Page 52 of To Claim A King
I couldn’t shrug my shoulders with them behind my back, but I said the words as casually as I could.
“Seriously, Hillary? You took on the twins and lived, and decided going up against a trained assassin was a good idea?” Kellan’s fiery anger turned to blistering ice. “You and what army?”
“Sammy’s army,” I shot back, my own ire blistering up my spine. “You think I would just let them take the two of you? Get your head out of your ass, Viking. What part of ‘you’re mine’ don’t you understand?”
I swallowed the wrath burgeoning in my belly. This situation, despite what Kellan was determined to believe, wasn’t his fault. If we had any hope of getting out of this fun house of hell, we’d need to pool our skills and act as a unit. I loved these men with two-thirds of my heart, and I would do everything my body would allow to get them out of here safely.
More softly, I added, “They’re all dead. But Lucky showed up at the end, and he knows they have the three of us. Hopefully, he can get help.”
Before Kellan or Aaron could respond to that final nugget of truth, the creak of metal scraping on metal echoed in the room behind us, the ominous sound of a door opening on unoiled hinges. The three of us held our collective breaths as a presence came to stand at our backs though we had no ability to twist around to face it.
Time stood still as we waited the presence out, not daring to speak, shudder, or squirm, our bodies as taut as stone as we forced our opponent to make the next move.
Finally, two figures came into view, rounding the corner on Kellan’s side to stand before us. Their matching smirks reflected their malicious intentions.
Carmen’s slight frame managed to tower over us, the confidence in her stance one of a successful killer. Delicate but dangerous hands sat on her hips and her stare roved over us like a hungry tiger who’d found her next meal. A sadistic sense of satisfaction rippled through me despite my fear, at the wide bandage covering her right arm—a beautiful remnant of my dagger.
“Welcome, friends.” Antonio waved his hands in over-exaggerated greeting, belying our deplorable surroundings. “I look forward to sharing this day with you.”
I stared at the cartel king of the west through slitted eyes, refusing to indulge him with an ounce of shown fear. My insides weren’t so stoic.
“I see you’ve met our friend.” He nodded toward the rotting body, a cruel smile twitching on his lips. Eyes blacker than coal, he turned his attention to Kellan. “It would seem Patricia tried to fill your position with someone else. She is not as smart as she thinks she is.”
He pushed the leg of the corpse with the toe of his leather loafer, “And he lacked the gift of subtlety. I will send both your bodies back to her when I’m finished with you.”
Carmen’s titter was haunting background noise to the declaration of our deaths. Of all the ways I had imagined my end, being tortured by Antonio Carlos was not one of them. I bit the insides of my lips to keep my panic at bay while father and son stared one another down.
“Is that your endgame, then?” Kellan’s gruff voice held no inflection, his own emotions kept in check. “We all die no matter what?”
Shockingly white teeth flashed a truly gut-wrenching grin.
“Of course not,hijo. Great leaders must make hard choices. I have been too easy on you in your position.” He licked his lips as if eagerly anticipating his next move. “But that is no longer a consideration. I will allow you one last opportunity to resume your birthright, but it will require a sacrifice.”
He walked over to Carmen, who had pulled out a long, serrated knife from somewhere while I’d been so heavily focused on Antonio. He held it up to the dim light still streaming from the dingy window, as if scrutinizing it for streaks. Then he waved it in the air like a sword while walking toward our dangling forms.
Unconsciously, I shrunk back as he came closer, the jagged teeth of the knife practically shining with malicious intent.
“Choose,traidor. Who will get the knife? Your beloved princess, or the fallen son?”
Kellan stared at his father with burning revulsion in the depths of his blue eyes, his jaw clenched to quell his rage. Making this choice, even if Antonio allowed him to live, would weigh on his conscience for an eternity, and he’d hate himself for it.
Aaron’s voice split through the dead air. “Choose me,compañero,” he directed in a quiet plea, my knight once again choosing to protect me, even in our last moments. “I will not break.”
I choked back the tears threatening to form. He might not break, but watching the attempt would breakme. Kellan refused to respond, his jaw clenching so tense I was afraid his teeth might break under the strain. Antonio’s grin widened impossibly.
“Choose,traidor. Or they will both die.”
The tears I refused to shed burned the back of my throat as I swallowed them whole. Antonio was successfully holding our feet to the fire, and every one of us was about to be burned. I held my breath in agonizing anticipation, even though I knew his choice. Kellan would sacrifice his entire world to protect me. It was a love I hadn’t appreciated nearly enough, and now, it would ruin the other man who held my heart.
“Thank you,Guapo.” Kellan directed his response to Aaron, not to Antonio. “I won’t forget this.”
Aaron dipped his head in a shallow, solemn nod and turned his restrained gaze back to Antonio. “Do what you must.”
Antonio’s grin grew into a spiteful sneer. He held the knife behind him, beckoning Carmen with the action. She quickly darted forward and palmed the blade with a carefulhand, and strode toward Aaron with the grace of a panther cornering prey.
“No.” The true cartel king’s bark was as fierce as a bite. His dark brown eyes landed on mine, the depraved portals holding a depth of evil I had never known. “This one.”
“No!” Aaron and Kellan shouted at once, but I could barely hear their voices over the pounding of my heart. I drew shallow breaths as Carmen stood in front of me, the seconds impossibly long as she drew the knife up, resting it on the forearm above my head. The sickening scent of her patchouli perfume coated me in a nauseating fog.
