Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Y ou have to be smart about this, Soledad.
Dead people don't get to go anywhere but underground. And you're not dead. So there's still hope.
But how, bitch?
I'm stuck in enemy territory. Everyone knows Los Cordero are ruthless. Blood thirsty, Ludovico often says.
My stomach churns because thoughts of him always turn to my sister, MaTe. How is she holding up? Is she worried about me?
How pissed off is Ludovico? Is he taking it out on her?
The questions torture me. I must get back to her as I'm the only one who can protect her.
That's why I have to be smart, bide my time, and see what Los Cordero want. I can't keep breaking their things and screaming all the obscenities that Dario deserves. I've always known he's an ass, but this is not the way I get out of here.
God, I swear I will be on my perfect behavior . MaTe and I will go to church more often, and not just to get away from Ludovico. Just let me find a way to get my sister out.
Steps echo down the hallway, and I don't get to brace myself before he enters the room. In his black slacks and cream sweater, Dario Cordero looks straight out of a Ralph Lauren black and white commercial...if it came with that Latino arrogance and saborcito . Bearded face, brown eyes, a sculpted mouth set in a natural pout, and a body that sees the gym every day — yeah, he's hot enough to sell anything he puts on. He's not a romance hero but the hot thug that some would root for.
Ugh, not me. I know this is not a TV commercial. While I can admit que está como quiere , I also know the real truth about him. He's a thug, one without conscience, who, like Ludovico, thinks he's entitled to everything and everyone. Not me. That's why he hates me and why I despise him.
The bitterness coats my tongue, and I force a sip of pineapple juice.
"Thank you for seeing me, Soledad." He says my name with ease and softness, like he would actually spit on me if I was on fire.
It sets me off. "Well, what choice did I have? I'm your prisoner after all."
Loca... You have a plan.
"You're not a prisoner?"
"No?" I ask. If he can be cavalier, so can I. "What else do you call people you kidnap and hold hostage."
He goes to the wet bar, grabs the beautifully crafted bottle of Andres Brugal, and pours two glasses with three cubes of ice each. He walks back and hands me a glass, looking at me straight in the eye. "We didn't kidnap you."
I take a sip, following his cue of nonchalance. The smooth and rich flavor explodes on my tongue, and I savor it for a second, letting it center me. "How did I end up here, then? Oh, and nice touch to have them take my clothes. I guess I should be grateful that you didn't pass me around your men."
His gaze snaps to meet mine, and there's such darkness there, that I brace a hand on the arm of my chair. I'm trembling inside, but I tilt my chin. I can't let him see me cower.
"We don't rape or abuse women," he spits out of the corner of his mouth. "We're not like your father."
He's got me there. Ludovico is a maldito and a bastard.
"What is that you want, Dario? What do you hope to pull with this stunt? Ludovico will come after you."
He nods. "And you."
I chuckle. "Why me? I didn't do anything. You kidnapped me."
"One, I didn't kidnap you. The box was given to my man to bring. He died before he could tell us anything."
There's always a death around men like them.
"Isn't that convenient?"
He leans back in his chair. "It's not. It actually poses a real problem for me?—"
"Of your own making."
He continues like I didn't speak. "One that will create a war."
The word sends a wave of cold through my chest. In a war, there are victims — people who won't capitulate, families decimated, and little girls left motherless in a bullet storm.
"Why would there be a war. You let me go and it ends here." Even as I say the words, I hear my own naivete. It's not that simple at all. An offense was committed, and in the world I was born into, las ofensas se pagan .
The look of pity on Dario's face says it all.
"He doesn't have to know," I insist. "You can have your men drop me off somewhere, and I would find my way back. I'll say I was abandoned there."
He leans forward. "You know it's not that easy. People saw Elio. The word is out there."
I push to my feet and walk to the window. "Why did you do it? Now you ruined my life and yours probably."
"I'll say it again, I did not send Elio to kidnap you. I had no reason to. You've been a pain in the ass since I met you, so I stay as far away as possible."
I dismiss the memory of our introduction and how suave he tried to act while Ludovico watched. I wasn't falling for that shit. "How did I end up here, then?"
"I don't know, and we're wasting time because it doesn't matter anyway. We need to fix this."
I frown. "How are we going to do that? If Ludovico knows, it's only a matter until he gets here and kills everyone."
He nods. "We need to come to an agreement quickly."
"What agreement? Do you want me to lie and say I came to ask for help? Maybe that your men rescued me from someone else."
"Your father is not stupid, Soledad."
"Then what the hell are you suggesting? How do we fix the unfixable, Dario?"
He levels me with a look above his glass. "You tell him you came here out of love."
My heart is hammering too fast, and I don't think I heard him well. "What?"
"Tell him, we arranged everything because we fell in love and wanted to get married."
I stare at him for a while and then the familiar knocking starts at my ribs. Next thing I know, I'm doubled over laughing uncontrollably but he's not. He's serious as a gun shot through the heart. "You've lost your mind."
He shakes his head. "I'm practical."
"There's nothing practical about this. I hate you and wouldn't marry you if the world was burning around us, and you're the last drop of water."
He puts his drink down and moves so quickly I don't have time to react. In my next breath, his hands are on my shoulders, the smell of rum hanging between us. "I despise you just as much, but I don't have a choice and neither do you. My incentive is that I will be Patriarca. Tell me what I can give you, so you can stand by my side as my wife."
I shake my head, and I'm ready to scream he can't give me anything when my brain conjures MaTe's face.
"In name only?" I hear myself say.
He leans closer, until we're eyes to eyes, lips to lips. "No. I won't have my wife fucking anyone else. This is forever, until one of us dies."
I try to pull away from him, but his gaze holds me as tight as his arms. I relent. "I'll only marry you if you get my sister out. MaTe needs to be free of Ludovico and his son, Benny."
"We'll get married and then I'll get your sister."
I shove him off this time. "No. You'll get her first. I don't trust an aliado to keep his word."
In the next second, I find myself pressed against the wall. "My word is the one thing that never breaks."
My heart is beating erratically. "I'll have your word then, Dario."
"I swear I'll get your sister out. Now, I'll send for the priest."
He starts to walk away, and I stop him with a hand on his arm. "Swear you'll never beat me or rape me."
A myriad of emotions flash over his eyes. "I swear."
"And you won't embarrass me by going to other women."
"I swear. Anything else?" he grits out.
His flippant tone sets me off. "I mean it. If I find another woman in your bed, I'll burn you both in it."
He blinks a few times, and his eyes darken to almost black. "Anything else?"
There's so many questions I want to ask but for some reason only one leaves my lips. "Are we going to hate fuck forever?"
A smile ghosts over his lips. "It's the best kind of fuck."