Ruthless Savior - Julia Sykes Page 0,16

your mouth until you’re ready to beg for me to finally kill you.” My cruel, pitiless grin widened. “You’re welcome to scream as much as you want. You’ve been a dead man ever since Marisol said your name.” I slammed my fist into his shoulder again, savoring his scream. “Daniel could’ve killed her. Or are you going to tell me that was all his plan, too? That you had nothing to do with him attacking her?

“Don’t bother lying,” I hissed when he opened his mouth to offer more evasions. “She told me he forced her to take him up to Stefano’s penthouse. She told me you were in on the plan. How else do you think I knew to find you here, while Stefano goes to rescue Carmen from Daniel and Miguel Armendariz? You knew Marisol would be hurt. You knew she’s under my protection, and you should’ve realized what I’d do to you when I found out.” I drew my knife from its sheath, letting the light glint over the blade. “You’re not going to die for a long time.”

“No!” he shouted, his wide eyes fixing on the wickedly sharp steel. “She wasn’t supposed to get hurt. She was in on the plan. Wait, wait!” he babbled, more lies spilling from his lips. “I admit I knew what Daniel was planning. You know that already. But I swear, Marisol wanted to escape from the cartel, and she was happy to help. She knew everyone loyal to Stefano would be slaughtered, so she jumped at the chance to get free. That was her deal with Daniel. He planned it with her. I swear, I swear…” He trailed off on a sob, but his poisonous words had already worked their way into my mind, tainting my memories of what had happened with Marisol this morning.

I’d found her in Daniel’s arms. It’d seemed like he’d pinned her there, but she’d welcomed me seconds later, eager to allow me to hold her curvy body in place for our kiss.

And she’d stopped me from killing him. She’d begged for his life. I’d thought my timid captive couldn’t bear the violence, but she’d been protecting her accomplice.

Arturo didn’t know what had happened in that hallway. He didn’t know that Marisol had softened and melted in my arms.

But he did know that she was a traitorous, deceptive little liar who was willing to send me to my death in order to get away from me. She hadn’t wanted my touch at all. She’d been manipulating me, buying herself and Daniel more time by distracting me with her pliant mouth and sweet sighs.

My burning rage surged to sear the inside of my chest, leaving ashes on my tongue.

I’d protected her. I’d cared for her, as I’d never cared for anyone. I’d stupidly allowed myself to indulge in the laughable fantasy that there was even a shred of goodness in me and that Marisol had seen it.

The darkness at my core closed tighter around my heart, squeezing out all my delusions and crushing the needling pain that’d momentarily stabbed deep at the realization of her betrayal.

Marisol had deceived me. She’d left me for dead and run from me. She might already be miles away, glorying in her freedom while she imagined my gory death.

My arm swung in a brutal arc, and Arturo’s hot blood splattered over my face as my blade slit his throat. I dropped him, barely noticing that I’d killed him far more quickly and mercifully than I’d intended.

There was only one target for my retribution now: Marisol.

Chapter 6

Marisol

I kept my hand tightly clenched around the cash in my pocket, thumbing the remaining bills as I stared out the bus window. I hadn’t let my fingers slip from the pesos even once since I’d walked out of the pawn shop in Mexico City.

Purchasing a bus ticket to Juárez had been a risky decision. Not only had it taken nearly half the funds I’d procured, but there was CCTV around the bus station. Raúl would easily be able to figure out where I was headed if he really wanted to track me down.

If he’s still alive. The cruel little voice had been tormenting me for the last twenty-four hours, ever since I’d fled from Stefano’s building and out into the unfamiliar city. I’d never been allowed outside the drug lord’s fortress. When I’d been captured alongside Carmen all those weeks ago, we’d been forcibly taken directly to his building from her remote estate on the west coast.

Catching