“Apologize to her, in front of everyone in this church and God himself, or I will take the hand you struck her with.”
Her brother did not respond, but there was a tic in his jaw. She knew he saw Ildefanso as lesser than him, simply because he was illegitimate. But he also knew Hector favored Ildefanso, and he couldn’t run the risk of insulting the jefe.
“Apologize to her. If you do not, you not only offend my bride but also me and my family because she is a part of us,” Ildefanso ground out under his breath.
Rodrigo paled at whatever he saw in Ildefanso’s expression. He flicked his eyes to Hector, standing at his son’s side, but there was only blankness in the returned gaze. A quick glance around convinced him to comply with the demand.
“My apologies, Daleyza, for losing control of my temper.” He was essentially choking on the words. “In my nervousness over your celebration, I lost my head. I should never have struck you.”
Ildefanso stepped back, adjusted his suit coat from where it had pulled tight, and returned to her side.
Gently, he raised his hand to her cheek, his thumb barely makingcontact with the skin to avoid hurting her. The molten silver of his eyes now burned with heat instead of rage. “No one will touch you in anger again, belleza, or they will answer to me.”
Her mouth ran away with her thoughts before she could corral them. “And who will you answer to when you ‘discipline’ me?”
The corner of his mouth upturned. “Apparently, I will answer to you.”
12
AUGUST 21, 2024
Daleyza
The confusionshe’d felt in that moment, at his actions and words, was as palpable as it had been in those moments before taking their vows. Had she trusted his words or his smile? She fell in love with him at the altar, a man she’d never seen before. The first man to show her kindness. Somehow, she knew doing so would bring her heartache, but she couldn’t have stopped it if she’d tried. The Lord had given her this man, a man she didn’t ask for, and had made him everything she could have ever wanted, only to take him away from her in the cruelest way possible.
Now… suddenly… he was back.
Why? Why had he pretended to be dead all these years? And why was he suddenly roaring back into her life? What could possibly be so threatening that he’d break the secret of his existence?
A lightning bolt struck. Daleyza was a bright woman. She’d always been able to think three steps ahead and down severaldifferent paths of options when presented with a problem. There could only be one reason.
Hector Colonel wanted his favorite son back. She also knew that if there was one thing guaranteed to light a fire under Ildefanso, it was protecting his blood. Since the son was no longer an angle to exploit, that left only one target. Livia Martínez.
Madre de Dios! The fact that they were still married flooded her brain, along with all its implications. Why would the government lie to her? What did they gain from it?
“We have to go.” His expression had turned rock solid again. No trace of the emotion when he’d attempted to touch her minutes ago. He could have been a stranger, as cold as he now appeared. “Your bag is ready?”
“Yes.”
She pulled it out of the closet, and before she could hoist it onto her back, he secured it on his own.
“We’re going to have to move fast. Can you manage?”
“Of course I can. I would have had to anyway if I’d left on my own.”
He didn’t react to her verbal slap. “Treat their orders like you would mine.” She could see him rethink that command. “Scratch that. Better than you would mine. No questions, no arguments, and no commentary.”
She bristled at the picture he was painting of her, like she didn’t understand how much trouble they were in and that now was not the time to fuck around. Then again, she hadn’t really shown him anything so far to suggest she could get with the program. It’s how she’d always been with him, so why would he expect otherwise? It may have been almost a decade since they’d occupied the same space, but some things between them would never change. “Not a problem.”
With a single nod, he reached for her jean jacket and buttoned it. His voice turned soft again. “It’s cool outside this morning because of the rain. Don’t want you to catch a cold.” Struck dumb, she let him continue until all were securely fastened.
When he finished, he stared at his hands, frozen at the top button.
Abruptly, he turned and headed for the door, murmuring into his comm.
She watched him closely. Every movement was efficient and silent. If she hadn’t been looking at him, she wouldn’t have even known he was there. When they approached the door, it opened from the outside by a man dressed all in black, wearing gloves and a balaclava.
Her husband threw the delivery hat and glasses on the kitchen counter, pulled a balaclava from his back pocket, slipped it over his head, and slid through the open door, one hand firmly gripping her bicep.
