Page 74 of The Saint

Abe. Dieter. Lev.

Lev.

He was the one she’d been with. With the light brown skin darkened by long days in the sun, just like Jael’s. With the dark, piercing eyes that catalogued everything as he looked me up and down. His grip was tighter than necessary for a simple handshake, and I wondered if he’d developed feelings for Jael in their time at the farm. If he was as possessive of her as I was.

Something inside me soared as he stepped back to his spot, and Jael fell in next to me. She was close, and it didn’t escape my attention that he narrowed his eyes as my hand settled on the back of her neck.

Mine. The word raced through my head, loud and strong and almost violent, even as Jael jabbed her elbow into my ribs.

Mine. She smiled up at me, this crooked smile that showed half her teeth on one side but not the other, and I wanted to shove my hand into her hair and slam my mouth against hers.

Her gaze darted to the side, and that smile turned into a smirk. She tossed a glance over her shoulder, at her brother and the men standing around him as he dominated the conversation, then walked off without a word.

That soaring something inside me? It dropped like a lead weight as I followed her, as I saw who she was heading toward.

Alvarez.

He stood uncomfortably alone, surrounded by people, but with no one at all. His hands were shoved in his pockets, shoulders pushed up toward his ears and chin nearly tucked into his chest. And if it weren’t for the fact that Jael had made a beeline straight toward him, I might have felt sorry for the man.

Jael’s hand lifted, waving to Jet’s crew as she walked right on past. Then she lifted her chin, like she always did when she was about to confront someone.

“You came.”

His shrug was minute, his dark eyes appraising her before sliding on by to glance at me. He gave a tight smile, turning his attention back to her. “Thought it was best.”

“You brought your sister as a buffer?”

Beyond Alvarez, in one of the folding chairs along the edge of the wide yard where Zio’s guests were gathered, Gloria sat, examining her nails.

Hector raised his eyes to the sky, though he didn’t turn to watch as Jael shoved past him and went to stand in front of Gloria. He shook his head. “Those two.”

“Is it bad?”

He shrugged, shoulders moving slightly more than before. “They’re always at each other’s throats. Gloria won’t leave her the fuck alone.”

Over his shoulder, I could see Gloria scowling at something Jael said. Jael brought her hand to her face, blowing on her fingernails before rubbing them on her shirt like she was polishing them.

I’d seen this behavior before. This bravado. The teasing and the fighting.

It’s what made it so hard for Jael to make friends, especially with other girls.

And suddenly, it all made sense.

Her behavior over the past month.

The way she came home happy and alive and beaming.

It wasn’t Hector that had Jael acting that way.

It was Gloria.

With a smile on my lips and a weight off my chest, I clapped him on the shoulder and stepped around him to join them. Gloria looked past Jael to me, her eyes flaring as I bumped my girl with my shoulder. Then she turned those wide eyes on Jael, hissing out words that would have drawn attention had anyone cared to notice.

“You fucking asshole!”

“Glo!” Hector’s voice was so loud, it did draw attention, but only from Jet’s crew. Scotty Nazario and Angelo Santini turned to look at us, the latter glaring as he saw who it was. “¡Cállate la boca!”

Gloria stood, this wealth of hostility coming off her in waves. “She fucking lied to me, Hector!”