Page 6 of The Complete Truth Duet
All of it was the absolute truth.
Which was exactly why two tears rolled down her cheeks as she lifted her hand in the air, spun on a toe, and jogged toward the bus stop.
Cora
“I want Chrissy gone!” I demanded before the back of Marcos’s hand landed across my cheek.
Savannah screamed from the couch as my head snapped to the side. Pain exploded in my neck when my chin hit my shoulder.
His lanky body folded at the hip, and his face contorted like the monster he was. “I don’t give a fuck what you want!”
Once upon a time, I’d been in awe of how beautiful Marcos was. All of that straight, black hair and thick lashes lining eyes so dark that I couldn’t see the pupil. But then again, all the Guerrero brothers were gorgeous.
Dante, Marcos, and Nicolás were the personification of every poor girl’s dream. Tall and lean with chiseled jaws and strong shoulders that were not only sexy but oozing with power. Add to that the flashy cars, expensive clothes, and never-ending string of promises and it made them the golden ticket. But that gold had tarnished all too quickly when I’d discovered the intrinsic evil that was born and bred inside them.
All except Nic.
After catching my balance, I rolled my aching shoulders back and stood my ground. “I can’t deal with her anymore. I’ve warned her, Marcos. Repeatedly. Either she’s gone tonight or—”
I didn’t get to finish. He snaked a hand out and fisted the top of my hair. My scalp turned to fire, feeling like it was going to tear free. I swallowed my cry as he forcefully tipped my head to the side.
“Or what? What the fuck are you going to do about it, Cora?”
Nothing. That was all I could ever do.
But just like his hand in my hair, I had the power to twist Marcos in knots. “What do you think Dante’s going to say if he finds Savannah on the street with Chrissy and starts asking questions about how she got here?”
His jaw became stone, and his black eyes narrowed.
Dante Guerrero. He was everyone’s trump card. The girls used his name to keep johns in check, Marcos used his name to keep me trapped in that prison, and I used his name to keep Marcos on his toes.
We all feared Dante in one way or another. Including Savannah, who was sitting on the couch, her legs hugged to her chest, makeup running down her cheeks. Her body locked up at the mere mention of his name.
Dante was especially her problem since she’d landed on his radar. He did love a beautiful redhead, apparently regardless of her age.
Luckily, he had enough women and drugs to keep him distracted for the rest of his natural life. And, as long as I could keep Savannah out of his sight, chances were he’d forget about her.
Or he’d show up drunk or high in the middle of the night and find her when I was alone and helpless to do anything but watch him take her.
I had two years to keep her out of his reach. Two years until she was an adult in the eyes of the law. Two years in which I could mold and shape her into believing she could do better than this life. Two years until she could avoid being sent back to her even more disturbing parents. One year until she could finally free herself—the way I never could.
Marcos glared at me. And, with pain radiating through my body, I fearlessly glared back.
He knew I wasn’t bold enough to call Dante. But he also knew just how desperate I’d had to be in order to make the threat.
“Fuck!” he boomed, giving me a hard shove that sent me stumbling across the room.
Savannah shot to her feet and caught me before I hit the wall. “Cora,” she whispered through a sob.
Using her to regain my balance, I cracked a smile that caused my busted lip to scream with pain. “It’s okay. I’m okay. Relax.”
She nodded, her messy auburn hair brushing her shoulders. At five-six, she towered over me by at least four inches, but as we both turned to face Marcos, she intertwined her fingers with mine like a little girl, breaking my heart that much more.
Unwavering, I stayed the course. “I need her gone, Marcos. Not for me. Not for Savannah. But for the safety of every girl in this building.”
Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “For fuck’s sake, Cora. I don’t have time to deal with your petty bullshit.”
“Believe me, if this was something I could handle, I never would have dialed your number. But she’s been walking this line for a long time and you know it. It’s time we cut her loose.”
His malevolent eyes slid to mine and the air took on an icy chill as he whispered, “We?”
