Page 47 of Vendetta

“Yeah, probably,” Cruz’s reply was laced with reluctance. After a moment of tense silence, he continued. “Nico, we really need to talk about this whole thing. Rafael was complaining about missing shipments. Unless no one told you about it, that wasn’t us. I think there’s some shit going on behind the scenes that we don’t know about. Something’s not right.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. We have orders. Right or wrong,” Nico replied, as if that was the end of the story.

Cruz shifted in his seat. “She would’ve come with us if we’d asked.”

Nico said nothing, just stared out the window into the rolling scrubland.

Trying again, Cruz dropped his volume, glancing into the back seat to make sure I was still asleep. “Did I already tell you her favorite meal is French toast? Weird, right?”

I froze, holding my breath, hoping he would still buy that I was out.

Nico turned, looking at his passenger from the corner of his eye. “I hope you aren’t insinuating what I think you’re insinuating.”

What the fuck did French toast insinuate? My choice of breakfast treat was none of their damned business.

“Na, it’s probably nothing,” Cruz said and continued quietly. “So, Lorenzo brought over the marriage license for the court while Rosa was at the spa. It’s just a formality. They were going to bite her in at the ceremony anyway, but he said that if she refused to sign it to tell her he’d kill her father. He must’ve known she’d be difficult.” He chuckled softly. “I never gave it to her, but I signed it. Once he gets out of the hospital, he’s going to find out it says, ‘Go fuck yourself’ and not her name. So…that might be a problem.”

The Vasco pack thought we were legally bound, but probably not for long. Once they realized they’d been tricked, what would they do to my father? They told Cruz they’d kill him if I didn’t sign, but he didn’t even give me a chance to decide. Now my father was in danger because of these fuckwits.

I was going to kill him. My breathing stuttered with fury, nearly giving away that I wasn’t as asleep as I seemed, but they kept right on talking.

The steering wheel creaked as Nico’s grip tightened around it. “What do you mean, ‘gets out of the hospital’?”

“Well, he hit Rosa, so I returned the favor. From the way his face caved in under my fist, and the gurgling sound he made when he tried to breathe, I’m assuming he’ll be in the hospital for a minute.” Cruz shrugged nonchalantly.

I buried my face in the sweetly scented blanket I’d found in the back seat to hide my smile. I could almost forgive him for everything else, knowing that. But no. As grateful as I was, this mess was all his fucking fault, and there was no one to get me out of it this time but me. So far, I’d done a bang-up job.

Nico rubbed a hand across his face. “So, the Vasco pack thinks you kidnapped their legally bonded mate, after rearranging their pack leader’s face?”

“That sounds about right,” Cruz said, leaning back into his seat, crossing his arms over his chest.

As much as I dreaded it, I was going to have to escape and get back to the Vascos before they hurt my father. As much as he probably deserved it, he was the only family I had left. I couldn’t just let them kill him. Even with all the shit he’d done, he was still my blood. Maybe the Vascos could be reasoned with. Maybe they would see what a shit idea all of this was. Then things could go back to the way they were.

Not that I wanted them that way.

Nico settled deeper into his seat, looking like he was trying to get comfortable and failing miserably. “Text Dom and tell him to send a reminder for Rosa to my safe house. She needs to be taught that when she acts up, there are consequences.”

What consequences? The name ‘Dom’ made something click into place. Nico… Nico and Dominic Moreno… they were the sons of Francisco Moreno. Dominic had a twin, Roman, and a younger brother. I thought his name was Luca. They must’ve been the twins Claudia was dancing with at the club….together they had to have been the three masked guys in the Range Rover. That didn’t explain how Cruz factored in, but it explained the rest.

The fucking Morenos.

How could I have missed this?

The scent in the club, the sandalwood on the hoodie. I fucked them both, slept beside them, and they were my worst enemies all along.

If only I’d put that together when I’d had Cruz’s gun.

Claudia and I had been kidnapped by the same maniacs that killed my brother. Fucking hell. Now I had even more reason to escape. If they could kill an innocent child, I had no doubt that they wouldn’t hesitate to kill me, too.

I needed a plan. One that didn’t include fucking the two-faced liar of a bodyguard, or the deliciously addictive heir to the Moreno family.

After the time I’d spent in the trunk, and the dark roads we’d traveled, it was impossible to get my bearings. The scenery from the back seat was pitch black, and I couldn’t make out any landmarks. I’d have to try again once the sun came out, and I could see where they were taking me.

Despite the disturbing revelations, the quiet purr of the engine and buttery sweetness all over this blanket, eventually my eyes closed, and I was lulled to sleep.

Chapter 32

Oliver