“Is Knox onboard?” I ask quietly.
“He hasn’t responded to my texts yet, but I’m sure he will be.”
“I’m sorry for all the trouble I’m causing you. The last thing I want is to drive a wedge between you and your brothers.”
“Knox has always been a pain in the ass. And logical to a fault, but that’s in no way on you.”
“The will could end up being nothing,” I say dismissively. “We really need to be thinking about an exit strategy.”
Zane nods in agreement. “Getting you a whole new identity is easy but finding a foreign country outside of the cartel’s reach will be difficult. Your father obviously has connections with the TSA and the police, and if he doesn’t, it’s only a matter of winning them over with bribes.”
“If only we knew someone who could smuggle me out of the country.” I huff, a ridiculous idea popping into my head. “Do you think the Marrones would be willing to do it? You know, just to spite Esteban and my father?”
Zane crosses his arms. “I’m trying to get youawayfrom the cartel. Why would we team up withanotherto get you out of here?”
“Because the enemy of my enemy is my friend and all that,” I say with a wry smile. “No, I know it’s silly. I’m just spitballing here—”
“Liana!”
I whip around, startled by the thunderous boom of a man’s voice. It echoes off the walls of the house and the rest of the compound, slicing through the air like a knife. I spot a man quickly approaching. I’m not sure how he managed to get past the perimeter fences, but then I remember that Zane sent the patrol guards to deal with another task, effectively leaving the entire property undefended.
There’s an unhinged quality about him. His eyes are wide, his hair’s a mess, his shirt is wrinkled and covered in sweat stains. He makes a b-line toward me, panting hard like he’s traveled thousands of miles to make it here.
Zane pulls me behind him, using his body as a shield. I don’t even have a chance to blink before he draws the gun tucked in his shoulder holster. He trains his sights on the stranger—safety off.
“Stop right there!” Zane snaps.
“Liana, Liana,” the man wheezes. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for years!”
“I saidstopor I’ll shoot.”
I grip the back of Zane’s jacket. “Wait, don’t! Give him a second—” I look at the man. “How do you know my mother?”
The stranger blinks, swallows. I don’t think he’s here to hurt me. “You’re not… You’re not Liana?”
I shake my head, my heart railing in my chest. “No, I’m Willow. Her daughter.”
“Ah,” he says, his expression softening. “You look just like her. It’s so good to see you alive.”
Confusion swirls inside my skull. Who is this guy? What could he possibly mean? Why is he looking at me like some long-lost family member?
“Identify yourself,” Zane snaps. “This is your only warning.”
The man puts his hands up in surrender. He means no harm. “My name is Joseph Marrones. Liana was my little sister. I’ve come to bring you and your mother home. You must come with me. We have to get you as far away from that monster as—”
A gunshot rips through the air.
I scream, the spray of blood forever imprinted onto my mind. His body slumps forward with a violent jolt, slamming into the dirt as the grass soaks all the red.
Behind him, my father stands—smoking gun still in hand.
“Guess who’s back early,” Arturo says with a wicked smile. He snaps his fingers, summoning his personal guards. “Seize them.”
We’re suddenly surrounded by my father’s personal henchmen, outnumbered twenty to two. Someone grabs me by the arm, but they’re quickly introduced to Zane’s fist for their reckless mistake. It’s a chaotic mess, so many people shouting at me, crowding me, attempting to rip me away.
“Willow!” Zane roars as no less than fifteen men attack him at once. He stands no chance against them. They punch him, kick him, beat him into the ground despite his best efforts.
And all I can do is scream.