As Aurora looked out the plane window, her mind drifted back to the day she met Escondido.

The sun streamed in through majestic stained-glass windows, giving a beautiful glow to the church. It was the day of Aurora’s First Holy Communion and she thought her heart would burst with happiness. Her father was one of the top members of the Sinaloan cartel so ritual and religion were important parts of his life. Though she lived in a world of perpetual danger, her parents did their best to shield her from the horrors of it.

She was a princess in the Sinaloan world and every extravagance any little princess could ever desire had been given to her. She was an only child and her father’s pride and joy. Her parents stood right behind her as the priest guided her through the steps she had practiced to perfection. She made the sign of the cross as she’d been taught and received the priest’s blessing. She looked over her shoulder to smile up at her mother just as the church’s double doors burst open and the deafening clap of gunfire rang through the church.

The last thing she heard was her mother screaming for her to run, so that’s what she did. She ran and she ran and she ran. Eventually, she reached an alley several blocks away. A small arm reached out from the alley and pulled her from the sidewalk. She looked into the eyes of a little boy who seemed somehow much older than his years.

“Come with me.” He didn’t give her time to protest as he pulled her back behind a dumpster. He placed a finger to his lips, signaling for her to be quiet as footsteps thundered by.

“That fucking little bitch! Where did she go?” a man yelled from the mouth of the alley.

She clutched the little boy as her knees gave out. He pulled her close, stroking her hair softly. Though she had no idea who he was, he seemed to know exactly who she was. She later learned that his father was part of the cartel and that, in the mayhem that followed the barrage of gunfire, he had rushed Escondido out of the church with strict orders to run like hell until he found her and, if she made it out of the church alive, to keep her safe.

They were inseparable from that day on, both growing up strong and proud in the cartel. Eventually, she had taken up her father’s mantle of running the Sinaloan cartel in Mexico. It was her destiny to ensure the men who killed her parents paid for what they had done. From that day forward, she had no patience with people who blithely wondered aloud about the meaning of life. She knew exactly what it was: vengeance.

Samuel’s voice intruded on her thoughts. He had been her bodyguard and aide for years and had, of course, insisted on coming to Colombia with her. “We’re here. Close enough to trek through the jungle but far enough away that we’ll have the element of surprise.”

“Very well, Samuel. Are the ATVs here?”

“Yes, ma’am. Called ahead to make sure of it.”

“Alright, then. We’ll get in and out as quickly as possible. The emeralds are our top priority, but I want Lucca and Marco dead when we leave. Do whatever you have to do with the bodies to be able to provide proof. It will be helpful in confirming our success with the Ramirez brothers and Glazov. I will not continue to tolerate Escondido enjoying the benefits of connections I don’t have.”

Samuel shook his head and smiled. “I don’t think I’m ever going to understand the love/hate thing you and Escondido have.”

“No one needs to understand it but us. And don’t be surprised if you run into one of his goons here. The man has an obsessive need to protect me. Can you believe that? Me, needing his man’s protection when I already have yours. I could tell him that you’re all the protection I need, but then he’d probably kill you, and where would that leave me, eh?”

“Nowhere good.”

“Indeed. Yes, he and I have a love/hate relationship of sorts, but one thing always remains true: I owe him my life. For that reason, you are to make sure Escondido’s man stays out of harm’s way. Consider it a standing order, there’s no reason to believe he’ll ever decide to stop sending his goons to spy on me. Believe me, I’ve complained to no avail. It’s maddening.”

The relationship between Aurora and Escondido defied logic or explanation. They were bitter rivals in business, but fierce, tempestuous lovers when they were alone. The two had long ago established their own odd brand of monogamy, despite long stretches of time apart. They would disappear together every now and then, going off somewhere to devour each other for weeks at a time.

When Escondido called, Aurora always went – but not always right away, of course. If she defied him and refused to come to him, she would bide her time, knowing he would simply come and…force the issue. During those times, his punishments were achingly erotic as he took his frustration out on her flesh, using her body for his pleasure as he made her come again and again.

They were crazy about each other. And they were the only ones who couldn’t – or wouldn’t – see it.