Bound to the Crime Lord (Dark Mafia Tales #2)

Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Juliette POV

I t had been a full week since the bombshell revelation of his mother. It was so crazy to think just how interconnected our worlds had been before we had even met.

Rosa was one of the many people who impacted my medical journey. She wasn’t a qualified healthcare professional, but her kindness and warmth had always healed the people around her in some way.

To think that this woman who had played such a pivotal role in Manuel’s life had touched mine in such a significant way was… mind-blowing.

I knew her being alive had not just been happy news. It had flipped the entire script of his life. Not only were those psychopathic rebels after him, but they were connected to his mother's fake assassination. The pieces were all coming together, but the full picture was not yet clear. I wished I could help him solve it all as fast as we could, because I feared these people were going to strike again, and when they did, he would be their target.

I didn’t want to think the worst ,but in his world, life meant nothing to them. They could easily take it away at the press of a trigger.

I stared at the TV, but my mind had not been focused on the reality show I had put on an hour ago in the slightest.

My phone buzzed beside me, and when I stared at the screen, I smiled.

“So you remember you have an older sister, after all!” I answered Ethan’s call.

“Are you being needy, big sister? It’s truly unbecoming.”

It felt so nice to hear his voice again. “I wouldn’t be needy if you answered my calls instead of just replying to me through gifs. I get worried, you know. You’re all alone on that side of the world.”

He was silent for a moment before he spoke again, “I’m not alone, though. Manuel’s guards follow me everywhere I go, and I’ve made friends in the facility. For the first time in a long time, Juliette, I feel… normal.”

My heart tightened. I was happy that he was in a good place, but to hear him say those words only made me realize just how much the sickness had taken from him.

“I’m glad you do, E. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you.” I tried to keep the emotion from my voice, but there was a little crack at the end of my sentence. “So, tell me, how have the procedures been?”

My brother took time to explain his treatments and ran through the results he had been getting back. Things were really looking up. And though I missed having him close to me, with all this chaos going on I knew that Switzerland was the best place for him.

I heard the door open and, when I looked to my side, I saw Manuel walk in, looking as tired as ever. He was fully healed from his cold, so I knew that was the result of his workday.

“I need to go, little brother. Manuel just walked in. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Don't make any babies. I’m still too young to be an uncle.”

“Ethan!” I said mortified before I hung up the phone. I could feel the heat kissing my cheeks, coloring my skin.

Manuel trudged his way towards me, his sleeves rolled all the way to his elbows and two of his top buttons undone.

He looked good enough to eat.

He plopped himself down beside me and pulled me into his lap. He buried his nose into the crook of my neck and breathed my scent in deeply.

I threaded my fingers through his fine hair and kissed the side of his temple. It still astounded me just how easy it was for us to fall into this ‘couple’ role. It was like it had always been destined for the two of us. I didn’t feel like I needed to perform for him. I just moved with my feelings, and he followed with ease.

“Penny for your thoughts?” I muttered into his hair.

“No.” He kissed the hallow between my shoulder and neck. “This is enough.”

That was exactly what I feared he would say.

I moved my body away from his so I could grab both sides of his face and force him to look at me.

“Manuel.” I gave him a pointed look. “I know something is bothering you. I want to help, if I can.”

“You can’t, amor .” The usual shine in his eyes was not there, and had been dimmed for a few days now. “This is something that I need to deal with on my own.”

My back stiffened. “What do you mean 'deal with'?”

“I’m going to Mexico, amor ,” he spoke into the thick of the silence.

I allowed his words to process fully in my mind before I lifted my head from his chest and looked at him. I could see the conflict raging in his eyes and casting shadows over his features.

“It’s not safe, Manuel.” I didn’t want him to go. Not only because I wanted him to stay at my side, but because I didn’t want him in harm's way. Which was ironic since his entire day job required him to place himself in harm's way time and time again.

“I need to, Juliette.”

He coated my name with a level of tenderness I had never heard before. Many people called me by my name, but it somehow only ever seemed right coming from his lips.

