2. Matheus
A FEW HOURS EARLIER
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
I glare at Blanco, my temper simmering behind the shock.
“Elias set up your real father and Tomás finished the job.”
Blanco’s eyes never leave mine, both of us standing toe to toe.
“I assume Elias gave Tomás the task to prove he was worthy of being his heir. The fact he was the eldest son didn’t mean he was deserving of the role.”
“This is bullshit. Are you telling me Elias Souza wasn’t my father?”
Blanco casually slots a hand into his smart pants pocket.
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”
I stuff a hand into my hair and frown, my lungs feeling tight. “Why the fuck should I believe you?”
“You don’t have to believe me. Ask your mama and hear it from her lips instead. Elias should have made you the Souza heir, and from what Daniela has told me, you’re ready to take back what’s rightfully yours.” He smiles from the right side of his mouth. “You managed to impress her, which is rare.”
My scalp tingles. I glance across the room to find her beautiful face, but only see armed guards.
“Where did she go?” I ask, immediately turning towards the men. “Dani…where is she?”
“She left,” one guy tells me as he nods to the empty doorway.
“Matheus,” Blanco says firmly.
I scowl at him. “Does Dani know about my papá too?”
His expression stays blank.
“No.”
Even though I’m curious to hear more, I need her beside me while I figure this shit out. She’s my one and only. No one else.
“Sit down, Matheus. Have a drink,” Blanco coaxes.
I hold up my hand to silence him. “Dani needs to be here for this.”
“Why?”
His question hangs in the air as I leave the room and march to the foyer, where I catch a glimpse of her dark hair through the front window.
You can’t run from this little firecracker.
Unanswered questions race around in my head. Who the hell is my real father? Am I even a Souza?
Moving outside, my boots kick up gravel as I chase her along the driveway. She’s quick though. I”ll give her that.
When I reach the gates, she’s already left the safety of Blanco’s compound. My heart stops beating when a group of armed men burst out of a black van parked on the sidewalk and converge around her.
What the fuck?
I yell her name, too far away to reach her when she collapses. The fuckers must have drugged her. As two men haul her into the rear of the van, I aim my revolver and start shooting at the fuckers through the open gates.
They retaliate, firing Uzi submachine guns right at me. Jesus fuck, this was a planned extraction.
Caught in the line of fire, a bullet skims the side of my left bicep—the pain intense. A barrage of gunfire flies everywhere, forcing me to take cover behind a concrete gate post while I reload.
My nostrils flare and I breathe through the agony I’m in, ready to go another round.
Blanco’s soldiers spill out of the mansion and appear from all sides, none of them aiming a weapon at me, but targeting the van.
I move out from behind the pillar, widen my stance and empty my clip into the street at the van, stupidly hoping I’d slow the vehicle down.
When it disappears from sight, my lungs burn and my blood ices over.
Mindlessly, I follow my feet back along the driveway, sprinting toward my motorbike. In a blur, I shrug my backpack in place, climb on, start the engine, and ignore the blood seeping into my sleeve.
I’m sure it’s only superficial, otherwise I wouldn”t be able to move my arm properly. Not that a gunshot wound would ever stop me from going after Dani.
I’d drag myself from my deathbed to protect that woman.
Chaos continues around me. Armed men are jumping into SUVs now lined up in a convoy, but Blanco, he’s nowhere to be seen.
Not caring for him, I grit my teeth, open the throttle, and take off, hitting the street in zero to sixty seconds.
Putting the mansion and my family”s secrets behind me, I follow the same road the van had taken, increasing the throttle, running red lights, and dodging traffic at a reckless speed.
I can’t think straight. The anger in me spreads like wildfire.
It doesn”t matter how fast I go or how many turns I take, since I don’t have eyes on the van. I do remember the plates, though, and they could easily be traced.
Understanding tactics, though, I know the driver would change them or burn out the van when they’re finished with it. Though it’s my only lead, and the one thing stopping me from losing my mind.
Driving through the city with no direction, I eventually circle back to Blanco’s mansion.
That fucker owes me information and I need the names of everyone he’s screwed over lately, and all potential threats to Dani.
By the time I”m granted access through the guarded gates, my head is heavy, the adrenaline wearing off. There aren’t as many vehicles parked outside the front entrance this time and only a few armed men scattered about the grounds.
I switch off the engine and dismount, glancing at my hand. I’d been so pumped and driven to find her that I’d pushed the pain aside and skipped over the fact I’m losing blood.
