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“Excellent. Keep me updated. I’m on the next floor up.”

“Gracias, primo.”

I smiled and left again, making my way to Mamá’s room. Arlo and Estován were gone, and Manny sat in the armchair near Mamá’s bed. Tears cut wet trails down his face. He had her hand in his own and was humming the same song as he had in the plane. My heart thumped against my rib cage and I couldn’t stop the smile spreading across my face. I stepped through the door quietly, listening to the comforting lull of his voice, which wasn’t quite like Mamá’s, but was beautiful all the same.

When he finished the last hum, he glanced up at me with those deep brown eyes and I melted. Here I was, a cartel boss, at the mercy of my childhood love. I’d give him everything and anything he wanted.

He stood and walked over to me, sliding his arms around my neck and dragging me down for a kiss. His mouth was just as comforting as his voice, and I fell into the oasis of his presence. The kiss was like a wave of paradise, and the anger seeped out of me like it always did when I was around him.

“You should go home with Arlo,” I whispered against his lips, breathing him in. I didn’t care that we hadn’t showered in nearly a day. He still smelled like home.

“What about you?”

“I’m going to stay here with Mamá. I want someone to be here when she wakes.”

He shook his head and held on a little tighter. “I’m not leaving you. If you stay, I stay.”

“Manny—”

He put a hand over my mouth and smiled. “You stay, I stay. In a lot of ways, she’s my mother, too, Thio.”

I sighed and leaned my forehead against his. “Te quiero.”

“I love you, too.”

* * *

Three weeks had passedand Mamá had woken sometime during that period. I’d lost track of the days, even though Rafael was keeping me updated on our business ventures. Odin had his distribution plans locked in and was already bringing in a good amount of cash, and more stock had come across the border from Mexico and Argentina.

It was a little harder getting it in from the latter, but that was how Maddock’s friendship became useful, other than paying him to deal with poachers. He often smuggled drugs into the country hidden among the legally purchased supplies for his pet store. As far as I was concerned, hurting animals was an unnecessary evil and I’d happily see the hunters taken down. Humans were different. They made their own choices, and if they chose to use drugs and overdose, too bad for them.

When Mamá was finally allowed to come home, we were careful getting her back to the house, even though she flicked our ears a few times over being too cautious. Manny was the best with her, but I think that was because Mamá would never lecture him. As far as she was concerned, he was her perfect adopted son.

They were in the living room laughing about something, and I could hear them from my office. The sound brought a happiness to my heart, but it was interrupted by my phone ringing.

“Sí?” I answered when I saw Rafael’s name flash on the screen.

“Gómez caught Antonio,” he said immediately, excitement in his voice.

I stilled, shock and my own exhilaration jolting through me. I shot to my feet, already reaching for my suit jacket, and while holding the phone against my ear with my shoulder, I slid it on my arms. “How?”

“Don’t know, didn’t get the details. I told him to take Antonio to the safe house.”

I snorted. By safe house, he meant the torture house, a place out in the middle of nowhere with devices of all kinds to make enemies cry, scream, and pass out. I didn’t usually kill people myself, merely watched to make a point, but not with Antonio. Never with him. His death belonged to me.

I walked out the door of the office and down the hallway, stopping into the smallest living room, where Manny and Mamá were sitting together. Placing my hand over the phone so Rafael didn’t think I was speaking to him, I said, “I’m going out for a few hours. Business.”

They had been talking and laughing, but they’d gone quiet when they’d seen me. Manny frowned, and I knew he wanted to come with me.

“Not this time, hermoso. I promise I’ll take you on the next outing. This needs to be done by me alone.”

His shoulders slumped and he nodded. Guilt sat heavy on my chest, but as much as Manny said he’d chosen us over his father, killing Antonio wouldn’t help him in his training. Antonio needed to disappear without Manny ever knowing.

The men were already waiting for me at the car. They must have seen me put on my jacket through my office window, and Héctor, the guard Manny liked, opened the back door for me. I placed the phone to my ear again when I was inside the Rolls.

“I’m on my way. Don’t touch him until I get there. Tie him to a chair.”

“Sí, Jefe. We’ll see you soon.” Rafael ended the call and I settled into the seat. It was at least a thirty-minute drive to the safe house at this time of night. The half moon hung in the air, and it was slightly cooler tonight than usual for California. I liked it; not too hot, but not cold, either. Héctor was driving, with another soldier next to him in the front seat. Another car of men followed us from behind.