Her pretty face is the last thing I have left of her, and it’s merely a memory.

I’m sure by now Xavier has killed Rain. He’s always hated her for her mother’s crime against him. I’m sure he showed her no mercy. And by the time I get out of here, Rain will be long dead.

I couldn’t save her, just like I wasn’t able to save Manuel.

Two more casualties of Xavier.

My nails dig into my palms as I think of the cruel bastard who pretended to give a shit about me for twenty long years of my life. He made sure I was safe. He protected me. But only until he had no use for me anymore.

When the moment I’d take over the cartel approached, he got rid of me.

Xavier always wanted control of the Serpent cartel. He must’ve felt inadequate, being the adopted one out of two brothers. He’d be provided for the rest of his life, sure, but he would only be the leader of the cartel until I married.

And with Rain’s eighteenth birthday fast approaching, Xavier knew he had to get rid of me, or risk losing his position in the cartel.

So he sacrificed me to get what he wanted. And why not? He never pretended to be a loving family member, always reminding me I wasn’t his blood, his family member. I was merely a pawn in his twisted games. A means to an end.

And now that he’s gotten what he always wanted, I’m sure he’s damn pleased with himself.

Too bad that it won’t last long.

A newfound determination sinks in and I sit up, despite the pain I feel. I want to plan this escape. I want to get out of here with L and take down the cartel I once belonged to.

I want to see Xavier bleeding, hurt and broken.

And I’ll do anything in my power to make that happen. Even if it means becoming the very thing I once feared most... A cruel, ruthless cartel leader who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Exactly like my uncle.

Chapter 18

HEATH

Rain is sleeping in my bedroom again, but I can’t catch a wink of sleep.

Instead, I’m watching her. I sit in an armchair nursing a drink, my eyes wandering between the view of the ocean beneath me to Rain’s peaceful features.

She’s so beautiful. Like somebody encapsulated the essence of a sun into one person. I can’t get enough. And yet I can’t help but doubt Rain.

Something tells me she’s still so hell-bent on being free, she’ll do anything to escape me and Xavier. But she doesn’t know just how much danger she’s in.

All the Castellamare girls are.

As I watch her, I hear a commotion below. My brows furrow and I get up, watching the unmoving landscape below me. There’s no one there, but I could swear I heard something a moment ago.

I take one last look at Rain before walking into the hallway and addressing the guard outside my bedroom in Spanish.

“Heard anything suspicious?”

“Nothing, signor,” he replies, shaking his head politely.

“Keep an eye on the girl for me,” I mutter. “I need to check outside.”

He nods and I walk past him down the stairs.

The moment my feet hit the ground in the grand hall, I know something’s wrong, because the front doors of the Palacio are open.

“Fuck,” I mutter to myself, gliding along the wall as I grip my holster. I bring out my gun soundlessly and close my eyes for one second.

I recall the image of Rain in my bed moments ago, sleeping so peacefully. I know whatever is coming is going to be fucking bad.

I’m doing whatever I have to do to save her.

When Liberato and I established the Serpent cartel, we swore to protect one another, so he is my priority, too.

Luckily, I pass his bedroom as I dash back upstairs. I softly open the door and bump into my brother, standing by the door in his boxers.

“What the fuck is happening?” he hisses and I motion for him to come outside.

The moment one of us makes a sound or screams, it’s over. And I need this quiet before the storm I know is coming to save Rain.

Whoever has come for me can’t know she’s here.

And if it’s Xavier... I need to hide her fucking now.

Liberato and I run down the hallway and find the guard I left to watch Rain dead, a river of blood running away from his lifeless body on the ground.

I dash forward to my room, and Liberato makes the fatal mistake of shouting after me.

“Hermano!”

The world around me stills before all hell breaks loose.

I’m in my bedroom now, and it’s fucking empty, save for a man who I recognize.

He smirks when he sees me, raising his hands in the air.

“Kill me, and you lose her,” he smirks at me.

Tags: Isabella Starling Dark Vows Duet Erotic
Source: readsnovelonline.net