Page 103 of Embriagado

Darting my tongue out, I licked the bruise on the corner of my lip.

“That boy he…” I took a deep breath. “He was only twenty-one.”

“He failed to do his job, and by now, you of all people know how things work here.”

I did.

If a siren failed to do their job, that was it for them.

No second chances.

No loose ends.

No empathy.

“When’s the day you’ll kill me?” I asked.

He sighed. “And why would I ever do that?”

Staring at the wall ahead, I didn’t move so much as a muscle.

“I might fail you, too.”

“You’re smarter than that, or else, you would have been long dead.”

I pressed my teeth together, feeling the strain in my jaw.

“Now, then, since I’m aware of how much you hate being touched, I’ll accept your request about the ambassador. For the time being, he won’t be attending the hotel.”

“Thank you,” I said, forcing the words out of my mouth.

The line went still, and in those seconds, I felt the disgust crawling under my skin, seeping deep into me like the venom of a snake.

“I will be paying you a visit soon. Until then, keep up the good work.”

Ending the call with an unfortunate promise, he then hung up, not bothering to say another word. Not that he needed to say any more, as even now, I felt his hand wrapped around my throat, slowly suffocating me. Out of breath, I placed the phone back on the desk, then pressed my palms against the hardwood, closed my eyes, and took deep breaths.

Life was always hanging by a thread. I should know it by now, and yet, this despicable man never ceased to remind me of it.

“When is the day you’ll kill me?”

“And why would I ever do that?”

“I might fail you, too.”

“You’re smarter than that, or else, you would have been long dead.”

I gritted my teeth, my jaw aching from the pressure, before I opened my eyes and stared at the wall ahead. Just then, my phone tinged, not the one I’d just used. Looking at the screen, I saw it was a text from Sinclair, saying they were willing to pay one hundred grand for El Embriagado’s first fight.

Finally, something I could work with.

Moving away from the desk, I grabbed my phone and shoved it into my pocket before leaving my office and going straight down to the parking lot, where I got on my bike.

It had been a week since I’d allowed my dog off his leash, and it was about time I put it back on, only so much tighter, until he could hardly breathe.

28

SANTIAGO