“They’re good caretakers, too.” He tossed back the antibiotics with a quick sip and set down the glass. “I look forward to the day you finally realize what Diego is, and I pray all your mercy will have been used up by then.”
“I already know, Cristiano. He’s a coward and a manipulator.” Something that resembled pain passed over Cristiano’s face—but I hadn’t hurt him. His relief had. Perhaps because he wanted so badly to trust that I’d finally come to that conclusion after all his efforts to get me there.
Since Cristiano’s return, he’d never wavered in his hatred for his brother. “Diego told me once that you two could never trust each other again,” I said. “And he was right.”
“He blames Costa and me for our family’s demise. And if Diego can’t understand why our father had to die, then I worry what else he can justify.”
“He must’ve aided in the Belmonte-Ruiz attacks,” I said. Up until very recently, I wouldn’t have thought Diego capable of putting me in harm’s way, but I’d had no idea what I was dealing with. He’d already admitted his involvement with Belmonte-Ruiz, but if he’d fed them information, then he’d known I was a target as well as Cristiano.
“It’s . . . it’s my fault,” I said. “I brought the phone into the house.”
“True.” Cristiano rubbed his jaw. “But if that hadn’t worked, they would’ve found another way. Trust me.”
“Then I’m also to blame that the truth about your business is leaking.”
“No, mi amor. It was only a matter of time,” he said quietly. “It’s why I’ve formed many powerful partnerships over the years, amassed as much money as possible, and insulated my people. And if I were truly worried, I’d shut down my operation.”
“You’re not going to?” I popped the cap off the ointment and dabbed some on each of his wounds. “Where are the girls you rescued the night I was with you?”
“In a safehouse a few blocks from here. Trained staff helps them work through the stages of recovery. After, we set them up here, or somewhere else if they choose.”
He had an answer for everything. “So, what happens now, Cristiano?”
“I don’t know, but we’re not going to stop. Does that scare you?”
I chewed on my bottom lip. Both Diego and my father had said at different times that I’d be safest with Cristiano. Even California would leave me exposed if someone really wanted to get to me. Cristiano wasn’t trying to hide that I was in danger, and I appreciated that. More, I didn’t have to wonder if I’d risk my safety so Cristiano could help more women, men, and children. “No,” I said. “I’m not scared.”
“I thought by presenting our marriage as no more than a contract, people would be likely to leave you alone. They didn’t.”
“Maybe you should try the opposite approach,” I said.
A corner of his mouth lifted. “Not a bad idea. I said the Badlands were treacherous as well, yet they came for us anyway. So perhaps now I’ll make it clear that you belong to me in every sense of the word. And there’s no question that the rumors about what I do to those who fuck with my things are true.”
The scary way his voice dropped sent a bolt of excitement through me. Cristiano had warned me plenty of times that he was very protective, but it’d never felt truer than in that moment.
I unwrapped a fresh bandage and set my hands in my lap, studying him. “Are you going to tell me why?”
He didn’t ask for clarification. He knew what I meant. He’d evaded the question once tonight, but I wasn’t going to keep quiet like I had when I’d arrived. His hesitation meant there were reasons behind why he did what he did, and I wanted them. I wanted to know more. To know him.
He scratched under his nose. “I’ve always had, uh, a physical advantage over most others,” he said. “I’ve used it. And I hope anyone I’ve killed has deserved it.”
“But . . .” I played with the corner of the paper packet. “You deal in weapons, Cristiano. You arm the bad guys and give them an advantage over everyone.”
“I’ll never be the good guy. I’m sensible. Our country, our people, rely on the production and movement of contraband. Take that away, and we’ll fall. That’s just how it is.”
“In this case, sex is contraband.”
“If we fall because I disrupt the sex trade, then we deserve to.”
I was equally warmed and horrified by the pride that spread through me. His conviction moved me as I tended to the physical evidence of what had resulted from him advocating for good. Equally scary was how wrong I’d been about him.
“But if it gives you any comfort,” he said, “I never armed Belmonte-Ruiz. And I’ve stopped selling to anyone who does business with them.”