Maddox moved to Damien’s side, his eyebrows raised, a smile on his face. “You’ll give up everything for this guy? Your entire drug business, everything you’ve worked for, just gone?”
Damien obviously had no idea what Maddox had asked for in return for his life, and his eyes widened in fury at what his stupidity had cost me.
Asshole.
“I already said yes, didn’t I?” I wanted this deal to be over, to forget this god-awful night ever happened.
“Just want to make sure you’ll keep your word,” Maddox said. “Because if you don’t…there will be consequences.” He pulled a short blade from his pocket and sliced the zip ties that restrained Damien’s wrists. Then he ripped off the duct tape plastered across his mouth.
Damien bolted for me, moving across the grass and returning to my side where he belonged. He struggled to move, his body beaten and bloody. Some of my men came to his aid, swung his arms over their shoulders so they could get him into the back seat.
I continued to stare at Maddox. “Sofia is my wife. Find someone else.” I shouldn’t bring her up, but I needed my adversary to stay away from the most important thing I possessed. “She’s mine until I’m gone.”
He cocked his head slightly. “When I was told she was available, she seemed unencumbered.”
“I know Gustavo never told you that, so disregard your source. He’s an idiot.”
“It was Gustavo. You don’t believe me?”
Would that man really betray me? Did he find Maddox a more powerful ally than me? Should I care about the opinion of a dead man?
“Now that you’re finished, why would she stay? Her husband is now an ordinary banker, nothing special, easily forgotten. She’s used to a powerful man, used to fine luxuries. One day, she’ll get bored of you…and she’ll look for someone better.” He gave me a wink before he turned around and got into the car. His men followed suit, piling into their vehicles and driving away into the night.
I watched their taillights move all the way to the road miles away. The nighttime air was chilly across my neck, probably because my temperature ran at the heat of a furnace. My men piled into their cars, but I remained behind, unable to accept what had just happened.
It was over.
I sat beside Damien in the back seat, but it didn’t feel like old times.
I was so fucking pissed.
My eyes stayed out the window, my body pivoted away from him because I didn’t want even his shape in my peripheral vision. I’d just thrown away everything for him, but I still wanted nothing to do with him.
Damien had always been a talker—but now he was dead silent.
Because he knew he fucked up.
We drove back to the city, made our way through the streets as we headed to his home.
My phone rang. I glanced at it with no intention of answering it. The last thing I wanted to do was talk, to say anything at all. My mouth would run, and I would make death threats to someone who didn’t deserve it.
But it was Sofia.
Since my rage couldn’t displace my concern, since it couldn’t wash away my fear for the woman I loved, I took that call so damn fast. Damien had been taken from me, and I couldn’t imagine how shitty I’d feel if she’d been taken too. “Baby, are you okay?” That was all I wanted to know, all I needed to know.
“I’m fine.” Her quiet voice entered my ears, subdued like she was tired but too jolted to go to sleep. “You’re the one I’m worried about.”
“I’m fine. We’ll talk when I get home.”
“Is Damien okay—”
“I got him back. But we’ll talk when I get home.” I hung up.
Damien leaned his head against the window, breathing heavily because he was battling the pain all over his body. “Don’t be a dick to her.”
“Wow…” I kept my eyes out the window. “How about you try not being a dick to me?”
He sighed. “Just don’t take it out on her. You’ve worked too hard to push her away—”
“Shut the fuck up.” I turned my head and looked at him, my jaw so tight, I actually strained the cords in my neck. My eyes twitched from widening so far. Just looking at his goddamn face made the adrenaline pump through every inch of my body. “Don’t tell me how to treat my wife. She can wait until I get home, wait until I’m calm enough to carry on a conversation. You’re the one who needs to learn how to treat people, how to listen to what the fuck you’re told.”
He rested his forehead against the glass. “He almost killed me—”
“That’s your fault. I told you to back off. Now look what happened. Everything we’ve built is gone.” I snapped my fingers. “Like that.”