“Judas, no. You’re not carrying me to meet…what’s this guy’s name?”

  He flashed me a grin and let go of my hand to grab my heels from the front passenger seat. “His name is, Santiago Saldaña. You don’t call him that.”

  “Why not?” I accepted my strappy heeled sandals. They were no longer dripping wet, but damp and a little warm.

  “They’re warm?”

  “Heated seats.

  “Oh, that was smart. So, why can’t I call him that?” I slipped my shoes on.

  “You’ll see.”

  He helped me from the car, and I noticed the SUVs that followed behind Theo had joined us this time. I didn’t ask the obvious. They were here for security purposes.

  Judas didn’t seem concerned about anything, though. A door on another SUV opened and Gavin slid out, a friendly smile on his face. He was dressed similarly to the way he’d been on the jet, weapons included. So, his role was to be a bodyguard too?

  “You ready to meet your sperm donor?” he asked when he was within hearing distance.

  “You know, I couldn’t understand how you two were friends before, but I think I’m beginning to get it.”

  He laughed me off and greeted Theo.

  Judas held my hand and we walked up the stairs leading to the large house with Theo and Gavin silently following. There was a slight summer breeze that felt good against the heat blazing down on us.

  As we got closer to the top, three people approached. Two men and one woman. My attention stuck to the one on the far right. He was in a button-down and slacks, sporting a tie that had some kind of geometric pattern on it. Every feature I always wondered why neither Marcus nor Evie had—this man did.

  I knew without question this was the who I’d come to meet—Santiago Saldaña. His eyes were trained on me, moving to my and Judas’ joined hands for no longer than a second. Nerves fluttered in my stomach as did a slow-to arrive bitterness. Judas imperceptibly squeezed my hand, giving me encouragement and strength.

  We reached the top of the stairs and Santiago greeted everyone but me right away.

  “Judas, always a pleasure.”

  “That’s bullshit, Saint, but I’ll pretend you love me anyway.” He released my hand and shook Santiago’s.

  The man laughed. “Yes, well I see your bulldogs are still alive and well, Gavin. Theo.”

  “Don’t sound so disappointed,” Gavin jest.

  I watched all of this more than a little confused. Did our actual families hate each other too? Okay, maybe hate was too strong of a word but there was definitely some underlying tension. When Santiago finally looked at me again, it was to introduce the people he was with and instruct us to follow him.

  The darker man with dreads was Juan, he offered me a friendly nod and wave.

  The woman who kept sneaking glances at Judas every few seconds was Charlie. She only stopped when she saw me watching her and made no effort to acknowledge me as Juan had. I would’ve laughed if it weren’t for the current situation or the desire to gouge her pretty blue eyes out.

  I understood the allure. Judas was every delicious sin wrapped in a flawless suit. He emanated big dick energy, wealth, and powerful dominance.

  Understanding and accepting though were two different things. Like me now getting why he wanted Joey wiped from the face of the earth despite the man not actually doing anything to me.

  Santiago led us along a stone pathway to a terrace surrounded by a garden where a table had been set up with drinks and some type of fancy finger food. No one made a move to sit.

  Judas summoned my attention with a light touch on my elbow. I peered up at him with a silent question.

  “Do you remember what I told you?”

  He’d told me lots of things, but for the sake of not looking like a fool or completely clueless, I nodded. I could tell right away he wanted to smile because I was full of shit. He kept my secret and affectionally touched my cheek before addressing Santiago directly.

  “Theo stays with her,” he delivered the verdict in the firm, steely tone I was growing fond of.

  Santiago’s jaw ticked, indicating he wasn’t a fan of this decision, but he was quick to mask his irritation and nodded curtly.

  “Charlie will go with you.”

  I almost objected but a small voice stopped me with the reminder Judas only had eyes for me.

  The gorgeous redhead that resembled Jessica Rabbit in a suit wasn’t anything to worry about.

