Page 16 of Cartel Cobra

“No.” Lucy’s quick to answer, and it makes me wonder if she’s covering up something.

“I barely got the question out before you answered. You don’t want to marry him, yet you defend him. Or are you hiding something, Ana?”

“I don’t want to cause trouble where there is none. I just think he’ll become insufferable. We’ve been making plans, and he never asks what I want. He just tells me how things will be for the ceremony and the reception.”

“He probably knows if he doesn’t do it, no one will. You definitely haven’t taken the initiative.”

I pretend to look for the waiter, but it allows me to see both of them. Pedro’s still yapping about God only knows what, but he’s keeping his brother entertained. I can focus on Lucy and Luis as I gesture for the server. They pause the conversation as the waiter passes them, and there’s a moment where I can’t hear them as I order.

“Fine.Papáwants the wedding in six weeks. I’ll tell Domingo to book the church for that Saturday.”

“Sooner if it’s available.”

“Luis, what the hell is going on? I’m telling you I have doubts, and you want me to run down the aisle even faster.”

“I already explained. You’ll be safer.”

I can see Luis give his younger sister a pointed look, and she sits back in her chair. As I hand the waiter my menu after the others order, I see her mouth “Humberto.” I see enough of Luis’s profile to observe him cock an eyebrow. Lucy’s gaze darts around the restaurant, starting away from me. She looks at me, and I know she’s aware I can hear everything. I assume Luis knows too. She doesn’t linger over me, her attention back on her brother.

“Fine. I’ll find out how soon Domingo can book the church. It won’t matter that the invitations are last minute. Anyone who receives one to the reception will drop their plans to see if thejefe’syounger daughter is knocked up and showing yet. That’s what they’ll all assume if we rush the event. Eloping would only make it worse, and there’s no waypapáor Domingo’s father would accept missing the chance to flaunt their wealth and power. The ceremony is a formality. The reception proves we’re married.”

The idea she might carry another man’s child makes me want to smash everything in sight. Domingo’s parents will pressureher since a child will truly bind the families, and they need the alliance more than Josue. It’ll be good for Josue’s business, but it’ll keep Domingo’s family from extinction. That’s what they’re on the verge of if they don’t resolve things with thejefe de jefes.

Hopefully, Josue will know I act alone and won’t blame my family for what I’m about to do. There’s not a chance in hell Lucy is marrying someone else.

Chapter Five

Luciana

I thought lunch was interminable with Luis today, but dinner is excruciating. I’m at Domingo’s, and we cooked together like we have plenty of times. It would be a typical evening if he weren’t hovering so much. He pulled his chair even closer to mine at his dining room table that seats eight.

I told him to give me a month to get a wedding dress and make some arrangements. I said he should book the church and tell his parents we’ll marry as soon as there’s a Saturday available. He called the church office immediately, but of course, they’re closed at eight o’clock at night.

He’s being nauseatingly lovey-dovey with me, and I just want to push his hands away every time he touches me. Not only is it annoying because I can’t reach for anything without him being in the way, it reminds me how much I enjoyed Esteban touching me. How much better everything was with him for those few moments when I lost all sense of reason.

Every time I see him, it reminds me of how he felt, how he smelled, how he tasted, how he sounded. It haunts me. The onlyguilt I feel is that I don’t feel guilty that I cheated. I didn’t start the kiss, and it stunned me too much to realize what I was doing was wrong. At least, not that first time. But it doesn’t change the fact that I allowed it.

No part of me feels compelled to confess to Domingo because he may annoy me, but he doesn’t deserve me hurting him. Allaying my conscience at his expense is even more selfish. Never mind that he’d go on a rampage and wind up dead. I know Domingo’s killed before, and I know he’ll kill in the future. He’s in a cartel, and he’s about to jointheCartel. But my money is on Esteban if it comes to any kind of fight. I may not want to marry Domingo, but I don’t want him dead. I also don’t want to risk the chance that Esteban loses.

I don’t trust the man, but something deep inside me tells me I should. I don’t know what my subconscious has figured out that it’s not telling my conscious mind. But I feel safer with Esteban than I do anyone else. Now that I’ve pressed against him, I know he’s bigger and clearly stronger than Domingo—who’s not a small or weak man to begin with. Esteban’s easily the same size as Enrique.

Luis is leaner from too many stays in prisons. He’s never there as a sentence but to hold “meetings.” Even as an honored guest, the food’s still shit. He’s in and out often enough that he stays trimmer than my other brother. I’d still wager everything I have on Luis if I had to choose between him and anyone but Enrique. They wouldneverfight for any reason other than to fool someone, but if they did, I truly don’t know who would win.

When I think of Esteban in a fight with anyone besides my brothers, I don’t doubt for a moment he’d come out the winner. His sheer will and aura are enough to keep most men from picking a fight. But there’s also something about him that tells me he’ll never capitulate. I don’t sense that it’s competitiveness or his ego or even survival. It’s like my brothers. It’s honor.It’s not betraying his family name and allowing anyone to think they’re weak.

It’s that relentless drive that makes me feel protected when I’m with him. Even if he works for mytío, and I don’t know that I can forgive him for that—though Enrique’s comments make me question that situation—I still feel safe. As though his sheer presence wasn’t enough, it’s the way he calls mechiquita.

It’d be patronizing as fuck if Domingo did it. It feels special when Esteban does. No one calls me Lucy. It’s way too Anglicized, but I like that too. It’s something only he does. That should raise every red flag and sound every alarm, but it doesn’t.

I know it’s no coincidence he keeps showing up. It should feel stalkerish, but something is going on, and I realized it before Luis hinted at it today. Esteban is watching me, but it doesn’t creep me out. I can tell he’s aware of everyone and everything around him every minute that he’s awake. I feel like he’s guarding me. That he doesn’t think I’m safe without him nearby. Men like him and my brothers know to listen to their intuition. I do, too. It’s why I said nothing to Luis and why I believed Enrique when he said I can trust Esteban even if he works forTíoHumberto.

“Ana?”

“Hmmm?” Fuck. How long did I space out?

“Do you want moreboronía?”

“No thanks.”

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