Chapter Thirty-Two

"Are you okay?" I ask Tahani, leaning close so my voice doesn"t carry to the men in the front seat of the SUV.

Tahani jerks her head in the semblance of a nod, but I"m really worried about her. She"s been completely silent since we climbed into Jose Guerrero"s SUV over four hours ago, only speaking when Guerrero gave her the phone to talk to Roman. In four years, this is the quietest she"s ever been. Her gaze has been locked on Jose Guerrero and his driver for most of the afternoon. To be honest, mine has too.

He"s everything I expected and nothing even remotely close. He"s tall and muscular, with close-cropped dark hair and a sharp jawline. If he weren"t so fucking scary with tattoos all over his neck and hands and evil in his eyes, he"d be handsome. He"s older than I expected, in his late twenties or early thirties. Dressed in a suit and tie, he looks as if he"s trying to pass as respectable, but only an idiot would look at him and see him as anything other than the criminal he is.

That same wildness I see in Roman marks Jose Guerrero. Only this man doesn"t leash it. He doesn"t control it like Roman does. Roman is every bit as dangerous, but he keeps that side of himself tightly contained with that iron will and restraint of his. Authority hangs in the air around him, marking him as someone you don"t mess with. With the exception of when he"s fucking me, he"s in control of himself. It"s the complete opposite for Jose Guerrero, I think. He doesn"t rule that wildness…it rules him. No suit and tie or falsely pleasant tone will ever make him more than the dangerous criminal he is.

Julio, the man in the driver"s seat, fits the bill of a cartel member to a T. He"s probably my age or a little younger, wearing a white T-shirt and baggy jeans. His front tooth is silver, and he"s got tattoos all over his face. His eyes are hard, and his face is etched from stone. He"s not nearly as scary as the man beside him.

"This will all be over soon, se?oras tan hermosas," Guerrero says pleasantly, turning in the seat to look at us. He doesn"t even acknowledge Officer Carter, who"s folded into the seat next to Tahani, glaring daggers at him.

When Guerrero"s gaze sweeps over Tahani, she flinches away from him, refusing to meet his eyes. That amuses him, turning his lips up at the corners. It amuses him even more when I don"t cower away from him.

"Chica valiente," he murmurs with a soft chuckle. He"s smiling at me, but it doesn"t reflect in his eyes. Those are hard and unyielding, anger and something even darker glinting in the cold black depths. I don"t understand enough Spanish to make sense of anything he"s said to his driver today, but I have a feeling that anger is directed at Roman. Guerrero doesn"t like that Roman has his girlfriend. If not for that, I think he would have killed us already.

Instead, he"s been…decent. He"s barely paid attention to us, keeping his eyes on his phone. The only time he really even spoke to us was when he asked if we needed anything. When we drove into Santa Cruz, he asked where we should meet Roman. I didn"t want him to step foot inside the condo, so I suggested the restaurant where Roman and I had dinner what feels like a century ago. It was the only other place I could think of at the time.

We"re going to the beach instead. I don"t know what Roman is planning, but I hope like hell he"s come up with some plan by now. I"m not sure how much longer I can keep it together. Every time I start to think too deeply about the fact that Tahani and I are essentially hostages, I want to curl up in a little ball.

Guerrero turns back around in his seat as we pull into a parking lot near the beach. With heavy rain clouds hanging overhead and fat drops falling randomly, the parking lot is mostly empty. Guerrero"s driver pulls into a spot and parks. The SUV that blocked us near Tahani"s didn"t follow behind us to Santa Cruz. Once we got out of Sacramento, it disappeared.

I fight the urge to shiver when Guerrero reaches into the glove compartment and pulls out a gun.

Tahani flinches beside me, a soft whimper escaping her lips.

Julio hops out of the vehicle, pulls out his gun, and then opens my door. "Let"s go," he says, motioning me out with the gun in his hands.

