Page 47 of Crowned In Blood
I could have lost her.There's no telling what would have happened once her father had her in his clutches.
Did he know she was the head of the Salazar Familia? That if she disappeared, people would search for her? ThatIwould search for her? Or had he thought she was simply a figurehead while someone else ran everything behind the scenes?
No, he probably thought she was disposable, that no one would miss her if she were gone, when that couldn't have been further from the truth.
I braced myself against the wall, then bowed my head to her. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have had to deal with them alone."
She looked away but shrugged. "It's okay. I took care of it. I didn't need any help."
I grasped her chin. "No. It’s not about whether or not you needed help. You shouldn't havehadto go through this alone. I know what it’s like to be alone, to have the weight of the world on your shoulders and feel like the only one you can rely on is yourself."
Her eyes met mine as she whispered, "You do?"
"Yes." My gaze softened as I rubbed her cheek.
"Is that why you came here? Because my situation reminds you of your own?"
"Maybe in a small way, but no. That's not why I broke about fifty traffic laws to get to you."
"Then why?"
“Would you believe me if I told you honestly?" I murmured.
Her eyes drifted to the side.
"That's what I thought." I pulled away, just a little, and for a second, she seemed to lean into me before righting herself, so I stepped close to her once more.
"Stay with me."
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“You can’t stay here.”
“N-no. My clean-up crew is on the way. Everything will be fine soon.”
“That’s not enough. How are you supposed to rest here comfortably? If your father did this once, he'll try it again."
"I can deal with him. There's nothing he can throw at me that I can't handle."
"No one's invincible, Catalina," I whispered softly.
She glared at me, but I knew she would have fought me if I'd spoken to her in any other way.
"I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want you to be in danger, Catalina." I clenched my fists. It was the only way I could stop myself from pulling her into my arms. "Please, stay with me. I have a spare room. I'll make sure you're comfortable there. I?—"
She shook her head. “I have to stay here. For my familia.”
“Then I’ll stay with you,” I growled.
“You can’t. You have your own family to run.”
“I can handle both.”
Fire sparked in her eyes. "No."
"Catalina—"
"No!"
