She laughed, knocking her bony hip against me. “You’re a protector, Brody. You always have been. It’s what made you such a good prosecutor. You take on everyone else’s problems as your own, but when you can’t defeat them, they consume you.” She looked up at me, the corners of her mouth turning down as sadness filled her eyes. “It’s why you have so many demons.”
Out of nowhere Adriana’s words came rushing back.
“You don’t want me, Brody. What you want is redemption. You have a damaged hero complex, and you think saving me will absolve you of your sins.”
But she was wrong. I wanted it all, and I was starting to believe that despite everything, I could have it. Saving Adriana wouldn’t absolve me of my sins but repenting for them would.
I placed both hands on my sister’s shoulders, her doe eyes still looking up at me. “I never asked for your forgiveness.”
“You’re the only one blaming you for what happened,” she said, holding onto my wrists. “The only one you have to forgive is yourself.”
“I’m not sure how to do that.”
She gave me a bright smile and glanced up while nodding over my shoulder. “I think you already have.” It was instinct that had me turning around to see Adriana pressed against the second story window. Leighton moved her hand on top of mine and squeezed my fingers until I turned back around. “Six months ago, you wouldn’t have let her close enough to risk another demon. Salvation comes in many forms. Sometimes it’s in the shape of your biggest regret.”
My chest tightened as I processed her words. I asked for forgiveness, and she gave me clarity. A clean slate.
Wrapping my arms around my baby sister, I kissed the top of her head and rested my cheek against her blonde hair. “How’d you get to be so smart?”
She chuckled, sinking into the hug. “I had a pretty good teacher.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Adriana
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turned away from the window, unable to watch any more of the sibling love fest between Brody and his sister. Not that I wasn’t happy for him. I was glad to see him get the closure he needed to stop punishing himself for other peoples’ sins, but I couldn’t help the torrent of conflict running through me.
I grew up with a brother—at least the man I thought was my brother. We were close as kids. It wasn’t until Esteban died and Manuel became drunk with power that the divide between us grew so wide I could no longer reach him.
But now I had a real brother. One I’d lose by my own doing no matter what I did.
Chills scattered down my arms as sweat beaded across my forehead. The fever was back. My body felt like it had been hit by a truck. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could pretend like nothing was wrong.
“I’ll put you back on top and make sure you live to see it.”
“Shut up!” I yelled, pressing my hands over my ears.
“Interesting. Usually women wait until I speak before telling me to shut up.”
I glanced up to where Val leaned against the door to my room, hands in his pockets, wearing an amused smirk. “Oh, that, I…uh, it…” Pressing the back of my hand against my forehead, I closed my eyes, forcing Ignacio’s voice out of my head while silently praying for the room to stop spinning. “I’m glad you’re here. I have a confession to make.”
And hope to hell Brody didn’t get to you first.
“So do I.”
My revelation died on my tongue, and I stared at him at a complete loss for words.
Seeing he achieved his desired shock value, he pushed away from the door and sauntered into my room. I watched every step, following every shift of his eyes as they scanned everything from the walls to furniture.
“This used to be our mother’s room,” he said finally.
“I know.”
He raised a curious eyebrow, waiting for me to explain, but I didn’t. It was too late, and I was too tired to explain the memories I shouldn’t have.
I shrugged. “Just a feeling, I guess.”
“I put you in here on purpose,” he admitted, running his finger along a thin layer of dust resting on top of the dresser. “I suppose as a test to see how you’d react.”
“Seems to be a lot of tests lately,” I huffed. When he didn’t respond, I braced my shoulder against the tall bed post and cocked my chin. “Did Brody fail one of your tests?”
“Actually, Brody passed.”
Remembering the blood dripping from his nose as he stormed out of the sitting room earlier, I narrowed my eyes. “Your reward system is pretty sadistic.”
Val let out a hearty laugh. “Brody proved his loyalty tonight by telling me something our father would have beheaded him for.”
“But not you?”
“I may be Alejandro Carrera’s son, but I’m not him, Adriana. When the situation calls for it, I can be just as cruel, but unlike him, I have limitations as well as standards. I expect a certain code of conduct from my men, and in turn, I exemplify it. If I’m shown loyalty, I reward it. If I’m betrayed, I show no mercy.”
“What does this have to do with Brody?”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he took slow, calculated steps designed to taunt and torture until finally, his eyes flickered right in front of me. “He confessed to using your true identity in an attempt to keep Eden away from me.”
My heart fell to my feet. “He told you that? And he’s still breathing?”
Pursing his lips, he gave me an unenthusiastic shrug. “I’ve had a long time to process it. I’ve just been waiting for him to grow the balls to face me.”
I palmed my forehead, my vision going in and out of focus. “Dios mío, ¿qué demonios está pasando?” My God, what the hell is happening? “You knew? All this time, you knew?”
He had the nerve to look offended. “Why do you seem so surprised? I’m the boss of the most powerful cartel in the world. I own almost all of Mexico’s officials and most of the politicians in the southeastern United States. Plus, anyone with half a brain knew the minute I left Houston I had half a dozen men watching every move Eden and Brody made.”
“But you did nothing,” I argued, still not comprehending his logic. “You even made him a top lieutenant. Why?”
Val’s calm veneer vanished. “Trust me, if he’d touched her, that would’ve been his last breath.” Once the dark cloud passed, he uncoiled. “But Eden came back to me, and besides, how could I blame him? I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same thing. Love does crazy things to a man, Adriana,” he said, tapping his temple. “Makes him loco en la cabeza.”
Unbelievable.
I sank onto the bed, my body feeling like a sack of lead weights. If the whole thing weren’t so tragic, it would’ve been comical. The one thing that forced Brody into this mess, Val knew about all along.
The bed dipped as Val sat beside me and clasped his hands in his lap. “Plus, how could I kill him when he confessed to being in love with my sister?”
My head snapped to the side. “He said those words?”