I press my lips when he takes a step backwards. He turns, and when the door is shut, I slouch back down on the daybed again.
Thiago is an arrogant shithead, but from what I’m gathering, he’s no fool. He doesn’t want to feel like a traitor. He looks up to Draco, in a sense. I can tell.
For some reason, I believe him when he says family comes first, but I can tell he can be selfish if it comes down to it. I believe they left him alive on purpose—whoever this Hernandez person is.
It was a power move. Keep the closest person alive and unharmed, just to cause a fuss and make Draco paranoid. This Hernandez person knows him well. Almost too well. They knew exactly what they were doing to Draco by setting Thiago free—and unharmed at that.
I feel someone tapping my arm. I roll over with a groan and an extremely sore ass. Patanza is standing above me with clothes in hand.
“Get up. Draco wants you down for breakfast,” she says, tossing the clothes beside my head.
I sit up, rubbing my eyes. “What time is it?”
“You have thirty minutes,” is all she says, and then she looks me over twice before shaking her head with a scoff.
I frown. “What the hell is that for?”
Taking a step back, she scans me again, like she’s wondering what could possibly be wrong with me. “He was just starting to trust you, and you fucked it up,” she finally spits at me and I straighten my back, peering up at her. “You don’t realize how hard it is to gain his trust. You had it, Gia, and now it’s gone.”
“I understand exactly how hard it is,” I retort, standing. “It’s not easy for him, and I get that.”
“No, you don’t.” Her voice is a little louder. “Because if you did, you would have left that man in chains in that basement, and let Draco handle it the way he wanted to, whether you liked it or not. You think you proved something by going against him, but the only thing you really proved is that you don’t want him to trust you. You want him to be wary of you. You want him to have a reason to watch his back while he’s around you. And, Patrona, if that’s what you want, then by God, keep doing shit like what you did down there. But don’t expect me or anyone else around here to defend you when the day comes that he decides you’re not worth it anymore, because we won’t. He is our Jefe. He pays us well, takes care of us, and he has never lied to us or gone against his word. He takes care of the other guards’ families—he pretty much gives us whatever we want, and the only thing he asks for in return is our loyalty. All he wanted was your loyalty!” Her head moves from side-to-side as she takes the first step down the staircase. “The sad thing is, I don’t even know how you can make up for what you’ve done. We got him back, yeah, but he’s still going to lose a lot of sleep over this . . . but I guess it doesn’t matter because if he’s losing it, you are too.”
Before I can speak, she’s storming down the spiral staircase and marching for the door. It doesn’t close, so I know she’s waiting for me outside of it, probably an order he gave.
I look down at the clothes. An orange dress with spaghetti straps and a pair of gold sandals. She also brought my toothbrush, the toothpaste, and my brush.
Walking down the staircase, I make my way out of the library, past Patanza who ignores me at her post, and enter the nearest bathroom. This bathroom doesn’t have a shower, but there is a large basin and a wide mirror. It’s decorated with gold and black.
I freshen up and get dressed in no time, taking note of the cut on the middle of my neck.
When I walk out, Patanza is already standing in the middle of the hallway. “Let’s go,” she says, turning before I can catch her eye.
She troops up the marble stairs and I follow behind her, raking my fingers through my hair. Once I’m inside the dining room, she takes a few steps aside and stands posted at the doors. I look at her for several seconds, but she merely ignores me.
Whatever.
I walk to the table and take my seat, making sure to sit carefully. I realize I’m close to the time deadline because Draco walks in right away, avoiding my eyes as he takes the seat at the head of the table. Mrs. Molina comes strolling in as well with a yawn, taking her seat across from me. The butlers approach the table with hot food and we eat in silence.