Chapter 9 A Deal with the Devil

Valeria's pulse beat in her ears as she stepped back.

Santiago Morales.

Just the name sent a shiver down her spine.

She had heard whispers about him - the man who used to be Rafael's right hand before turning on him. One that was a ghost in the underworld, something no one could mention unless they were inviting death.

And now, he was here, in front of her, like he had waited for this moment.

She held herself still, held her face still, held her face neutral.

Because if Santiago had been brave enough to meet her in secret, that could only mean one thing.

He had a plan.

And she did not know whether she was the pawn, or the queen, in it.

"You're surprised," Santiago said, his smile cutting as a knife.

Valeria swallowed, her mouth dry. "You shouldn't be here."

He let out a chuckle, low and amused. "And yet, here I am." He took a slow step forward. "There's only one real question- what are you doing here? "

She stiffened. He was examining her, evaluating her. She'd met men like this before - calculating, dangerous, never moving without a plan.

Valeria had gotten careful with Rafael, but Santiago was a different, more lethal kind of threat.

He was a man who had nothing to lose.

And that made him a wild card.

"You left me a note," she said, careful. "You wanted me here. So why don't you tell me what you want?'

She studied her for a moment before letting out a low laugh. "Smart girl."

Valeria clenched her fists. "I'm not serious, so flattery is useless."

"Good," he said, moving another step closer to her. "Because I didn't come here to sweet-talk you."

Her heart raced as she looked toward the entrance, the glass doors yawning open. If Rafael found her here...

No. She couldn't think about that right now.

She had to focus.

Santiago tipped his head, watching her with muted amusement. "You don't fit in DeLuca's world.

Valeria's nails sank into her palms. "And you do?"

His smirk deepened. "Once upon a time."

"Except you, of course - until you turned on him," she said, her voice a bright but unsteady note in the quaking echoes of her chest.

Santiago laughed low and humorless. "Is that what he told you?"

She frowned. "Isn't it the truth?"

His eyes went dark as he stepped closer. "The truth is complicated, princesa."

Valeria hated that name. Hated the way men here tossed it around as if its meaning made her something delicate, something weak.

She wasn't.

Not anymore.

"I don't care what history you have with Rafael," she said frostily. "If you have something to say, then say it."

He stared at her for a long moment before finally sighing. "Fine. I'll make this simple." He leaned in slightly. "I can get you out of here."

Her breath hitched.

Escape.

The one thing she had been fighting for, praying for.

But her instincts told her it wouldn't be that simple.

"Why?" she asked. "Why would you help me?"

Another smirk flicked off Santiago's face. "I guess because DeLuca is just too powerful. Too comfortable. And you..." His eyes gleamed. "You're the one thing he's not ready to lose."

Valeria's stomach twisted.

She had devoted so much of herself to try to run away from Rafael that she never thought of what she represented to him in the eyes of his enemies.

She was not simply a captive to them.

She was a weakness.

And here in this world, weaknesses'd grown meant to be exploited.

She exhaled sharply. "And what do you get from this?"

Santiago's smirk returned. "Isn't it obvious?" He leaned forward with his voice low. "I want to see Rafael burn."

The Cost of Freedom

Valeria's heart pounded.

This was it.

A choice.

A real one.

For the first time since she had been pulled into this nightmare, someone was giving her a way out.

But could she trust him?

Santiago Morales was no hero.

And this wasn't simply about liberating her.

This was about war.

About revenge.

If she ran off with him, she wouldn't just be fleeing.

She would be walking into a war zone.

She forced herself to think. To be smart.

"What's your plan?" she asked.

Santiago's eyes shone with approval. "There's an underground tunnel below this estate. And one Rafael doesn't know about. If you do what I do, you'll be gone before he even knows you're gone."

Valeria hesitated.

It sounded too easy.

Too perfect.

"And if I refuse?" she asked.

Santiago tilted his head. "Then you'll remain here, playing house with a man who will never let go of you. But I'll tell you for free, princesa. " He leaned in, lowering his voice. "Rafael's not the type of man you double-cross and live to tell the tale."

Valeria's stomach twisted.

She already knew that.

But she had also known something more.

Rafael wasn't the only dangerous one here.

Santiago needed her to think he was her savior.

Men like him didn't save people, though.

They used them.

She sucked in her breath to keep herself calm. "I need time."

Santiago smirked. "Of course you do."

He fished a tiny burner phone out of his pocket. "I'll let you have twenty-four hours. Call me when you're ready."

Valeria hesitated before accepting the phone, her fingers grazing his.

His gaze locking on hers, something unreadable dancing in his depths.

"Don't wait too long, mi amor," he said. "Because you may not have another chance, if you do,"

And with that, he turned and vanished into the shadows.

Leaving Valeria standing there, the burden of her choice sitting heavy on her breast.

Choosing Between Monsters

Dazed, her head spinning, she walked back to her room.

She had a way out.

A real way out.

But at what cost?

Santiago was dangerous. Rafael was dangerous.

And she was inescapably stuck between the two.

If she ran, Rafael would find her.

If supported, she would never be free.

She needed more time.

More information.

More control.

She closed the door behind her as she entered her room and leaned against it, gazing down at the small phone in her hand.

She had twenty-four hours.

And she had to decide.

Was she willing to sacrifice it all for a shot at freedom?

Or would she bet that she could outlast Rafael DeLuca?

Her heart pounded.

But inside, she knew the truth all along.

The stakes were high, regardless; she could jump ship and do her own thing, or she could obey the orders of an all-male hierarchy that had become stifling.

She was never going to be free.q