I reluctantly unbuckle my seatbelt and climb out. Once my feet are on the ground, I fight the urge to stretch my cramped muscles, looking around instead. If Roman has people stationed here, they"ve hidden themselves well. Aside from a red Jeep with surfboards lashed to the top and two small passenger cars, the lot is empty. The beach down the hill looks equally as abandoned. I don"t see Roman anywhere.

The wind blows hard, howling through me. I wrap my arms around myself, trying to protect myself from the way it rips through me. A cold raindrop lands on my arm as Tahani climbs hesitantly from the SUV to stand beside me. Her ponytail whips back and forth with the wind, flinging hair into her face.

"Not you," Julia snaps at Officer Carter when he slides across the backseat behind Tahani.

Carter"s eyes narrow, a murderous scowl on his face.

"You"re staying here," Guerrero informs him, stepping up behind me and Tahani. He hovers over us, standing a good six inches taller than me. The gun tucked into his waistband is blatantly obvious to anyone standing close enough to look.

Carter growls wordlessly, his muscles bunching as if he"s about to physically launch himself out of the vehicle.

"Daddy said he"s supposed to stay with us," Tahani says abruptly, turning to Guerrero. She tilts her head back to look up at him, her expression impassive, like she"s just reciting what Roman told her. "He won"t like it if Officer Carter is forced to stay behind."

"Daddy doesn"t make the rules," Julio mutters, earning a frown from Guerrero.

He scrutinizes Tahani"s expression for a brief moment and then sighs. "Very well," he says. "Julio and Officer Carter will accompany us."

A shadow flits through Tahani"s eyes before she schools her expression and nods.

Carter climbs from the car, hovering protectively over the two of us. Guerrero eyes him for a moment, malevolence in his eyes, and then he says something to Julio in Spanish. Julio slams the car door and then points the gun at Carter.

I flinch, barely containing a cry of alarm.

"Move," Julio mutters.

Carter glowers at him like he wants to rip the gun from his hands and shove it down his throat, but he puts his hands up in the semblance of a non-threatening gesture and takes a step and then another. I think he tries to position himself directly behind me and Tahani to offer us a little more protection, but Julio growls at him, forcing him to move away from us.

"Come on," Guerrero says, ushering me and Tahani forward.

We follow behind Carter slowly. Tahani reaches out and slips her hand into mine, squeezing my fingers. I squeeze hers, too, clinging to her. Thunder rumbles in the distance, and lightning crackles above the ocean in electric spider webs.

No one says anything as we walk down to the beach, Julio"s gun trained on Carter, and Guerrero following right behind me and Tahani. I don"t even attempt to turn around to see if he has his gun pointed at us, too. If he does, I don"t think I want to know. Instead, I scour the beach below for Roman.

Raindrops fall faster, splashing against my skin in cold plops as we walk down the steep wooden steps. The beach below is dirty, with trash littering the sand. Aside from a guy on a surfboard out in the water and a couple walking toward the pier, there"s no one around. The wind whips the water into choppy waves that crash against the beach in a pounding rhythm.

As soon as we hit the bottom of the stairs, my feet sink into the warm sand, sending the fine grains into my shoes. I keep plodding forward, scanning the beach for Roman.

My breath catches in my throat, and tears well in my eyes when I finally spot him standing near an outcropping of rocks on the far side of the beach, his back to the water. Dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans with his feet planted apart and a thunderous scowl on his face, he looks even more dangerous than Guerrero and so handsome he takes my breath away.

His eyes run over Tahani and then over me, softening incrementally when they do. Even from a distance, I feel the heat in his gaze as he scrutinizes us, meticulously checking us over to make sure we"re both okay. My stomach flips when his hazel eyes meet mine, scorching hot. He looks like an avenging angel, ready to commit murder.

"What the fuck?" Julio mutters when they notice that Roman"s alone.

Guerrero makes a sound from behind us.

