Once she was safely tucked inside, I closed the door and faced the assassin.
“You’re the mole.” I didn’t glance at Davien to feel his surprise at my accusation, a ballsy move given that I didn’t have any evidence to support my claim and could potentially get us both killed if I was wrong … or right. But something inside me knew it was him. There were key pieces missing from the whole picture, but I was beginning to understand Alejandro in a way that left me wary of him and his inexplicable ability to know things he shouldn’t. “You found out that Cortez was skimming off the top, ordering extra product on the side to sell without giving Eduardo the profits. You alerted the coast guard to the shipment and had it seized. Then you nominated me for the position.”
To his credit, Alejandro never so much as batted an eye at the claim. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Why?” I asked, ignoring his feigned ignorance.
He considered the question a long moment before answering, “Let’s not forget that I don’t answer to you. You only know what you need to know.”
“He took Mia.” My snarl was followed by a single stride forward, a driving momentum that took even me by surprise, but I caught myself before I could get close enough to wrap my fingers around his neck. “He hurt her. You are as responsible for what happened to her as he is.”
The other man’s eyes flashed, a sure sign of danger, but I wasn’t backing down. He wasn’t the only cold-blooded killer in the group. If he thought I wouldn’t take him and Eduardo out, he had another thing coming. I was pissed enough to destroy the entire organization, burn the whole fucking thing to the ground. I didn’t give a shit if he thought he was a bigger bad ass.
“You’re treading on thin ice, Diaz,” he warned carefully.
“He was going to kill her,” I replied with the same quiet. “Because he thought I turned him in to get his seat. We both know it was you. I want to know why.”
To my surprise, he closed the space between us with slow, measured strides. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Davien hand twitch towards his pocket. I motioned him down without taking my focus off the man now a foot away, studying me with a dark emptiness I recognized from the mirror.
“I do my job,” he hissed, voice just low enough for me to hear. “Whatever the means. Cortez was a liability. No one steals from Eduardo and lives. You know that.”
“You lost him,” I challenged.
“I lost nothing,” he hissed. “I do not make mistakes.”
“He got away from you and you put Mia in danger by not telling me Cortez was still alive and on the loose.”
Alejandro bared his teeth, the first real sign of rage I had ever seen on his face. “Be very careful what you say next, Nero. I have thus far overlooked your disrespect, but I will only tolerate so much.”
I didn’t blink. “Why are you here?”
Something in his features shifted, a subtle discomfort that seemed out of place in his usually confident features. His chest expanded with a sharp inhale that flared his nostrils. Eyes that had been watching me with cold fury swept over my shoulder in a flick he immediately averted as if he hadn’t meant to give that much away, but I knew. I knew even without following his direction where he’d been looking, where his attention had redirected, and his response prickled my unease. Fueled my annoyance. It painted possibilities I refused to acknowledge, realizations that I would not allow.
“She’s mine.”
His eyes narrowed. “I do not want her.” There was truth in the statement, yet the muscles in his cheek bunched with the grind of his molars. That seemed to be all the answer I would receive when he pivoted on his heel and started in the direction of his car. “Hospitals aren’t safe,” he called over his shoulder without slowing his strides. “I will text you a number.”
I didn’t want a damn thing from the man. He was the reason Mia had been hurt, the reason she was yet again placed in danger. But deep down, I knew I couldn’t put all the blame on him. Luis was also at fault. It was just my luck I couldn’t kill them both.
“And so you know,” he stopped unexpectedly and turned to me, “I too was made to believe Cortez had been dealt with. This would never have happened had I been made aware of the situation. It appears we were both misled.”
My exasperation blinked out of existence, replaced by stunned disbelief as I stared at the other man watching me. It wasn’t like Eduardo to keep anything from his right-hand man. It was more astounding that Alejandro hadn’t known. He knew everything. For as long as I had known him, he had always been six steps ahead of everyone else. This error, this misstep put him in an odd, human light I didn’t know how to accept.
“You said you don’t make mistakes,” I muttered, finding my voice at last.
Alejandro’s chin turned up a notch, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully. “I don’t.” His voice echoed over the roar of fire alarms, the collapse of the packing plant under the snap and shriek of the inferno consuming it. It lingered somewhere between dejection and acceptance, as if it were a burden he had to carry. “I correct them.” He stalked the rest of the way to the car. One of his silent goons yanked the door open, but Alejandro didn’t climb in. “Best get on the way. This place will be crawling with cops in a few minutes.”
With that, he slipped into the backseat. The door was closed behind him. In minutes, all we could see was a cloud of dust and red taillights as he was propelled away into the distance. I watched until there was nothing, except the fading light of day painting the horizon a soft, creamy orange. My brain tangled with the lingering residues of our conversation, tugging at the loose threads Alejandro had left behind in his absence.
I didn’t understand the man or his motives, I definitely did not trust him, but occasionally, I was left to wonder if he wasn’t actually trying to help me in some weird, backwards manner. It was an insane notion; Alejandro Delgado cared about no one, not even Eduardo. He was loyal, that much I was certain of, and murderous if he had to be, but something told me his place at Eduardo’s side had more to do with the fact that it was all he knew and not because Eduardo was such a great boss. Like me and Dav, he’d been born into the life, a legacy of sorts. I didn’t know much about his parentage, but he’d always been there, lurking in the shadows, quietly climbing that ladder until he was suddenly at Eduardo’s side one day. No one had seen it coming. No one had even known he existed. But he’d been a faithful soldier ever since. I respected him to some degree, but I wouldn’t invite him to dinner.
“What did he say?” Davien came to stand next to me.
I shook my head. “Nothing that can’t wait. We need to get Mia—”
My phone dinged in my pocket. The text was from Alejandro with the name and address of some Dr. Robert Rachiele. It was followed by a brief message.
“Be careful who you trust.”
“What’s that?” Davien peered over my shoulder at the screen. “Who’s Dr. Robert Rachiele and what does he mean, be careful?”
“No idea.” I sighed, suddenly exhausted. “And apparently a doctor,” I mumbled, thrusting my phone into my pocket and starting for the car.