Ruthless Savior - Julia Sykes Page 0,63

see you smiling.” Isabel’s tentative statement pushed through my new, tempting thoughts as she accepted the drink I offered.

“I’m glad, too.” I sighed happily and settled down on the couch, seating myself across from her.

Her thick lashes narrowed slightly, skeptical. She cocked her head at me, studying my face for several seconds before finally speaking slowly, as though choosing her words carefully. “Are you really doing okay? I mean…” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “We haven’t met before, but I know about you. Just a bit. Everyone in the cartel has been made aware that Carmen is worried about your safety. She thinks you’re lost and all alone somewhere, and she wants you found. She thinks Raúl is helping her.”

Her eyes darted around the huge, empty lounge, checking to make sure no one was listening. “But he has you here with him. He’s been lying to Carmen and Stefano. When he told me you were here…” Her chin dipped, making her big eyes seem larger than ever as she fixed me in her worried stare. “Are you really okay, Marisol? You can tell me. I can help you.”

“I’m fine!” I insisted, making my own quick inspection of the room. I heaved a soft sigh of relief when I confirmed that Raúl wasn’t lurking anywhere nearby. If he heard Isabel offering to help me escape, he would probably lose his mind; just like when he’d torn after me in a feral rage when I’d tried to run from him in the woods.

“Seriously, I’m fine,” I said in a calmer cadence. “More than fine. Raúl has been amazing. He’s been keeping me safe here, that’s all.”

She pressed her hot-pink lips together and shifted in her seat. Then, she straightened her spine. “He shouldn’t be hiding you from Carmen. Even if he is treating you well, this isn’t good. Carmen truly cares about you, and she’d be furious if she found out Raúl’s been keeping you locked away in his house.”

“It’s not like that.” Even as the protest left my lips, unease stirred my gut. She was edging very close to the uncomfortable truth. “He doesn’t want a conflict with Carmen and Stefano over me. He’s going to tell them he’s found me eventually.”

“There wouldn’t be a reason for a conflict at all if he’d just taken you safely to Carmen as soon as he found you. How long have you been here with him?”

I tried not to squirm under the weight of her scrutiny. “I’m not sure. Three weeks, maybe? But really, it’s been wonderful. Raúl’s done nothing wrong.”

Her delicate features firmed with determination. “If he’s not doing anything wrong, then why would he have to threaten me to keep his secret?”

Her challenging question hit me like a punch to the chest, knocking all the air from my lungs. “He threatened you?”

She nodded grimly. “He reminded me that my family is on shaky ground with the cartel after Daniel’s attempted coup.” Her lips twisted around her brother’s name, but her ire remained focused on Raúl. “He knows I didn’t have anything to do with it, but he still implied that I could be in serious trouble if he wanted to sway Stefano against me. Raúl is a brute, but he has a lot of power within the cartel. He could have me killed with a single word.”

I shook my head in immediate, vehement refusal. “He wouldn’t do that. No, listen.” I cut her off before she could interrupt me. “I know Raúl can be intimidating. But he wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. When he told me how Daniel had left you at home during the assault, with no warning to protect yourself, Raúl was furious. He was enraged that your brother had put you in danger like that. I’m truly sorry if he’s scared you with threats, but I promise he would never follow through with them. He just wants to delay Carmen finding out that I’m here with him. He says things would get tense with the cartel if she knows.”

“But that’s exactly my point. Why didn’t he take you to her right away? Why has he been keeping you here in secret?” She speared me with a significant stare. “What is it that he wants from you?”

My cheeks flamed, and I cut my gaze to the floor. “It’s not what you think. I want him, too. I did want to get back to Carmen when he first brought me here, but I was just scared. He’s proven