Roman"s gaze moves to Julio and then to Guerrero, his eyes narrowing. The softness leeches out, leaving nothing but implacable fury in its place. His jaw tightens, his hands clenching into fists. But he doesn"t move toward us. He stays where he"s at, forcing Guerrero to bring us to him.

Julio stops a few feet away from him, shoving his gun into Carter"s side, forcing him to stop, too.

Tahani"s hand tightens on mine, dragging me to a stop beside Carter.

"Mila, baby, are you okay?" Roman asks. He keeps his gaze trained on Guerrero and Julio, not even looking at me or Tahani again. His entire body is rigid, his muscles locked tight.

My stomach flutters as his voice washes over me. It"s soft and lethal at once. He"s pissed. Furious. If I didn"t hate Guerrero for making the last thirty or so hours of my life a living hell, I could almost feel sorry for him. Roman is going to tear him apart.

"I"m fine," I whisper.

"Tahani?"

"I"m okay, Daddy."

"Carter?"

"I"m good, man," Carter mutters wryly, his hands still in the air.

"Where"s Selena?" Guerrero demands.

"I"ll tell you that as soon as point your fucking gun away from my girls," Roman growls, eyeing him coldly.

A tremor runs through me at his confirmation that Guerrero does have a gun pointed at our backs.

Guerrero makes another sound in the back of his throat, and then I feel him shift behind us. "Satisfied?" he mutters a moment later, his voice full of annoyance.

"Selena is safe," Roman says. "As soon as Carter walks away with Mila and Tahani, I"ll tell you where she"s at."

"That wasn"t part of the deal," Guerrero says.

Roman"s face is a thundercloud as he glares at Guerrero. Energy crackles in the air around him, absolute fury rolling from him in waves. I"ve never seen him so angry before, and I know this is the Roman who lives in Guerrero"s world. The man who lies and cheats and steals and does what he has to do to survive. This is the Roman who"s more than willing to murder…the one willing to go to war to protect what"s his. This is the Roman kept tightly leashed by that iron will and steely resolve. The one who peeks out when he"s inside of me, fucking me so hard I can"t catch my breath. This is the dangerous man he warned me about, the one he never wanted me to see.

I"m not afraid of him though.

I"m fucking glad he"s here, staring down Guerrero. Because this Roman? This is the man who never loses. This is the intimidating, bossy bastard who"s survived years in Guerrero"s world, living amongst murderers and rapists and pure evil. And this is the man who will get us all out of here alive.

"You burned my house down with my girl inside," Roman growls at Guerrero, taking a step toward him. "You planned to kidnap her." He takes another step forward. "You ambushed her and my fucking daughter, intending to kill them both. There is no goddamn deal, Guerrero. You"re fucking lucky I didn"t put a bullet in your girl"s head as soon as I fucking found her. Keep pushing me, and I will."

Julio shifts nervously, digging his gun deeper into Carter"s side.

Guerrero stands in silence for a moment, eyeing Roman warily. I think he knows how dangerous Roman is. I think he"s afraid of him, not because Roman has his girlfriend hidden away, but because of who Roman is.

They"re two wild animals who have been sharing the same territory for years. Guerrero thought he could encroach and take what didn"t belong to him. He thought Roman was tamed. That he was soft.

He thought wrong.

And now he isn"t sure what to do.

"Let them go, Julio," he says eventually, resignation plain in his voice.

"Fuck that pig," Julio mutters, glaring balefully at Roman.

"Do not test me, Guerrero. I will kill her in a heartbeat to keep that baby away from you and your fucking boss," Roman says, his voice so soft the howling wind almost snatches it away.

Guerrero hears him though. His eyes widen, something close to shock rolling through his system. "I gave you a fucking order," he snaps at Julio, anger thickening his accent. "Let them go."

"C"mon, boss," Julio protests, puffing out his chest like he"s the big man on campus. "Just shoot his bitches and be done with this shit. This pendejo probably doesn"t even have your sister."

His sister?

What the hell?

