Emilio’s tone was calm, laced with a bit of contempt. It had to be Jonas on the other end. He was the only one that called Emilio more than anyone else besides me, and the only one who could change his vibrant mood from a moment ago to the subtle angry one I heard now. “Marcus can handle him. He’s dealt with that family before. Send him.”
The voice on the other end spoke calmly, but did amplify in sound as they repeated their request. What did Jonas want? I wanted to ask Emilio about it immediately, but couldn’t risk Jonas hearing me talking to Emilio, for he’d surely question who his brother was with.
“Marcus left for Juarez last night? I wasn’t informed.” Moments ticked by. “Very well, I’ll get right on that. No, you don’t have to send anyone. I have my team ready in case anything like this happens…yes, I already know.”
With that, he hung up and let out a long tired breath.
“I have to go.” He jumped from the bed and grabbed his clothes, throwing them on before heading toward the bathroom to check his hair.
“What’s going on?” I asked. Damn it, Jonas. He was interrupting us more and more. Even when he was out of town, he always piled on more errands for Emilio than ever before. Some were petty, some missions pulled him away for days. I hated his control over my love and wanted to make him stop it already. But there was nothing either of us could do. Our hands were tied if we were to keep Jonas in the dark.
Still…
“I can’t tell you.” Emilio stuffed his shirt into his pants, straightening out the lines so they were on par with the ones in his slacks. Just like that, he transformed from a wild lover in bed to a slick and sophisticated businessman.
“Why not? You can tell me anything. You know I won’t breathe a word to anyone.”
The water ran in the bathroom where he splashed water on his face and brushed his teeth.
“I can’t tell you anything about this. It’s a private family affair. It’s been a long going problem, and I’ve been waiting for the word from Jonas to do this mark. Sorry, but it’s better if you don’t know anything at all.”
I pressed my lips together, hoping I wouldn’t spew out some crazy jargon that I’d regret later.
“Alright.” I hugged my knees, still wrapped in bed sheets. “Do you think he knows?”
Emilio came back into the room, fixing a button on his shirt. “Knows what?”
“About us?” I drew my knees up tighter to my chest, feeling my heart flutter under it like a manic beast. If he knew, he’d be doing this to us on purpose…to spite us. But, on the other hand, if he did know, wouldn’t we already be dead?
“No. He doesn’t have a clue.”
Why did I doubt that so much? The look of hatred he threw at Emilio at the last concert we did at Echo Park made me cringe and shiver under the covers from imagining what Jonas could do to us, if pushed too far. Like kill us. Would he? Would he off his own brother? I prayed he didn’t, but even if he couldn’t, he would definitely off his unfaithful lover…me. Betrayal in the Cartel was extremely frowned upon. I sighed.
“I hope you’re right.”
Emilio leaned down and pushed my messy waves back away from my face. I studied his light brown eyes in the deep twilight of the night. I didn’t want him to go. My insides screamed to tell him to stay with me and never leave, so we could run away to where no one could ever bother or find us again.
“Don’t worry, you look much better when you smile, Preciosa.”
His lips met mine, the kiss deepening, awakening the very spots inside that now craved his scent, his presence alongside me at all times. He was my drug, and I was his willing victim.
“Call me when you can.”
He got up and headed toward the door, but turned back and gave me a sexy wink while giving me a mouthful of brilliant white teeth against his light brown skin as he smiled.
“I’ll be back faster than you know.”
With that, he was gone, but his words were not of comfort. Why did this dread within tell me that he wouldn’t be back one day, and it would all go spiraling down the drain like dirty water in the shower. How could I make these morbid thoughts go away? My body shook, and as I listened for the main door of the house to click shut followed by the deadbolt since he had a key to my house, I let the tears slip out.
It wasn’t going to be okay. I knew this. It was just a matter of time until it would break down and the sky would fall.
