close your eyes, can you do that for me? Just close your eyes and trust that I got you.”
She stares at me for a moment, her body trembling as she jerks her chin. I take her hand in mine and wait for her to close her eyes. To trust me. Once she does, I pull her close and lead her into the hallway. Turning her body into mine, I wrap my arms around her and press her head against my chest.
“Keep your eyes closed,” I murmur against her hair. My eyes stretch across the hallway, landing on Joaquin who remains in the same exact position as I left him.
The bodyguard turns to me, informing me he cut all the surveillance cameras but warns me that we need to get out of here, that the cops are on their way.
“Joaquin,” I call, my voice hoarse. “Brother, you have to let her go. We have to get out of here.” Violet moves in my arms, but I tighten my hold on her, shielding her from the sight in front of us.
Joaquin bends his head, pressing his lips to Pilar’s and I look away.
“They killed her, Rocco,” he rasps.
I bring my eyes back to him and swallow.
“I’m sorry, brother.”
“They fucking killed her,” he shouts, lifting his eyes to mine. “Look at her.”
“Joaquin…”
“Please, just look at her!” I tear my eyes away from him and glance at Pilar’s lifeless body.
Christ.
Her eyes are still fucking open.
Suddenly, Violet pulls out of my arms and turns around. I mutter a curse as she gasps.
“Who…” she sobs, unable to finish her sentence.
“Get her out of here!” Joaquin shouts, repositioning Pilar in his arms. I pull Violet behind me and step forward.
“I can’t leave you,” I growl. “You need to lay her down and we have to get out of here. The car is out back, take Violet and go. I’ll grab the guns and make sure the owner of the restaurant gets his story right.”
“I won’t leave her,” he sneers.
“If you don’t fucking leave her, you’re going to wind up like her. Do you really want your sister to see that?”
Those words—paired with the sound of Violet’s cries—seem to penetrate his thick skull and his gaze falls back to Pilar. He bends his head and presses another kiss to her lips before he brings his hand around from the back of her head and with a gentleness one wouldn’t expect from him, he closes her eyes and lays her on the floor.
I don’t give him a chance to change his mind as I charge for him. Pulling him to his feet, I push him toward his sister. Once I get them both out of the restaurant and into the car, I make my way back inside the restaurant to take care of the guns. I pay the owner of the restaurant to destroy the surveillance tapes and threaten to kill his entire family if he doesn’t cooperate and tell the cops that there was no meeting. As far as he is concerned, we were there to celebrate Violet’s birthday when those cocksuckers came into the restaurant with their guns blazing and killed Pilar. Anything that happened after was self-defense. End of story.
And just like that, there’s another tally under my name.
Chapter 10
Violet Cabrera
One minute I was standing in the hallway pissed at my brother and Rocco for keeping me waiting, the next I’m taking cover under a table, watching Joaquin and Rocco shoot to kill. I stared at my brother holding that woman’s lifeless body in his arms and after Rocco forced us into the back of his car, I watched him cry. I took him in my arms but I’m not even certain he knew it was me who held him. Then he was gone. I went to chase after him, but that’s when Rocco emerged from the restaurant, ordering us both to get back in the car. Joaquin wasn’t having it, though. He wouldn’t leave that woman alone. It didn’t matter that she was dead, or that he might get arrested, he was going to hold her for as long as he could.
I don’t know what caused Rocco to give in to him, but he let him go back inside the restaurant. I remember screaming. I remember crying. And lastly, I remember Rocco taking me in his arms and carrying me back to the car. He climbed into the backseat and held me as I cried.
Wake up, Violet.
I pinch the insides of my arms—something I’ve been