Chapter Fifty
Some part of me knew this was inevitable.
I’m not stupid. The way I’ve felt for Angel has been different, since the moment he first showed up for his revenge. It’s been something I can’t deny, or ignore, or fuck out of my system with dozens of other meaningless bodies.
He’s been in my head since I found him in that closet when he was three. And no, I didn’t think of it that way at the time, because I’m not a disgusting creep. But I can’t deny that it seems like he was meant to be a part of my story…
Maybe he was always going to be my redemption. The one thing worth more to me than this whole villainous empire that’s sustained me for so long.
Something told me to spare him that day; whether you want to call it conscience, or fate, or some other vast existential entity we can’t quite fathom… I left the scared little bird breathing, knowing the chance of him coming for me someday was strong.
And ultimately, this was the reason. The plan set forth by the universe, in all Their infinite wisdom.
He was the only one who could slay me by not killing me.
The thing I realized when I found him missing, the thing I’ve known all along, but fought against with all my might, is that Angel Alvarez is no possession. He’s a bird who cannot be caged.
Mi pajarito deserves to soar.
And I have to admit, those few minutes between finding out he’d gone, to speeding down here like a crazed madman, were the most horrific sense of fear I’d ever experienced.
The battle was a gory one. My soldiers were going full-force from the moment we learned of Russo’s untimely passing. When I discovered that Lex Luthor Deon and Warren Xavier were, in fact, alive, that they’d returned, and broken my other prisoners free, I saw nothing but red.
My fury was vibrant, insistent and hungry. And so my soldiers were instructed to advance and defeat, by any means necessary.
Kill them all.
I was prepared to sit back and wait until they delivered me Jonathan Chevelle’s head on a silver platter… But then I found his cage empty.
And the weight of reality came crashing down on me like a hundred pounds of concrete rubble.
They had him…
They had my Angel, and there was no conceivable way they weren’t planning to use him as leverage.
Either Angel was finally coming to his senses, and was ready to kill me. Or Jonathan would kill him for his own revenge. But either way, it was over.
They’d won. And nothing else mattered.
In that moment, it was as if someone had snapped their fingers, and I was awoken from a decade-long trance. The reason I’d been fighting this war in the first place, refusing to stop when I knew I could’ve ended it tens times over already…
The reason I’d been keeping Angel locked away in his cage, fighting him off like a goddamn seesaw of terror, despite how damn good it felt to just be with him, was because I’d convinced myself I had to.
That was it… Power and dominion.
And suddenly, I wanted none of it.
He was, and is and will be, more important to me than all the riches, the faithful servants, the territory and the control in the world.
I would gladly give it all up for his safety. For him to keep flying.
I’ve gotta say, it was a moment of euphoric clarity, followed by a few seconds of staggering doubt. After all, who am I, if not The Ivory?
I don’t know how to be anyone but this… It’s been too long. Too many years of steeling my resolve, hardening every bit of who I am into stone and cement. Encasing my heart in barbed wire, to remind it that even a single pump is meant to cause pain and draw blood.
Evil is all I’ve lived for… and now I was calling off the war and racing to surrender. All for one person, who could very well kill me himself, should he so desire.
Not only that, but if Jonathan was angry enough, he could just kill me the moment I stepped in front of him. That was certainly what my men were most worried about.
They actually didn’t want to stand down. We had pretty strong words about it…
“What part of pull back don’t you understand, soldado?” I’d growled at Pedroia, on the front steps of the mansion, where he was literally trying to block me from getting into my car.
The nerve, I’m telling you.
This was the bullshit I was sacrificing Angel for?? No gracias.
“Sir, with all due respect, you’re not thinking rationally right now…”
“Back the fuck up before I break your fucking jaw,” I snarled, shoving past him, going for my Rolls.
“Jefe! We can’t just surrender—”
“Yes, we fucking can, because we is me, and I’m telling you to!
” I roared, turning back to him. His eyes were wide.
They all were. Baffled speechless. “It’s over, don’t you get that?
? Kent is dead…” I gulped over the grief those words held.
“And he was ten times the man you’ll ever be. Termino. Te retirarás, entiendes?”
I could see how coiled he was; how much he didn’t understand why I was giving up when it would’ve been so easy to win. And thus refused to accept my orders.
He blinked, shaking his head. “Jefe… por qué?”