Guerrero spins on Julio in the blink of an eye, snarling. Rage gleams in his eyes, making him look crazed. Any attempt at looking respectable is gone, ripped away by the hatred swirling through his dark eyes. The cold-blooded murderer peeks out, little vestiges of excitement mixing with fury as he raises his arm. The black gun in his hand doesn"t waver as he aims at Julio.

Tahani screams from beside me when she catches sight of it, her voice sharp with panic.

Carter curses softly and spins out of the line of fire, diving into the sand.

Two loud cracks rip through the air like explosions.

Tahani throws herself to the ground with another loud cry of alarm, nearly pulling me to my knees beside her.

Julio lurches forward and then falls to his knees.

Even though I know the sound was gunshots, even though I recognize the blood spreading across Julio"s white shirt and the gun falling from his hand, ducking for cover doesn"t even register in my mind. All I can think about is Roman. I whip my head from side to side, looking for him, trying to make sure he"s still breathing.

"Get down," he yells at me as he flies past me in a blur of motion.

I drop to the damp sand instantly, and then hear a loud grunt and what sounds like someone falling. A loud cry rings out, and then the unmistakable sound of a fist striking flesh reaches me.

I push myself to my knees and turn just in time to see Roman"s fist connect with Guerrero"s jaw. He"s got one hand wrapped around Guerrero"s tie, with Guerrero on his ass in the sand. Guerrero isn"t helpless, though. Far from it.

His foot connects with the side of Roman"s knee, knocking him off-balance. Roman falls backward, dragging Guerrero on top of him, thanks to his tight hold on the man"s tie.

They roll around in the sand, a blur of flailing limbs, flying sand, and roaring curses. Even then, Roman moves with a deadly grace that steals my breath. He"s hypnotic, ensnaring me as he rages against Guerrero, landing blow after blow to the man"s face and ribs. Guerrero lands just as many, but Roman doesn"t even flinch. A fury like I"ve never seen before burns in his eyes. His cheeks are flushed, his face hard and terrifying.

"You sold your own fucking sister to Francisco, you prick," Roman growls.

"Fuck you, pendejo," Guerrero spits, blood flying from his lips.

Someone wraps their arms around me from behind as I watch Roman strike Guerrero in the face again. I scream and fight like hell, flinging myself back and forth to get free. All I can think is that Julio isn"t dead, and he"s trying to finish what Guerrero couldn"t.

"Calm down, darlin"."

The fight drains out of me as soon as that gruff voice sounds next to my ear. I sag in Officer Carter"s arms, allowing him to lift me up. Like Roman, he doesn"t even notice my weight, instead plucking me up and setting me on my feet like a little kid.

As soon as I"m steady, he grabs Tahani and pulls her to her feet. Once she"s upright, he raises what I think is Julio"s gun and positions himself between us and Julio like he"s trying to keep us from seeing his body, though it"s a little too late for that.

Julio lies face down in the sand, not moving. There are two holes in his back, and his shirt is stained red. His blood soaks into the sand around him, staining it too. The sight makes my stomach roil and roll. I quickly shift my gaze away from him, back to Roman and Guerrero.

Guerrero is on his back in the sand with Roman straddling him. Blood flies from Guerrero"s mouth as Roman"s fist connects with his face over and over again. Each hit causes the cartel leader to grunt and curse, a mixture of English and Spanish leaving his lips in a nonsensical flood. He bucks upward, trying to fling Roman off to no avail.

Roman"s too damned big, too damned furious. "You tried to kill my girl and then went after my daughter, you sick fuck," he yells at Guerrero, not even the rumble of thunder hiding the hatred in his words. "You sent your boys after my partner"s family."

"Mila, you gotta move," Officer Carter tells me, trying to push me into moving away from the violent scene playing out right in front of me, but I can"t.

My feet are frozen, locked into place by the look on Roman"s face. He"s going to kill Guerrero…beat him to death. And that"s exactly what the man deserves for everything he"s done, but I"m not so sure this nightmare will end if Roman kills him.

