26. Dante
TWENTY-SIX
I stared at the stack of paperwork on my desk, the words blurring together as my mind drifted back to the events of the past weeks. Javier Cruz, the bastard that my dad wouldn’t let me have a go at; then there was Allen, my sister’s boyfriend, also a prick; and finally, the revelation that Eva—my Eva, the woman I had let into my heart and my bed—was Natalia Ramirez, a fucking DEA agent.
I raked a hand through my hair, letting out a frustrated growl as my phone buzzed to life on the desk. Sofia’s name flashed across the screen, and a pang of guilt twisted in my gut. My sister remained in the dark about the lies and betrayal enveloping her. She had no clue that the woman I had welcomed into our lives, the one she called her new best friend, was nothing but a carefully crafted illusion.
With a heavy sigh, I swiped to answer the call, steeling myself for whatever fresh hell awaited me.
“Hey, sis,” I greeted her, my voice carefully neutral. “What’s up?”
“Dante,” Sofia said, her voice tight with tension. “I need to talk to you. It’s important. Can you meet me for coffee?”
I glanced at my watch, my mind racing as I tried to calculate how long it would take me to get to the café she frequented. “Yeah, sure. Give me an hour.”
“Okay,” she breathed, a sigh of relief audible over the line. “I’ll see you then.”
Hanging up the phone, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Sofia always sounded strong, never this vulnerable. I pushed back from the desk, my thoughts churning as I tried to piece together the fragments of the puzzle.
As I always did, I paused by the window, gazing out over the streets of South Beach, my playground, for as long as I could remember. This was the world I had been born into, where loyalty was everything, and betrayal was a death sentence.
The hour ticked closer, and I grappled with the decision weighing on me. Should I tell Sofia the truth about Natalia and risk losing my sister’s trust forever? Or should I keep silent, clinging to the hope that this twisted situation could somehow be salvaged?
The drive to the café passed in a blur, my mind consumed with endless doubts and uncertainties. By the time I arrived, Sofia was already waiting as she nursed a steaming cup of coffee.
“Hey,” I greeted her, sliding into the chair across from her. “What’s going on?”
Sofia’s eyes met mine, and I saw a depth of pain and betrayal that cut me deep. “I know something about Eva,” she said. “She’s not who you think she is.”
The air left my lungs in a rush as her words sank in. “How...?” I began, but the question died on my lips, rendered irrelevant in the face of the truth.
Sofia shook her head, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “She told me herself,” she said, her voice trembling. “She’s a DEA agent, Dante. Her name is Natalia Ramirez, and she’s been lying to us this whole time.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came. What could I say? How could I explain I already knew?
“You knew,” Sofia spat, her face a mask of betrayal. “You knew who she really was, yet you let her into our lives. My life? I believed she would be my best friend, Dante.”
“I…” I tried to speak, but the words choked me.
Sofia’s eyes narrowed with bitterness. “You used me.”
I reached across the table, my hand closing over hers in a desperate bid for understanding. “It’s not that simple, Sof,” I pleaded, my voice raw with emotion. “There’s more to this than you know.”
She jerked her hand away, her face hardening. “Save it, Dante,” she said. “I don’t want to hear your excuses.”
As she rose from her chair, her movements jerky and uncoordinated, a wave of panic washed over me. “Sofia, wait,” I called out, desperation clawing at my throat. “Please, let me explain.”
But she was already out the door.
I bolted from the cafe, my pulse thundering in my ears as I scanned the bustling street for any sign of Sofia. I couldn’t let her walk away, not like this – not with this hanging between us like a suffocating shroud.
“Sofia!” I called out, my voice strained as I pushed through the throngs of people. “Sof, wait!”
She didn’t slow her pace, her steps quickening as she rounded the corner and headed towards a bus. I cursed under my breath, my legs propelling me forward as I fought to catch up with her.
“Sofia, please!” I begged, my hand closing around her arm as she stepped onto the bus. “Just give me a chance to explain.”
She whirled around, her eyes blazing with a fury I had never seen directed at me before. “Explain what, Dante?” she hissed. “How you have been lying to me this whole time? How you let that... that woman into our lives, knowing full well who she was and what she was doing?”
I cringed at the sharpness in her words, but I didn’t release my grip on her arm. “It’s not like that, Sof,” I pleaded, my voice strained. “I never meant to hurt you.”
The bus driver cleared his throat, his impatient gaze flickering between us. “Either get on or get off, folks. We’re holding up the line here.”
Sofia moved to board the bus, but I tightened my grip, desperation clawing at my insides. “Wait, just... just let me tell you my plan,” I blurted out, the words tumbling from my lips before I could stop them.
She paused, her eyes narrowing with skepticism. “Your plan?”
