line—where I watch Diego open a hidden doorway. There aren’t any latches or knobs, but a panel of the fenceposts swing open when he presses in a particular spot, allowing us into the yard.
“Enjoy your little adventure Rapunzel?” Jovan teases as we step down from the golf cart.
Following behind Diego, I wrinkle my nose at Jovan and flip him the bird.
8
Diego
I don’t encounter my sister until hours after Elena’s escape attempt. Reviewing the security camera footage, I clearly saw Marcella speak to Elena, then pretend not to see her running for the fence. I’ve been in a foul mood all day—ever since my daily workout was interrupted by a phone call. I would have missed it if I hadn’t been taking a break between reps on the bench press. There wasn’t time to think; I ran from the workout room while barking orders on my phone, fury pushing aside muscle fatigue. The golf cart was waiting the second I stepped through a set of glass doors off the side of the house, with Jovan and one of my security team inside. Chasing Elena down was more of an annoyance than anything else, but I preferred it to having to search the island for her.
Everything I told her about the inescapable security of the island was true, but had she stumbled on the wrong person or found her way to the wrong house, she might have slipped right through my fingers.
Before locking Elena back in her room, I had that goddamn window boarded over from the inside, hopefully discouraging any further attempts at a risky, stupid, impressive escape. From there, I went off in search of the person partly responsible for my prisoner getting over that fence, but she had made herself scarce. I went about the rest of my day fuming over the incident and taking my anger out on everyone around me.
There’s still plenty of it left when Marcella appears in my private nook at Calentar. I spend at least three nights a week at my club—not to manage it; I have a business partner who keeps the music current, the specialty drinks interesting, and the dancers who work here plentiful and sexy. My position on the elevated balcony overseeing the first floor is for the convenience of cartel business. Anyone who wants an audience with me knows I can be found in this very spot Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. I’ve just finished approving a loan of five hundred thousand to the desperate owner of a shipping company—one that will see me better rewarded than the idiot agreeing to my terms. Control of the shipyards along the coast ensures easy entry for my cargo, so it pays to have a man like this in my debt.
Marcella appears at the top of the stairs, flanked by two of her school friends. It’s hard to push aside deep affection for my little sister. Since my mother first let me hold her, newborn and tiny and fragile, I vowed to move heaven and earth to keep her happy and safe. I was only thirteen at the time, but Mother made it clear that once my father took his last breath, I became the man of the family.
A few months shy of her twenty-first birthday, Marcella has grown into a beautiful woman—one who turns heads wherever she goes and makes me want to twist every one of those heads off their necks. She didn’t inherit our dad’s height like I did, but a pair of four-inch, red heels elevate her a bit. She’s wearing a dress to match the shoes, and it leaves little to the imagination. I’m seeing more of her cleavage and legs than I’d prefer, which means all the guys within these walls are getting an eyeful and thinking about things that would make me want to rip their balls off. It’s irrational to look at her face and still see the little girl who used to follow me and Jovan everywhere when we were kids. She’s a woman now—a college student, and one of the toughest people I know.
Every man around me keeps his eyes averted and sits up straight as she makes her way toward me. They might be heartless criminals who treat women like disposable toys, but one thing we’ve all had ingrained in us is respect for the wives and daughters of our world. Marcella’s mafia-princess status ensures she’s treated like the Queen of Sheba everywhere she goes.