Spiders in the Grove (In the Company of Killers #7)(46)
“I would never kill my brother,” he lies. “I may be envious of him, but I’d never betray him.”
I smile, knowing, taunting him because we both know the truth: Joaquin is, simply, a coward—that’s why he never tried to kill Javier himself.
“This isn’t even about me,” he snaps, slashing his hand through the air in front of him. “This is all about you, La Princesa”—the bitterness in his voice is thick—“and I have you; and you’re a stupid, conceited bitch if you think my brother isn’t going to rip you apart when he sees you.” He crouches in front of me. He’s smiling now; he suddenly sees this situation differently: Javier will reward him! He’ll commend him for being the one who captured me after all this time! Joaquin won’t be punished, or executed; he’ll become something more to his older brother—Javier will see Joaquin as his equal! Those are the scenarios I see running through his mind right now as he looks at me. I just hope he isn’t right about any of them.
“So then, where is he?” I ask, wanting to get on with it.
“Why did you come here?” His dark eyes glare at me. “To kill him? To kill me? You’re going to die tonight anyway; might as well get it off your chest.”
“I’ll tell you for the conversation,” I say. “I only came here to find a man. A powerful man. A man worse than you or Javier could ever imagine being.”
Joaquin looks mildly interested; he crosses his arms.
“And did you find him? Was it worth it, seeing as you are where you are now?”
“I believe I did find him,” I say. “Where is Naeva and Leo?”
Joaquin smiles. “Thought you wanted the conversation? Dodging around the details doesn’t get you far.”
“What else do you want to know?”
“What’s this man’s name? The one you’re looking for?”
“I can’t tell you that. Maybe if you were the rightful owner of the Ruiz Empire, I could indulge you a little more. But you’re not. And as long as Javier is alive, you never will be.”
His face falls under a shroud of resentment; his hands ball into fists at his sides, and he turns, heading for the exit.
“I can help you,” I say, and Joaquin stops in the doorway, his back to me. “The fact that I’m still alive right now; the fact you didn’t kill me on that stage when you had the chance; the fact that Naeva and Leo are still alive simply because I threatened you with them, it’s all proof that you know, even after all this time, I still have some sway over your brother. Now, I know that Javier is not an emotional man; he’s not one to talk about feelings, or open up to others, but I can tell that the very mention of my name in Javier’s presence gives the secrets inside his dark heart away. I can help you, Joaquin, but you have to help me.”
After a moment, Joaquin turns to face me again.
He smiles, close-lipped, and shakes his head, expelling a brief spurt of air through his nostrils.
“The reason I should control my family’s empire,” he says, “is because I’m immune to the lies and tricks and manipulation of women—unlike my brother.”
He leaves the room, closing the door behind him.
Half of me thought there was a chance Joaquin would help—he’s greedy enough to betray his brother, there is no doubt—but the other half of me knows that Joaquin is more coward than greedy, and there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d even hint to helping.
Now I sit here, bound to this chair in a silent room where my thoughts and worries are so loud inside my head I can’t hear the voice I usually go to for comfort. Will Cesara get into the room and kill me now that I’m alone? What is happening to Naeva? To Leo? Can I get myself out of this alive? Was it a mistake coming here? What will Javier do to me when he sees me again? Javier…Javier…Javier. He is and always has been the demon on my back, the ghost lurking in every shadow of my life, the thread holding all of my lies together. I remember that night so vividly—I’ve never been able to forget it, no matter how hard I’ve tried. The truth is always there to haunt you. It demands to be heard. The truth…the truth…the truth…
Texas – When it all began…
Trembling, I opened the closet door and made my way through Samantha’s bedroom, down the hall and into the living room where Javier was waiting for me, gun in-hand.
“Ah, and there she is!” Javier raised both hands out beside him; he looked genuinely excited to see me. I thought he was crazy.
“I missed you, Sarai.” He cocked his head to one side. “If you were unhappy why didn’t you just say so? I’d have done anything you wanted, you know that.”
I didn’t care about what he had to say, all I cared about was making sure Samantha was all right. Trying to keep my eyes on Javier, I scanned the room in search of her. Finally, I saw her bare feet sticking out from behind the recliner.
“Samantha, are you OK?”
She didn’t respond so I knew she was hurt pretty bad.
I looked back at Javier. “Let’s just go—please, she has no part in this.”
He smiled at me, thoughtful but amused.
He was wearing black from top to bottom: long-sleeved black shirt, black belt, black pants, black shoes, black heart. He raised his gun at me and motioned for me to go over to him.