Page 65 of Shadow Man

“Are you saying Joseph’s only been protecting me out of guilt?” My stomach drops as I scramble to analyze his confession; daring myself to believe that our connection was forged on a lie. “Because that’s the difference between you and him, Santiago... Beneath the cold mask of ice, he actually feels this shit. He holds onto it. He doesn’t try to fuck or drink his way out of it.”

He scowls at me. “Don’t—”

I cut him off by slapping him so hard across the face his head snaps sideways and his chair rocks and skids beneath him. My hand explodes in pain, but it’s a hurt I’m willing to embrace for the amount of satisfaction I’m feeling right now.

He snarls something in Spanish and clutches at his jaw, his eyes glinting with death and retribution. One thing’s for sure. I’ve got a hell of a lot better at hitting him since the last time I tried.

“Walk away, Dante. I won't tell you twice.”

A rough voice causes us both to start from our chairs.

Joseph’s awake. He’s propped up on one elbow facing us, his gray-blues flashing harder than Santiago’s black ones ever could.

“I’m not playing around. You hurt her. I kill you. Simple as that.”

There’s a long pause.

“Fucking bones it is, then,” drawls Dante, breaking the deadlock first.

Joseph nods. “Fucking bones since the day we met. Now get the hell out. I have shit to explain.”

“Don’t bother,” I say angrily, heading for the door.

I need to escape before my newly resuscitated heart starts bleeding out all over the floor.

26

Joseph

Isink back down to the bed with a groan.

“Great moment to grow a fucking conscience, Dante. Maybe next time wait until after I’ve had another morphine hit, or twenty.”

“Make that a double,” he muses, dragging his chair over to my bedside. “That woman shoots like a professional and hits like a boxer. How are you feeling?”

I watch him flex his jaw a couple of times. I can hear the clicking of bone from here, and a swell of pride surges up inside of me.She gave enough of a shit to call him. That’s got to count for something.

“Like someone stuck a lightning bolt through my shoulder. Where the hell are we?” I glance around the cavernous bedroom. “This place stinks of naphthalene and money.”

“Emilio’s old estate in Leticia.” My head snaps back to him in surprise. “Evidently her new friend has an inbuilt homing device.”

“Does Martinez know you’re here?”

“Not yet, but she soon will.” He leans back in his chair and stretches his legs out. “Who shot you? Was it one of Fernandez’s?”

I let out a bark of laughter until the pain muffles it again. “No, Martinez.”

“Let’s start calling her by her real name, shall we?” Dante flashes me that dangerous smile of his.Whoever the fuck she is, she better be praying hard to God right now because that smile is a precursor to murder.“Well, well, well,” he adds, pondering my revelation. “It’s going to be even more of a pleasure to end her bloodline.”

I watch his fingers start straying toward his gun without him even realizing it. He’s been itching to kill her for days, and after this morning’s events I have no fucking inclination to stop him.

“Just do it quick, and don't let Anna see,” I say, gritting my teeth. “Give me an update on where we are with the cartels.”

“Usual anarchy.” He stops toying with fate and crosses his arms instead. “Fernandez is being a trigger-happy cunt, Gomez is being a weak cunt, and the rest ofLos Cinco Grandesare putting up the pretense that they’re all blameless cunts, while executing twice as many and siphoning off a shit load of coke on the sly.” He shoots his eyes to the ceiling in disgust. There’s a good reason we walked away from this life, but Colombia will always have her claws in him. He can fight it all he wants to, but it’s pumping through his veins. Split him open and he’ll bleed red, blue and yellow. “We need to restore order before Rick’s distribution channels go up in smoke.”

“Take Fernandez out?” I suggest, shifting position and wincing.

“And replace him with who? Let’s see what the bastard has to say for himself first. He knows I’m here with an army. He knows I’m pissed. If he doesn't turn up for the round table discussions on Friday, he’s a dead man.”

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