Chapter 21 Zoe
ZOE
The boys have been acting funny all day today.
It’s been a week since I found out who I am, and the memories have started flooding back a little more regularly.
I wake up every night with nightmares, but Mateo and Tomas are there, helping me come back.
I know these nightmares are taking their toll on the boys, I can see it in the secretive glances they give each other.
They hate the things that have happened to me.
I don’t tell them about what I see because they don’t need to know how tainted I am.
If they do push, they get a censored version.
But today they have both been jittery, which has my instincts on high alert.
There’s a knock at the front door, and my stomach sinks as I watch Mateo and Tomas jump up and rush to it.
“Where is she? Where the hell is she?”
That voice.
I know that voice. My eyes widen as I see my sister’s stricken face.
“Zoe, Zoe!” she screams as we sprint to each other, both of us dissolving into sobbing tears, clinging to each other as if our lives depend on it. “I had no idea, Zoe. I thought you’d fallen in love and run away with your boyfriend,” she confesses through uncontrollable tears.
She’s safe, she’s here with me. Nikolai can’t hurt her now. Then it hits me, the boys arranged this. That’s why they’ve been nervous all day. I pull myself out of Gracie’s arms, making her frown.
Then I launch myself into Mateo’s arms and kiss him. “Thank you, thank you so much. She’s safe, my sister is safe.”
Mateo kisses me back. “Anything to see you and the people you love safe,” Mateo adds.
Disentangling myself from him, I turn to Tomas and jump into his arms. Wrapping myself around him as I kiss him too.
“Thank you,” I say, pulling back from his lips.
“We told you we would do anything for you,” Tomas says.
“What the fuck, Zoe?” Gracie gasps.
Guess we have a lot to catch up on. “What about the rest of my family?”
Enrique clears his throat from the doorway. “Your parents are fine. They live on a very tiny island in the middle of nowhere—there is no way in the world the Bratva will get to them there, and if they do, I have a feeling the people of the island will come to their aid.”
My body relaxes at this news. “But what about my other sisters?”
“Well, in all honesty, I think Sophie has more to worry about being in a war zone than anything these guys might throw at her. She knows probably just as many bad guys as they would. And your other sister Mackenzie is safe working in Haiti. I know the Bratva don’t have a stronghold there thanks to the South American cartels. Gracie was the most vulnerable.”
“Thank you all so much for bringing her back to me,” I tell the boys.
Gracie wraps herself around me again, and neither of us wants to let the other one go. For the first time in a week, I can breathe knowing it’s all going to be okay now.
Gracie and I move over to the pool cabana, and neither one of us is ready to let the other one go as we stay curled up beside each other.
“How can you ever forgive me for leaving you there with those men,” Gracie says, wiping away her tears.
“You didn’t know. I don’t blame you at all. This is what they do. They are professionals at this,” I try and reassure her.
“How did I not suspect something wasn’t right? I’m your sister for fuck’s sake.”
“I don’t know what Nikolai said, but I’m sure they spun it just enough for you to believe it. I remember having to speak to you at the start. He made me reassure you that I was happy and in love,” I explain to her.
“You should have said something.”
“There was a gun held to my head, I couldn’t risk it,” I tell her honestly.
Gracie gasps then breaks down hugging me tightly. “I’m sorry I left you there to rot.”
Holding my sister tightly, I run my fingers through her hair, trying to calm her. “That’s all in the past. I’m so happy we are back together again.”
“I can’t forget about it, Zoe.” She sobs.
“All I want to do is forget about it.”
My words silence Gracie, and all I can here is her sniffles as she tries to calm herself down. I can only imagine the thoughts running through her mind now. I don’t want her to burden herself with what happened to me.
“Okay.” She sniffles as she takes a couple of deep breaths. “You need to tell me about what is going on with those two hunky men?”
I look over to where Mateo is sunbathing, his olive skin shimmering in the sunshine, every ridge of his muscular body glistening. He looks like a Greek God. Then there’s Tomas furiously working away on his tablet, his equally toned body on display in the sunlight.
“Are you seriously sleeping with those two men?”
“Yes,” I answer, biting my lip.
Gracie squeals with excitement which has everyone looking up at where we are sitting, then we dissolve into fits of laughter.
“Oh my god, you are. Fuck, you are so lucky, they must be two of the hottest men in the world.” She sighs. “That Enrique’s pretty hot too,” she adds, watching his half-naked form doing laps in the pool.
“So those two hunks must care about you. They did just come and whisk me to Ibiza for you.”
I look over at where they are both sitting and let out a sigh.
“You just orgasmed, didn’t you? I mean, I totally would because look at those perfect male specimens laying out on display,” she says, eyeing off my men. She must see it on my face and laughs. “Easy, girl, I’m just appreciating the view. I understand the no-touching rule,” she says with a chuckle.
Mateo’s eyes open, he must feel us watching him. He looks up at where I’m sitting and gives me a blinding smile.
“Fuck me. That smile has my panties all wet,” my sister grumbles.
I notice the mischievous look in Mateo’s eyes, that can’t be good.
He turns and says something to Tomas, who stops what he’s doing to give him his undivided attention.
Mateo then leans over and kisses him. It’s a passionate kiss steeped in hunger, desire, and a preview of what’s to come the next time we’re all alone together.
“No fucking way. No. That was the hottest thing I have ever seen. How? What? I hate you right now,” Gracie stammers. “Not only do you get to sleep with them, but you also get to watch them together.”
This makes me laugh. “It’s the hottest thing in the world.”
Gracie starts fanning herself. “I want to be you when I grow up.”
Then we fall into fits of giggles just like old times.