Guerrero"s people will come for Roman, me, the baby, or Tahani. We"ll never be free.

I don"t want to live like that, and I don"t want Roman, our baby, or Tahani to live that way, either. I don"t want to spend my life looking over my shoulder, afraid someone will come after us because of Guerrero.

I shake Carter"s big hand off my arm and take a step toward Roman.

"Roman, stop."

"I"m going to fucking kill you and your boss. Francisco will never see that baby, you stupid motherfucker," he snarls at Guerrero as if he didn"t hear me. He pants, his chest rising and falling as he tears into Guerrero over and over, not stopping or slowing. He"s like a machine, relentless even though his knuckles are scraped and bleeding. His fist connects with Guerrero"s face again. Blood splatters when he pulls his hand back to hit him again.

Guerrero"s face is bloody and broken. He"s defeated, and I think he knows it, too. He isn"t even trying to fight back or defend himself now. He just lies there, his head rolling from side to side as he moans.

Roman hits him again. The sound of his fist connecting with Guerrero"s face is brutal. Not even the howling wind and crashing waves cover up the sickening crunch of bone or the pained whine rolling from Guerrero"s swollen, bloody lips.

"Roman, stop." I step up beside him and reach out to grab his arm before he can hit him again.

He turns on me with a vicious snarl. I fight the urge to cower from the look in his eyes. It"s as if he"s looking right through me, the piercing hazel of his eyes nearly black with rage. With bruises on his jaw, his lip curled up in a snarl, and blood dripping from a cut beneath his eye, he"s terrifying and terrifyingly beautiful.

Even so, I"m not afraid of him. Not even with Guerrero"s battered, beaten body beneath him and his fist drawn back like he"s going to hit me. Not now. Not ever.

"He"s done, Roman," I tell him.

"Mila?" He drops his arm back to his side as soon as my name leaves his lips. The rage in his eyes dims as he finally focuses on me, seeing me instead of the beaten man beneath him. He pants, his breath coming in harsh pulls.

"If you kill him, you"ll always be looking over your shoulder, waiting for someone to come after you," I whisper for his ears alone. "He"s not worth it."

The battle raging inside him plays across his face, a parade of emotions swirling through his eyes. His jaw is firm, his expression hard. Reluctance rolls off him in waves. He knows I"m right, but he wants to kill Guerrero anyway for everything he"s done. I don"t blame him for that, but if he kills him now, we will never be free.

"I don"t want any of us to live that way," I whisper, talking softly…exactly like I would to a dangerous animal that"s been backed into a corner. Reaching out, I run my hand through his damp hair and then across his bruised jaw. "Please, Roman. Let it go. Don"t give him that power now."

He stares at me for another silent, heartrending moment, and then he groans, the sound agonized. Before I can say anything to soothe his anguish, he"s on his feet, dragging me into his arms.

"Mila," he chokes, holding me so tightly I can"t breathe.

As soon as I"m in his embrace, his hard body against mine, I crack. Everything I"ve been pushing away in an attempt to get myself through the waking nightmare of the last two days hits in one big wave. A shudder runs through me, and then I"m crying, sobbing so hard my throat aches. I press myself closer to Roman, trying to climb his body and crawl inside him so he can"t ever leave me alone again.

"Baby," he whispers over and over, wrapping his body around mine until I"m completely engulfed by him.

As the rain beats down around us and the ocean roars behind us, he holds me closely, protecting me and putting me back together again, exactly like I need him to do. His heart pounds against my chest, a steady reminder that he"s here and it"s over. His familiar scent works through me, reminding me that I don"t have to breathe for him anymore because he"s still breathing for himself.

With his arms around me, steadying me…the panic and fear recede, and my cries slow before stopping altogether. Even then, I cling, refusing to let him go.

