“Oh, babe, you can! I go, Dale goes; hell, even McCrae’s brother Gus goes. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s not aweakness. It takes strength to be vulnerable and fix yourself.” I hear Faith move closer to where Valentina stands.
“Why?” Valentina’s voice shakes.
“You deserve to get answers for yourself.”
“I’ve thought about talking to someone too.” It’s McCrae who says it, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little surprised. “What? I’ve got plenty of my own ghosts.”
“Speaking of, where did you go with the boy’s ashes? I understand why you did what you did, but that time’s past. Don’t you think his family deserves the closure? Wouldn’t you want to know if it was Gus?”
I don’t register the voice. The question’s enough to pull me from the shadows and straight into the lion’s den. “I’d like to know the same thing.”
At first, there’s deafening silence, and then my heart begins to roar, my gaze locking onto a face I hoped to never see again. Shame consumes me.
Is it too late to run?
“Rafael?” Adalene chokes out my name. I don’t have it in me to look at Valentina, but I can feel the heat of her gaze from here.
What have I done?
Knowing I can’t take it back, I whisper, “Hi, Adalene.”
“Who’s thi—” The enormous, suave man next to her stops midsentence, his confusion melting into pure fury.
Before I can think to get out of the way, he lunges for me, his giant hands wrapping around my arms in a vice-like grip. We stumble backwards, landing against the wall with a crash. A photo falls, the glass shattering across the floor, and shouting ensues.
But I hear none of it—see none of it.
As we fall, I lock with Valentina’s gaze, and instead of finding fury, I find only devastation.
I don’t even fight him off as he swings at me, his hand landing on my jaw with such force, my head bounces off the wall. Stars dot behind my eyelids, and I wish for nothing more than to sink into a black pit of nothingness and never return.
Not if I have to face Valentina’s hurt.
His fist skims my jaw again, and I close my eyes, preparing for the nose shot, when he’s suddenly yanked off me. A chill sweeps over my body as I lie there, my own hands fisted at my sides.
I had brothers, ones I fought with fists more often than not.
That was different. I wanted to defend myself. Here?I want to disappear and never return.
“Mateo! Calm the fuck down!” Adalene scolds the man, and I let out breath.
Even though I’d love nothing more than to disappear, I know there’s no hiding from this,from her.
I brace myself as I open my eyes, starring up at the confused and horrified people gathered around. The only face I don’t see is Valentina’s.
“Valentina?”
“You’ll never speak to her again,” Mateo snarls.
I push to stand, and no one offers to help—not that I’d expect them to. Running a hand over my busted lip, I pull my away fingers to see crimson.
“You know him?” McCrae sounds almost smug, and my eye twitches.The bastard’s never going to let this go.
“What’re you doing here?” Adalene reaches out, wrapping her fingers around Mateo’s quivering arm as he clearly fights his need to smash into my face again. “Mateo, relax, please.”
“Someone tell me what the fuck is going on.” I find Valentina’s face, standing behind the rest, her arms crossed in defense over her chest. She doesn’t sound hurt—she sounds pissed—but I know her well enough to know pissed is simply acover up for the deepest wounds. I’d rather shatter every bone in my body than be responsible for the pain hidden within her voice.
“I knew you looked familiar.” Faith crosses her arms, and I shoot her a confused look.
