However, I might have misjudged the cartel prince somewhat.
I was under the impression that Alejandro was as heartless as his father, Miguel. But the way he asked for a sliver of mercy where his sister was concerned, showed me that under his rude and cold exterior lies someone that at least cares for his family, if little else. And a man who has heard more than his share of his enemies’ last muttered words, that he can still hold family as sacred, can’t be too bad in my book.
I doubt my uncle and cousins will be inclined to see it that way, though.
For them, the Mexican cartel will always be a sore spot.
An enemy that callously took something precious from them.
Someone that can never be replaced.
And I fear for all her beauty and good breeding, Rosa will take the brunt of their hatred.
When we get to the hotel, I breathe easy at seeing my best four soldiers alert and guarding the penthouse doors like their lives depend on it. They all refuse to make eye contact with Alejandro when he passes them by but offer me their acknowledging nods in respectful greeting.
“The limo will pick you both up tomorrow morning at ten to drive you to the church. If you need anything before then, tell one of the guards, and they will procure whatever is necessary,” I tell Alejandro at the door.
“Thank you,” is his short reply.
I’m about to turn around and head out when he stops me.
“Won’t you come in and have a nightcap with me? There is something I’d like to discuss with you.”
My brows pull together, knowing his offer to come in isn’t a polite request but a command. I refuse to be ordered around by anyone that isn’t Tiernan, but I won’t be the reason why this wedding starts on a sour note by offending Alejandro by turning him down.
I follow him inside and watch him take off his jacket and place it neatly on the back of one of the couches in the lavish penthouse living room. I stand rigid at the entrance of the room as he walks over to the bar in the corner. I watch him fill only one tumbler with two fingers of expensive whiskey, not even bothering to keep up pretenses by offering me a glass of my own, knowing full well I wouldn’t drink it if he had.
“Let’s not beat around the bush. I won’t insult you by trying to persuade you to be my man on the inside. I know your loyalty to Tiernan is unshakable, and it would only make me look the fool to insinuate otherwise,” he starts, before taking a sip of his drink and sitting down on a nearby settee facing me. “Please, have a seat.”
“I’m fine right here.”
“As you wish.” He lets out an unaffected breath. “Tell me, Colin. Do you think Tiernan was being sincere when he said he’d bring Rosa home from time to time?”
“Boston is her home,” I tell him without missing a beat.
“As of tomorrow, that might be true, but for tonight just indulge me and answer the question.”
“If Tiernan said as much, then there is no reason to think him false.”
“Hmm,” he mutters, running his thumb over the edge of his glass. “My sister will be pleased. I haven’t been the best brother to her, so it’s not as if she will miss me much. But Rosa has always had a soft spot for our brother, Francesco, and him towards her. If they both know that they will see each other soon, then maybe I can spare them a bit of their heartache.”
This is the second time tonight that he has shown concern for his siblings, and I’m not sure what I should do with this information. By doing so, he’s put himself in more of a vulnerable spot than when he decided to come to Boston without his men. He must know that if we were still at war, then I’d use this information to hurt him. I’d go after his brothers and sister, torture them on camera, and send him their burnt, cut-up flesh in small packages accompanied by the videotape so he could see my handiwork in HD.
His unexpected transparency is clawing at my insides, making me wonder what his endgame is.
“He’s testing me,” were Tiernan’s words earlier tonight, and something tells me Alejandro is doing the same to me.
Alejandro continues to stare at his tumbler in deep thought, raising my hackles.
“Is that all?” I ask after a frustratingly long bout of silence.
“Just one more question,” he utters. “Will you watch out for my sister as fervently as you protect Tiernan?”
My knee-jerk reaction is to blurt out no, but by the look in his dark eyes, that is exactly the answer he expects. I take a beat and think about how Tiernan would respond.
“Rosa is to be a Kelly, and we protect our own.”