He was once the monster in the dark—the man who haunted my dreams and stole my happiness. He was once a man I loathed—someone I would never be able to forgive.
That’s what I thought.
But the man who was once a monster in the dark has become everything I’ve ever wanted. He became the only ray of sunshine I had—my only hope. He was the one who restored me—the one who showed me what I was capable of and who I really am.
He is the only reason I still wish to live.
Without him, I may as well be back in that shed again—chained. Broken. Beaten. Starved.
Without him, I may as well be dead.
Someone taps my shoulder, and I pick my head up, focusing on the box of tissues. My eyes drift up to Emilio’s, whose face is calm and complacent. I take the box, but I don’t use the tissues. Instead, I look out of the window, tears staining my face, as he sits in the seat across from me.
He’s quiet for several minutes. It’s not awkward, either. He probably doesn’t want to say the wrong thing, and honestly, I couldn’t care less about what he has to say, unless he decides to turn this jet around—which I know he won’t do.
Forget what I said earlier. I need to get back to Draco.
“I grew up with Draco,” he says, voice low.
I continue staring out the window.
“He is not a bad man—well, not so much.”
I side-eye him.
“You want to hate him. I get it. But he was right, Patrona. He is doing this for you. He can’t see anyone else that is close to his heart die. His mother isn’t even in Cabos anymore.”
That gets my attention. “Where is she?”
“Somewhere Hernandez will never find her,” he says. “Just like she won’t find you. Draco wants to make sure of it, which is why you shouldn’t come back. Your family knows you are on the way.”
I swallow hard. “Great.” Sighing, I slouch back in the chair, swiping a finger beneath my eyes. “Can I get a bottle of water, please?”
He nods, pushing out of his seat and going for the galley. He returns with two bottles of water, one for himself and another for me. I crack it open and chug most of it down as he sips his.
“She is a crazy woman,” he says, agitation on his breath.
I frown. “Who?”
“Yessica.”
Brows stitched, I sit up in my seat, in need of more details. “You’ve been around her before?”
“Plenty of times.”
“Why is she out for him?”
Emilio cracks his fingers, sitting higher up in his chair. “Because he broke her heart. And from what my mother has always told me, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”
I blink slowly. “How did he meet her?”
“A territorial deal.”
“When?”
“When he was twenty-two.” He holds my gaze, and I stare back. He knows I need more.
“Tell me the whole story, Emilio.”
“It is not my story to tell.”
“I don’t care. I’ll never see him again anyway. I want to know how much of a threat she really is to him—why he never goes into detail about her with me.”
Sighing heavily, he swipes a hand over his brow, lowering his gaze. “They met when they were twenty-two. Draco had started a new trade with a highly respected mayor in Venezuela. Yessica was an assistant for the mayor. She was from Mexico, always looking for her next power role—or at least, riding the coattails of the most successful men, to try to claim hers.” He swallows thickly. “Jefe stayed in the mayor’s mansion for three nights. He needed to earn his trust, and of course the mayor’s assistant stayed there as well.” Emilio’s eyes harden, focused intently on mine. “Do you want me to keep going, Patrona? I don’t want to hurt you or your feelings with what I am about to tell you.”
“Keep going,” I command, my voice scratchy, foreign to me now.
He runs his tongue over his bottom lip. “Yessica stayed in the mansion, and I was there as well. My room was next to his, but I always kept my door open to keep an eye on my boss. I would see her come while everyone was sleeping, and go to his room. Sneak in there. I would hear her moans of pleasure. Hear him cursing at her to get out, but not really doing a thing to stop it. I think he was having fun. Enjoying it.”
I cringe inside, shutting my eyes for a brief moment. “Keep going.” My words come out quick, biting.
“They became closer, and by the time he had to go, she begged him to take her with him. At first he refused, but Yessica is good at seducing. I know because she tried to seduce me too.” He grips his bottle of water, pulling his gaze away from mine. “So she told him that she would do whatever he wanted. That she’d work around the house for him, take care of him in ways only a woman can. She was all in for Jefe, and he liked that. He liked women who were willing to beg.”