Not rising to the bait, I press my lips together, waiting for her to get all of her vitriol out.
“Running behind him like an abandoned puppy with lovesick eyes was bad enough. Now thinking you have a chance after you betrayed him—” She scoffs, turning before swinging back to face me. Her rage is palpable before she adopts a look of fake pity.
“You’re no different from that clinging, simpering Antonella bitch. She thought he’s take her back after she betrayed our family. She thought telling him she was pregnant would get him to come back — thought it would save her after our parents were killed.” Malicious glee fills her gaze as she steps closer, seeing how stunned I am.
“He never told you?” Head falling back in a laugh, she goes in for the kill. “He loved her. You — he doesn’t give a fuck about. He told me that, you know? Nella? He had loved her since fourth grade. He was going to stay by her side and still be a father to his kid, but the powers that be decided she was better being a lesson to future recruits, so they killed her for her lack of loyalty. A man like Hadrián loves like that only once and will never give his heart to someone who betrayed him like you did.” Her whispered words slither in, striking like the viper her brother named himself.
I don’t know how long the stand there after she’s gone back to wipe down the bar until Padre eases the empty bowl out from beneath my arm.
“I can get this if you need to leave.” His somber words snatch me out of the confounded trance Elie’s words left me in.
“N-no, I got it.” Taking the bowl, I move as if I’m in a daze, going through the motions. When I come back, Padre is justfinishing cleaning up the mess from our confrontation. I meet every eye in the room that turns my way as I go back to my spot. If anyone else has anything to say to me, then they are more than welcome to try it.
“You okay?” Padre asks before slipping to the back facing chair, bracing his arm on the table.
“No, but I will be.” Once I talk to Snake about all this stuff he’s never told me about.
I’m still reeling from the revelation of Ellie’s words when Snake, Rocco and, low and behold, Angel stroll in.
The energy in the MC immediately changes now that el Presidente and el Primo are here. Riders rise, going over to Angel, congratulating him on the news that Easy is pregnant again. I glance up into the stoic visage of the man who held me every night but never cared enough to tell me he harbored a secret love for a woman who betrayed him over a decade ago.
After several minutes of congratulatory banter and joking, Angel nods my way. Another shift in the room at his acknowledgement of me. Nervous heads swivel to the bar, but Ellie is busy with patrons or pretends to be. No one is brave enough to call out the altercation that occurred earlier, still I see the men who just arrived note their reactions.
“Padre — meeting in ten.” Leading the way to the bar, Angel followed by the riders he came in with and several of the others who lead crews, mill around talking before the meeting starts. It could be either side of the business, though most of what goes on here is for the streets.
After covering and securing his tattoo with Saniderm, I mumble. “Be right back.” Before ha can stop me heading to the bar.
Ellie’s eyes spark when she sees me, probably thinking I’m going to snitch to her brother or Angel. Despite all that’shappened, she should know I put my own work in. Plus, what goes on between Snake and me is just that — between us.
“Hey,” I say to Angel, who turns and eyes me with curiosity, not malice.
“What’s up?” Tilting his head tot he side, his gaze lasers on me after a brief flicker to the side, which tells me I also have Snake’s attention.
“You weren’t around long when we were at your place. Then all that stuff with Nikki—” I trail off at his nod. His stance alters as if he’s preparing for something highly uncomfortable.
"I wanted to apologize for my part and keeping you away from Easy during her pregnancy. I also wanna say I'm sorry for not trusting you after everything you've done for me. You deserved better, especially from someone who protected me the whole time I was here." Craning my head until I meet his sober gaze.
“Hermita, I'm not gonna say you didn't cut me deep. But I understand hell after the way Ezekiel-Jane explained it to me. What else would you have thought? We believe victims, right? That being said, next time you come to your big brother, if you’ve got any problems, and I mean any.” Shooting a glance in Snake’s direction, he pulls me into a tight hug.
Heat rushes to my face, and I can't contain the broken sob that escapes me. He hugs me tighter, and I feel the brush of his chin against my locs. His big powerful arms circling me is the welcome that I never knew I needed since I returned. Is one of love and acceptance, but not only that forgiveness. For a long moment, he holds me, whispering, “I’ve got you" right above my ear. And I know that no matter what, Angel Cruz has forgiven me, and he'll always be the brother I never had.
Finally, stepping away from me, he jerks his head toward the other guys, leading the way to his office.
One long figure remains looking at me with a complicated expression on his face. I know now is not the time to bring up all the things Ellie said, so I say nothing. After a long moment, he pivots only to turn back, a question in his gaze and his jaw working in tense flexes. “See you later?”
My head jerks in acquiesce giving him my ‘yes’. Watching him leave for as long as I dare, not wanting to get into it again with his sister. Saying nothing and acknowledging no one else, I leave the el Diablo den, and something tells me it will be for the last time.
He doesn’t bother knocking.Just lets himself in. I don’t know why that irritates me. Maybe it’s because I’ve had three hours to stew over the revelations of Ellie’s words.
“Knock next time. You have your own big-ass house.” I snap, looking up from the designs for new tattoos I’m sketching.
“Sure.” he says drily, pulling off his cut, taking in the room at large as though he’s making sure the coast is clear.
Hearing the rumble of choppers in the distance, I dead-eye him. “You don’t have to keep having guys guarding me. Folks are already saying it was Nat doing all the lurking around trying to get dirt on Nikki. Plus, I might be safer with them not around if today is any indication.” Training my focus back on my work. I make long sweeps of the dragon to complete the design one executive from Creative Chaos had asked me to create for him.
A shadow falls over my workspace. I look up to see the harsh line of Snake’s face. “Was someone disrespectful to you?” Smirking, I rise, circling around to face him.
“You mean other than your sister? Why didn’t you tell me she hates me now?” Cocking my head back, I allow my gaze to rake over him.
