Malo - Page 57

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she says.

“I miss her, don’t get me wrong,” I reply. “I wish she was still around, more than anything, sometimes. But my father… he’s done everything he can to make sure I never missed out on anything since she passed. He’s been both parents to me.”

“He sounds amazing,” she replies.

“He really is,” I agree. “I hope you’ll get to meet him, soon enough.”

“That would be nice,” she murmurs, almost wistful, like she couldn’t quite imagine it happening. I have to cling on to the hope that it will; I need to believe he’s going to be okay, that he’s going to walk out of all of this in one piece, even if it sometimes feels impossible.

My heart pangs when I think of how far he is from me—God, so far, it sometimes feels like I’m never going to get a chance to see him again. I know he must be feeling the same way right about now, feeling the weight of the doubt hitting him hard. After everything we’ve been through, I need him to keep his faith in me—need him to put his faith in me just like I have been able to put my faith in him my entire life. It might not be easy to believe that there is a way through this, but there has to be.

There has to be.

“You’re from Mexico, right?” Bella asks.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Tell me about that place,” she tells me, smiling, shifting the conversation to something a little more positive. “I want to hear about what it was like growing up there. It’s supposed to be beautiful.”

“Oh, it is,” I gush at once. “And where I grew up, especially. It’s like something out of a fairytale.”

The two of us get talking, sharing stories of our childhoods, both of us skipping over the rough parts, focusing on the warm, happy memories instead. She lays her hands on her belly as we speak, as though she’s making sure that her little one can hear all of this. I hope they’re taking it all in somewhat, listening to all this goodness, knowing there’s so much for them to look forward to when they eventually come out into the world.

I keep checking the cameras, almost compulsively. I just need to know what’s going on out there. It takes a while for everyone to gather themselves, but eventually, there’s a contingent of Kings ready behind the front door.

And still only one man waiting outside. It feels… off, somehow. Shouldn’t there be more people by now? Shouldn’t the cartel have sent more in the way of men to start this war off? I check all the cameras, trying to keep my face neutral so Bella can’t see the doubt that was beginning to nag at the back of my mind.

“What is it?” she asks.

She must be able to tell as well as I can that there’s something off here, something strange going on. I’m not entirely sure what it is, but I feel as though every part of my body is on high alert, responding to any perceived threat before it has a chance to get hold of me. I know I need to hold myself together. Beast is relying on me to keep Bella safe, after all, and that’s not going to happen if I start freaking out on her like this, but my gut is telling me there is something wrong. Something really, really wrong.

“Is it just one guy?” Bella asks, and I nod.

About ten of the Kings, including Malo, have stepped out into the entrance of the compound, where this single man is waiting. He’s just standing there, arms crossed over his chest. It doesn’t even look as though he’s armed, but it’s hard to get a good view from where we are. I peer at the grainy screen, scanning the background for any sign that there is something else going on here. It just doesn’t sit right with me.

It feels like a trap.

I force myself to breathe. I’m not going to panic, I’m not going to turn this into some freakout when I don’t actually know what’s happening. The main thing is that we have more men out there than the cartel seems to have sent. But whatever he’s there to tell us, I get the feeling it’s not going to be good.

I glance at Bella, who is speaking softly to her bump, and I remind myself what I’m here to do. I’m looking out for her, protecting her. And I’m not going to let anything distract me from that.

Even if every part of me is screaming that this is a trap, and we’re walking right into it.

CHAPTER 40

MALO

Ifollow Beast and the other men out of the building, toward the single scout who seems to have been sent out to greet us. I glance over at Sin, who exchanges a doubtful look with me. He can tell as much as I can that there is something up here, and he doesn’t like it any more than I do.

The weight of this is pressing down hard on me, and I’m trying to keep my pace steady as I prepare to take on whatever comes next. I have to be ready to fight, I know that. It’s just the core contingent here, the Kings who’ve been with Beast for years, the guys he trusts most in the world. He’s got the people closest to him right here by his side, and he’s going to do everything he can to make sure this first battle goes well.

Though, as I glance around, I realize that the cartel has only sent one man. Though it might seem like a bad idea, just to send a single emissary, it’s a signal of their strength; they know that we’re going to have to shut the fuck up and listen to him, even though he’s not so much as carrying a weapon right now. They’re commanding our attention, whether we like it or not, and I don’t like the thought of what this means for us.

“Who the fuck are you?” Beast bellows, cutting through the silence in the air around us for the first time. The man grins and takes a step forward, out of the shadows, and my shoulders tense as soon as I lay eyes on him.

Fenix.

I know of him, though this is the first time I’ve met him face-to-face. He’s got a reputation as El Serpiente’s closest confidante. If that man can have anything close to what’s called a friend, then this is him, which is why I assume he’s the one who’s been sent out to speak with us right now.