Page 161 of Shifting Hearts 1
Alejandro picks Alexi up in his arms and gives her a big hug before he says, “I’ve heard so much about you; I am so happy we found you.” She throws her arms around his neck, and I have never felt more emotional in my life. My heart is bursting, and if I do nothing more with my life, this moment is enough to sustain me through all the miserably lonely days to come. Because as I stand and embrace the sweet scene before me, I also consider that the words Alejandro uttered could all have been a ruse to mislead Benito.
I steel myself for his rejection when he places Alexi on the floor and strolls closer.
He takes my hand in his, and he has changed into the handsome man with a scar on his cheek that I have come to know and love.
Yes,love. There, I can admit it to myself.
And if I ever had any doubt before, it all faded into the void when I saw the way Alexi held on to him.
FIFTEEN
Alejandro
Icalled Uncle Angelo the moment we stepped into the sunlight, and he sent reinforcements. I wanted to tell him about his sons in person, but he beat me to it.
He said that I should bring all the women and children that his offspring have harmed back to be taken care of.
They actually sent a bus to transport them all, but let me tell you, it was no easy task to convince these women that we were only taking them across the border to get some medical care and compensation.
I look at the devastated faces that stare back at me through the windows of the bus and silently curse my cousins.
This is when Maddy walks over and says, “Do you kiss your aunt with that mouth? I bet she would have a lot to say about that.”
I smirk. “More than hearing that her sons were not only part of this disgusting business, but actually tried to kill her husband as well?”
Maddy folds her arms over her chest, and with effort, I divert my eyes to the stumbling woman still lingering on the way to the bus.
“It could have been worse. They could have tried to sell their own sister.”
I sigh heavily. “That was probably the plan. They were just waiting for their father to be gone and then Antonio would have made arrangements under the guise of an arranged marriage.”
My tone isn’t betraying any of the revulsions I feel coursing through me, but I know that Maddy can read me.
She hooks her arm through mine, and immediately, I feel my body buzz with need.
I might have sent her away and been willing to give her back to the man I thought she loved, but after finding out that her Alexi was the sweet little girl who helped the more injured women get on the bus, there is no way I can ever let go of Maddy.
“We can’t stay. You know I’m all she has, and this was not what you signed up for.”
My head turns in her direction, and I take in the vulnerability in her posture. She leans closer as if unwilling to let me go, but at the same time, she puts on a brave face.
“Why did you lie to me?”
She huffs. “I never lied to you. You just assumed the only reason a woman would risk herself and sacrifice her body would be for another man.”
Still, I press, “But you let me think that Alexi was a man. Why?”
“It was the only way to get her back. I would never have found her otherwise, especially not after Alvarez put a price on my head.”
One of the sniffing underlings confessed that they were supposed to take Maddy hostage, and they already had a buyerlined up. There were no instructions regarding my fate, but it was clear that I wasn’t allowed to leave the building.
My cousins might have been in the dark about my abilities, but they were smart enough to fear me and believe some of the stories they had heard.
Of course, they didn’t expect me to have venomous fangs, perfect for incapacitating my enemies once I got close enough.
And of course, they didn’t know that my Maddy was magnificent.
My Maddy.
