“Untie them, damn it! Please let me speak to her.”
“Ezra,” Claire said from behind me. “Do you know where he is?”
His face fell and I clutched my chest. My heart tightened with a stabbing pain. “What happened to my son?”
“He’s hurt and lost a lot of blood but the doctors are optimistic that he’ll make a full recovery.”
Claire gasped. “Oh no!”
“You see what that woman did?” I bellowed, pointing towards the door.
“I understand.” He placed a hand on my shoulder to calm me. “But I can’t.”
“Please …”
He exhaled and ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Nunes left the room and returned less than ten minutes later. He simply signaled with a head nod and I followed. He led me through a hall and down a staircase, into a space that had one large metallic door.
“You have two minutes,” Nunes mumbled. “Make them count.”
He punched in a code and the door opened. I took the first step into the cold and empty room. Empty except for Pamela who sat at the center in a copper chair. Her hands were handcuffed at her wrists and her feet by the ankles. Her lips crooked into a smirk when she laid eyes on me.
Many years had gone by but she was still a striking woman. She was dressed elegantly in a blue dress, there was a splatter of what I assumed was blood on it—for a second I contemplated whose blood it was—and a pearl necklace rested on her chest.
“You came to watch my fall?” She laughed. “Then let me spare you the trouble and tell you that this is not over, not by a long shot.”
“Why did you come back, Pamela? Why go through all of this?”
Her face twisted. “You bastard! You know very well that I came for our son.”
“Pamela,” I warned, widening my eyes.
She scoffed. “Do you know how close I was to telling him everything? I wanted him to know that you’re not the saint you pretend to be.”
A flash of anger protected me from the shame. Getting involved with Pamela was a mistake, and that mistake led to a spiral of other faults that no matter how much I wished, I wouldn’t be able to take back.
“I told you to stay away from him,” I said through clenched teeth. “Now my son is in a hospital fighting for his life because of you. What kind of love is that?”
“The only kind I know.” Her words were harsh. “You are the coward that got me deported to keep our affair from your wife and brother. I was dropped like a bag of shit in Reynosa, I had no one to turn to and no money. I slept on the streets, ate from the trash, just to survive. Somewhere along the way, I lost count of the times I was raped and beaten by filthy men. I handled it all because I wanted to live. I learned how to play the game and got better at it than anyone else. I built an empire and reinvented myself into Chichi. So, where I come from love, pain, hatred, revenge is all the same.”
A rush of memories flooded my system. I couldn’t shut them off. Each one was stronger than the other. When I arranged for her to be deported, I never imagined any of this would happen. I thought only about myself and how to protect my marriage, my brother, and to keep my son close to me at all costs. My head lowered as if there was a magnet on the ground pulling me towards it. It was shame dragging me down.
“I’m sorry for what happened, but involving Ezra in this was a mistake, Pamela.”
Rolling her eyes, as if she hadn’t heard what I’d said, she continued, “I’m dying.” She bent her head forward and her bound hands strained, reaching for her head. She tugged at her hair and it came off, revealing an almost bald head. “I have ovarian cancer and I don’t have that long to live. Doctors say maybe six months.” A layer of tears clouded her eyes. “All I wanted was to pass on everything I have—had—to my son.” She laughed. “But he double-crossed me and I must say that I am impressed. He seemed so weak that I didn’t even see it coming.” She blinked and tears fell but there was a smile on her lips. “Everything is your fault, Vincent Collin.”
“Just leave Ezra alone. If you want revenge, take it out on me.”
She chortled. A loud, hollow laugh that echoed around the room. “I never planned on killing Ezra. He is my son after all. But I might have hurt him a bit just to toughen him up. And … he has my money. All I wanted was for him to like me. After all the lies you’ve told him over the years, I knew he’d never accept me. I infiltrated his life hoping he’d get to know me. Understand me. And maybe one day he’d even look at me the way he looks at Claire.
“But don’t worry Vincent, you’ll get what’s coming to you. My revenge hasn’t even begun. You will feel my wrath on your skin for what you did to me. That Alexa of yours is a pretty girl.”
The mention of my daughter’s name brought my head up. “You stay away from her or I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”
“Didn’t you hear me? I’m already dying, but even when I’m six feet under or cremated just know that … My. Revenge. Will. Come. And I’ll be dancing in my grave on the day of your reckoning.”
“You bitch,” I snapped, marching towards her and cupped her jaw in my hands. She didn’t even flinch but instead stared straight into my eyes. Her courage never wavered. I could tell she wasn’t lying. She was going to come after my daughter. “Leave my family alone.”
“A child for a child. You took away mine and I’ll take yours.”
I pressed harder against her jawline. My hands trembled and my heart thudded. I slid my hands down to her neck and then brought up the other one. I wanted to squeeze the life out of her. But the door opened and I jumped back, releasing her.
“Time’s up,” Nunes announced. “C’mon, let’s go.” He grabbed my arm and ushered me out.
I couldn’t take my eyes away from her. The smug smile returned to her lips. She blew me a kiss and winked just before the door closed separating the two of us maybe forever.
“How safe is this witness protection?” I asked Nunes.
“Safe.” His answer wasn’t convincing. “From the threats she made, I suggest we speed up the process and get you out of town sooner rather than later.”
“What about my son, um, Ezra?”
“I’ll find a way to keep you informed.”
Embarrassed, I swallowed. “My wife doesn’t know about anything that happened between me and—”
He interrupted and said, “I’m not interested in your family drama.”
I nodded my understanding. He wouldn’t say anything to Claire, but I was sure he heard every word exchanged between Pamela and I.
“Do you think that what she said is true? Do you think she’ll come after Alexa?”
“She could be bluffing, but Rowan is still out there. We know he’s devoted to her so let’s not take any chances.”
My blood turned cold.