She’d been too distressed for me to murder him in front of her, but I would finish the job somewhere out of her sight; somewhere I could take my time meting out my retribution.
I needed to let Stefano know what I planned before I could act, but I doubted the cartel kingpin would object. Daniel irritated Stefano with his arrogance and stupidity. The kid was already one more insult away from death, anyway.
His family might command money and resources that were valuable to the cartel, but Stefano Duarte hadn’t taken his place as king by allowing slights to go unpunished.
When Carlos Vera died from a heart attack three months ago, Daniel had inherited his father’s wealth. The bastard didn’t yet understand that wealth didn’t necessarily give him power. He’d automatically taken his father’s place at the head of his family, stepping into Stefano Duarte’s inner circle as a matter of birthright.
But Stefano had come from nothing. I’d come from nothing. Power was commanded by ruthless men who took it for themselves. Soft, pampered princes like Daniel either learned that quickly or died.
Stefano let out a calculated sigh. The quiet sound of disappointment immediately captured the attention of every man in the room. “I’d hoped Daniel would come to understand the importance of respect, especially after our recent conversation,” he lamented to no one in particular, swirling the mezcal in his heavy crystal glass. He leaned back in his black leather, wingback armchair, occupying the seat like a throne.
Every nuance of his expressions and mannerisms was carefully crafted to utterly command and control the people around him. He was the scariest fucker I’d ever met. Not because he was physically intimidating, but because he was cleverer and colder than anyone I knew.
He’d clawed and scraped his way to power, and I’d been with him every step of the way. I would never be the smartest man in the room, but I didn’t have to be. Stefano wasn’t exactly my boss—I didn’t take orders from him—but supporting him had made me rich and powerful in my own right. I didn’t see any reason for that to change. His sociopathic nature made him incapable of having friends, but I was his staunchest ally.
I cleared my throat, drawing his attention. His black, shark-like eyes cut to mine, quick and incisive. I met his stare without flinching. The other three men sharing the lavish study with us wouldn’t have dared to hold Stefano’s direct, cold gaze. But he needed me almost as much as I needed him, and he knew better than to expect deference from me.
If I ever chose to turn on him, his control over the cartel would be shaken. He was too smart to risk that, especially now. We’d conquered the Ronaldo cartel and claimed their territory weeks ago. Stefano had taken Carmen Ronaldo as his personal trophy, but the survivors in her organization were vying to pick up the pieces. They threatened the stability of our expanded empire.
My unwavering support was more crucial to Stefano than ever.
“Daniel might be too unwell to attend this meeting.” I struggled to loosen my jaw and mimic Stefano’s nonchalant posture. I never managed to match his cool composure, but usually, that suited him just fine. My short temper and brutal strength made me an ideal distraction. Men kept their wary attention on me and forgot to watch Stefano, who was a much more subtle threat.
I rolled some of the lingering tension from my shoulders and met his hard eyes with a significant stare of my own. “I saw Daniel this morning, and I think there’s something wrong with his throat. He was having trouble breathing.”
Stefano cocked his head and drew his brows together, as though he was worrying over Daniel’s health. But he didn’t so much as blink, and his cold black gaze remained firmly fixed on me. “I wasn’t aware that Daniel was feeling unwell. You should have said something sooner. We wouldn’t have been left waiting, and our meeting would be that much closer to finishing.” He cracked what appeared to be a sly grin, but there wasn’t an ounce of joy behind it; the white flash of his teeth was pure, predatory threat. “I have more entertaining places I’d like to be, and I’m sure you gentlemen do, too.”
I was certain he’d find Carmen’s company more entertaining. Ever since he’d captured the rival cartel’s princess, he’d become strangely preoccupied with her. He’d neglected his usual raucous parties in favor of toying with her in the privacy of his penthouse.
If Stefano were a normal man, I’d say he was behaving like a possessive, jealous lover. A few times, he’d made shows of violent rage when coming to Carmen’s defense. In fact, he’d recently beaten Daniel because the little shit had called Carmen a whore and tried to grope her.