Chapter 3
Chapter Three
" L et me the fuck out of here."
Glass crashes against the wall behind me again. She's been at it all day.
"You fucking pig. You kidnapped me. Ludovico is going to kill you for this."
I grit my teeth, and the pain breaks over my jaw. It's the annoying reminder of the two times her fist made contact with my face. I can't let it get to me. Instead, I stare at my father, sitting back in his cowhide, leather office chair while sipping his afternoon coffee.
"Ludovico is mobilizing the streets, looking for her. It's only a matter of time before he knows she's here."
"You can always call him and tell him what happened. You're Patriarcas . He will believe you," my cousin, Diego, offers.
My father turns a look that should incinerate him on the spot. "Are you stupid, pendejo ?"
Across the room, Gustavo's gaze meets mine. I can read the I told you so in his silent response. Diego is a naive fool.
"If we return her, we'll look like the kidnappers. Not to mention, Ludovico will think we hurt her. Either way, he'll take that as an offense. It would spark a war none of us is ready for," Gustavo explains.
"Oh. What can we do then?" my cousin asks.
We stare at each other in silence.
"Elio is our man. Anyone who saw him drive up here and puts two and two together would think he acted on my orders," my father says.
I snort. "That's ridiculous. Our men are the best. Why would we ask Elio, a driver, to do this?"
" No importa , Dario. You know as I do, only optics matter." He rubs his beard with the back of his nails. "I've thought about it all night. We only have two choices. One, we kill Soledad."
"The girl is innocent in this, and we don't kill defenseless women."
Even as Gustavo speaks, my father's gaze remains on me. "What do you think?"
"It's a bad idea. You can't kill one of the Patriarcas' daughters and get away with it. Ludovico will come for vengeance, and La Alianza will be on his side."
La Alianza is just that, the alliance of six organizations that coexist free of outwardly declared conflict — the Reyes, the Martes, Los Caballeros, La Sombra, La Muerte, and us, Los Cordero. We protect each other and enforce respect for each other with outsiders. The arrival of Soledad Marte in that box creates a problem and the possibility of a war we can't win.
So I continue. "It would be five against one. As ready for everything as we are, we don't stand a chance against their numbers. We are way smaller than the Martes as it is."
My father's smile is sudden and warm, like it never was when I played basketball and was told I could go pro. Or when I graduated from college at the top of my class.
The hairs prick at the back of my neck. This is not a good thing.
" Eres brillante y astuto , Dario. I knew you would see that killing the girl only complicates things." His smile widens.
"Thank you. What's the other choice?"
My father takes a sip of his coffee and hums, savoring it. " Ta bueno el cafécito . Luisa outdid herself with this one."
Not even the mention of the woman who has been my second mother can quell the burning starting in my chest. "Are you going to tell us?"
He nods. "It's really simple. If we want to avoid a war, the girl must tell her father she came to you freely."
I laugh. "You only say that because you don't know her. That woman is the most annoying creature. She thinks I'm beneath her. Haven't you heard how she's been breaking everything in the room upstairs? What makes you think she'll lie to her father for us?"
He looks to the side like he can see Soledad through the walls. "Because Ludovico and everyone understand that sometimes young people do irrational things in the name of love."
"Love? What are you talking about?" The old man finally lost it.
"You're going to marry the girl, Dario."
My stomach flops, and I can only blink at him. What he just said is so ridiculous that I start laughing. "Are you crazy? Me? Marry Straight-laced Sole? Don't bet your life on it."
"Dario, she's beautiful with a great body and so feisty. The way she fought you, without her clothes on... Admit you enjoyed it. Take it as a preview."
Heat surges up my face, and my hands clench into fists. There's no fucking way I'm marrying that holier-than-thou brat. I need to choose my words carefully and keep my voice down. "Father, you don't know what you're asking. Soledad and I have never seen eye to eye. We would kill each other."
He pffts. "You will not. Lots of marriages fight. Look at me and your mother. God rest her soul."
He made my mother's life hell, cheating on her with every cuero he came across.
"No, thank you. Let's find another way."
The smile finally evaporates from his face. "There's no other way. I'm ordering you to do this. You want to be head of this family, right?" He doesn't give a chance to answer. "Heads of families don't get everything their way. We make sacrifices and from where I stand, this looks like a good one. You avoid a war, get a beautiful wife from a powerful family."
My hopes sink along with my stomach. I want to tell him to fuck off and shove our organization up his ass. He won't be my boss if I leave. I look at Gustavo whose face is as somber as mine. He looks down and then up. It's always been our signal for do what you need to. I got your back.
But there are too many lives at stake. I can't abandon our men and people to him.
"She hates me," I say. And I hate every inch of her.
Father chuckles, standing up from his chair. "Dario, you're handsome, thanks to your mother's genes. I'm sure you'll sweet talk her in no time. If not, plenty of women can help you cope. Who wouldn't want to fuck a Patriarca and keep him happy."
And in that moment, I hate him more than I hate her. Unfortunately, he's Jefe —the boss— and I'm not. At least not yet.
Then the meaning of his words hit me.
He nods and smiles. "You'll get your wish, my son. I'll step aside and let you be the Patriarca de Los Cordero . "
I want to ask why but it doesn't matter. I know he'll keep his word. I'm going to be Jefe . and Soledad is going to be the key. I just need to find a way to convince her.
How can I make it worth her while?
"Ludovico will come for her soon,” Diego says in a moment of lucidity.
"And we'll be ready for him. Because no one takes la mujer de un Cordero ."
The word wife is what makes me swallow but he's right. Ludovico won't take my wife away because she's the key to what's rightfully mine.
I'll keep both.
And probably in hell for the rest of my days.