Page 79 of Hate That Blooms

“Natalie Cordoba,” he laughs, nodding his head. “I’ve been down bad for that girl since I met her at a family reunion. Cora dragged her along, and I was hooked.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” I pat him on the shoulder.

“Okay, so just a heads up, a couple of the guys have been making him uncomfortable, to say the least, while we’ve had him. And right now, he is extra pissed. Junior shoved a piece of ginger up his ass a while ago and the fucker is in some serious pain."

Good, I fucking hope his asshole is in so much pain that all he can think about is the way he betrayed me, the way he hurt the only woman I have ever loved.

I turn away from Diego, my mind already back on Gabriela. This isn’t a world I want us to be a part of, but she has been forced into it. All of this—thismess, this anger, this violence—it’s for her. It has to be. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t be here. But Nate hurt her. And for that, I’m willing to burn everything down.

I walk through the warehouse, past the men moving with purpose, all of them with a grim focus in their eyes. This isn’t the type of work that requires celebration, just silence and results. The buzz of the fluorescent lights above hums in my ears, and the clang of metal on metal mixes with the murmur of voices in the distance. Everything feels heavier tonight. I can’t shake the tension in my shoulders, the burning ache that stretches from my chest to my fists.

I reach the back room where Nate’s being kept. I’m not sure what I expected, but it sure as hell wasn’t the feeling of my stomach dropping when I open the door. The stench of sweat and fear fills the room before I even step inside. There’s something in the air, something thick with regret and violence. It’s not just about the physical, either. This is personal. This is what happens when someone you care about is hurt, and it makes everything in you twist.

Nate is sitting in a chair in the middle of the room, his body slumped, his head hanging low. He’s barely conscious, but I can see the signs of life. The shallow rise and fall of his chest. The faint twitch of his fingers. He’s still with us. Still alive. And that’s about to change.

Diego’s standing nearby, arms crossed, watching Nate with a detached expression. There’s no sympathy in his eyes, no softness. Just coldness.

“Hey,carnal,” Diego says, his voice smooth but clipped. “You ready?”

I nod, swallowing hard. My mouth is dry. “Yeah,” I answer, trying to keep my voice even. “I’m ready.”

Diego steps to the side, making room for me. A few of the other guys are standing near the door, keeping watch, making sure no one interrupts. They know what’s about to happen. They know the score. This isn’t a club meeting. This is something far more sinister. We’re dealing with an animal. A predator that has to be put down.

I take a deep breath and step forward, my boots making the floor creak with each movement. Nate doesn’t look up. He doesn’t acknowledge me. He probably doesn’t even know I’m here. But I’m here. And I won’t be ignored.

“You know why you’re here, Nate?” I ask, my voice firm but quieter than I expect it to be. The words feel thick in my mouth, but I force them out. “You hurt Gabriela. You hurt the only girl I’ve ever loved. And I’m here to make sure that shit never happens again.”

Nate finally lifts his head. His face is a mess, bruised and swollen—his lips are cut and cracked. There’s a fire in his eyes, but it’s not the same fire I saw before. It’s desperation now. The look of a man who’s been pushed to the edge and knows his time is running out.

He spits, but it’s weak, just a pathetic attempt to defy me. His voice comes out in a low rasp, barely above a whisper. “You think this is gonna make a difference? You think this is gonna change anything? I was still inside your girl, Joaquín, balls deep, nutting inside her. When you fuck her, do you think about it? I bet you do. I hope that when all this is over, you see my face every time you fuck her.”

I lean in closer, my face inches from his. I want him to know exactly who he’s dealing with.

“This isn’t for me, Nate,” I say slowly, making sure the words sink in. “This is for Gabriela. She’s the one who’s going to sleep better tonight. She’s the one who’s going to walk through life, not looking over her shoulder. You? You’re fucking done. There are no second chances after what you did to her. And when I fuck her, I can promise you the only face I’m going to see is hers.”

I take a step back, my eyes narrowing as I take in his pitiful form. He’s shaking now, but whether it’s from fear or the pain of the beating he’s already taken, I can’t say.

“You fucked with the wrong woman,” I mutter, and then turn to Diego. “Do it.”

Diego gives me a single nod, as if we’re all in agreement. He doesn’t hesitate. He never does. Diego pulls a switchblade from his waist—the blade glinting in the dim light as he approaches Nate.

I watch closely, my heart pounding in my chest. Part of me knows that this isn’t the man I wanted to be. But the man I wanted to be died the second Nate confessed to raping Gabriela. I’m not that guy anymore. And it doesn’t matter how much it burns my soul or how much it tears at the fabric of who I am. I will do whatever it takes to protect her.

The room is silent except for the soft scrape of metal against Nate’s skin. The blade glides easily through Nate’s shirt, revealing the skin beneath. I see him tense, his body instinctively trying to pull away, but the ropes holding him in place to stop him from moving.

Diego’s voice is cold, almost bored as he continues the work. “You’re gonna wish you’d never been born,ese.You’re gonna wish you’d stayed the hell away from her.”

The screams that bounce off the walls are music to my ear, proof that he is suffering. I watch as Diego switches off with one of his guys. This one takes a blowtorch to the bottom of Nate’s feet. The smell of burned flesh making its way up my nostrils has me gagging.

“Get it together,Carnal. You’re up. This fucker is almost as good as dead.” He holds out a pair of gloves and after I put them on, he hands me a silicone dildo, and a rather girthy one at that. But this is special, as it has razor blades imbedded into the shaft.

Letting out a breath, I move forward. Diego’s men have Nate untied and are dragging him to a table. Faced away from me, they hold him over the table, keeping him secured down. Leaning over him, I whisper in his ear.

“You ripped into her without caring for her comfort. So I’m going to do the same to you.” I pull his soiled underwear down and position the tip of the dildo at his ass.

In a last ditch to get in the last word, he chuckles weakly. “I didn’t know you liked me like that, Quín. Has it always been your dream to fuck me in the ass?”

“Maybe in your dreams you wanted me to fuck you. No, the only person I’ve ever dreamed of fucking is Gabriela. All you get is this,” and I shove the tip in and it meets resistance. I thrust it in hard and the first set of blades ripped into his hole, completely shredding it open.

---