3. Derek
CHAPTER 3
None of us could relax until she was back with us. Her plane was landing, and we had confirmation from the pilot she was safe and alone, but we needed to see with our own eyes.
I was her bodyguard. I was supposed to stay with her. Protect her.
I never should have left Dias’s mom’s house. I should have fought back, refused, and been there when she was ready to leave.
We were giving the dickhead too much control and power. He was used to getting what he wanted, but not when it came to Emilia.
“There they are.” Javi pointed at the familiar jet two landing strips over.
Marco folded his arms. “Remind me why we can’t just give the Pack the word and have him killed now?”
“Because we’re not done,” I snapped.
“We have enough to take down his business,” Cruz sided with Marco.
“That’s not the goal.” Javi didn’t look away from the slowly approaching plane. “El Lobo wants total obliteration of the business, sourcing, dealers, market, and family. Not a single survivor. He doesn’t want a Dias cockroach to appear in a year and try to rebuild.”
“We have most of them.” Cruz sighed. “Names of the rest.”
“Soon.” Javi calmed a bit. “This will be over soon.”
The plane stopped and moments later the door opened, dropping the stairs to the tarmac.
Em stood at the top, looking down at us with a mixture of relief and annoyance. She took the stairs and Cruz rushed forward, wrapping his arms around her and swinging her in a circle before setting her down.
“Missed you, nena.” He gazed at her.
“I missed you too.” She smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes as she faced us. She looked exhausted. “All of you.”
Marco barked out a laugh before hugging her tight. “We shouldn’t have left.”
She fisted his shirt. “I told you to.”
“Still”—he stepped back—“we should have been there.”
“It’s not like you could have stopped the helicopter. How would we have explained that?” She looked at Javi. “Thank you for making this happen. I couldn’t stay there.”
“You made the right call.” He pulled her in and kissed her temple before releasing her.
She turned to me, and I held her, pressing my palm against the back of her head as she rested against my chest, her hands lifting to rub my back.
“We’re never separating again,” I swore, as if I had the power to make such promises.
“Never,” Javi agreed.“We’re not letting something like this happen moving forward.”
She nodded against me before stepping back enough to see them without leaving my arms. “I can’t believe I was fucking kidnapped.”
“You’re committed, no one can deny that.” Marco moved to the waiting SUV and opened the back door.
I helped her in before taking the seat next to her as Cruz got in on the other side.
“I was stupid.” She clutched both mine and Cruz’s hands.
“No,” Marco barked from the driver’s seat. “You put the mission in front of everything. You put your safety on the line for the benefit of our jobs and our Pack.”
Her shoulders sagged. “I didn’t want you guys to think I was choosing him.”
Cruz tensed. “I’ll admit, I did when Javi told us you weren’t coming. I thought you wanted to be with him.”
She turned just enough to meet his eyes. “The thought crossed my mind.”
I tightened my grip on her hand. “What?”
Javi twisted in the passenger seat, and I caught Marco watching in the rearview mirror.
“I let myself think about what a life away from all this would be like. Away from the Pack and its expectations. But short of faking my death and living the rest of my days on the run, there was no way to make that happen. I’d only be putting Alessio and his family in even more danger.”
Cruz snorted. “You’re worried about putting them in danger? Em, he’s not an innocent man. Neither is his mother. She might not be a decision-maker, but she’s fully aware of what her husband did and what her son is doing.”
She lowered her head. “Knowing that and accepting it are completely different tasks. After meeting Maria and seeing Alessio’s softer side, it seemed easier to forget.At first.”
“They got to where they are by taking territory by force.” Cruz held her gaze. “His dad ordered a killing spree through several neighborhoods in Mexico to clear the way. Alessio was on the front lines. He shot and killed dozens of innocent families who’d done nothing but live where Dias wanted land.”
She gasped and I cleared my throat. “It’s in his file, Em. I know you didn’t want to read it, but it’s all there.”
“I didn’t want to know the entire family history,” she defended. “It’s hard enough looking Alessio in the eyes most of the time and would be even worse to pretend to swoon over him if I knew all his crimes.” She looked up at the ceiling.
“You also can’t forget who you’re dealing with,” Javi warned. “His most successful business plan since his father passed has been letting kids into his clubs without ID. He wanted word to spread through the community that they could get drugs and alcohol at his places, no problem.”
She cringed. “Why?”
“To get them hooked. He figured out the fastest way to get his drug business thriving was to let teenagers know where they could find their fix and that his sellers were the best way to get it.”
She closed her eyes and sighed. “Fuck, that’s disgusting, but these are the reminders I’ll need to help me keep my head straight. I won’t forget. Not again.”
Cruz cupped her cheek and guided her to rest her head on his shoulder. “No matter how doting he is to you, he’s evil. Vile. The worst of the worst. He’s killed children with his bullets and his drugs.”
“I don’t have real feelings for him,” she admitted. “But I liked the life he could offer. One away from the Pack, away from their demands.”
“So it wasn’t about him so much as freedom?” I asked, beginning to understand.
She lifted her head and held my eyes. “Yeah, and if I could pull off being a human.”
Javi chuckled. “You can do anything you put your mind to, but keeping your claws to yourself? I have my doubts.”
She laughed with us. “Yeah. Slight problem. I’m not sure I could explain away my teeth extending or my claws sneaking out to Alessio and his people more than a few times before they caught on.”
“And you couldn’t just go around killing any witnesses,” Cruz played along.
“Not more than a few times,” she repeated, and we chuckled.
This felt right. All we needed was each other. We’d find a way to give her the freedom she dreamed of, somehow.