  “As long as she doesn’t beg to suck my dick again, that’s fine.”

  Oh, God. Leave it to him to embarrass the woman while confirming what was somewhat obvious. Gavin’s loud laugh boomed through the garden, almost completely drowning out Theo’s sigh. To her credit, Charlie held her composure to the same degree everyone around me seemed capable of doing.

  “She knows what will happen should she disrespect my daughter in any way,” he retorted, the warning in his voice crystal clear.

  I was a little thrown by him so openly referring to me like that, but I guess it was only natural that he did.

  “We’ll give you two some space then,” Judas stated.

  “If you need me, I’ll be right around that corner.” He motioned to a different path that curved behind another side of the house.

  “Okay,” I said quietly.

  I didn’t want him to go anywhere but at some point, I needed to face people secure in my station. Like his sister and Nova had said, hold your own. I had a way to go before I could do any of this with the same ease a woman accustomed to this world and way of life could. I hadn’t exactly accepted this yet either, but now was a damn good time to practice.

  Once they were gone, Santiago and I regarded one another silently. He wasn’t as tall as Judas but still stood a few inches above me. His thick dark hair was brushed back and didn’t show any signs of going gray. His eyes—were almost black. There was an empty coldness to them that couldn’t be ignored.

  I was glad Theo had stayed behind. I didn’t know shit about this guy but if I thought Judas was a psychopath, something told me this man was worse. I’d like to think he wouldn’t hurt me, but it wasn’t as if we had some deep unbreakable bond.

  I shifted on my feet and that seemed to break the trance he was in. He cleared his throat and shifted back, motioning to indicate the table.

  “Please, let us sit.”

  I walked over, pausing when Theo pulled out a chair for me. He had his sunglasses on so I couldn’t make eye contact, but I thanked him nonetheless and took the seat across from the one Santiago claimed.

  “Drink?”

  “Waters fine.”

  He lifted a pitcher and poured some into one of the empty glasses, sliding it across to me when it was topped off.

  “Thank you,” I said softly, taking note of his thick wedding band as I settled against the cool wrought iron backing.

  “I think I should start with telling you how beautiful you’ve grown up. You look just like her.”

  He was referring to my mother, someone I had never met and hardly knew anything about.

  “I wouldn’t know…” I trailed off, reaching for my glass of water.

  “No, you wouldn’t,” he agreed quietly.

  The atmosphere was quickly turning awkward and tense for me. I didn’t know why I was here.

  “Why did you want to meet me?”

  He didn’t seem surprised by my question. It almost seemed as if he was expecting it.

  “You’re my daughter,” he replied simply as if that explained everything.

  Honestly, it was infuriating. I was a grown-ass woman. Where was he when I’d been fresh out of high school and at rock bottom? He'd clearly done well for himself so what the hell had he been doing when some crazy bitch decided she was tired of pretending to play mommy and wanted to kill me? I slightly tilted my head and looked at him bemusedly.

  Was he after something too?

  “I think the man who raised me would have something to say about that if he could talk. I’m sure his mouths been devoured by maggots and earthworms by now.”

  He guffawed and slapped the table, catching me off guard. I hadn’t been trying to make him laugh.

  “He told me you were like this.”

  “Okay…” I eyed him a little concerned about his mental state.

  “You’re fearless, I love it.”

  I scoffed and reached for my water again. I wasn’t fearless, not even close. My sense of self-preservation was completely fucked.

  “You wonder why I never came for you. I’ve known where you were for a long time, Rhiannon. There are a few reasons I didn’t step in. At first, it was because you had a father figure willing to do anything to give you a life I couldn’t.”

  “Marcus,” I clarified to immortalize the man he was referring to.

  He nodded and continued.

  “I lost track of you for a few years and feared the worst. By the time I realized Evie was involved, it was too late. Barron had found you first.”

