Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
Rio
The blood on my knuckles has dried into a familiar pattern of tiny cracks. I flex my fingers on the steering wheel, feeling the skin pull tight.
"Does it hurt?" Liana asks, looking at my hands. It's the first thing she's said since we left the warehouse.
"No."
It’s not a lie. Nothing hurts me anymore.
She's pressed against the passenger door, as far from me as the confines of the SUV will allow. She won’t even look me in the eyes.
The memory of her face when that plastic cage exploded is burned into my mind.
The way her eyes widened then narrowed like she was calculating something.
She didn’t seem horrified or even disgusted.
It was like she was just processing the entire situation.
"You didn't have to bring me there," she says, staring out at the endless stretch of highway with a blank expression.
"Yes, I did."
My voice comes out harder than I intended but I need to get my point across.
"You wanted to see the real me, Datura. That's who I am and that's what happens when someone betrays my family."
She finally turns to face me, her dark eyes searching mine like she’s hoping she’ll find some kind of remorse.
"Was that supposed to scare me away? Or was it a test?"
I consider lying, but what's the point? She should know everything. It’s not like she can leave anyway.
"Both."
She doesn’t say anything for a long moment and I almost think she won’t but then her voice comes out and it sounds different.
"Did I pass?" she asks.
I glance over to find her lips are curved into the barest hint of a smile.
"So far but that's what bothers me," I admit. "You should be terrified right now. You should be screaming, crying and begging me to let you go. Instead, you're sitting there looking at me like…"
"Like what?"
"Like you’re starting to understand me."
"I don’t think I’ll ever understand you, Rio," she says with a hint of sadness in her tone.
I want to feel bad about that statement but I can’t bring myself to. After all, how can she understand me when I don’t understand myself most of the time?
"So,” she says, breaking me from my thoughts. “Your sister's methods are…effective."
I laugh out loud at that.
"Nicci enjoys her work. Probably a little too much."
"And you?"
“What about me?” I ask.
“Do you enjoy yours?”
The question hangs between us, and I have to stop and think about it for a second.
‘Do I?’
"Sometimes," I admit, because there's no point in lying about it. "When they deserve it."
"And who decides that? You? Your father?"
I turn off the highway onto the private road that leads to the estate. The security gates slide open as we approach, recognizing the car.
"It's complicated, Datura."
"It always is," she says with a sigh. "So what now? We are married. I’m part of your world now. What’s next? Do I get a job torturing people too?"
I scoff and roll my eyes as I pull up to the house and kill the engine. Neither of us moves to get out. I’m not going to bother with her last question because I don’t want her hands on another man, ever. Not even if she’s torturing him.
"That depends on you," I say. "You can keep playing the victim, the innocent girl forced into a marriage with a monster. You can continue to be miserable. Or…"
"Or?"
I reach over and brush a strand of hair from her face. She doesn't flinch away and my heart beats a little faster.
"Or you can be happy," I say simply. "You can be mine. My equal. My partner. My queen."
She grabs my hand, examining the blood on my knuckles with a detached curiosity.
"And if I choose neither?"
Anger courses through my body and I have to breathe for a moment before speaking.
I know she’s pushing my boundaries. Seeing how far she can go before I snap.
She thinks she has a choice and technically she does, but neither of those choices land her anywhere other than with me.
I lean in closer, close enough to feel her breath on my lips.
"Everyone makes a choice, Datura. Your uncle chose to send you to me. That man in the warehouse chose to attack you. And you chose to stay and watch when you could have walked away. You have a choice too but ‘neither’ is not an option."
I watch her swallow as she stares at my hand. This time there’s a hint of fear, radiating from her. Her eyes look up to meet mine.
"Making the wrong choice…a betrayal."
I don’t know what she means. She doesn’t form her sentence like a question but I answer it like it’s one anyway.
"Yes," I reply. "And in my world, there's only one consequence for betrayal."
She nods slowly, almost to herself, before turning to look outside.
"Then I guess I'd better choose wisely," she whispers.
Something in the air shifts. This isn't the same girl who arrived at my home all those weeks ago. No, she’s all woman now. She’s a little colder, more calculating…dangerous even. It’s sexy as fuck. The perfect cartel princess.
"Come inside, Datura," I say, pulling my hand away. "There’s been enough excitement for one day.”