"Hi, Daddy," Tahani says a few moments later, looking up at Roman with tears drying on her cheeks. Wariness and fear mingle in her expression, her hazel eyes wide as she chews on her bottom lip. I don"t think she knows what to think about everything she just went through, but the desire to hug her father is right there on her face.

Roman stares at her for a long, silent moment, his expression wavering between guilt and relief. Finally, he curses softly and pulls her into his chest, wrapping her up in a big hug.

Tahani sniffles and hugs him back, her thin arms locked tightly around him.

"I missed you, kid," he says, his voice rough with emotion. "I"m so sorry, Tahani. So fucking sorry."

"Me too," she whispers, sniffling again.

Roman hugs her hard while she cries softly.

I move a couple of steps away to give them a moment alone together. I think they both need to come to terms with everything that"s happened, not just today but in the last few weeks. They need time to heal.

My gaze shifts away from them, landing on Officer Carter. He stands over Guerrero with a gun in his hands and another still in the sand by his feet. His green eyes are locked on Guerrero, watching him carefully.

With raindrops sending blood down his mangled face in rivulets, Guerrero should look more frightening than ever, but he doesn"t. He looks…pathetic. He isn"t powerful as he lies in the sand. He"s just a sad little man who"s lucky to still be breathing. Somehow, despite the beating he took, he"s still conscious.

The compulsion to tell him that he"ll never beat Roman rises swiftly.

"You never get to hurt him again," I tell him quietly, stepping closer so he hears me.

His eyes are nearly swollen shut, but they move in my direction.

"When you"re old and gray, rotting in prison, I hope you remember that Roman beat you. He"ll always beat people like you because he"s one of the best people in this world. You"re just a monster."

He stares at me, his breath rattling in his chest, and says nothing.

I watch him for another long minute, memorizing his bloody face. I want to remember this day when I"m old and gray. I want to remember that, on this day, Roman came for me, just like he promised he would. He found me and Tahani, and he fought for us, just like he swore he would. He beat Guerrero because that"s who Roman is…that"s who he will always be. He"s bright and shining, and all that"s good in the world, and he doesn"t lose to people like Jose Guerrero.

When Guerrero closes his eyes, I look up at Officer Carter to find him watching me, his expression caught between amusement and concern.

"Thank you," I tell him, meaning those words to the bottom of my soul. He didn"t have to get in that SUV with us, but he did it anyway. He didn"t hesitate to risk his life for me and Tahani. I"ll never forget that.

Impulsively, I reach out and hug him.

Surprised, he stands rigid for a minute, and then he hugs me back before quickly moving away.

"You"re welcome, darlin"," he says. He sounds a little taken aback, which makes me smile. I don"t think he"s used to being hugged. But he"s sweet for letting me do it anyway.

Someday, some lucky woman is going to knock his world out of orbit. I have a feeling she"s going to be one of the lucky ones. He"s a lot like Roman…big and protective, a bit scary, but also really sweet.

Thinking about Roman makes me ache to feel his arms around me again. I take a step away from Carter to return to Roman"s side, only to frown when Carter makes a strangled noise in the back of his throat. My eyes rise to meet his just in time to see his widen, horror sliding through his expression. He reaches out toward me.

"No!" Roman yells from behind me, terror in his voice.

A loud crack erupts around me, and then pain slams into me, flinging me off my feet. I hit the ground so hard that my teeth clack together. All my breath leaves my lungs in a rush.

Agony rips through me, leaving me gasping.

My gaze lands on Guerrero. A gun falls from his hands as another loud crack rings out. A hole appears in his forehead, blackening around the edges.

I blink, trying to make sense of what just happened.

"Mila!" Roman roars. My gaze lands on the gun in his hands and then on the terror stamped across his gorgeous face.

Realization hits like a lightning strike.

Guerrero just shot me.

"Roman," I whisper, reaching toward him. The world spins around me, going black around the edges. I whimper, terrified.

The horrified look on Roman"s face is the last thing I see.