I nodded as I formulated the idea that could potentially save my relationship with my sister – and my life. “Yeah, my plan for Natalia,” I said, emphasizing her real name.
Around us, the other passengers shifted in their seats, their gazes flickering towards us with curiosity and annoyance.
Sofia glanced at the captive audience we had inadvertently attracted. “Dante, maybe we should take this somewhere else,” she said, her cheeks flushing.
I nodded. Without another word, I tugged Sofie off the bus, ignoring the stares from the other passengers as we stumbled onto the sidewalk and walked into an empty alley.
“You got one minute to explain,” Sofia demanded, her arms crossed over her chest as she fixed me with a pointed stare. “And this time, try not to broadcast it to the entire city.”
I paused to gather my thoughts. “I’ve been playing Natalia since I found out who she was,” I began. “I have given her just enough information to keep her hooked, but nothing that could hurt the family.”
Sofia’s brow furrowed, her eyes searching mine for any hint of deception. “But why?” she pressed. “Why go through all this trouble? Why not just expose her?”
I stared at Sofia, her words hanging in the air between us. She was right, of course. Exposing Natalia was what I should do. However, my father wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet in her head. The thought made my stomach churn, and a cold sweat broke out on my brow.
“I… can’t,” I said.
“You’re playing with fire, Dante,” she warned, her voice tense. “And I don’t just mean with Natalia, I mean with Dad.” She paused, her lips set in a thin line before continuing. “And even if you somehow manage not to get yourself killed for this… this infatuation, what happens once she gets what she needs from you? Have you thought about that, huh?”
Part of me wanted to bark at her, tell her to mind her own fucking business, but the concerned glint in her dark eyes held me back. Sofia was right: I was gambling with Natalia’s life… and my own. My reckless emotions had landed me in dangerous territory, where the irony was undeniable – as a Reyes, I should have been the hunter, not the hunted. Yet, here I stood, willingly ensnared by a woman who might ultimately betray me.
I ran a frustrated hand through my hair and shot my sister a warning glare. “This... infatuation, as you call it, runs deeper than you know.” My voice was huskier than I intended. “I care about Natalia, and I have no intention of watching our father’s henchmen put a bullet through her head.”
Sofia gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as the full weight of what Natalia would face if our father learned she was a DEA agent hit her. What began as a strategic move had shifted dramatically – I was falling for the captivating DEA agent who had come into my life. I couldn’t let the woman I was falling in love with become another casualty of Ricardo Reyes’ ruthless pursuit of power.
Sofia moved closer, her usually vibrant eyes dull with fear and worry. She reached out and clasped my hands in hers – a silent plea for reason. “Then cut her loose, Dante,” she urged me earnestly. “Convince her to start a new life far away from our father before it’s too late.”
I ran a hand through my hair, frustration, and desperation warring within me. “I know, Sof, I know,” I said, my voice strained. “But it’s not that simple.”
Sofia shook her head. “It is that simple, Dante. You have to end this. Cut her loose before it’s too late. Tell her to stay away from us, from the cartel.”
The words hung in the air. Natalia was a threat, a liability, and in our world, liabilities were eliminated – swiftly and without mercy.
But I knew I couldn’t bring myself to do what she asked. Because deep down, beneath the layers of lies and deception, I’d fallen for Natalia. A part of me saw her as more than just a DEA agent, more than just another pawn in the twisted game we were playing.
“I can’t do that, Sof,” I said, my voice low and resolute. “I won’t.”
Sofia’s eyes widened, her mouth parting in a silent gasp of disbelief. “Dante, please,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “Don’t do this. Don’t throw everything away for her.”
I shook my head, my jaw clenched with determination. “You don’t understand, Sofia. Natalia... she’s different. She’s not like the others.”
A bitter laugh escaped Sofia’s lips, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “That’s what you think, Dante,” she said, her voice trembling. “But she’s playing you, just like she’s been playing me all along. Can’t you see that?”
I opened my mouth to protest, but Sofia held up a hand, cutting me off before I could speak.
“No, listen to me,” she said, her voice urgent. “This can only end one way, Dante. Either you cut her loose, or she ends up dead. And if you don’t do it, if you don’t make her leave, then Dad will find out.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, their implications clear and undeniable.
“There’s another way,” I said, the words tumbling from my lips before I could stop them.
Sofia’s brow furrowed, her eyes narrowing. “What are you talking about?”
I drew a deep breath, steeling my resolve. “I could turn myself in,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “Become a witness against Dad and the cartel.”
Sofia’s mouth parted in a silent gasp of shock and disbelief.
“You can’t be serious,” she breathed. “Dante, that’s… that’s betrayal. Dad would never forgive you.”
I shrugged, my expression hardening into a mask of determination. “Maybe that’s the point, Sof,” I said, my voice low and resolute. “Maybe it’s time for a change. Teach him a lesson for once.”