She was beautiful, and she deserved someone who could give her more.
But even knowing that, I couldn’t walk away from her. I was a selfish prick like that.
I didn’t take my eyes off the screen. I didn’t move even as she moved out of shot. I watched the dark screen for any sign of movement until it was dawn . . . her golden cross still in my hand.
Chapter Two
Adelita
Mexico
The tap of a spoon on a champagne glass snapped me from staring, unseeing, at the roses in the center of the table. I blinked, the landscaped garden coming back into focus. Lights had been strung up around the veranda, and all of my papa’s associates sat around the long, extravagant table. I cast my gaze to Diego, who got to his feet—Diego Medina, my papa’s second in command, and the boy I had grown up with.
Diego smiled at the associates. He was dressed, as always, in an Armani suit, his crisp white shirt showcasing his light brown skin. His sky-blue tie sat perfectly over his chest. Of course my maid had dressed me to match—they always did, when my father ordered it. I wore a blue silk Armani dress that fell to my feet. My hair hung down my back in loose waves. I glanced at my papa’s newest girlfriend. She was dressed to match his tie too.
I fought the need to roll my eyes. We women were sitting as the perfectly crafted dolls my papa had made us into . . . a fact that grated on me every single day. Only, Charley Bennett, my best friend, grew as frustrated with this patriarchal way of life as me. Her father was in partnership with Papa. Mr. Bennett was the cocaine distributor for California. It was where they were from. I never got to see Charley nearly as much as I wished. Charley was sitting beside me in her pale pink dress which suited her blond hair, gray eyes and sun-kissed skin perfectly.
As the table hushed, Charley reached out and subtly took hold of my hand under the table for a few seconds before letting go. I cast her a discreet nervous glance. Her eyes widened in panic. Charley didn’t know about Tanner. But she knew I was being pushed toward Diego by my father. And she knew I didn’t love Diego, nor did I want him as more than a friend.
Diego cleared his throat, and I focused my attention back on him. His dark eyes quickly set on me. I froze, uncomfortable, when he didn’t look away. He smiled the smile I had seen countless women fall for over the years. The smile he had been giving me for years, but one I had managed to resist.
I gripped my champagne flute tighter, nerves suddenly accosting my body. “You all know me around this table. You all know me as Alfonso Quintana’s right-hand man. You know me as the man who would die for this family. Our businesses.” He paused, then turned his entire body to face me. I cast a quick, unsteady glance at my father. He was already watching me, a small, proud smile on his face.
A fire ignited in my blood and traveled directly to my heart. My heart raced in frantic, irregular beats when I realized what was happening . . . when I realized what Diego was about to do.
“What many of you don’t know is the man I am in private.” Diego’s head tipped to the side slightly as he looked at me adoringly. Lovingly. The same possessive look he had cast upon me from childhood. The grip on my champagne glass was the only thing keeping me from falling apart. From showing my nerves and my fear. But I was Adelita Quintana. I was my father’s daughter and could never, would never, show my fear to anyone. I had never let anyone see me vulnerable . . . except one man . . .
“What you haven’t seen are the years gone by where I have loved and adored a certain woman. A woman I’ve known since we were children. We were raised together.” He laughed and shook his head. “We played together . . . and in all that time she never noticed me. Not until six months ago when she finally agreed to dinner after thousands of refusals. And then we never looked back.” We had only ever kissed a couple of times, and even then, each second had felt