Page 74 of Shadow Man

“Real pleasant, isn't he?” she says, rolling her eyes at me.

“Like a bikini wax on the last day of winter.” I watch her press her ear against the wall again. “I’m sorry I put you in that position. Believe me when I say I was desperate.”

“And I’m sorry I nearly sold you out to Fernandez, and shot your man,” she counters with a lopsided grin. I can tell she’s worried about it, though. “I’m glad he’s okay, ‘tho I gotta say I’m kinda bummed you choseEl Asesinoas your boyfriend.”

I laugh and shake my head. “I don’t know what we are… It’s complicated.”

“Just answer me one thing. Were you running from his fists or commitment?”

“Commitment,” I say honestly.

“Nowthat’sa language I can understand.”

“Are we okay?” I ask her anxiously. “I really want us to be.”

We’ve been through so much together these past couple of days. She’s had a big part to play in my healing process too.

“Sure we are… Now let me listen.”

I watch her for a beat, noting the deep concentration on her face.

“Why are you so interested in what they’re saying?”

“Fernandez has declared war on all ofLos Cinco Grandesand Santiago. I want to know their strategies. I want to hear how it’s all going to play out.”

“You sound like a cartel queen in the making,” I say jokingly. “Either that, or a corrupt politician.”

“Like I said to Dante last night, the drugs aren’t going anywhere so why not make them work for us?”

My jaw drops. “Oh fuck, you’re serious. But you said you—”

“I know, I know, but I hate what fat old men like Carlos Gomez have done to Colombia because of their power trips more. To run an organization you have to be smarter than that,parcera. You have to be willing to work more with the people, not just exploit them. If I were in charge, places like Gabriela’s wouldn’t need to exist. No human trafficking, no prostitution…”

There’s real passion in her face as she says it. But it’s naïve of her to think like this, reckless even.

“Dante would never let you resurrect the Santiago cartel,” I tell her. “Even if he did, why would you want that level of violence back in Colombia?”

“I need to show him what I’m capable of. I need to show him I’m serious.”

There’s the sound of footsteps in the hallway outside.

“Just promise me you won’t do anything crazy, Vi,” I say, backing out of the room. “This isn’t the only path for you. I’ll tell the cops what happened in Santa Perdito. When all of this is over, you can go back—”

“I amnevergoing back,parcera,” she says, her dark eyes flashing with defiance. “That part of my life is done.”

I shut the door with an uneasy feeling. Vi’s changed since we arrived here. I’m still flirting with that line in the sand, but she crossed over when I wasn’t looking. I’m not the storm anymore: she is.

The hallway’s empty. I try another couple of doors before stumbling across a kitchen.Where the hell is he?

I turn to leave, and go smack into a familiar wall of hard muscle.

“Good morning,Luna,” he murmurs, his heavy hand clamping down across my mouth, bringing me up close and personal with a chilly gray-blue countenance that shoots instant sparks into my core. “Shhhhh…” Keeping his hand in place, he walks me backward into the kitchen and into a cramped storeroom off to the side. I watch him drag his gaze over my outfit. “Jesus… That dress is sin. Are you too sore to fuck?”

I shake my head, smiling into his palm.

A wicked smirk corrupts his lips too. “Do you trust me?”

I nod again, no hesitation. He could take me any which way he desires, and I’d still want more.

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