Victor looked at her as if she’d gone insane. “Of course. Because of him, my brother is dead.”
“Your brother is dead because he behaved stupidly and he got lazy. Because he decided to chase pussy and petty nonsense, instead of embracing what he truly wanted—to take over the Tierra Caliente cartel. I respect that he would never have crossed Emilo, but now…” Laila shrugged, then took a deep breath and went for broke. “I have always thought you were too smart to let yourself fall into his trap. Was I wrong? Are you more interested in paltry vengeance when the goal you both sought, the power you both coveted, is right in front of you? You could oust Geraldo Montilla and be king, sit on his throne and rule an empire richer than most governments—if you focused.”
Victor scoffed. “Montilla has surrounded himself with an army, and Emilo’s remaining men are too few. They are demoralized. Too many have left because the money no longer flows.”
“Excuses. Fix it and do what you should to achieve the dream on your brother’s behalf. Reign in his memory. Or are you afraid?” she baited him.
His face shouted, but his voice was a quiet hiss. “I am afraid of nothing.”
“Good. Then do what is important.”
“Why do you care if I take down Montilla and rule his empire?” Victor’s eyes narrowed as he had the audacity to grip her chin and force her gaze to his. “You hate me.”
“I do.” If she lied about that, he would never listen. And she refused to invite or stomach his advances again. “But I can help you take down Geraldo Montilla.”
He narrowed his dark eyes. “You lie, puta.”
“It is true. Since I have slept under the enemy’s roof, I have learned things that will help you.” Not a lot, but she would make things up if she had to. Whatever it took to divert Victor’s attention from Trees and keep her family safe. “Things you cannot possibly know. Things that will turn the tables. But if you are too weak to pursue your dream…”
“I am too weak for nothing,” he spat, gripping her chin harder. “I can rule. I will rule.” His eyes burned with resolve. “And you will help me.”
“You will need me.”
A smile crept across his face. “Yes. Start on your knees.”
She rolled her eyes. “So quickly you revert, giving up your goals for petty pleasures. It seems you are not ready to become the next head of the cartel, after all.”
“I am. You know that, or you would never have suggested I take over.”
She’d suggested it because she could manipulate him into weakening Geraldo Montilla, perhaps even taking the kingpin down, which would ensure her family’s safety. But it would probably mean Victor’s death, too.
The perfect end.
“True,” she lied with a smile. “But if you want the empire and you want my help claiming the throne, there must be changes.”
His eyes narrowed. “Such as?”
“First, get your hands off me.” She jerked her chin out of his grasp. “I am your partner, not your whore. Not your punching bag. Do not ever touch me again. Are we clear? If you cannot manage that, I will tell you nothing.”
“You think I care? Your pussy, while sweet, is hardly the only one. Since you left, I have been relieving myself with girls in a nearby village. They are happy to slake my lust.”
Laila would bet anything that when Victor said girls, he meant that literally. He liked them young…
Swallowing down her distaste, she flashed him a smile. If he expected her to care who he fucked, he was sorely mistaken. “So you agree? You will not touch me.”
“Of course.” He waved a dismissive hand. “You are hardly irreplaceable.”
Then why had he chased her across Orlando just last week, intent on recapturing her so she could warm his bed again? But Laila didn’t point that out. She just thanked the heavens that his vanity and ambition outweighed his desire for her.
“Then we are in agreement. We are partners with one goal. You will not touch me. If you forget our agreement, I will pull the trigger.”
“Don’t threaten me, chiquita.”
When he made to grab her face again, she pressed the gun to his forehead. “Do not threaten me, Victor.”
He scoffed. “You think I could not wrest that gun from you? Are you still that naive?”
“You could,” she acknowledged. “But then you will never know what I know. You will never be king. And you will never give your brother the tribute he deserves.”
Victor hesitated, then backed away with a grunt. “All right. Keep your guns. I don’t care. Now tell me everything.”
“Not so fast. I have more demands. Not only will you not touch me, you will leave my sister and Jorge alone.”
He shook his head. “The old man wants them. If I seize them first, I have a bargaining chip—”
“You will not need them. There is another one, a better one,” she insisted, making things up as she went.
But then she realized it wasn’t untrue. She could use the Edgingtons’ sister, Kimber, to her advantage—all while helping to win the woman’s freedom. If she finessed Victor just right, it would work.
“You lie.”
“I do not. But before I tell you more, you must agree that my family is off-limits.”
“If you’re not lying to me, if you know of more effective leverage, then I agree. I have no use for Emilo’s shrew or his snot-nosed boy.”
Laila tried to hold down her giddiness. She almost had Victor where she wanted him. So, so close… He just had to accept one more condition. “Excellent. You must also abandon this pointless revenge against the man who has been keeping me here. He is simply a paid operative doing his job.”