Chapter 33 Thalia
I’ve always daydreamed about what this would look like. Being married to Silas and doing mundane married people things. Like brushing our teeth at our his-and-her sinks and stealing glimpses of each other through the mirror. We have some New Year’s party to attend, and Silas says the host has information on Claudia’s whereabouts. He thinks Claudia was behind yesterday’s ambush in Tampico.
I pick out another long black dress with a slit going up to mid-thigh. Silas is putting on his suit while I struggle with the clasp of my strapped heels.
“Red or black,” he asks. I look up from the bed and see him holding up the two ties. He moves forward and drops to his knees before me. I watch as he tightens the straps at my ankle. He grabs the other heel, and I slide my foot in. Chills run up my leg at his delicate touch. I watch as he tightens the other strap and goes to stand.
“Red,” I say and stand to take the tie from him. I place it around his neck and stare up at him. His eyes are filled with that comfortable darkness. The type I want to always be lost in. When I finish, he grabs my hand in his and kisses it. It leaves me desperate for another touch. The memories of his tongue running up my arm as he lost himself to the taste of my blood rush through my mind. Is this how Morticia from the Addams Family felt when Gomez placed his lips on her? There’s this dark and desperate pull. Like belonging to him and his depraved ways felt better than belonging anywhere else.
He moves to the chair to put on his shoes, and I fumble with the zipper at the back of my dress.
“Come here,” he says, his voice husky as he pats his thigh.
I hold my breath and lower myself to his lap. His fingers slowly slide the zipper up the fabric. I push my ass into his groin. An accident, I swear. He lets out a groan. I feel the sting in my eyes when he pulls my long ponytail back and whispers in my ear.
“Do you feel how hard I am for you, Thalia?”
Of all the things he’s called me, there is something to the way he says my government name. I love when he calls me bruja or diablita, but when my birth given name falls from his lips, the heavens open and rivers form between my legs. A rebirth, an awakening.
I circle my ass on him, and he pulls my ponytail harder, giving him full access to my neck. He runs his tongue up it, and I cry out, my body needing him desperately. Fuck ringing in the new year with his enemies. I want to ring it in right here in this bedroom, his cock nine inches deep in my ass, while I scream out his name. Those thoughts shatter to dust when the doorbell rings. I jump off of Silas, and he heads to the front door.
“You’re early!” he barks out.
Efren and Ale stand outside. Both are in suits and ties, ready for the night. I grab my purse and flash Silas a wicked smile as I walk past them to the limo outside. Ale lets out a whistle, and my smile widens when I hear her behind me.
“Let’s hope you don’t die tonight, Silas, cause if you do, I can’t guarantee I won’t take your bitch,” she says.
Once we’re all settled in the limo, Silas goes over the game plan. The party is being held by Kiko Maestas, Gabrielle’s father. The day Gabrielle came to the house, Silas had been unsettled by how she gained access to the ranch. He wants to check their home to make sure they aren’t working with Claudia. Ale sees my sour expression and pours me a drink.
“Don’t trust any of these motherfuckers. If you get lost, look for Ale or Efren,” Silas says, his gaze plastered on me. I take a sip of my tequila and roll my eyes.
“I can handle myself,” I say.
Silas glowers at me, and I look away. I joke with Efren and Ale for the whole ride and ignore Silas, who sits there like a toddler in time-out, refusing to speak with us. When the limo stops, Ale and Efren step out and head inside. I step out behind them, but before I can move forward, Silas’s strong grip pulls me back.
“Here, you’re going to need this.” His hands disappear into his trouser pockets before he removes a ring and gently slides it onto my ring finger.
The delicate touch leaves me breathless as I look down and take in the 18k princess-cut diamond. It’s a replica of the one he gave me the day we got married, which is stuffed in my safe back in Houston. I watch in awe as he places a silver band on his ring finger. He grabs something from the front seat of the limo.
“You’re going to need this, too.” He drags his fingers up the slit in my dress. I tremble under the touch as he wraps a gun holster around my thigh. He hands me the gun he bought me for Christmas, and I slide it into the holster. His eyes linger on me, our faces only inches apart.
“How do you know I won’t shoot you with this?” My voice is soft, and my lips graze against his.
“You won’t.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know who you proclaim to be. Thalia Consuelo, La Viuda, the assassin.” An arrogant laugh falls from his mouth. His arm wraps around my waist, and he tightens the embrace. “But that’s not who you are.”
“And who am I?” I ask.
“Mine.” My heart stops at the word. Mine .
He grabs my hand, and we walk into the party. The Maestas’ mansion is adorned with all the luxuries that money laundering could afford. Diamond chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and abstract art is plastered to the walls. When we get inside, I break away from Silas and head to a large guest restroom by the ballroom so I can ditch my soaked panties. That was the effect Silas’s words had on me. When I exit the stall, I have an unexpected visitor waiting for me.
“Gabrielle,” I say and move to the sinks.
“The wifey.” She smirks. “Sorry, I forgot your name.”
“It’s Thalia. Thalia Macias.” I stick out my hand, knowing the gesture will not be met. She rolls her eyes.
“You know, I’ve always known about you. I’ve known Silas my whole life, even when his father took him away from me to marry you. Even after your father tried to kill him,” she says.
I make the mistake of looking away. Something Patricio said to never do when face-to-face with a snake. She recognizes my unease and digs her claws in deeper.
“I never lose, Thalia. You can wear that ring on your finger or trap him with a child, but I won’t stop until he’s back in my bed. I will remove every obstacle in my way. You, your daughter, whoever.” She delivers the threat before the door swings open and Ale steps in. Her eyes dart toward Gabrielle.
“It smells like fucking skonka in here. Close your legs, Gabrielle. That coochie is fuchi .” Ale covers her nose as she stares down at Gabrielle. Gabrielle is still staring at me, ignoring the insult.
Ale grabs me by the arm and pulls me into the hallway. I’m still processing the threat. Processing the knowledge she’s uncovered, and nervous about who else here knows. I’m so pissed off I don’t recognize my hands shaking. Everything is a blur. The threat hits me like an aftershock.
“Are you okay?” I register Ale’s words, but her voice sounds so far away. I close my eyes and push the panic away from me.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
“Don’t let that bitch get to you. She ain’t the better woman, she’s just the other woman.” I regain focus and my brows furrow. Oh. She thinks I’m jealous . Not this time. No. This time, it’s pure murderous rage coursing through me.
“Thanks,” I say to play the part, and Ale cups my face.
“For what? You’re a Macias. You’re family.”
And that’s where Ale was wrong. I am legally still a Macias, but Consuelo blood runs through me. I can be as cold and calculated as my father. I am a force to be reckoned with when it comes to Lucia. When it comes to my family. I won’t think twice before putting a bullet between the eyes of anyone who dares to threaten what I love, and right now, Gabrielle is a walking corpse.