It seems hours have passed now. Thiago shifts in his seat for the hundredth time, trying to get comfortable. I feel bad for him, but he keeps telling me he’s fine.

I don’t believe him. I only had ropes on my wrists. I can’t imagine them around my whole body.

David and a new guard are standing at the entrance. The new one is looking at us while David keeps watch of the tunnel.

Not before long and I hear heavy footsteps. A younger boy appears and I lean forward to get a better look. He’s breathing hard as he says, “Hernandez wants the cousin untied before he gets here,” in Spanish.

Thiago’s eyes dart up, watching intently as the guard watching us comes forward, slinging out a pocketknife. He slices through the ropes one by one and with each slice, I see the relief wash over Thiago’s face.

Finally, the ropes fall down. As the guard cuts through the ropes at his ankles, Thiago brings a heavy fist down and punches him across the head. The guard crumples and I gasp, but Thiago leaves no room for error. He reaches down for the gun, swiping it out of the holder and pushing to a stand. One of his legs is still strapped to the chair but he doesn’t let that hold him back.

He shoots the guard he punched, one bullet penetrating the skull.

David has already turned around with his gun held in the air while the younger guard fumbles for his.

Thiago aims at David, and they stare each other down. David’s gun goes off, shooting Thiago right through the shoulder. Thiago lets out a heavy roar and fires back, shooting David through the forehead.

I hop up as the younger guard starts to run, but Thiago shoots him through the back. He collapses in an instant. My breathing becomes chaotic as I look at the dead guards and then up at him.

“What?” he huffs, eyes as wide as they can get. “You wanna get the fuck out of here, don’t you?”

“Draco is probably here,” I tell him. “He could have gotten us out of this.”

“Bullshit. She wants me untied so she can kill me.” He winces as he touches the wound on his shoulder. He merely looks over it though, as if he’s been shot in worse places. He picks up the knife on the ground and cuts through the rope around his other ankle. “Let’s go,” he pants when he’s free.

I don’t hesitate. When he takes off, I dash after him. We half-jog, half-walk down the tunnel, him with the gun held up, ready to fire if need be.

The tunnel is mostly clear. When we reach the steps, voices rise and Thiago curses beneath his breath, gripping my arm and pulling me away, beneath the staircase. It creaks as the person walks down. They’re in a hurry.

It’s a man. I see his black boots, though they’re cleaner than I expected. Thiago has his gun up, ready to fire it. The person steps to the right, looking around. I try and get a better look, but I can’t see him in all that black.

He takes several steps toward the tunnel, his back to us, and when Thiago realizes who he is, he lowers his gun. “Shit. Draco?”

The man spins around and when his familiar brown eyes flash on us, my heart swells up. It’s him! I nearly choke when he looks from Thiago to me. He looks me over, seeing that I haven’t been harmed, but then there are more steps.

They creak loudly, as if there is more than one set.

“What a lovely reunion!” Hernandez chimes when she takes the last step down. I shoot my gaze over to hers as six men follow her down, their guns aimed at us. “Like I said,” she murmurs. “Unharmed. Untouched. She is perfectly safe and so is your eager cousin. Though we did have to hurt him a little.” She shrugs. “We tried. He didn’t crack.”

Draco doesn’t pull his eyes away from me. They’re glued. He scans me thoroughly and then says, “Come here.”

I start to rush for him, but guns cock in an instant and I freeze. Draco grimaces at each guard and Hernandez lets out a dry laugh. “Don’t get so excited.” She walks past him, starting down the hallway. “We have business to handle first. Then you can get your prize.”

He looks over his shoulder, through the corner of his eye as he watches her descend the hallway. The guards surround us, one of them grabbing my arm. Another punches Thiago in the stomach before taking the gun and Draco’s voice thunders when he shouts, “Leave him the fuck alone!”

Thiago crumples to the ground, but holds his hand up, waving it. “It’s all good, Jefe.” I hear the laughter in his voice, and I know it pisses Draco off even more because he’s not taking it seriously.

Thiago is snatched up then, dragged back down the tunnel. The guard that’s squeezing my arm starts to drag me, but Draco steps forward, nostrils flaring as he says, “You better loosen your fucking grip, or I’ll chop your fucking hand off.”

The guard laughs in his face, shoving past him, but I feel his grip slack a little as we pass by. Draco follows, keeping close to me. The other four guards have their guns pointed at the back of his head, but he pays them no mind. All he can see is me.

We enter the room again, where Hernandez is standing in the middle of the bloody mess. “Ay dios, Thiago. Look at this shit,” she groans. “David was one of my best men. I thought surely he would take you down if you did something stupid.” She grins over her shoulder at Thiago, who grimaces back.

The guard drags me over to Hernandez and she immediately draws out a knife, gripping me by the elbow and holding the blade to my throat.

Draco tenses, rushing forward, eyes as hard as stone and jaw ticking, but a guard catches him, holding him back. He seethes hard, raging like a bull and shoving the guard’s arm away. “You hurt her and I swear I will fucking end you,” he growls in his native tongue.

“Aww Draco,” she coos. She places the flat end of the knife across my jawline. The blade is cold. Hard. “You look at her like . . . almost like you would never let anything happen to her. Like you’d rather die than be without her. And I get it. She’s beautiful. My God, is she beautiful. The way you stare at her—wow, you’ve never looked at me that way. I should be envious, huh?” She chuckles, a throaty one that makes the layer beneath my skin prickle.

He tries to charge again, but the guards hold him back, guns pressing into his temple and the back of his head now.

