Chapter 15
ISABELLA
It isn't just about revenge. It isn't just about establishing myself as the head of the Los Sangre Dorada. It runs so much deeper than that.
I stand and take our dishes to the sink. "I've got them," he says. “Sit.”
"I'm supposed to walk on this, aren't I?" I ask, uncertain.
"No, you're supposed to rest it. Let the swelling go down. You're strong and healthy. You'll be fine tomorrow. But for now, let me handle this."
"All right, if you insist." For now, I’ll let him have this.
"When do you think they're coming to get us?" I ask.
"In two days," he tells me. “I’m needed back in New York."
"What's happened?"
He shakes his head. "It's not so much what happened; it's what might happen next that's the trouble. You said it best—your brother isn't going to let this slide."
I swallow hard. "Definitely not. Has Javier done anything?"
"Not yet, but the threat is imminent, and we all know it."
"If you'd let me see the communication and what you found, I can decipher it for you."
He doesn't trust me yet. I can tell by the look in his eyes. He wants to. I want him to. But he still suspects that my allegiance to Colombia and Los Sangre Dorada runs deep. I need to convince him that trusting me is the right thing to do.
"Lev, this is what we need to do. By being together, we have the potential to unify our families."
"But not with your brother in power."
"He will see me as a threat, and he will try to kill me. He's going to assume that I'm telling you his family secrets. And I fully intend to do that. He is not wrong."
“Mikhail told me to find out everything I can from you."
"You won't have to try hard," I tell him, my heart pounding with what I'm about to reveal. "But I will only tell you under the condition that we do this together. I want you to know my plan."
He picks me up, and we move to the bedroom. The space is luxurious, with high ceilings, silk sheets, and a stunning view of the ocean. We strip, lying naked in comfortable silence. He entwines his fingers with mine before I continue.
“This is what I’d like to do. First, we solidify our alliance." He nods, tracing his finger over my shoulder, down the length of my body. I shiver, relishing the feel of his touch.
"How do you propose to do that? Be specific.”
"I will tell you everything I know."
If I didn't have a plan in place, if I didn't know that everything would be okay, I would feel as if I were betraying my family. But I am not the one who betrayed my family. My brother learned from the best, and he does not have the people of my country in mind.
"Once we solidify our alliance, we take down Javier. I know exactly how to do it, but this is one thing I will admit I cannot do alone."
He nods. “Yes. But so far, it sounds like your brother is going to make this easy."
I give him a smile. "That's what he would have you believe. But it isn't true. He probably has many more people hiding around you than you think. Have you been in touch with your mole?"
"I can't talk to you about that."
I blow out an angry breath. "You expect me to tell you everything, and you can't tell me anything? How is that going to work?"
He considers this, thinking it over. I know the problem is that this is not his decision alone. He runs the risk of disloyalty to his family, and unlike me, that means something to him.
"Suffice to say that we have. And he says there are quite a few of your brother's men in our city, which is why we need to get back."
I slide up next to him, lean over and cradle his cock in my hand. I stroke him lazily until his length stiffens in my palm.
"Yes, so this is the plan. I will tell you everything I know.
I have a few methods of infiltrating that my brother doesn't know about.
Friends on the inside. I'll have to be discreet.
" I swallow. "Carlos's sister will be one of them.
But her life is in grave danger, and I cannot use her intel until I know she is safe. "
He reaches over and thumbs my hardened nipple. Arousal surges through me.
“Yes. Of course.”
"Your brother Ollie. He's in charge of international relations. Has he spent time in Colombia?" I bend down and lick the tip of his flat nipple. He hisses in a breath and nods.
I bite. “You'll have to send him back."
He catches his breath. "Tell me the entire plan first.” He lifts me to straddle him. I love the feel of his warm, strong legs beneath my body. He rests his hands on my hips.
I swallow hard. "I will tell you everything I know about my family, but you must promise me. The first thing we do is end the trafficking. Lev, I’ll give you the keys to the kingdom.
Once Javier is gone, I know exactly how to make the rest of them follow me.
I’m confident I can do this." I slide my hot, wet pussy across his flank.
He nods, his body melting into mine. “Go on.”