Chapter Thirty
Audrey
Jonas twirled his fingers around a worn pencil. It looked like he’d erased a thousand words with the rubbed off eraser dull and the short lead, sharpened it until only a third remained of the stick. I gulped as I waited for him to speak since he’d called me away from Random’s cave in the studio. I hadn’t expected him to visit the studios—he never did. Why now? Why was he here? Luckily, Liv was here with me, so if he questioned her presence when I was here in the studio, he could plainly see that she was here with me now. Why wouldn’t she have been here all along on all sessions prior to this one?
The pensive look on his face as he looked through some paperwork sprawled across the desk made me cringe. I hated being kept waiting on bad news. Maybe it wasn’t bad news; maybe it could be good news. No news ever was taken well when one had to wait for it. And he was a master at delaying the inevitable.
“Random told me that your single Crave is going to be the first one out, is that right?” His eyes flicked up from the paperwork to meet mine. They were the darkest obsidian right now, probably just a deep brown, but in the harsh fluorescent light in this office, they looked like beads of slick oil, ready to choke me in their embrace.
“Yes. We thought it’d attract the most audiences.” My voice cracked, making me clear my throat afterwards.
“Does Liv agree?”
I nodded, furrowing my brows and curious to why he’d have only me here yet ask me what I think Liv thinks. Strange.
“Yes.”
“Tell me, Audrey.” Jonas leaned back in the chair, his Armani suit perfectly pressed with subtle elegant details to it as his hands landed onto his thighs. He crossed one leg over the other as he scrutinized me from across the desk, looking somewhat tired, like he’d not slept the night well. A five o’clock shadow caused his face to look even thinner than usual. Though well kept—his hair neatly in its place, his suit ironed with stark crease—there was a certain discontent about him that radiated into the air like a buzzing bee ready to strike. I swallowed down the sudden fear it raised in me, and I had to look away from those dark sharpened eyes that dug into me like claws of a vulture in its prey. He scared me more than I’d ever admit.
“Does Liz tell you everything?”
I shook my head. “No. Sisters never tell everything to their own flesh and blood.”
He smiled, erasing some of the rigid lines from his features. I struggled through a slow, calming breath before meeting his eyes again.
“Very true. Everyone has their secrets.” He gave me a smile, a wicked knowing one that dug at my conscience. It took all my strength to keep breathing and appear unaffected.
I clenched my fists, relieved he couldn’t see them on my lap from behind the desk.
“Has Liz mentioned anyone else she could possibly be seeing?” He remained still as he scrutinized any action and every move I made.
“You mean in a romantic way…besides you?” I prayed my face wouldn’t betray the fury that was bubbling inside my chest, prepping me to jump across the desk and scratch Jonas’ eyes out. I shrugged. “You know…we’re really busy. Who has time to see anyone? I barely see much of Saul. We’re so busy with the album, it’s pretty much sucked our social lives away.” Tighter and tighter my fists held. Was that a sheen of sweat forming on my forehead? I hoped not.
Jonas watched me pensively, the fire in his eyes dying away as he pondered my words. Moments passed and he began to stare off into the distance. I never wondered what someone was thinking as much as I did at that moment.
?
??‘Crave’ is perfect. I want you guys to choose the lineup for three singles to release almost back to back. Choose wisely. Random will keep me updated on your choices for final approval. I hope you guys are within the timeline for a release date of July.”
I nodded, my fists unclenching as I finally choked a breath in. “Yes. We’ll work on the list, and we’re definitely within that deadline.”
He gave me a curt nod, looking distracted before he suddenly leaned forward, snatching hold of my arm which I’d used to lean on the desk. Damn.
“If you’re hiding anything about Liv or know anything I should know about, and you knowingly withhold this information from me, you’ll suffer just as much as she will. Tell me and I’ll be merciful on you both. Understood?” he snapped while digging his fingers into my flesh. I tugged to no avail, trapped under his unrelenting grip. Grimacing, I wanted to grab a pen off the desk and stab him with it, but I stilled, knowing fighting would get me nowhere in this place, surrounded by his posse, if I hurt him.