A strange wash of loneliness runs through me. I glance over my shoulder to the street where I had last seen her and swallow, my throat dry.
This is fucking war.
Straightening, I glare at the armed guard in plain clothes who walks towards me, holding out a phone.
“Blanco wants a word,” he announces.
Not saying anything to him, I take the burner phone and hold it to my ear.
I shake my head and exhale. “Blanco. You ran?”
“I welcomed you into my home in peace. Now it’s been compromised,” he explains coolly. “The Covenant will return Daniela to me unharmed. Make sure the threat is eliminated. Giovanni and I have an agreement. If he doesn’t come through on his word and I find out the Souzas were responsible for taking her, the next time I see you, it’ll be at the end of my gun.”
“I can assure you, Blanco, I had nothing to do with this. I didn’t even know Dani was bringing me to meet you.”
Blanco grunts through the phone at me.
“Since Elias was assassinated, your brothers have openly accused me of organizing his murder. They’ve been waiting for the right time to attack.”
“Did you do it?”
He sighs. “Ask Tomás who put the final bullet in his head.”
My chest tightens and a cold sweat breaks over my spine.
“I haven’t made any more enemies lately. Have you, Matheus?” His voice is cold and calm. “The men who took Daniela weren’t as discreet as The Covenant. They didn’t wear masks. Those cocky fucks wanted to make a statement. Find out if they work for your family…and kill them.”
I frown at those words, too much like orders, and follow the guy who’d handed me the phone, both of us moving indoors to the reception hall.
“My brothers don’t know I’m at your home.”
“They know you’re in Colombia, don’t they? With Daniela?”
My legs go numb and my eyes blur with rage.
“There’s no way––”
I fist the wall next to a silver framed mirror and suck in sharply as red-hot pain shoots through my wrist. My knuckles burn every time I stretch open my hand, and my bad temper stews.
“I want Daniela returned to me within twenty-four hours. Not a second longer, or you’ll die for your betrayal.”
Motherfucker.
I bite my tongue to stop myself from making a bad situation worse. There isn’t time for bullshit bickering. Not when her life hangs in the balance.
“My brothers aren’t responsible for this. I’ll find Dani. You have my word.”
Even though the air around me is warm, I’m shivering.
“And you still owe me information.”
His chuckle strikes a match in my brain. If he hadn’t fled the mansion like a scared rat, I’d strangle him with my bare hands.
“That’s not how this works, Matheus.”
“I signed your contract, Blanco. I agreed to marry your daughter.”
“And I’ll tell you what you want to know when you return her to me.” The line goes quiet and then he adds, “How did you know? Did Dani tell you who she is?”
He knows I swapped Sofia’s name for Dani’s.
My nostrils flare, recalling the exact moment it all fell into place. How Sofia had thrown her arms around Daniela, and my girl happily hugged her back.
Their embrace was unprofessional for a soldier and the daughter’s boss, yet neither of them tried to hide it.
And when Sofia frowned in the same way my little firecracker had done countless times before, I saw a hint of something.
A family resemblance, although faint, I saw it as clear as day. I’ve studied Dani’s beautiful face, her naked curves––every little quirk and subtle expression she wears.
I can read her body language and sense her moods shift. In my gut, I knew those two women were related, and I took a risk trusting my instincts.
“She didn’t tell me anything. I saw the signs, Blanco. And changing the contract sealed Dani’s future with me. She’s mine now…a Souza.”
“You’ve actually fallen for her. Such a shame she’ll never trust you.” His hum vibrates in my ear. “The plan has always been to hand over my empire to Sofia when I’m ready to retire. And now it’ll be extremely rewarding to have my eldest daughter established in a rival cartel. My patience paid off in the end.”
A slow crackle follows the sound of a lighter striking.
“While you thought you were being smart, you didn’t take the time to read my terms. You may have changed their first names, but Daniela will have my surname. If you’d kept reading, you would have realized that your new wife was never going to have your family name.”
I can tell by the tone of his voice he’s smiling.
“She’ll remain Daniela Blanco, and any children from your marriage will have her family name too. That’s what you signed up for, Matheus.”
My spine goes rigid. “Fuck you, Blanco. There’s no way that would ever happen.”
“For a guy who graduated in law, you should have studied the small print. You’ll marry my daughter and take back your father’s organization––with a Blanco by your side. The Souzas reign has come to an end, Matheus, and you’re going to help me finish it.”