The Vargas Cartel Trilogy (Vargas Cartel #1-3)(3)

“What?” A completely fake laugh slipped from my lips. “I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to. It’s obvious.”

I bit on the side of my lower lip. “I’m that transparent, huh?”

He tapped my nose. “Don’t be upset. I think it’s cute you can’t hide your emotions…especially when it comes to me.” He lowered his voice. “I like that you’re mine, and you’ve only been with me.” By all accounts, Evan hadn’t been an angel before he met me, but it never bothered me. Once we met, we clicked, and that’s all that counted anyway. His reputation as a womanizer quickly disappeared, and for the most part, he’d never given me a reason to doubt him.

My cheeks heated and I ducked my head. “You’re embarrassing me,” I whined even as I smiled at him.

“I’m not trying to.” He pressed a kiss on my forehead, and then he opened the passenger door of his car for me.

“If I can leave Eric’s office hours early, I’ll meet you at the bar,” I reaffirmed. I did want to spend time with him. I owed it to him for missing the fundraiser.





Chapter Two




“I can’t believe you dragged me here. This place smells like stale beer and vomit,” Vera said as we pushed our way through the crowd of people.

The band had started playing about a half an hour ago, and I was late, but I still wanted to meet Evan, so I came anyway. I’d texted him, but he didn’t respond.

After nearly fifteen minutes of searching, I spotted a couple of Evan’s friends sitting at a table near the stage. Evan wasn’t at the table, but they probably knew where to find him.

“Hey,” I said as I stood near the edge of the table.

“Hi,” Darren and Matt replied, hardly looking in my direction. My dislike was mutual. At first, I tried to be friendly, but they were a bad influence on Evan. He always drank too much and did stupid shit when they were around.

I tipped my head toward Vera. “Do you guys remember Vera?”

They nodded as though it were too much effort to say anything. Vera hated them even more than I did. Unlike me though, she didn’t hold back.

“I’m going to get us a drink. What do you want?” Vera asked.

“A beer.”

“That narrows it down.”

I rolled my eyes. “Just order two of whatever you want.”

She chuckled as she walked away. “I have the perfect drink.”

I sat at one of the two empty seats at the table. “Have you seen Evan?”

Darren smirked. “I think he went to the bathroom.”

Matt elbowed him and shook his head, his eyes narrowed.

“What?” Darren said. “She asked. I answered.”

“Right,” Matt said, drawing out the word. “You’re totally innocent.”

My eyes bounced between them. Obviously, I missed some important information. “I’ll be back.”

I pressed through the people crowding the dance floor, heading toward the bathrooms located at the end of the hall. Evan and I came to this bar more than a few times to listen to the live music, so I knew where to find the bathroom.

I turned the corner near the edge of the dance floor intending to wait for Evan. Every muscle in my body turned to cement when I saw him. My stomach knotted, and my heart spiraled to a painful stop. I rubbed my eyes, unwilling to believe what I saw at the end of the hallway.

Evan stood at the end of the hall, his body smashed against some blonde-haired woman in a short blue dress, her arms locked around his neck. With his tongue halfway down her throat and one of his hands under her skirt, his body moved against hers in a rhythm that made my dinner lurch in my stomach.

The live music reverberated harshly through my ears. Anger and betrayal pumped like acid through my veins. Hot tears seared the corners of my eyes and my hands fisted the fabric of my dress. I tried to blink away the evidence of my shattering heart and be strong, but the tears kept coming, refusing to leave my dignity intact.

Part of me wanted to bolt for the door and drink enough alcohol to burn the image from my eyes, but the rest of me wanted to rip every last strand of Evan’s perfectly gelled hair from his head.

“Evan,” I yelled, but his name clotted in my throat.

He lifted his head, and his dark eyes locked with mine.

“Hattie, baby,” he said pushing away from the woman. “I’m sorry.” He held out his hand to me—the same one that had been up that woman’s dress five seconds earlier—and I felt something break inside me beyond recognition. My heart? Trust? I didn’t know.

I backpedaled a few steps, shaking my head from side to side, my short hair whipping my cheeks. “Don’t touch me.” A dozen fragmented thoughts collided in my brain, but my mouth floundered. The ability to focus escaped me. Was this the first time he’d cheated? Or did it happen so often that he wasn’t worried about me catching him in the act? Was he dating this woman too? Were there others? Did his friends know?

“Evan,” the blonde woman said as her bubblegum fingernails dug into the skin on his forearm. “What’s going on?”

He snatched his arm out of her grasp, keeping his glued to mine. “Lena, you need to leave. You were a mistake. It’s over.”