Blood Ties (Dinero de Sangre #2) - Lana Sky Page 0,57

that I don’t have to spell it out for you.”

“You’re lying,” I snap. And I have plenty of reason to doubt him, stemming from his own cruel attempts at manipulating me. Besides, I remember something else from the night I was taken. “The indictment was being called off. Tristan told me. They weren’t going to make an arrest.”

Domino’s brows knit together with a swiftness that makes me suspect he didn’t know that tidbit of information. Just when I start to believe that might be true, he shrugs.

“I wonder what else did Tristan tell you? That he was fucking multiple other women? That he was working with your father behind your back? That you were just a steppingstone on his own ambitious career path?”

“And maybe I should have appreciated him more,” I croak. “Because he at least pretended to give a damn about me. Which is more than I can say for you. You want me to be worried that I ruined your little plan, Domino? Well, I’m not. You’ve yet to prove that you’re any better than the hell you claim awaits me. A hell you sold me to—”

“Sir?” The quiet voice, paired with a delicate series of knocks on the door, seems so out of place amid this tension that I lose my train of thought.

Raising his voice, Domino heads into the bedroom. “Yes, Ines?”

“Mr. Jaguar will arrive tomorrow afternoon,” she says. “I will make the necessary arrangements.”

“Thank you.” Domino waits until her soft steps retreat down the hall before he turns to me, snatching my wrist.

“You doubt me? Well, now you’ll get to see firsthand if you’ve made the right choice or not. Don’t you realize?” He yanks me to him, staring me down with eyes like fire. “I can’t protect you this time, Ada-Maria.”

“This time?” I echo hoarsely. “When have you ever protected me? Even once?”

He slams his free hand against my jaw with barely enough restraint to keep from hurting me. He merely forces my head to the side, inspecting me from this newer angle. It provides him the chance to lower his mouth to my ear without breaking eye contact.

“When have I protected you? From the second I set foot in that fucking house, my only focus was you.”

He shoves me aside, and I trip, landing on my knee. As I scramble to regain my balance, I realize exactly how he got in.

One of the large, French-style windows is open, letting in the warm night air. He must have come through it. But why?

The easiest explanation is that he wanted to catch me off guard, but I think it’s more than that, lurking in the reality that a man like him would have no problem breaking through my barriers. Easily.

The only reason he’d circumvent the more violent action is if he wanted to avoid making a scene—and exposing Alexi to his more ferocious nature.

God, I don’t know why the thought stings. It’s so stupid to take offense to his apparent awareness of her. She’s his accomplice, after all.

“You never cared about me,” I say, eyeing one of the many scrapes on my legs that prove that point. “I was an idiot to believe you’d ever keep your word.”

“No,” he growls, advancing toward me. “It’s your turn to keep your word.”

A rustling sound catches the air, and I brace for a blow. Instead, something lands against the floor within my reach. I have to blink just to make sure it’s really here.

He must have had it on him all this time, at least during dinner. Pia’s diary.

If Jaguar’s impending visit has him on edge, then why choose now to bring up the past again?

Because he believes this will be his only chance, a concern that should definitely add strength to the “jaguar is no better than he is,” column.

“You think Pia’s at the house. Her house. Why?”

“It was a guess—”

“You’re not that naïve, Ada,” he snarls. “Neither am I.”

He appears before me, crouched on one knee, his expression like ice, each rugged feature etched in stone. “Give me a reason to believe there might be something in that empty skull of yours worth salvaging.”

I can’t escape the feeling that he’s proposing the dare like a test. Make him value me. Give him something worth saving. Cower and beg.

“You never knew her very well,” I say, matching his soft tone. “Your sister. Because if you did, you wouldn’t seem so puzzled by the breadcrumb trail she left behind. That’s what she did, Domino. She kept secrets. She