JETMIR
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
The weight of Raphael’s gaze followed me as I helped Anya to her feet.
For a moment, I let myself feel the warmth of her fingers wrapped around mine while my own chest glowed. It fucking glowed.
My wife chose me.
I had spent years wondering if I would ever win her back. If she would ever choose me and she did. If I died by my father-in-law’s bullet at this very moment, it wouldn’t matter because I would die a happy man.
I looked at Raphael.
His gun was still in his hand.
His jaw was clenched, his eyes hard, and every instinct in me screamed that this man would quite possibly never trust me. Maybe he shouldn’t. I had given him enough reasons not to.
But if there was one thing I had learned over the years, it was that some debts couldn’t be repaid with apologies.
They had to be repaid with action.
“I know I’ve made my share of mistakes, but I love your daughter,” I said. Raphael’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t expect you to trust me.” I glanced at Sailor, then back at him. “But I want you to know, I’m doing all in my power to fix everything.”
Anya’s fingers tightened around mine.
“Jetmir,” she whispered.
I squeezed her hand, then continued addressing Raphael, “Whether I deserve your daughter or not, I’m keeping her, and I’ll do my best to earn her love and deserve her love every day for the rest of my life.”
“I’m happy to hear that,” my mother-in-law gushed, tears glistening in her eyes. It was easier to earn her forgiveness than her husband’s.
“You also deserve to know the truth,” I added.
Raphael shot me a look full of suspicion. “What truth?”
I took a breath.
“It’s about the explosion in Albania.”
Raphael’s expression hardened and his finger tightened around the trigger. “You mean the one that blinded Gabriel and almost killed my daughter."
I held his gaze.
“I know who’s responsible.”
Suddenly, the world stilled and even the waves seemed quieter.
Sailor’s eyes moved between us.
Raphael took one slow step toward me. “Who is responsible?”
“The Triad.”
Raphael went still.
“It was their first attempt, and ever since then, they’ve been trying to get their hands on Anya.” I pulled my wife closer to me. “Their obstacle—my stalking—interfered with their plans.”
His eyes sharpened. “You’ve been stalking my daughter.”
“I’ve been keeping my wife safe,” I corrected him.
“You say tomato, I say tomahto.” His expression darkened. “Why are they targeting Anya?”
“They wanted a free business deal.”
“So it is your fault,” he accused.
I ignored him and continued, “When they received my product, they tried to kill me and everyone around me so they wouldn’t have to pay for it. They failed, but since that explosion in Albania, I’ve started to eliminate members of the Triad one by one. The problem is that they’re like a hydra.”
Anya’s breath caught while Raphael stared at me with an unreadable expression.
“I want the people responsible for blinding Gabriel to pay for what they did.”
“They will,” I said.
Sailor frowned. “How? You just said they are like a hydra.”
“Elira has infiltrated the Triad.” Raphael’s head snapped up. “She’s inside,” I continued. “She’s working on earning their trust. We’ll take them apart from the inside with her help.”
Anya stared at me.
“You put Elira in there?”
“I didn’t put her anywhere.” My voice hardened. “She chose this. Just like I did.”
Raphael studied me, never looking away. Maybe he was looking for a sign of deceit, but he wouldn’t find any.
“So what exactly are you offering me?”
I stepped closer. “A partnership.”
He laughed without humor. “You think I’m going to join forces with you?”
“We want the same thing.”
“Do we?”
I nodded.
“We want their complete destruction. It was their explosion that left Gabriel without his sight and they almost killed Amara and Anya,” I said quietly.
“And you,” Sailor added softly.
“I don’t matter in this equation,” I continued. “With our combined resources, we can help Elira when the time is right.” I held out my hand. “Let’s go after the real enemy. I swear to you, I’m not a danger to you or your family, and I’d rather die than let anything happen to my wife.”
Raphael stared at my hand. “I wish you would stop calling my daughter your wife.”
“But she is,” I said firmly. “That annulment never went through. I made sure of it.”
He let out a frustrated breath. “You’re an annoying little shit.”
I scoffed. “I imagine no less annoying than you were when it came to winning your wife.”
Sailor chuckled. “You’re absolutely right.”
“My reina, we don’t like him,” Raphael grumbled, his gaze instantly softening when he looked at his wife. “Remember?”
My mother-in-law didn’t look at him. She didn’t even look at me. She was watching her daughter.
“It doesn’t matter if we like him or not,” she said softly. “Our daughter loves him.”
Fuck, I hated that my family had hurt my mother-in-law. I hated even more knowing that the same blood that had run through Santiago Tijuana’s veins was running through mine.
“I’m not him,” I said slowly. “I often wished I had no resemblance to the Tijuana family gene, but—”
“You are not him,” Sailor cut me off. “I see that now. A man who loves could never be Santiago Tijuana.”
I swallowed hard. My mother-in-law would never know how much those words meant to me. “It was you who ensured Gabriel got the corneas.” Her voice was soft. “Right, Jetmir?”
“Yes.” There was no point in denying it. Not that I intended to.
“Oh my gosh.” Anya’s eyes filled with tears and she hugged me tightly. “I love you so much.”
“I’ve been searching for a donor for years,” I admitted. “Initially, I planned on getting them on the black market, but…” I kissed my wife’s forehead. “I wanted to deserve Anya’s love and respect. And Amara’s.”
Sailor’s expression softened. “You have to tell her. I don’t think she knows.”
“My relationship with Amara has been somewhat damaged because of the tension between our families and what had happened to Gabriel. I’ve kept my distance so she wouldn’t feel forced to choose between the families,” I admitted.
A long silence settled between us, but I could feel something shifting between all of us in that silence. A chance, maybe.
“I’m not asking you to forgive me, Raphael.” I glanced at Anya, before returning to lock gazes with my father-in-law. “I’m asking you to help me make sure no one ever does this to our families again. For Anya’s sake. Gabriel’s. Amara’s.”
Raphael looked at Sailor, then at his daughter. Finally, his eyes returned to mine.
He stepped forward until we stood only a few feet apart.
“You got yourself a partner, but if you hurt my daughter…” His jaw flexed while Sailor sighed beside him. “I’ll skin you alive.”
“No, he won’t,” Anya protested. “Because I love you, and if Papa touches you, it will break my heart.”
Sailor laughed softly. “Ah, Raphael, you’re doomed because your daughter knows exactly how to manipulate you.”
We all chuckled and Raphael extended his hand.
I took it. His grip was hard. Mine was harder.
This time, we’d stand on the same side of this war and make the Triad pay for the damage they’d caused and get my sister out.