“Draco, trust me, I don’t want to kill her. I hate killing women—especially ones who are clearly strong, pretty, and smart. She is very smart. We got to know each other a little. She knows when and when not to speak. Doesn’t crack under pressure. She reminds me a lot of myself. I can see why you’re head over heels for her. But like I’ve told you so many times before, love is useless, and it can also get you killed. You see what happens when you let it in? You see what depths you will go just to help the ones you love? You risk your life and theirs, and if something happens, there is nothing you can do about it. You just have to live with it. And that sucks,” she sighs. “Which is why I don’t love anymore. And I guess I should thank you for giving up on me all those years ago. If you hadn’t, well, I wouldn’t be where I am now. On top of my own cartel, running these men, letting them know who the real boss of Mexico is.”

“What the fuck do you want, Yessica?” Draco finally demands, his rage skyrocketing, fists clenching.

“Oh, I think you know exactly what I want. Hell, the signs should have been very clear. I thought you’d have come to me before this, especially after the way I killed half a dozen of your men during those shipments, even got Thiago here yesterday. I knew you wouldn’t come running for him, though, so I had to work harder. Find out more about you. But I heard through one of the men we took away that you had a woman in your home. A beautiful one. A Nicotera. Shit, Draco,” she laughs. “Do you know how much money I could make from selling her? People have wanted to make Nicotera babies for centuries. It’s a very powerful name. All it takes is one raw stroke to continue the bloodline, make an heir. But, you know, I’m not going to do that.” She steps away from me, wagging the knife in the air. “Because I actually like her. And I’d hate to keep her hostage any longer, so all you have to do to get her back is agree to give up half the Mexico territory. Let me run it my way. I choose which cities I want, and you can keep the rest.”

“You want me to make a deal with you after the shit you’ve pulled?” Draco snarls, shaking his head. “You are still so fucking stupid.”

“No, I don’t think I’m the stupid one, honey,” she says in a singsong voice. “I think if you don’t take this deal, then you are the stupid one. You are outnumbered, Draco. I can have Rico over there draw his gun, shoot you down, and there is nothing you can do to stop me. I could bring this blade across this sweet girl’s throat and you wouldn’t get to me in time to save her. This is the only option you have.”

His nostrils are flaring now, the rage sparking in his eyes.

Silence showers down and I feel my belly twist up in a large knot for him. I know how much Mexico means to him. Having the entire country, his family worked hard for that, and to just hand half of it over for me? No. He would be stupid. His father—my father—would flip in their graves.

“Don’t,” I mouth to him.

A pained expression masks his face as he stares into my eyes. I can read him like I book, and I hate that he’s already made up his mind. I wouldn’t be able to change it even if I tried.

“Only half of Mexico,” he finally grits out. “And we will negotiate which cities you can have. You don’t take my biggest suppliers. You will not kill any more of my men, and you damn sure will never touch her again. Agree to that, and we have a fucking deal.”

Yessica laughs boastfully, her head falling back and her silky red hair shaking. “I swear you are still the same. Trying to negotiate with me while I have you here, under my thumb.” She steps closer to him, so close that it makes me uneasy. Her hand runs down his chest and she lingers above his belt buckle, one finger tapping the gold buckle. “But I can’t forget. You are still Draco Molina. The craziest, scariest motherfucker I know. It would be foolish of me to not agree, wouldn’t it? After all, I can’t kill you. I need you to tell the suppliers I take that they will work for me now. I know they would rather die than side with a woman, so you’ll be there to give them the approval. I can’t kill her either, because then you really won’t agree.” He glares down at her. I watch as she unhooks his belt buckle and then she peers over her shoulder at me.

“You know, I miss this. The fighting. The bickering. What would that sweet girl do if I dropped to my knees right now and sucked your cock, huh? What would she do if I rode you against your will and made you come in my pussy? Forced you to give me your baby while she watched? Hmm?”

My teeth clench and grit together. I’m trying damn hard not to let my emotions sway me now. She got half of his territory. She got what she wanted. She’s been fucking with my emotions ever since I met her, and I’m tired of it.

I remain perfectly still, but the fiery heat I feel in my veins is hard to ignore. Jealousy sets in, tightening in my core.

“Don’t worry. I won’t fuck or suck him,” she laughs, darting her eyes on me. She pulls from him, and I sigh through parted lips. “His cock is a waste of my time, though it was enjoyable a long time ago.”

She walks to me again, gripping my shoulder and shoving me forward. “Take her.” I gasp, nearly tumbling down on my raw palms, but Draco snatches away from the guards and rushes forward, catching me before I can hit the ground. He picks me up in one fell swoop, and as he does, I hear all the guns in the room cock, ready to blast lead into us.

“Settle down, boys,” Yessica says, holding her hands out. “Let’s not make them any more uncomfortable than they already are. Draco, you’ll bring her with you and come with me to my office? Let’s look over a map, decide which places will be mine, yeah? Thiago will be waiting inside. I’ll even give him some water. Keep him hydrated.”

He looks from her to me. He gives a small bob of his head and nothing more.

She looks between us, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “I know you don’t like to feel beaten, Draco, but don’t consider it a defeat. Consider it a victory! I get what I want, and you still get to have a share of Mexico and keep her too. You’ll have a little less money coming in, but you’ll be okay. We both win, really. And all because I gave you mercy. It’s just business.”

Draco doesn’t speak, but I can read the words in his eyes. He is pissed, wanting so badly to unleash the monster inside him. I’m certain if I weren’t here, he would, but he’s holding back, doing his best to remain calm and collected so that I may live.

Do I really mean that much to him?

Giving up half his country.

Coming here to this place— alone —with no weapons, just to get me? He could have let me die and moved on with his life and still have his country, but he came without hesitation. Without fear.

“Let’s wrap this up so we can go,” he grumbles. He places me down on my feet and the men with the guns lower their weapons, taking a small step away.

“Okay, then.” Yessica twirls around and saunters away in her spiked heels. “Follow me back inside, Jefe.”