“Call me Victor, you no longer work for me, and I’m here to speak with you.” I gesture for him to sit down, and I lean against the railing that surrounds the house. He looks concerned, and to be honest, if I were in his shoes, I would be, too.
“What is it? Is there something wrong with my baby girl?” His eyes dance with emotion—fear and love—for his daughter, and even though I could drag this out just to torture him, I don’t.
“I’d like to marry her,” I tell him bluntly. “I love her, I want to keep her as mine for as long as I live, and I thought it was only respectful to come and inform you of my decision.” I may not sound like the perfect son-in-law, but I know I can make her happy.
Isn’t that what husbands are meant to do?
“Well,” Hector says, rising to full height, “I never thought I’d ever say this, Victor.” He shakes his head, and for a moment, I think he’s going to deny me. What would I do if he did? Kill him? No. Probably not.
“Listen, Hector—”
“If you ever hurt her, and this is coming from my heart,” he says, as he meets my gaze dead on, “I will kill you. I’ll slice you limb from limb,” he promises. There is no mistaking that he would hurt me. But then again, if I ever hurt my girl, I would kill myself, because she’s far too good for me, and I’m the first to admit it.
“You have no reason to worry, Hector. She means the world to me. I didn’t expect it, I didn’t even think I was capable of love,” I admit. My heart is being laid bare on my sleeve, and he stares at me as if he’s trying to decide if he can believe me.
He finally nods, and I breathe a sigh of relief. “You have my blessing,” he tells me. “I’d like to one day see her again.” There is so much sadness in his eyes, and I decide I’ve tortured him enough.
“Well, then you better get ready, I’m taking you to see her right now,” I tell him, which has him snapping his gaze to mine. “She’s in the hospital, she’s been hurt, Rodrigo got to her, and I was too late.” My voice is thick with rage and anger.
“What? What the hell, Cordero? You were meant to keep her safe from that asshole, not send her into his house to get… Oh god! Did he…?”
I nod slowly, even the thought of what he did burns the flesh from my bones, just as I did to his. He paid for his sins; I listened to his cries of agony, and even though he was alive as every inch of his body burned, I wish with all I have that I could’ve put him through more pain.
“My baby,” Hector drops to his knees, and I feel his pain right down to my soul, because that’s how I felt the moment I saw her lying there, bleeding. The doctors thankfully have said she’ll heal, but I don’t know how the mental scars ever will.
“I killed Rodrigo,” I tell Hector. “I burned him alive. His skin melted from his bones.” My voice holds no remorse, no guilt, just pure satisfaction. How can Sofía want me when I’m so cold and callous? I know the asshole deserved it and I would do it again and again without a second thought.
“Thank you, Victor,” Hector smiles at me, grabbing my hand and holding onto me as if I’m his lifeline, just like my girl holds me. I never thought of myself as anything other than a heartless bastard, but it seems that I am capable of feeling something other than hate.
“I didn’t… I couldn’t get to her on time. But I’ll make it right, I’ll fix her,” I vow. There’s no doubt in my mind that I will make sure she forgets what happens. And if she needs to kill a man to get over it, I’ll give her that too.
I should’ve let her kill the bastard, but I couldn’t stop myself from exacting revenge. Nobody hurts someone I love, and I needed to make it known that she’s claimed.
Mine.
“You’re a good man, just like your father,” Hector says, causing me to still for a moment. I knew my father; Luis wasn’t a good man. Well, not completely. He did things that were questionable more times than I can count.
“I don’t know about that.”
“Listen to me, Victor. Your father may have been the head of the most dangerous Cartel in the world. And yes, he may have killed, maimed, and tortured, but he loved his family with a fierceness of a hunter. If anyone dared to touch you or your mother, he would’ve burned the world to get his vengeance.”