“I’m assuming you came here to apologize. And to work toward forgiveness.”

“Then you’re making an ass out of us both.” I shoved him back with one hand and dodged his next grasp.

“If you’re not going to play nice, why are you here?” Ruben’s grin would have looked natural on a snake. “Did my mark scare Caballero off?” He came closer, and when I backed away, I bumped into the couch.

Anger got in the way of clear reasoning, and for a moment I saw red. “He doesn’t give a shit about your mark, and neither do I. And there’s nothing you or your joke of a binding can do about it.”

“Let’s see how you feel about that mark in six months when I own you, head to toe, and everything in between….” His hand slid over the curve of my backside, and I shoved him away again, but he only laughed.

“That’s not going to happen.”

He actually laughed. “You’re no closer to finding my son now than you’ve ever been, and once you’ve failed, there’ll be nothing stopping me from securing Caballero’s services, whatever that takes. Maybe as a signing bonus, I’ll let him watch us together, so he can see what a good little girl you’ve become.” Cavazos leaned in closer and my teeth ground together when his lips brushed my ear. “He might even learn something….”

I buried my right fist in his gut and treasured his explosive grunt of pain as I lurched away from him.

For one long moment, Ruben couldn’t speak. He couldn’t breathe. He could only clutch the top of the couch, hunched over in the spot I’d just vacated, riding out the pain. I wanted to throw another blow. I wanted to kick him while he was almost down. I wanted to kill him, and in that moment, I think I could have. He couldn’t shout for help with empty lungs, and if he died, my mark would die with him. I would be rid of him. I would be free.

But we needed him. Hadley needed him. And I didn’t want to have to tell a child who’d already lost her real mother and her adopted father that I’d just killed another of her parents.

So I sucked in a deep breath and backed around the sofa, keeping it between us, and when he straightened, fists clenched in the overstuffed cushions, I knew that playtime was over. It was time to get down to business—before his retaliation drew Cam out of hiding.

“Truce? I need to talk to you, Ruben.” I edged toward the end table as he rounded the couch.

“You need to do more than that.” He shoved the coffee table out of the way and came two steps closer.

“Look.” I opened the drawer and was reaching for Hadley’s picture when his next word froze me in place.

“Stop.”

I fought the direct order, mentally, but couldn’t make my body disobey. I stood, but left the drawer open. “Please just look….”

He lunged forward and grabbed my arm. The room spun around me, ceiling soaring before my eyes. My back hit the couch and he was on me in an instant, one hand tangled in my hair, pulling my head to the side. “Now. You are going to shut the fuck up and do exactly what I tell you, or I’m going to make you wish you never set foot in this city.”

I forced a bitter laugh, rolling my eyes to the side to keep him in sight. “You’re a little late for that one. I hate you.”

Ruben laughed. “That’s why this is so much fun. You and Meika have more in common than you would ever believe. Swear you’ll play nice, and I’ll let you up.”

“Fuck you.” I dug between the cushions for my knife, but only wound up pushing it deeper.

He let go of my hair and his hand wrapped around my throat. But I managed three short words before he started to squeeze.

“I found him.”

Cavazos’s hand loosened, but didn’t leave my throat. “What?”

“I found him. Your son.”

“You’re lying.”

I shook my head, and his ring dug into my chin. “Let me up, and I’ll tell you.”

“You’ll tell me anyway.”

That was true, and we both knew it. I had to tell him what I knew, but my mark wouldn’t dntil he was in physical possession of his child. “Fine. Let me up and I won’t make you work for the information.” It was within my ability to make him fish the information from me question by individual question, which would take forever and piss him off.

Of course, I didn’t have that kind of time to waste at the moment, but he didn’t know that.

Ruben let go of my throat, and trailed his hand from my neck down the center of my torso as he climbed off of me. I didn’t let go of the breath I’d held until he settled into a chair perpendicular to the couch, still within striking distance, but removed from my personal space. “Talk fast.”

I pushed myself upright, in spite of the pain in my arm, and took a moment to tug my shirt back into place, determined to reclaim a little dignity before we began the professional portion of the night’s festivities. “I found your kid, but he’s not exactly…a he.”

“Not exactly a he? I’m losing patience, Olivia. If I’m going to have to beat the information out of you, we should really get started.”

“Okay. Here.” I stood, and he was in front of me in an instant, ready to stop me, should I bolt for the door. “Relax. I’m not going anywhere.” I couldn’t, even if I wanted to. I edged past him and bent to pick up a photo from the floor, where it had fallen when he’d shoved the coffee table.