  I wasn’t following his timeline of events, but I didn’t exactly know it either. What I did know could be a lie. In fact, I was sure a lot of it was.

  “What happened to my mother?”

  “I foolishly accused her of having an affair with an underling. Things happened and then she was gone, forever. I found her body days after the truth came to light, but you were nowhere to be seen. All that remained of you was an empty car seat.”

  Car seat? My timeline was most definitely not right. I always thought I was taken from my mother right after I’d been born. I swear that was the story I’d been told.

  “She was a fierce, headstrong woman with a heart too good for this world, but she managed to thrive in it,” he continued.

  Ugh. Way to find my weak spot. I could hear the love he still had for her in his voice and sensed the regret in his recollection.

  “Would you like me to tell you about her?”

  I considered his question and shook my head.

  “I think it’s better for me to learn about you because she probably has a lot to do with it.”

  He gave me a smile. “That she did.”

  “Okay, so before I learn who you are, can you tell me her name?”

  His laugh this time lacked all traces of amusement. “That’s the one thing that sadistic bitch did that I’ve never been able to be upset about.”

  “What’s that?”

  “She gave you your mother’s name.”

  I came to learn more about myself than I thought possible, through the history of a stranger. Although by the time we finished speaking he didn’t seem so foreign to me. Santiago Saldaña came from nothing and alongside some figure he kept referring to as if they were a shadow, he built his empire and took over the criminal underground.

  He was re-married, but not for love. Apparently, he and Trinity, his second wife, made the mistake of fooling around a few times without a condom. My siblings I had yet to meet were born and he gave them and their mom his name because it was the right thing to do. I would be reaming Judas a new ass about that later. Could he give me a heads up on anything? Now, Trinity had a girlfriend and they all lived happily under the same.

  When I asked, “You don’t get lonely?”

  He waved me off with a chuckle.

  “Don’t worry. I still fuck, gordita. Faline is always around when the whores aren’t doing it for me.”

  “Oh, that’s good then,” I replied for lack of a better response.

  If talking about your parent’s sex life wasn’t wild enough, I thought Faline was Trinity’s girlfriend. The whole thing made my head spin, so I left it alone. I was choosing to appreciate the fact he was being so open with me, enough so I asked him about the one thing bothering me the most right now.

  “If Evie is a catalyst, why is she still alive?”

  He leaned back in his chair and stroked his jaw. “Do you think she should be dead?”

  “You don’t?”

  “Every day, more than anything.”

  I could tell he meant that so now I was really confused. “Then…why isn’t she?”

  “Perhaps, we were waiting for you.”

  “You’re the second person to say something like that to me and I don’t understand what it’s supposed to mean.”

  “You will,” was all he said in reply.

  Why the hell would no one just answer the question? Did they want me to personally kill this vile bitch? Was she in hiding? I couldn’t be much help in that area if she were.

  “The Barron boy makes you happy?” he asked suddenly during the lull in our conversation.

  I hesitated to respond to that right away. I myself didn’t know the answer until I said it out loud.

  “When I’m with him...yes. But he makes me sad and confused too.”

  My face heated with embarrassment as soon as the last words were out of my mouth. Why did I tell him that? Undeterred, he reached across the table and took my hand.

  “We’ve all broken a little bit of your heart. There aren’t words I can say to fix that, but I will spend the rest of my life making up for all the ways I’ve failed you, gordita. And so will he, you know how I know that?”

  I shook my head, not trusting myself to speak.

  “There’s nothing more pitiful than a king that’s gained everything, just to lose his queen.”

  My heart constricted in my chest. I knew he wasn’t only referring to Judas.

  “If you decide he isn’t what you want you to come to me at any time. I’ve known the Barrons nearly my entire life. Gemma was your mother’s best friend. That alliance means fuck all if you want out.”

  Again, at a loss for words, I replied with a simple, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Our conversation came to an end soon after that when Judas strolled around the corner.

