in there, cousin?” Eduardo asks. Ah, so they’re cousins.
“He shot himself before I could get to him.” Dante grits out.
“What a fucking coward.” I hiss.
“Agreed. I’m not happy about it . . . but the important thing is that we got you back alive, Amara. I’m sure your brother will be pleased when we call him.”
My brother. For a moment I wonder which one Eduardo is speaking about, but it must be Damon. Lyon and Ashton . . . well, I just . . . I’m not as close with them as I was with Damon. If I can even call it that. We fought like cats and dogs for most of our lives.
“No. Please don’t call him.” I ask, causing Eduardo to stop right in his tracks.
“I’m sorry, I don’t follow.” Eduardo replies.
“I would appreciate it if you don’t call Damon. At least, not yet. I don’t want him to know about . . . everything that’s happened. Please. Don’t call him. I need to . . . process everything that’s happened to me. There’s no way I’ll be able to do that if he’s hovering over my shoulder.
Eduardo gives me a cautious look, like he’s trying to understand why I want this. “Don’t you want your family’s support right now?”
Of course, he wouldn’t understand. “No, not yet. Eduardo, I promise you I will call Damon myself when I’m ready . . . but please don’t inform him before I’m ready. Before I’ve had time to heal from this.”
“We’ll give you as much time as you need.” Dante states, ending the discussion.
I take note of the glare Eduardo shoots in his direction, but I appreciate the support from this stranger. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“No thanks are needed. It’s the least we can do, all things considered.”
Off in the distance I see an SUV approaching us. Eduardo raises his hand and waves it to come closer. The SUV is in front of us within a minute and Dante releases me to go open the passenger side door.
“We’ll take this car, and I’ll send for another to pick up the rest of my men.” Eduardo declares. Dante holds his hand out to me so I take it and step forward, but I start to go down. I suppose my body is even more exhausted than I realized. Dante catches me, holds me upward by hooking his arms underneath my armpits and then fenagles his way to slide one arm under my legs. He lifts me into the SUV and sets me down on the seat.
“Thank you,” I say, unable to come up with the words for how grateful I am to Eduardo and his family.
“It’s my pleasure, belleza.” I blink a couple times after Dante calls me a beauty. Nothing about me feels beautiful. Not with the grime across every limb and crevasse of my body, or with the way my hair is so greasy it’s stiff.
“What’s the plan, Eduardo?” Dante looks to Eduardo.
For the first time since knowing Eduardo, he seems baffled. “I’m not sure. We were supposed to fly to Mexico City, but in Amara’s condition I don’t know that it’s safe. Amara, is it safe for you to fly being so . . . pregnant?”
I raise my brow, loving how he thinks I know this shit. “Do I seem the motherly type to you, or like I have a record of whatever it is WebMD suggests pregnant women follow? Or the guidelines for flights?”
“Alrighty then. We’ll drive to Mexico City.”
“How far away is it?” I question.
“Over nine hours, but we can stop mid-way this evening and grab a hotel. It’ll allow you to get a proper night of sleep and to relax a little.” Eduardo says.
“Okay,” I nod my head, agreeing to this plan.
“When’s the last time you’ve eaten?” Dante asks, looking at me with concern.
I shrug, “Yesterday.”
“We’re going to grab you some food before we leave La Pesca, some water as well. I can only imagine how malnourished you are.”
“Thank you.”
“Belleza, there is no need for thanks here. We’re simply glad we got to you in enough time.” Dante calls me a beauty again. I’ve always known Latino men are much more passionate, but Eduardo never struck me as a man of passion. He was a man who enjoyed toying with my flirtatiousness at first . . . while his cousin is already buttering me up.
Maybe he’s one of those sickos who gets turned on by the baby bump. It doesn’t even matter in the first