I lifted my eyes and met his dark ones, feeling the wrath he could very well impose upon us all rippling beneath the surface, diminishing my will to fight. But I had to fight, not just for me, but for Liv and Saul. To save us all.
“I understand.”
The moment my answer left my lips, he abruptly let go and turned away, looking even more flustered toward the wall as his hand rubbed the stubble growing on his sharp jaw. There was a shaken fury boiling in him, and I feared the worst as I rubbed away the vile pain his fingers had inflicted on my arm.
“Very well, you can go now.” He dismissed me with a careless wave, like ordering away an underling while smoothing out his shirt and sleeves. “Send Liv in. I want to speak with her briefly before you guys get to work today. There’s still so much to do from what Random tells me.”
I jumped from the chair, taking one last hurried glance at Jonas before yanking the door open, never relieved to leave a room as much as that very moment. Still, I managed to catch the door and close it slowly behind me before it slammed shut and possibly angered him more. I was panting from holding my breath and praying my heart wouldn’t jump from my chest. Jonas looked like he was going to either pounce on someone like a panther to sink a pair of unforgiving canines into their flesh, or break down screaming. I didn’t want to be there for either event, and it was better to warn Liv of his mood than to risk her unnerving Jonas even more. He was too dangerous to be petty with, too temperamental to push too far.
I never wanted to push him that far. Who knew what he was capable of with all the power of the Cartel behind him? I stumbled forward past his guards as they gave me an even colder stare down. It sobered me up and got my feet moving as I made my way out of there.
I walked briskly down the hall, a few of the workers peering out of their offices to watch me pass. They all worked for someone named Jorge, who reported to Jonas. I don’t know how this business is run, but Jonas didn’t directly own it; he just backed it financially for his cousin Jorge Rodriquez. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Jorge yet.
I banged open the door to the studio where all heads turned toward me. “Liv,” I hollered. “Jonas wants to speak to you in the conference room number one.” I watched her grit her teeth as she stood up and headed toward the door without protesting. Before she could leave, I grabbed her arm and gave it a firm squeeze.
“He’s not in a good mood. Be careful,” I whispered low enough for her ears only, accompanying it with a look she knew meant to tread with caution. She met my eyes, scanning them knowingly before she nodded slightly, and I let go. She disappeared behind the door without a word.
At least being sisters had its advantages. Our practiced looks honed over years of conning and swindling our way through life paid off in moments where words needed to be as few as possible.
I hoped she took my warning to heart. Saul and Random were already working on one of the tracks without so much as glancing our way. I slipped down onto the seat Liz had vacated, feeling her warmth radiating from the cushions. Peeking down to my arm to find the blooming bruises in the shape of fingers already angrily forming across my skin, I cursed, hoping Jonas wouldn’t explode on Liv if he’d found out about Emilio. I hoped he’d never find out.
So many things to wish for.
Chapter Thirty-One
Liv
“You wanted to see me?” I peered past the crack of the door to the conference room where Jonas awaited. With Audrey’s warning in the back of my mind, I proceeded slowly past his body guards outside the room and did the same as I entered once he waved me in. He looked pristine, as he usually did—clean pressed white suit, shoes shined enough to see your face in the sheen, manicured nails and no hair out of place, despite the small amount of stubble on his face and dark circles under his eyes. He could definitely pass for a Cartel boss, a malicious and cold one.
“Please, have a seat.” He motioned toward the chair across from him, and I slipped down into it, trying to keep my eyes focused on Jonas. His dark brown eyes studied me hard, digging into my soul, burning, yet oddly undressing me at the same time. I was used to his hungry gaze. I’d seen it many times already. He’d touched me so many times, caressed my skin and ran his hands across every crevice of my body, sent zinging pleasure to my very core. Yet, even so, he was more a stranger to me than a person lost in the audiences we performed to almost every weekend.