  He looked like he was on a mission leaving Gavin and Charlie to catch up behind him.

  “You’ll have to excuse us for a minute.” Santiago gave my hand a pat and then stood to face Judas, stepping away from the table. “Juan, you come with me, Charlie can stay.”

  Silver eyes checked my person head to toe, meeting my stare as they came closer. He placed one hand on the table and the other on the back of my chair. “I’ll be quick, and then we can go.”

  “Okay.”

  His fingers danced along the back of my neck and then he was gone, walking in the opposite direction with Santiago. Gavin winked as he followed them, falling in step with Juan.

  Now I was alone with Theo, a man who seemed to speak with a selective vocabulary, and Charlie, a woman who apparently wanted to suck my fiancé’s cock.

  Fantastic.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Being away from her, even for thirty minutes when she was right around the corner was almost too much for me.

  To be waiting with Charlie of all fucking people was a level of hell not even I had gotten to explore. The woman was stoic and professional at all times until she stared at me like a hyena does a gazelle. I preferred if she remained angry about the way I rejected her.

  I didn’t have anything against women that loved to fuck, but they weren’t going to be fucking me. I wasn’t going to apologize for telling her that clearly and concisely and I wouldn’t be changing my mind.

  I’d shoot my dick off before I betrayed Rhiannon in that fashion. I had no plans of betraying her at all. Proving this to her was another matter.

  Her father too.

  I walked alongside the short fuck reigning in the urge to blow a hole in his head for leaving my Rhiannon with that soulless wraith.

  He might have all the confidence in the world in Charlie. I would much rather hang the bitch from the tallest palm tree in my yard to serve as a warning to anyone who thought they stood a chance and show Rhiannon just how serious this relationship was.

  “Little Barron,” Saint exclaimed with a laugh.

  He knew I hated that goddamn nickname. Nothing about me was little except my tolerance for bullshit.

  When we were a good distance away from Rhiannon, too far in my opinion, he stopped and turned towards me with a smile still on his face. That didn’t mean anything.

  My padre could smile like he’d hit the mega millions while carving up someone’s wife. I knew that from bearing witness to such an event. Saint had been there too. He sodomized her husband with a broken beer bottle.

  Fun times. Good deeds, too. We saved Theo from being sold like a whore every night. Normally he would’ve been killed with them, but he was one of my friends growing up and I knew how useful someone like him could be. How right was I? As per usual.

  My future wife now had a demon as a bodyguard for the rest of her life. Hopefully for Theo’s long-life span too but if it came to one or the other it would be all she wrote for my sweet friend.

  All that aside, thankfully in the present moment, Saint was genuinely smiling at me without murderous intent. I think Rhiannon liked him, as was her way with fucked up things. She might have a problem with me turning his backyard into a crime scene. Gavin had already twitched like he was anticipating a shoot-out.

  Saint laid one of his beefy paws on my shoulder, still grinning. “You are much like your father, Judas. Yet, very lucky to be so different.”

  “As I’ve been told many times,” I drawled.

  “I had to see for myself how you looked at her. You exceeded my expectations.”

  What he was saying without speaking the exact words, I wasn’t as deranged as my padre and would never put his daughter what he had my madre.

  He knew all about it since he’d been there and was one of my padre’s closest friends.

  They were brothers willing to slaughter the other’s entire family if it meant protecting their own. That’s where the marriage alliance came in. I had demanded he let me have his precious lost daughter or I wouldn’t be giving up her whereabouts.

  My principessa would be mine before she was ever anyone else’s. I didn’t give a fuck if he was her father. He shouldn’t have screwed up so badly. He’d lost her mother horrifically and in turn her.

  He could say or think what he wanted about my padre’s manic obsession with my madre, but he wouldn’t have ever let that happen. Neither would I. This whole world would be torn apart before anyone harmed her ever again. Evie was at the top of our hit-list and the reason we’d needed to have this chit-chat.