My entire body runs cold, and I brace my hand against the dresser. “When we got Trevor out of La Crypta last year, we also rescued a member of the resistance. Dani’s birth father. He and his brother had been fighting against the Loma Collectivo for more than twenty years. A few weeks after Trev and Dani went back to the states, I got an email. Four names. Four photos.”
“The men who hurt you.” She’ll put it together now. All of it. Even if I don’t say another word. But it doesn’t mean a damn thing unless I confess my crimes. Out loud.
“It took me less than seventy-two hours to find them. Another two weeks to learn their habits. And less than a day to kill them.”
Domina doesn’t say a word. One minute. Two. Three. I raise my head, convinced I’ll find horror, disgust, or betrayal in her eyes.
Tears threaten to spill over her lower lids, and she rises, crosses to me, and wraps her arms around my waist.
“What are you doing?” I ask. “I just told you I killed four people in cold bloodnine yearsafter they left Caracas.”
“Did you make them suffer?” She tips her head up, and tears slip down her cheeks.
“No. Double-tap to the head. Close range. I made sure they saw me—recognized me—but I made it quick.” Cupping her cheeks, I brush the tears away with my thumbs. “You’re not running.”
“You killed the men who tortured you. How is that any different than what Trevor did to save you?” Rising up on the balls of her feet, she presses her lips to mine. “I understand why you told me. And why you did not want to. But this changes nothing for me. I care for you, Leo. More than I thought possible. I know you have a past. That you have killed, and that you are capable of killing again. But I also know you are a good man.”
“I don’t deserve you.” Despite my words, I don’t let her go. She’s seen the darkest parts of me, and she’s still here. Still staring up at me with what just might be love in her eyes.
After we came together for the first time—was that really only two nights ago?—I thought I might be falling for her. Now? She’s my entire world, and there’s nothing I won’t do to keep her safe.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Domina
Leo has not stopped touchingme since he admitted killing the men who tortured him. We sit on the bed, holding hands, close enough the heat of him seeps into my side.
I want to stay here forever. Safe and protected in this little bubble we have made together. But whoever shot Manuel is still out there. With the election in three days, they will surely try again. And soon.
“What do we do now?” I ask.
With a heavy sigh, Leo shifts to drape his arm around my shoulders and pull me closer. There is something desperate in the motion. Like he’s afraid to let me go. “We go talk to Austin and Trevor. See what they’ve managed to find out in the past few hours. If we can’t get in touch with Cortez through Austin’s contacts, maybe he can talk to Garcia again. The man might be packing up his shit at the Presidential Palace, but he still has influence. At least for another few days.”
Someone raps on the bedroom door, and we both flinch. “Leo? Zephyr’s going to call in five minutes. You awake?” Austin asks.
“If I wasn’t, I would be now,” he says, a hint of annoyance in his tone. “Be right there.”
I try to pull away—to stand so I can help him up—but he tightens his arm around me.
“Domina? Trev and Austin don’t know.”
For a moment, I don’t understand. Until I see the shame in his gaze. He thinks they’ll judge him for the men he killed. “I will not tell them. But, these men are your friends. They will understand.”
“And what if they don’t?” He stares down at the floor, his body suddenly weary. “I can’t protect you on my own. I’m too broken. Too old. Too slow. I thought I could, but look what happened? I need them on our side until we neutralize any threat.”
I want to tell him he’s wrong. I saw how worried Austin and Trevor were when Leo was missing. The man they spoke of was more than an acquaintance. More than someone they used to work with. Leo is practically family to them. But he doesn’t see it, and the two minutes we have left before Zephyr calls is not enough time to convince him.
“Come. We need to get out there.” I wriggle out from under his arm and hold out my hand. “I will keep your secret, Leo. I promise.”
* * *
Trevor and Austinsit at the small kitchen table, enough laptops, tablets, and mobile phones around them to fill an entire electronics store.
Leo’s limp is worse than ever, and lines of pain tighten around his eyes and lips. He leans on me, his arm around my shoulders, until we reach the couch. The ruined cushions are lumpy, but Trevor spread a blanket over them.
“About time the two of you got up,” Austin says. “We have pizza, donuts, and yucca cakes. Anything else you want, I can get once we talk to Zephyr.”
“I want my goddamn couch fixed,” Leo mutters. “As if I’d actually hide anything in the cushions. That’s always the first place the police look.”