It was this abyss between us that kept things awkward for me. I wondered sometimes if I could’ve loved him if not for Emilio. Jonas was debonair, full of manners and prestige. He could make anyone feel like a lady or debutante. Though I preferred to wear my rock and roll garb of tight jeans or leather pants, cropped tops or fitted vests with scarves galore along with dozens of bangles, long earrings and studs strewn through my ears with layers of makeup on my face, he preferred I tone it down and wear more dresses with him or conservative suits when I was around his business partners at parties or meetings.
He was fierce under that pristine exterior.
It wouldn’t be so bad, but I knew what truly laid behind those hungry eyes—those shiny irises that looked unnatural in the artificial light of the conference room. The slight sheen seemed to reflect my very soul and showed me what I feared the most. Jonas had to know something of Emilio and me by now. But how much? We’d been careless, thinking Jonas had stopped looking for any kind of breech between him and I, a divide to keep me from him. It could be that it was involving Emilio, his younger brother, that caused him to pull the wool over his eyes more than if it’d been some other person with me. Regardless, I was full of fear and struggled to keep from shivering.
“What’s going on? We’re in the middle of arranging the songs on the album. We’re just about to make the final…” I started.
“I want to know something,” Jonas interrupted.
I closed my mouth, which was still hanging open from speaking. “What do you want to know?”
Here it comes…
“I don’t miss much. I let things slide when I want to. Nothing happens around me without my permission. But…there’s only so much I will tolerate.”
I cleared my throat, trying my best to look nonchalant.
“That’s reasonable.”
“Emilio!” Jonas called out behind him. From a door that led to another room, Emilio entered the room and came to stand next to Jonas, looking straight ahead, a rigid expression pasted on his unmoving face. I guess it wouldn’t seem out of the norm to see him with Jonas. Now, though, there was a body guard who followed closely behind him, in case he didn’t follow through with coming to see Jonas. This was highly suspicious.
“Yes, brother?”
Jonas chuckled, getting to his feet to give Emilio a warm embrace, though it was all for show. I could tell, seeing that his body wasn’t into it and how Emilio didn’t move away or toward him, but let him embrace his body, bringing his arms up around his brother in a subtle response.
“Ah, Emilio. My little brother. M
y most loyal of friends.” I gulped as I watched the interaction between them. Jonas patted his brother on the back before he sat down and offered him a chair that the same body guard had just brought into the room. It never escaped my notice that he didn’t place the chair next to me to face Jonas, but next to him instead.
My heart was jumping in my chest, and I tried my best to keep my breaths even and calm, even though every alarm in my head was going off like a six alarm fire station.
“Emilio, my brother,” he repeated, as though he was trying to assure himself that it was true. “Tell me, Hermano, has keeping the Westing sisters safe been hard on you?”
Why was he doing this in front of me? I narrowed my eyes, wondering what he was getting at. Praying…praying hard it wasn’t going to go the way I thought it would.
“They can be a handful at times, especially this one.” Emilio nonchalantly waved a languid hand toward me, as though I was just a small nuisance to take care of. “But it’s really not a problem. We keep everyone in line and as safe as possible. The shows can be somewhat chaotic if not disorganized.”
“I see.” Jonas rubbed his chin, thinking on Emilio’s words. I wondered why they never went over the aspects of the work he had Emilio doing; protecting my sister and me at the shows and escorting us around the state. He was going to expand on his security detail once we went on tour in the coming weeks across the country, so…What the hell was going on here?
“Is there something else you need from me?” Emilio let his voice slip out haughty and gruff, but noticed his slip, clearing his throat to cover it up.
“Yes, actually.” Jonas slammed his hand on the desk, making everyone in the room flinch. “I have more important matters for you to attend to in Mexico. You no longer will be assigned to the sisters. Here…” He handed an envelope to Emilio and gave him a curt nod as dismissal.
“What?” I blurted out. “But Emilio heads up all the security. Starting over is going to be a mess with whomever you choose…”