Chapter 33 #2
I dressed in a black tee shirt, dark jeans, and boots, then unzipped a pocket in my suitcase.
Pausing, I eyed the matte black metal of the Glock handgun.
As a teenager, I’d had weekly outings with Raife at the shooting range, so I knew my way around a target.
At the thought of my brother, I gritted my teeth.
I’d rather be safe than sorry, so I tucked the Glock in the waistband of my jeans.
I hoped it wouldn’t be necessary, but Antonella and Hal would not take Juanito away from his family.
Rage boiled in my blood at the thought of what kind of people would abscond with an innocent child.
The malicious, abusive, evil kind. The thought caused me to hesitate.
I didn’t know what I’d be walking into in Calexico and I could hold my own, but I wasn’t—well, I wasn’t Raife.
So swallowing my pride, I dialed him. It almost rang out, and then a gruff voice answered with a coarse “What?”
“Raife. It’s Nolan.”
The longest pause in the history of pauses ensued. “What?” he repeated.
At least he didn’t hang up. I cut to the chase. “My friend’s little brother was abducted by his drugged-out mom. We tracked them to Calexico. I could use some backup, if you have any guys in the area. We’re on a tight timeline because the kid needs his meds soon or he’ll die.”
“You need help, call the cops.”
“Cops won’t be fast enough. And…”
Another lengthy pause. “And you want the pleasure of delivering your own kind of justice.”
“Something like that.”
A grunt was his only response. The man was about as conversational as a brick wall.
I was running out of time and the more I thought about it, the more that going to that motel on my own, guns blazing, was an idiotic idea.
I needed people at my back who had experience with this kind of thing.
So I did something a little risky. “I got Cressida out of jail after your reckless ass landed her there in the first place, so you owe me.”
The line went deadly silent. Playing on his lingering feelings for Cressida and reminding him that we were still engaged—at least for a few more months until we publicized our breakup—was a bold move. And I was ninety percent sure it would backfire. But this required the big guns.
After an interminable moment, he spoke. “Let’s get one thing straight, Nolan.
You don’t know fuck all about what happened that night, and I don’t owe you shit.
So fuck you. But I don’t like people who prey on kids, so I’ll call my contacts at the border to do a ride-by.
They won’t get involved unless shit goes bad.
You best hope it doesn’t, because that’ll cost you extra. Text me the address.”
“Will do.”
I thought he’d hang up, but then he asked, “So the wedding’s still on?”
My “yes” was on the tip of my tongue. Had to keep up appearances. But he was helping me out when he didn’t have to, so I threw him a bone. “Ask me again in a couple months.”
Another ambiguous grunt. “Now say thank you, and fuck off.”
“Thank you and fuck off.”
“Asshole.”
“Dickwad.”
I disconnected, feeling strange. My first conversation with him in years, and we’d fallen into our old habit of bickering like teenagers.
But the axe of Cressida was hanging over us, giving our banter an edge.
One day, Raife and I would have it out over that.
But for now, I was grateful he’d agreed to help.
Time to update Val. I grabbed the rental car keys—a Jaguar, luckily, and a fast one—and opened the door.
Straight into my woman.
Then I noticed the tears streaming down her face. Fuck. “Is it Juanito? Did something happen?”
She turned her phone screen to me. On it was a video of me, speaking to the boardroom and outlining my plan to save Hale’s Peak. The name at the top of the text thread said Daphne.
“This was your idea? And they approved it?” Val’s voice trembled as she looked up at me, eyes shining.
“I just found out. I wanted to tell you, but with Juanito gone—”
Val launched into my arms, pulling my face down to hers.
When our lips met, sparks exploded inside me like flint finally catching a flame.
This. This is exactly where I’m supposed to be.
The feel of her body against me, her skin under my hands, her lips moving with mine.
My personal paradise. All too soon, she pulled away.
“I’m still so mad at you for lying to me”—she kissed me again, a long, lingering one—“but that conversation can wait until later.” She noticed my outfit and the tangible bulge in my waistband that definitely wasn’t my dick—well, maybe it was also my dick, because Christ, did I fucking miss her—and her eyebrows slowly went up. “Where are you going?”
“I found Juanito.”
“Let’s go.” She grabbed my forearm and yanked me into the hallway. “We’ll grab Diego on the way.”
“It’s too dangerous. Things could get ugly.”
Val spun toward me, fists locked and loaded on those lethal hips of hers. “You need me.”
Wrapping an arm around her waist, I pulled her close, fitting my hand to the curve of her neck. We can spare one minute. “You have no fucking idea how much.”
At my words, her breath hitched and I caught the sound with my lips, giving her a taste of how desperate I was for her. When her teeth found my lower lip and her tongue slicked against mine, I smiled against her mouth. She missed me too.
But sooner than I wanted, she pulled away, although with more fire in her eyes than before. “I mean, Juanito might not go with you if you’re alone,” she said, back to business. “Wait, shouldn’t we be calling the police?”
I shook my head. “Too slow. They’re already out of jurisdiction. If anything, we could get the local sheriff involved once we get there. I called Raife for some muscle to drive the point home in case Antonella and Hal don’t want to play nice. But I’m hoping they’ll see reason.”
“You don’t know Antonella. Once she makes up her mind, there’s no changing it.”
“Sounds like someone else I know.”
“You changed my mind about you, Nolan Keller.”
“I did?” I blinked, taken aback.
“When you stopped contacting me, I thought we were finished. But this whole time, you were planning all of this.” She gestured to the video. “And you dropped everything, abandoning your work at a critical time, just because I needed you. No one has ever done anything like that for me before.”
I opened my mouth to tell her not to let me off so easy, but she fastened her hands around my biceps with a fierce look, and I shut up.
“Actions mean everything to me, Nolan. I’ve learned not to rely on people because of how much they can let you down. You made some bad choices.” Her hands tightened on my arms and unshed tears glistened in her eyes.
Bringing a thumb up, I caught one before it could spill over. “Fuck, baby. Please don’t cry.”
But when she smiled into my touch, the boulder of guilt rolled off my chest. Clasping my hand, she said, “It takes a person of integrity to not only admit when they fucked up, but to stick around and try to make it right. And what you’re planning for Hale’s Peak?
Showing up for me and my brothers like this? It’s everything to me, Nolan.”
Both of my hands were on her face now, rubbing circles on that silky-smooth skin, staring at her in awe. “So I didn’t completely destroy any chance I have with you?” I asked.
“You still have a chance,” she said softly, “if you want it.”
When she dropped her gaze and studied her shoes, afraid to look me in the eye, my heart clenched. I tipped her chin up until those gorgeous eyes found mine. “You are what I’ve always wanted, Valeria.”
A small smile lifted the corners of her mouth and she pressed her lips to mine in a kiss so soft and sweet, it filled up every empty part of me.
“Let’s get Juanito back and then we can talk.”