Sweet Collateral

“I know exactly who and what he is.” I know he’s a bad man, but I just cannot believe that he would ever harm me. If I refuse to go now, what will he do? Una and I will move locations, and I don’t care whether he’s God himself, if she doesn’t want to be found, Una could disappear like an apparition.

Carlos tosses his cigarette to the ground, sending sparks skittering into the darkness. “Last chance. He’ll send more than just me next time."

I hear the click of a gun behind me, before Una shifts beside me. “A man at war shouldn’t be so eager to waste good men.”

“Ah, you’re welcome too, Russian.” Carlos turns away, strolling towards the Hummer and yanking the door open. “What will it be?”

Lucas moves into my line of sight. “Please, Anna.” He looks like a puppy, and I can’t bear to reject him.

With a sigh, I turn to Una. “I’ll go. Talk to him and come back before the end of the day.”

“Seriously, Anna? You’re so naive.”

“He won’t hurt me.”

"That’s not what I’m worried about.” She holsters her gun and closes the door before storming in the direction of the car. Lucas smiles at me as he holds the car door open. I ignore him and get in. Rafael practically sent him as a human shield. We both know it.

Lucas closes the door and gets in the front seat. He turns and smiles at me, but I don’t return it. He’s a traitor. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“So you’d betray me?”

He drops his gaze and slowly turns around, but I don’t miss the hurt expression on his face. For a moment I feel really bad. Lucas is and has been a good friend to me, but this should have been my choice. If I go to Rafael, I want it to be on my terms. Not like this. This is taking away my choices.

Una takes her phone out and dials, very deliberately leaving it on speakerphone. “Morte,” Nero answers, and the way he says that one word makes me blush.

“I’m en-route to Rafael D’Cruze. Maybe you should call ahead for me and remind him that I will not hesitate to kill him and all his men should he try and detain my sister against her will.”

“I’ll be sure to have a chat with him, but Una…”

“Yes?”

“Do try to play nice. Too many bullets are bad for business.”

She hangs up, and Carlos laughs. I hope to God that Rafael doesn’t try anything crazy because I know Una, and I know she’s absolutely serious when she says she’ll kill him.

The car winds through the city and out into the desert. I’ve only been to the warehouse a couple of times, but I know that’s where we’re going.

When we pull up outside the massive building, I get out and the scent of the desert brings with it both awful and pleasant memories. My time in the Sinaloa and my time with Rafael. Steeling myself, I follow Carlos and Lucas inside, my sister lingering behind me.

When we head for Rafael’s office, my chest tightens.

“He wants to see you,” Carlos says to me. I know Una’s going to argue, but I place a hand on her arm, something I rarely do because she hates being touched. “He won’t hurt me. I’ll be fine.”

I can tell she’s on edge being here, but she says nothing, simply glaring at Carlos with a gun in hand. That’s more than enough.

“Don’t kill anyone,” I say as I move away and follow Carlos to the office door. Earlier, I was caught unawares and didn’t have a chance to process seeing Rafael, but now, my stomach flutters with nerves, my heart squeezing in my chest. It seems he was just as surprised earlier, because when the office door opens, the full weight of his dark gaze lands on me, and he does not look happy.

Seeing him again ignites this longing in me. He’s like gravity, sucking me in, and oh, how I want to fall into the warmth of his embrace. But he no longer offers it. I loved him and he sent me away. I still do, and I hate it.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” he says when the door closes behind me.

“That’s funny because you and Carlos didn’t give me much choice.”

“I didn’t expect you back in Mexico.”

I steel myself against my pathetic heart, trying to fight my emotions. He doesn’t want me here. Well tough. “I didn’t come here for you.”

“This isn’t your fight, Anna.”

“My fight is my own. Like I said, I didn’t come here for you.” Because he doesn’t want me here in any capacity.

Moving around the desk, he approaches me, and I tense. “You can’t be here.”

“You sent me away, Rafael. You don’t get a say in where I should or shouldn’t be.”