgive that.”
“Are you threatening me?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No, I’m not threatening you.” He glanced at his father. “I’m trying to understand why my father, who has always been a man who walked tall, is suddenly cowering at your feet like a lap dog.”
“I was getting to that before I was interrupted.” I looked at Luis, who was having a hard time controlling his expression. “Your father and I have had a business arrangement for a long time.”
“I know: my sister for your loyalty.”
