“I’m not an idiot, Abuela. I know my father has kept me locked away for a very long time, but I’m capable of thinking for myself. What Zane and I have… It’s real. And at the base of it all, we have trust and respect. He would never do anything to hurt me. Not in a million years.”
I take a deep breath, looking around at my grandmother’s garden.
“Natalia told me what happened to her,” I say softly, feeling very much like I’m treading over thin ice. My hand falls to my belly instinctively, my palms hovering over where I think my little ones must be. “About how she lost her children. I know I’m young and I have a lot to learn, but I don’t need to be taught how to love my children. I won’t have them anywhere near cartel business.”
“But the family could provide for you,” my grandmother argues quietly. “They’d want for nothing.”
“I appreciate that, but they’d always be at risk. I intend to provide them with everything they’ll need.”
“How do you plan on doing that?”
“I’ll get a job.”
“Do you have any skills? An education?”
“Well, no… But I can always learn.”
Renata sighs in disapproval, her words slowly eating away at my resolve.Shit. I can do this, can’t I?Why is my grandmother so determined to confuse me?
“I see so much of Liana in you,” Renata says with a gentle smile, the tension in her shoulders and the strain in her voice dissipating. “Her independence, her fire… Very well, my dear. I will not press the issue any further.”
I frown slightly, confused. “Were you testing me?”
“You’ll have to forgive me, Willow. As your grandmother, it’s only natural for me to worry. When this business is concluded, you and Zane have my blessing to leave.”
“I’m pretty sure we were going to leave regardless,” I point out.
Renata chuckles. “I expect nothing less. You’re your mother’s daughter, after all. Now, come and sit. How about a bit of lunch?”
A heavy weight lifts off my chest, relief filling my lungs. I rejoin my grandmother at the table, the tips of my fingers and toes vibrating with excitement. I wonder what the future holds for me, what adventures await. There’s no telling what might happen, but I know that so long as I have Zane at my side, we’ll be able to accomplish anything. I only hope he comes back to me in one piece.
Chapter 34
Zane
We’ve been retired for five years, but it’s surprising how easily we settle back into our old roles. Putting on our body armor and navigating our weapons comes as easily as riding a bike or breathing. My brothers and I spent so many years training it into our muscles, the movements of war and the stress of battle prep, that it comes to us without thought. We move as a unit through the remote jungles of Guatemala, driven forward by a single goal: eliminate the threat.
Knox takes point while Heath brings up the rear of our three-man strike team. We’ve been tracking Arturo and Esteban for two weeks. They’ve been keeping an extremely low profile since the ammunition warehouse incident. If I had to guess, they’re probably feeling the pressure. The Marrones are winning and they’re running out of places to hide. Now it’s a manner of cornering them and finishing the job.
And then Willow will finally be free.
Knox slaps his hand over the back of his expose neck with a hiss. “Fucking bugs.”
“Quit your bitching,” Heath grumbles. “Didn’t I tell you to bring DEET? You never listen.”
“Oh, shut up.”
“Focus,” I growl. “They should have a small compound just up ahead.”
“Are you sure?” Knox questions. “These maps are at least five years out of date.”
“The locals say they saw men matching their description in this area,” Heath says with a casual shrug.
“Oh, yeah. Because we should totally rely on local tip-offs.”
“This region is too dense to map out properly,” I interject. “And our sources have been vetted. They have no reason to feed us incorrect information.”
Knox curses under his breath. I ignore him, trudging ahead. In truth, it does feel like we’ve been going in circles. The jungle is so lush with green that it’s difficult to differentiate the last mile from the next. We’ve been off the trail for a while now, this supposed compound so remote we lost cell service almost an hour ago. There’s no way to call back up should we need it, but I’m confident my brothers and I can get the job done without reinforcements.