AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I pull out my cell and scroll through a few photos before finding the two I’m after.
“Anyway, one of my girls was working on something when we found this.” I turn the phone around for him to see.
He looks down at the screen and frowns before looking up at me. “The Santos brand. But a lot of people wear this brand. I’m pretty sure Santos was trying to build an army of followers.”
“Well, an army is only loyal if they believe in their leader. A person who is blackmailed or coerced isn’t going to protect anyone other than themselves.”
I look down at the photo of the girl’s ankle and stare at the stylizedS, barely refraining from throwing the cell phone out the window. “These victims are not from twenty years ago, Calix. Hell, this girl was just eighteen.”
Now that gets a reaction from him. He takes the phone from me, studying the photo to see if he can find something more, something he might have missed.
“When were these taken?”
“Six months ago.”
“I haven’t heard anything. If he’s alive, why wouldn’t he come to finish me off if I’m the only possible competition for the throne? Hell, the contact I saw today is loyal to me and said nothing, and that man is many things, but he’s not a liar. He would have told me. I saved his son.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. I have a few theories, but I never could tell how your brother’s mind worked.”
I blow out a breath and bite the bullet. “I want to ask you something, and I need you to be completely honest with me.”
“Okay.”
“Are you still loyal to him? Santos, that is.”
He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“You said it yourself, Calix. Loyalty is everything in this world. You were born and raised in it. You know the rules better than most. Besides, you only have my word for things. Why would I assume you’d believe me over a man you share blood with?”
“Blood means fuck all when it’s tainted. The man left me to rot. He—” His mouth snaps shut as he looks up at me.
“The first few months I was there, I was targeted all the fucking time. I ended up killing a man to make a point. I thought that was what kept everyone away until I found out Santos was dead. That made more sense because I was the heir.” He shakes his head. “I have no problem trusting you when it comes to Santos screwing me over. Like I said, deep down, I think I already knew. What I’m having trouble with is believing he’s still alive. Santos believes he is some kind of king. There is no way he’d be hiding out somewhere for twenty years. That’s just not his style.”
“What about if for a chunk of those years, he had no choice?” I whisper.
“What do you mean, no choice?”
“As far as anyone knows, Santos Cirillo and his young bride both died in a tragic accident when their boat caught fire in the middle of the night. But it was all a lie.”
“This is why you asked me if I was still loyal to him?”
I nod slowly. “Because if you are, what I say next seals my fate, and I already have enough people gunning for me.”
He looks like he wants me to explain that last part but bites his tongue before we get sidetracked. “What happened that night?”
“It was cold. Unseasonably so, especially for here. I was frozen solid as I stood on the deck of the boat naked as the day I was born. I looked like the perfect virgin sacrifice, but of course, I was no longer a virgin, thanks to Santos.”
I turn to look out the window again, not wanting to think about that night any more than necessary but knowing he needs to hear this.
I was angry, Calix, so fucking angry. I knew my death wouldn’t mean anything to Santos. He’d have the next girl already lined up to take my place. I wanted my freedom, but I wanted my revenge more.”
“You did something to him,” he states quietly.
I nod. “He’d drank too much, the whole raping thing tired him out I guess, so I hit him over the head to make sure he stayed that way.”
Calix grimaces, but I continue on. “I had nothing to wear. He liked me feeling vulnerable, so that was just a bonus. I didn’t care anymore. I was just done.
“I used his cell to call someone and then I made a deal. A deal I had no business making, but I did it anyway. I waited an hour for him to arrive, and when he did, he came alone.”
