Page 21 of The Love Language of the Cartel

“I’m not going to mistreat you, Demi,” Ozias said softly, his voice rough with an emotion I couldn’t quite place. “My intentions with you are see-through,” he confirmed, reaching underneath the table to grip my left thigh.

My limbs instantly froze. With one simple touch, Ozias had the power to make my body come alive with desire. The sincerity in his tone caught me off guard. I felt my walls breaking down, and a surge of anger and lust washed over me.How dare he try to manipulate me like this? I won't fall for his act.

“Bullshit,” I hissed, my hands clenching my cards.

“Things are simple with me. If you wanna die, run. If you wanna live, stay with me where you’re safe.”

“Safe? How could I ever be safe with you? You murdered my friend! I’ll never like you, respect you, let alone love you.”

“I don’t care if you don’t love me,princessa. I’ll cut a hole in your heart and live in it if I fucking have to. One way or another, you’ll be mine,” he declared, words searing into my brain as his hand slipped between my thighs.

My breath hitched as I swatted his hand away. “Keep your fucking hands off me!”

The game progressed alongside our conversation, each card flip more intense than the last. That was when I saw it again—a subtle twitch of his left eyebrow. He was bluffing. I couldn’t hold back my confident smirk. I had the game in the bag.

Finally, it was time for the showdown. The space was silent enough to hear a pin drop as we prepared to reveal our cards. I was sure I’d caught him bluffing, and my confidence had mypulse racing as I prepared to claim my triumph over him and my freedom.

“Ladies first,” Ozias insisted.

“Straight flush,” I confirmed, revealing my hand of sequenced diamonds to him. “Looks like I win.”

Ozias’s eyes danced with amusement as he slowly laid out his hand one by one, revealing an ace, king, queen, jack, and ten of hearts. “Better luck next time. Papi’s got a royal flush.”

My mouth gaped open in disbelief. “Wait. What?” I asked as frustration clouded my features. I thought I knew his tell, but clearly, I was wrong. I hated how he was able to knock me off my square effortlessly. “I-I can’t believe it,” I mumbled, voice dragging with defeat.

He leaned in closer. “You played a good game. Maybe next time, I’ll let you be the one on top.”

I scoffed as I pushed myself up from my seat, hating the fact that deep down, I’d found a newfound respect for his poker skills and charm.The world tilted suddenly, and I stumbled. My legs felt like jelly beneath me, and I grabbed onto the nearest surface to steady myself.

Ozias’s mocking laugh filled the cabin. “You should sit back down,mi amor. You’re in no condition to be up and about.”

I gritted my teeth as fury coursed through my veins. “Don’t fucking tell me what to do,” I growled, taking another unsteady step.

My foot caught onto something—the edge of the seat maybe—and before I had sense enough to catch myself, I was seconds from hitting the ground. The floor rushed up to meet me, but his strong arms caught me before I collided.

A light chuckle reverberated through his chest as he held me against him to still my movements. “I know about the tracking chip your father implanted in you.”

My breath hitched as I froze. “W-what? You knew about the chip this entire time?”

“Relax. Of course, I knew. The sedative you were given before our flight blocks the signal. It’s untraceable now.”

My eyes widened in surprise, and a chilling mix of confusion and fear washed over me. The longer I was in his presence the more I realized I knew nothing about him and he seemed to know everything about me. The last thing I expected was for him to know about the tracking chip, let alone take steps to deactivate it without my knowledge. How long had he been watching me? How much did he know?

“I-I don’t understand.”

“I told you; the medication is still in your system. You should really listen when I give you advice,” he insisted, his breath hot against my ear. “Your father isn’t coming. At least not yet. He’s building an army against me first. But you’re all the armor I need. For now, you don’t have to worry about being monitored by anyone but me. And I don’t require a chip,bella.”

I struggled weakly in his grip, hating how my body betrayed me. Whenever he was too close, his touch sent tingles across my skin, and I couldn’t tell if it was from revulsion or something more sensual. The game may have been over, but there was something between us that was only growing stronger.

Don’t listen to him.

Don't trust a single fucking word that comes out of his slick-ass mouth.

But as he helped me back to my seat, his hands surprisingly gentle, I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that there may have been more to the man they called El Diablo than what met the eye. And that terrified me more than any threat he could ever make.

Ozias

The sleek, black, bulletproof SUV glided to a stop, kicking up a cloud of dust that swirled around us like a veil. I stepped out first, my boots crunching on the gravel driveway as I surveyed my kingdom. The expansive hacienda rose before us, white stucco walls gleaming in the harsh Mexican sun. Palm trees swayed lazily in the dry breeze, their branches whispering secrets only I could hear.

---