“How did you know where I live?”

I didn’t show any reaction, but fuck, that had been a misstep. I should have asked her for the address.

“Your employee information,” I answered.

She opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, then changed her mind, closed it, and shook her head.

She looked at me, then at the front door.

“Uh, thanks for driving me home.”

I nodded.

She shifted a little, not getting out of the car. It took me a moment to realize she was working up the courage to ask me to come in.

Fuck. Me.

If she was some other woman—a woman I could walk away from—I would have gone in without hesitation.

But she wasn’t some other woman.

If she invited the Devil into her house, it would never leave her alone.

“Get some rest, Bianca.”

She took a long inhale. My rejection had hurt her. I wanted to take the words back. I forced myself to keep quiet and look outside at the quaint neighborhood.

The rain had picked up a bit. The splattering sound of the raindrops on the car was the only noise around us.

With a slight nod, she grabbed her stuff by her feet and got out.

The space in the car seemed colder with her gone, and I watched as she hurriedly made her way up the steps.

I stayed where I was for a while, even when she opened the door and went inside, closing it behind her and taking her away from my view.

Thunder roared in the distance, bringing me out of my thoughts, and I finally shifted gear and drove out of there, feeling as if I had just left something behind.

Something important.

* * *

I walked backinto Decadence where Raphael was waiting for me. I ignored the curious look he shot me, and headed to Johnny, who stood in front of the closed door of my office.

He nodded in deference when he saw me, and I assumed that was where Corey was being kept.

Johnny moved out of the way when I got close, and I opened the door to find Corey tied to a chair in front of my desk, tears streaming down his face, a white cloth shoved into his mouth.

Thebastardowasn’t a part of the cartel.

And I was sure he didn’t know my exact position in it, but he had probably guessed it was somewhere higher up. It didn’t matter, and I never indicated otherwise.

There was safety and power in my anonymity, and right now, I was working with its cloak fully around me.

Only those closest to me knew I had taken the reins from Luis.

Interpol and the FBI were probably looking for him, not knowing his remains were buried deep in the Gulf of Mexico.

I rolled up the sleeves of my shirt, one at a time, and he cried harder.