Page 25 of Forbidden Fate

My body moves before I can fully think it through. My shoulders tighten as I shift my weight forward, closing my hands into fists.

I’m going to hit him.

I don’t care what it costs.

I don’t care who sees.

I don’t⁠—

“Gentlemen.”

Fuck. Adriana’s voice.

I unclench my fists.

Zabala straightens.

I turn.

Adriana de la Fuente stands at the end of the hall, one hand resting lightly against the doorframe. Impeccable as always. Dark hair pulled back. Tailored dress that looks effortless and costs more than most people make in a year.

She looks at Zabala. Then at me. Back at Zabala.

“Señor Moreno,” she says, her tone measured. “Señor Vega is indisposed this morning. You’ll be meeting with me instead.”

“No problem,” I say.

Adriana nods once. “Walk with me.”

I stand. I don’t look at Zabala again as I follow her down the hall to her office. But I feel his eyes on my back. Zabala doesn’t miss much. He’s cruel and observant. What he lacks in intelligence he makes up for in instinct.

Adriana’s office is elegant of course. She gestures for me to sit. I take the chair across from her desk.

She doesn’t sit right away. Instead, she moves behind the desk, resting her hands against the edge. “So what do you think of our guest?”

Robin.

An image flashes in my mind. Robin on the floor, Zabala looming over her…

I push it down.

“She’s strong,” I say. “Defiant. But not reckless.”

Adriana tilts her head. “Go on.”

“She understands risk,” I continue. “She pushes, but she’s calculating. She knows when to stop.”

“And?”

“She wants to go home,” I say. “She’ll cooperate if she believes it gets her there.”

Adriana’s lips curve. “Cooperation isn’t enough.”

I hold her gaze. “What are you looking for?”

“We need more than her compliance,” she says. “We need the Bellamy family’s cooperation.”

I lean back slightly. “You think they won’t cooperate?”