“Because they won,” I grunted, fear lancing my insides with every shot I could still hear popping off.
Pulling my walkie, I barked into it, “Stand the fuck down, now. The next person who fires a shot gets a round to the cojones.”
The gunfire came to an immediate halt—from our side anyway—and I could breathe slightly easier.
“Sir…? Y ahora qué?”
“Retreat, for fuck’s sake,” I growled, immediately switching the station to one of theirs. “Jonathan?”
Stalking to my Rolls, I whipped the door open. But before I could slide in, my goddamn soldier came at me.
I’m not sure what he was trying to do, but I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the fucking ground.
“Adelante, puta. Give me a reason,” I hissed.
Glancing around at the rest of them, I hollered, “This war is officially over. You will surrender, or you will be dead. Anyone else wanna question me?? Go ahead, because I’ve got nothing left to lose and I’m just itching for an excuse to rip someone’s tongue out through their goddamn asshole! !”
They all stood frozen, just gaping at me.
Pedroia was gurgling, my gaze narrowing at them all until they began to mutter, “Si. Claro…”
I threw him to the ground, got into my car and peeled out, tires skidding, kicking up dust.
I don’t think I’ve ever driven so fast. Certainly not on this island. Speeding runs you the risk of accidentally careening off a cliff into the ocean. But I barely cared.
I had only one priority, and that was making sure that Jonathan knew he’d won, so long as Angelito was unharmed.
And if he was ready, my little bird could kill me. I would allow that…
It was time.
It was over… And I was just so tired.
Too tired to fight any longer. Too tired to deny for one more second that this island was slowly killing me, and it had been since the moment I’d inherited it.
The forces here work in mysterious ways. Surely it’s no coincidence that every other person who attempted to conquer Alabaster Isle met their inevitable end here. Yes, they were weak, and it took them out much quicker and easier.
I’d like to think this island met its match with me.
But it ultimately prevailed. Because I truly believe that what Alabaster Isle has wanted all along was for good to defeat evil.
And that’s not to say that Jonathan is a hero or anything… He has his own demons. They all do.
But he’s the hero of this tale. He deserves to slay the villain and emerge victorious.
It’s my turn to have my kingdom usurped.
Kneeling before them, I think I took my first real breath in almost twenty years. Like finally being uncovered from rubble, brick by brick, the weight came off my chest. And yet the part that filled me with helium was hearing mi pajarito say that he not only refuses to kill me, but also… loves me.
He wants a relationship? Conmigo??
It’s as loco as loco gets.
But as almost ridiculous as it sounds for the villain to be swooning like a girl in a damn prom dress, it truly was undeniable. I’ve been smitten for the kid this whole time, and hiding it really poorly, I might add.
If he wants to be stupid and throw his life away on a relationship with el diablo… Well, then, I’ll make sure he gets every bit of love and adoration his foolish heart requires.
From one wicked idiota to another.
Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as sailing off into the sunset. Not on this rock.
Redemption arcs have to be earned, after all.
The moment Angel and I sit up, it’s clear that the bubble has popped. And now I’ll have to answer to a whole slew of furious people, who may not be as forgiving as Angelito, or as tolerant as Jonathan.
Angel and I may be wiping the slate clean, but the people of this island’s resentment doesn’t just go away because I’m in love. These people don’t care.
Surrender or not, they could still kill me, and the thought of dying before I can even attempt being Angelito’s boyfriend stiffens me once more with anxious resistance.
Boyfriend?? Really? I’m forty-five.
Let’s just say partner.
Although, if we’re just spit-balling here… husband has a pretty nice ring to it.
Hijo de puta, soy obsesionado.
Sitting back, I clear my throat, gazing around nervously at the many sets of eyes on me.
From every angle, reflecting a similar brand of indignation.
Some amusement. A whole lotta disbelief.
But mostly the ravenous hatred you’ll find in peasants who have just stumbled upon the cruel king in the dirt, alone and unguarded.
It’s that storming the gates of Versailles, ready to tear Marie Antoinette limb from limb type display of eat the rich I see in their eyes. All but licking their chops, like when the hyenas swarm Scar at the end of The Lion King.
See? I knew I related to him a little too closely.
Angel is already standing, giving me his hand as I face the music and slowly rise to my feet, swiping dirt from my five thousand dollar Armani slacks. Not a good look.
I should probably take Rolex off…