“I—I have some! They’re in the truck—back in Colorado!”
“He’s lying,” Clark grumbles.
“Please—I’m not! I—I have family!”
My lips smash together. “I am so sick of men like you lying to me!” I grip the collar of his shirt, yanking him close, causing a hard, anguished cry to escape him. “Why shouldn’t I kill you?” I press the gun to his cheek.
“Because I can help you,” he says. “I can get Hernandez to you. I can help.”
I shove him away.
“She has many places that we meet—she’s waiting to hear back from us. I can set it all up—I can get her to you and end all of this and never look back. If you let me go, I will—” Before he can finish his sentence, Clark is stepping past me, bringing the butt of his gun down and slamming it across the agent’s head.
The agent passes out from the blow, and I whip my head up to stare at Clark, who grumbles “What? He was talking too fucking much, and I need to think.” Bringing a hand to his hip, he walks past me again, slouching down in an empty seat. “Well, now that we know he’s in deeper than he said, you may have been right about one thing. We can use him to lure her out when you’re ready. Get him to call and say he found you when we land.”
I pull my eyes from the agent. “So we have to keep him alive for now?”
“If he even makes it there alive.”
I sigh, taking the seat beside him.
“Bet you didn’t think shit would get this bad, huh?” he chuckles, leg bouncing. “Fuck, I need a smoke.”
“How much longer?” I ask.
“An hour, give or take.” I sigh, and Clark shifts in his seat, fingers tapping on the arm of his chair. “You know what your problem is?” he asks, giving me a hard, thorough sweep with his eyes. “Your problem is you trust too easily. You’re just like Jen. She believes anything she hears, which makes her vulnerable and weak at times. She’s too damn gullible. Now I get why he sent you back. You were a danger to his business. You can’t believe everything you hear, Gia. You can’t trust every man you meet, no matter how honest they seem. That motherfucker right there is a prime example of a wolf in sheep clothing.”
I meet his eyes briefly before dropping mine to my lap. “I don’t want to be a danger to him anymore. If I don’t prove my worth to him by taking Yessica down, he’ll never forgive me, and sending me away again would be the nicest thing he would do. That, or he’ll disappear and make sure I can never find him.”
He releases a hard breath through his nostrils. “I just don’t get it. Being with The Jefe comes with a heavy price. You’ll be risking your life, for the rest of your life. You’ll always be on the run. You’ll never be safe, and you’ll probably die before your fifties. Is that really how you want to live? What you want your future to be?”
I study his face, how serious he is. I never thought of it that way. I wanted to be with him so badly that I didn’t even think of the consequences. How can I raise a baby in that environment? How can I raise a child, knowing he or she will never have a stable and happy home? How can I raise a child with the most ruthless man I have ever known?
“Let me tell you something,” Clark goes on, voice low but firm, leaning over the armrest and toward me. “You really want to be a boss, show the world what you’re capable of, then show them what you really are. Show the world that Gianna Nicotera should never be fucked with, and when they all know it, own that shit and never lose sight of it. Having power and respect always comes with a price. There will always be someone around, wanting to take you down, wanting to be you, and you have to be ready to end them before they can even finish speaking your name. Stay on your toes, keep your eyes open, watch your fucking back, and stay loaded. Don’t trust this world. This world will fuck you over in a million ways with no apologies. Always be ready, Gia. Always make your statement. Never take shit from anyone. Instead, handle that shit and shut—it—the—fuck—down. Be the Patrona he needs you to be. The fearless woman your father always knew you would become. We both know that shit is in you. You just need to claim it.”
25
GIANNA
We’re landing.
I gain view of the red dirt surrounding the private airstrip, and my heart bangs around in my ribcage like a rattle. The wheels of the jet hit the ground, and Clark clears his throat, unclipping his seatbelt and walking to the cockpit.