Her tears are ripping my soul to shreds. “Don’t cry, beloved. Don’t cry, my angel.” I kiss them away. “I’ll come back to you. I swear it.”
“Youhaveto, Antonio.”
“I do?” I kiss each side of her mouth.
“Yes. Because …”
My heart seems to skip a beat, my entire being focusing on her, on the words forming on her perfect lips.
She looks up, her eyes still swimming with tears. “Because I’ve fallen in love with you.”
16
ANGELICA
Ihold Diablo close and bury my face in his fluff. He purrs loudly, letting me cuddle him as much as I want to. I’ve been lying in this bed since Antonio left. The seconds are dragging by. “Bunch of bullshit,” I mutter into Diablo’s fur. He meows in agreement. “Right? He went and made us love him, and now he’s going to get himself killed. Only I should get to kill him. It’s my right. Not anyone else’s.” Diablo lets out another meow.
“Angelica!” Carina shouts my name. A few seconds later, the bedroom doors burst open. Diablo jumps up and hisses at her, not appreciating her interrupting his pets.
“That punk lets you cuddle him? The hell?” Carina heads toward the bed. Diablo leaps down, slipping under it so that she can’t try and pet him. “Brat.”
“He’s not a brat. He’s a sweetheart.”
“Next you’re going to say my brother is a sweetheart.”
“He has his moments.”
“Wow, you folded like a cheap chair.” Carina plops down on the bed. “I’m disappointed. I figured after you killed him that I was going to be your second-in-command. I was planning on kicking Gilly out on his ass.” She smirks. I’ve noticed any chance she gets, she takes a jab at Gilly. I’ve also noticed how he avoids her, but he can’t help but stare at her when he thinks no one is looking.
“Why, when we can just make them do our bidding?” I try to tease, but my heart is not in it today. So many thoughts of what might be going down at that meeting keep racing through my mind. The man I love could be dying right now.
“Good point.” Carina falls back on the bed to lie next to me.
“How are you so calm?” Over the last week, not only have I fallen in love with my husband but Carina too. She may laugh along with me when I joke around about trying to kill her brother, but I think if I actually tried, she’d slit my throat. Not that I blame her. I’d do the same for my own sister.
“I have faith in my brother and Gilly.” She gives a decisive nod.
“My father has been the devil for so long in my eyes it's hard not to think he can end us all.”
“I’m sorry you had to grow up with that.” She grabs my hand, giving it a squeeze. I welcome the comfort.
Carina can be feisty, but the girl is a marshmallow in the center. I was always feisty and willful at home to draw the attention away from my sister. It was an act I learned to put on. Bianca might have been a year older than me, but she was soft all over. I knew I needed to protect her from my father.
“I can’t lose him.” I let out a long breath, trying to keep my emotions in check. I’m supposed to be strong.
“You have no idea.” Carina rolls to her side to face me. “My brother is sweet with you. He’s been pulling out all the stops trying to lure you to him. But make no mistake about it, the man is lethal when it comes to protecting his family.”
I think back to that day in the limo. It feels like it was almost a lifetime ago, but it wasn’t. A switch had flipped in Antonio. He’d ended those men without a thought or fear in his eyes. He got out of the limo to face whoever it was attacking us. He didn’t rest until he subdued the threat.
My father would have kept his ass put and waited for his men to handle the situation. He would never intentionally put himself in harm's way. I almost want to laugh. Here I’ve been pretending to be rebellious, and my father was pretending to be some strong leader. Everything is such a façade, and Antonio is going to rip the curtain back. I bet that’s why my father tried to sneak an attack. He’s scared of Antonio.
“Thanks,” I tell her, appreciating that little pep talk that spurred my own.
“Anytime.” She winks at me. “Now, I’ve got an idea. Come on, get out of this bed.”
I sit up as she rolls off the side of the bed but lands on her feet with a hop.
“Can’t we lie here a little longer?”