Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 54283 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54283 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
I cock my head to the side, staring at him.
"You don't know, do you?" he asks, surprise filtering across his face.
"Know what?"
"She chose you, Leyva. As soon as he confronts her, she'll be on your doorstep," he mutters. "He won't give her a choice. Not after that."
"Fuck," I curse, my heart clenching. "That wasn't what I wanted. It isn't what she wants."
"Yeah, well, shit doesn't always work out that way." He places a hand on the handle to his father's door. "Take care of her."
I nod, watching as he slips inside his father's office. Fuck. I wanted her with me, but not like this. I may have solved one problem and created an entirely new problem.
I scrub a hand down my face, and then turn and make my way back out into the club. As soon as I step out of the hallway, the three fuckers from earlier are on my ass again.
They follow me all the way to the damn doors.
Because I am who the fuck I am, I flip them the bird as I sail through, stepping out into the night.
"Cocky prick," the one who patted me down mutters under his breath.
"You'd know. You had your hands all over it," I call over my shoulder, striding toward the SUV Nicolas has waiting on the curb.
I climb into the SUV and settle against the leather seat as Nicolas merges into traffic.
He glances over at me. "How did it go, príncipe?"
I stare at him for a long moment, searching his face, trying to read behind the familiar lines I've known for half my life. The man who's been my right hand since I was a teenager, who I thought I could trust with anything. But doubt niggles at the back of my mind now, refusing to quiet.
I sigh heavily, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Our rat works for Rojas," I mutter.
Nicolas's eyes widen before he schools his expression. But I catch the flicker of unease, the tightening around his mouth. "Fuck. Do they know who it is?"
I shrug, looking out the window at the city blurring by the windows, neon signs and streetlights streaking in a kaleidoscope. "Probably."
I feel his gaze on me, probing, questioning. But I don't offer anything more. It's a shitty day when I trust Niall Sullivan more than my oldest friend. But here we are.
For the first time since I met him, I'm not sure where his loyalties truly lie. Oh, he's loyal to the Leyva name, I have no doubt. But is he loyal to me? Does he serve Nazario?
I've never had a reason to question it before. He's always been the devil on my shoulder, ready to whisper encouragement or condemnation in equal measure. He's seen me at my worst and never flinched.
But Brynna changed the game. She changed me in ways I didn't see coming. In ways Nicolas never anticipated. Falling for the enemy's daughter? Being willing to destroy everything to keep her safe? It goes against everything I've ever done. Everything I'm supposed to be.
This organization—this empire—is supposed to come before all things. Keeping Rojas at bay and protecting my people has always been the priority. No matter what I had to sacrifice. No matter how brutal, bloody, or violent I had to be.
The people still matter. Keeping Rojas at bay still matters. But Brynna? She's my soul.
Shit. Maybe the whispers were right, and I didn't have one. Not until now. Not until her.
So it begs the fucking question…where does Nicolas's allegiance lie now? Would he side with Rojas if he thought I was losing my grip on the throne?
I hate that I'm even thinking it. But in this world, doubt keeps you breathing. And trust gets you killed.
"Perhaps it is time to cull the ranks, Nazario," he finally says, glancing over at me again.
"Maybe it is, Nicolas," I murmur, closing my eyes. "Maybe it is."
Chapter Twelve
Brynna
I'm prepared for my father's wrath before the front door ever flies open, slamming against the wall so hard family photos crash to the floor. Naz called to warn me what he was going to do. I didn't try to stop him.
Surprisingly, Niall called once it was done. I didn't expect that. Things between us have not been good the last few days. Actually, they've been awful. He hasn't spoken a single word to me. It's killing me, but if he hates me for telling him the truth, I can't change it.
The fact that he called gives me hope that maybe things aren't broken irreparably between us.
I've been waiting in the living room for my father since Niall's call, my hands folded together in my lap, my heart in my throat.
He's barely over the threshold when he notices me. As soon as his fiery gaze lands on me, he explodes. "Tell me he's a goddamn liar!" he roars, flecks of spit flying from the corner of his lip.