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“Dejalo!” I bark at my guard before looking at my other men, taking my glasses off so they see my eyes. “He is her brother and you will treat him as respectfully as you treat Vicenta.entienden?”
I get nods from them, but my attention is on the reunion of the brother and sister. Vicente is tall with the build of a fighter, his strength shows when—even while favoring his left leg—he easily lifts his sister from the boat, hugging her to him while she cries. He’s wearing khaki dress pants with an open short sleeve dress shirt and a white tank top beneath that.
When I step off the boat, he sets Vicenta on her feet and my chest swells when she grabs my hand, pulling me closer to them.
“Vin, this is my friend, Romero Herrera,” she smiles at me. “‘Mero, this is my brother, Vicente.”
He takes off his sunglasses, revealing the same pair of eyes his sister has, only his are much more open and readable, and right now, all I see is fury.
“So you’re the fuck that sent nudes of my sister to Alvaro, huh?” He looks at Vicenta as my face hardens. “And you’re calling him yourfriend? What thefuckhappened to you?”
He turns back to me faster than I thought him capable of and lands a solid hit to my jaw. I hold my hand up, stopping my guards from reacting as Vicenta screams. I rub my jaw, cocking a brow at her brother, impressed with the power behind that hit before stepping closer to him.
Vicenta tries to push her way between us but we both turn a hard look on her, making her stop.
“What I did, as your sister will tell you, was bullshit I never should have done. I am paying for that choice and will continue to do so until she deems me worthy of her forgiveness.” I lift my chin and step even closer, ignoring the whimper from Vicenta as she tugs on my arm. “I’ll take your hit without retaliating and my men will keep my command of respecting you, but let that be the last time you ever speak that way to her.¿Me entiendes,Vicente?”
I don’t wait for his reply. I step back and look down atDiabla, giving her a wink before looking over her head at Alvaro.
“Ah, the man of the hour,” I say loudly, pullingmygirl behind me and beside her brother.
His cruel smile, the one I once loved to see, makes an appearance as he points to his jaw. “I’m glad I got to see that.” He sighs with mocking contentment before looking behind me. “Did it feel good, Vicente? The memory of my fists hitting him haven’t faded, so I know how exhilarating—”
“Stop it now, Alvaro!” I hear Vicenta say from behind me with a growl, while my own fury and shame slam into me.
“Bruja.” The menacing edge of his voice softens as he says a name he’s given her.
When his eyes land on me, anger and resentment burning in the green depths, I smile. “Let’s give brother and sister some time alone. Our guards will watch over them while we get this over with.”
Diablasteps up beside me, looking at me pleadingly with her hand on my arm, “Let me speak to him. Please?”
My jaw ticks but I give her a sharp nod, my heart beating wildly as she moves toward the man who fucked us both in more way than one. Did she forget so easily?
Of course she did. Why wouldn’t she? After he and I split ways, it took years before my pain turned into hate. Still, even now, I look at him and that burn of pain returns a little.Well, until he opens his mouth to bring back the hate, that is.
I watch as Vicenta stops, her face devoid of any emotion. She keeps a few feet between them but her words are not whispered. They’re hard and loud, shuddering with anger.
“I know about those hits,” she says with a tight voice. It’s then I realize how tense her body is. “And you’re a bastard for each one of them.”
She slaps him, making me and my guards pull out our guns, aiming when Alvaro’s men move to protect him from her. Pathetic. He holds up his hand quickly, looking down at Vicenta before casting a look at me.
“He told—”
“Yes, he did, because unlikeyou, he owns his actions. I’m so ashamed of what you did and if youevermock him again for it, I’ll cut your balls off.”
“Diabla,” I call, beckoning her to my side. “Let it go, baby.”
She ignores me and delivers one last warning. “Now, me and my brother are going to spend some time together and you’re going to hear Romero out. If you ever want my forgiveness, you’ll agree to the terms.”
She turns to walk away, but he reaches for her hand. She quickly pulls away. “No, Alvaro. If anything was real,agree.”
She runs straight to her brother who wraps his arms around her and hides her face in his chest. He gives me and Alvaro a hard glare before walking her to the end of the boardwalk where they sit with their backs to us.
“Watch them,” I tell Javier, before I tuck my gun away and walk toward the resort where a table in a private room will be ready for our sit down. I give each of Alvaro’s guards a hard stare as I pass them. There are many faces I recognize from my younger years, when they were charged with protecting Alvaro and me.
Ah, but duty and loyalty are a strange thing in the cartel world. The pain of their choices, of them choosing to be part of his world over mine...well, it only reflects the acidic burn of betrayal that Alvaro left in my mouth five years ago.
I've never been able to get rid of that taste, so neutral island or not, I’ll kill them all if they ever charge Vicenta like that again.