"After we have solidified our alliance and taken down Javier, we will dismantle the trafficking operation. I will make grand promises to the rest of the men in the cartel. You have to understand they are not loyal to you. They are cutthroats. I will only keep those who will be loyal to me."
He stares at me, understanding dawning in his eyes. I slide his cock into me.
"And then…” My heart beats faster, like the relentless beating of a drum. He thrusts. I gasp, “…our families become one."
I lean over, trailing my finger down the length of his chest. We make love, our bodies moving together in a dance of passion and power, sealing our alliance with each touch, each kiss.
He thrusts so hard my head falls back on a scream. My voice is choked when I practically beg him, "And we will rule together?”
"Together," he says, and I throw my head back, feeling his strength, his commitment. This is where it begins.
“Together, we’ll rule.” My climax overpowers me as he spills inside me. He groans, holding my gaze in his. Our bodies ignite. I watch his mouth fall open as my own ecstasy washes through me.
“Together, we’ll rule,” he whispers back. It feels more powerful than when we took our vows.
But I’m too jaded to believe it’s that simple.
Who and what will get in our way?
"I’m going to miss this place," I say. "It's so beautiful here."
The pilot reaches for my hand to help me board the plane but quickly retracts it when Lev glares. No one touches his wife.
I love that.
We leave the island reluctantly but fired up with the knowledge that we have work to do.
“Me too. It’s beautiful at home, though, too.” He kisses my cheek.
Upon our return, we dive right into it. Every day, we fall into a new normal. Work out, sweat, shower, and have breakfast.
Work.
He gives me two days to find out everything I can about Javier's plans. Everything I told him corroborated what his brothers had said. I’m grateful for my family’s decided lack of loyalty, or I couldn’t live with myself.
I have to do this, though.
On our way to headquarters in The Cove, I sip my iced coffee, made how I always make it—dark, no sugar, heavy on the ice, a splash of oat milk. I tap my fingers on the dashboard, reflecting on what I found out about Javier.
“Hey, I have a question for you," I tell him. I’ve been thinking about this. It’s time. "I’ve told you many things about my family. Now I need to know more about yours."
"I thought you knew everything about my family?"
"I don’t mean your brothers, Lev. I mean your future family. What do you want? What are your dreams? I’ve told you mine in detail. You know exactly what I want. I don't know the first thing about what you do."
He frowns. “It's the first time anybody has actually ever asked me. It’s definitely not the first time I’ve ever asked myself.”
“Oh? Let’s hear it.” I sip my coffee.
"I've always wanted a family. I always wanted to settle down. It's why I bought a home right here in The Cove. You know my family means everything to me."
I nod. "I do."
"I want peace. I want to go to bed at night knowing that my wife is safe and that my children are happy. I want to go to bed every night knowing that I did the best I could."
I squeeze his hand.
"Despite what happened in the past. None of that matters anymore,” I say.
He is not someone who opens up easily. We spent days on the island, talking about my hopes and dreams, my past, and the ordeals I've been through. But I had to drag his story out of him. And now that I know… I want to give him what he desires.
"Lev, you know I'm not the kind of woman to sit around home and raise kids. I am going to be the head of LSD."
"I know that," he says quietly. "But you're not going to rule alone."
Understanding dawns on me. My hopes and dreams, when meshed with his, could actually work. This just might work.
Asking him about his hopes and dreams is the first time I've allowed myself to think ahead like this.
All my life, ever since I knew I was going to take over from my brother, I knew I was going to end him and bring freedom to my people.
But I never thought beyond that. I imagined myself as the leader, the one everyone else had to obey.
I imagined the end of Javier's reign of terror.
But I never allowed myself the luxury of seeing anything beyond that moment. And then I knew…
"What is it?" he asks. "You get all quiet and serious when you're deep in thought. What are you thinking about?"
I shake my head, not trusting myself to speak. There is a lump in my throat the size of a boulder. If I talk…
"Isabella, what is it?" he asks sharply.
And then I need to tell him. For some reason, I need to tell Lev exactly what I'm realizing for the first time.
"I've always been prepared to die for my people. I never imagined myself getting any further than that. I never imagined I’d be… here. Not dead."
It's not that I don't want children ever. It's not that I don't want to be a mother and raise my kids with a man I could love. And I do wonder if I could fall in love with a man like Lev. I know it's already happening.