“I need to find my mother and put an end to The Triad.”

“I don’t want you getting hurt, Manuel. I’m just… I worry for you.”

One side of his lips tilted upward into a soft smirk. Some of the chaos swimming in his eyes calmed. “Why worry about me, amor ? You know I’m invincible. I’m the devil. What does the devil have to fear from mere mortals?”

His words did nothing to ease the dread cementing itself into my bones. “Manuel, be serious right now. You are walking into the very place The Triads is from. What if it’s a trap?”

“You act as if I’m going there without my men. I’m not stupid enough to walk into a war zone without any armor. Mexico is where I’m from, and my family still heavily influences Guadalajara. I will be fine.”

I didn’t know why I was feeling like this, but my gut just wasn’t settled.

“Then let me come with you.” The words just tumbled out of my mouth. But I didn’t regret them at all. In fact, I doubled down on exactly what I had just said. “I can call my boss right now and put in my days. How long will we be there?”

He paused and stared at me. “You can’t leave work.”

“I’ve accumulated enough leave days that I could be off work for the next six months.”

“ Amor , no. It’s too risky. I won’t put you in the path of bullets.”

“I’m in the path of bullets right now. I work in your organization, and I see all kinds of violence.”

“That’s different.”

“No, it isn’t, and you know it.”

Manuel sighed and moved me so he could stand on his feet. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to keep his cool. When he opened his eyes again, I could see the resolve. He was set on his decision.

“You mend my men after the violence has happened, Juliette. You are not in the direct line of fire, and I refuse to be the one who puts you there.”

Too bad for him I was set on mine as well.

“I’m coming.” I stood to my feet and crossed my arms over my chest. “If you are going to place yourself in the line of fire, then so will I. If you think it’s too dangerous for me to go, then it's definitely too dangerous for you to go too.”

“My job is to protect you, Juliette.”

“And mine is to protect you, Manuel.” I stood to my feet and squared off with him. “You protect everyone around you, but who protects you? Who watches out for you? Sure, Rigo is there, but what about when you’re alone in your bed and your mind is running wild? Who is there then?”

His eyes widened, a little taken aback by my reaction. I was usually not this expressive when it came to my feelings. But back then I had been subsiding them; now I wasn’t holding any of it back.

“You wanted to do this, Manuel.” I gestured between the two of us. “Doing this means that we are a team. We will do things together and make decisions as one unit. You can’t just take the initiative and do what you want.”

“Juliette…”

I held up my hands, needing to say it all. “I care, Manuel. I care so much that I feel like my chest is about to explode, at times. Going to work is already a war zone on its own, but at least you’re in the same city as me and I can get to you in time. I’m able to fix you if something goes wrong. But if you leave and I stay here, I can’t… I won’t be able to fix you, then. I won’t be able to save you, if you need me to.”

Once I had finished speaking, I was all out of breath.

There it was. Everything was out in the open now, and I not only felt embarrassed,

I felt shocked with myself at the realization of what this man actually meant to me.

Manuel stared at me with a softness that only increased my mortification. It wasn't easy for me to be vulnerable. I had placed a protective layer around myself a long time ago, when my mother went off the rails.

“Juliette…” He closed the distance between us. His large hands cupped the sides of my face and my heart eased a little. “I promise you that I will come back home to you. There is no person, or force, that could ever keep me from you. You have my word. But I need to do this, I have to. It’s for my father—my family.”

I shook my head, the sting behind my eyes intensifying the longer I stared at him. I was terrified to lose him. But this wasn’t about me. It was about finding his mother and bringing her back home.

“If you don’t come back to me,” I poked his chest, fighting back my tears, “I will bring you back to life and then kill you myself.”

His lips split into a charming smile before he pulled me into his arms.

I pulled him in as close as I could muster and breathed in his scent, wanting to commit it to my memory, savor it. I didn’t know how long he would be gone for. I only hoped that it would be little.

He had faced death many times in his life and walked away with his soul still in his body. But I feared that he may have run out all his luck. I only prayed that this time, if he faced death, he would cheat it as he always did.