Chapter 15
I don’t trust quiet.
Not the kind in Rio’s house anyway. It’s a silence that wraps around me, calm and serene, as if nothing bad has ever happened here. As if nothing bad ever could.
That’s the kind of quiet people build on purpose to hide things.
I close the laptop Rio gave me. I didn’t really need it—just my emails and contacts so I could cancel all my appointments.
I don’t want to even doom scroll or watch reels, because it’s obvious he’s going to be watching everything I do on it and I don’t want him wasting time going through footage of my life. I want him focused on the search.
I pick Tina up from the floor where she’s sitting at my heel and settle her in my lap, running my hand down her back. It was sad—calling and emailing each client, canceling without offering an alternate appointment.
I’ll miss them.
We weren’t friends. Not really. But they were familiar in a world that never offered me that before.
And now I don’t know if I’ll have that again.
No. I can’t think like that.
I scratch behind Tina’s ear, right where she likes it, and she melts into me, eyes closing.
My chest tightens.
Velvet Leash is the end of an era. I hope I can do it all over again when I finally get to Wisconsin.
Just then, a sharp knock hits Rio’s door, interrupting my daydream and spiking my heart rate.
Who the hell is that?
Logic follows fast, trying to catch up with the panic.
Okay. Monarch Hills is locked down. Guards everywhere. It’s not Luther. It’s not my dad. It’s not any of their men. It can’t be.
The only other person who makes my pulse jump like this is Rio.
And this is his house. He wouldn’t knock.
Still… who else would?
With Tina still in my arms—like I need to protect her from whatever’s on the other side—I push to my feet and move toward the door.
No peephole.
Seriously? Who the hell doesn’t have a peephole?
I exhale slowly, twist the lock to the left, and pull the door open.
Luis stands on the porch.
“Morning, Delilah,” he says breezily, as if my standing in his son’s doorway is where I belong. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything?” His gaze flicks past me, like he half-expects to find Rio behind me.
“Uh… not interrupting,” I say, shifting Tina in my arms. “Rio’s not here, though, if you’re looking for him.”
“I figured he wasn’t,” he says. “Boy works too much.”
Big surprise. Greed and working too much go hand in hand.
He continues, “I thought I’d check in because if Rio’s busy, someone ought to play host.”
Right. Play host.
Or keep an eye on me.
I consider him for a moment before answering.
I can’t trust Rio’s dad. He probably wants to squeeze me for information.
But his smile washes me with a warm-hearted glow and his eyes twinkle with the sort of small-town charm you expect from an old cowboy.
He seems so sweet. I know he isn’t. He can’t be.
Luis doesn’t wait for me to overthink it.
“The horses are training on the track in ten,” he says. “You mentioned you haven’t had a lot of time around horses. I’d love to give you a tour of the stables and watch the session? It’s pretty impressive,” he adds in way of persuasion.
I glance back into the empty house and catch sight of the closed laptop. I really don’t have anything else to do today. Tina is still tucked in my arms, something warm and safe I can hold on to.
But she needs a walk and even though I don’t know what Luis’ good cop game is about, I’d still rather walk Tina with him than on my own somehow.
Even though Rio and I agreed we’d stay away from his family, I think it meant more for when we’re together. This, I can keep simple.
I slip on my boots and grab Tina’s leash from the coat hook.
“Does she run off?” Luis asks, pointing to the leash.
Tina would never run off. She never has done it, even less so now that she’s older. She gets anxiety when we’re apart.
“No. I guess it’s just force of habit from living in a city.”
He nods in understanding. “Feel free to let her run around here. She must be ready to stretch her legs after that long ride yesterday.”
Good reminder. I drove something like seven hours yesterday, if I came down from Humboldt. Luis smiles down at Tina, his features full of the affection I see on the faces of people who love animals.
I guess he isn’t pure evil then.
But Rio looked at Tina that way, too, last night.
And cleaned up her pee.
I close the door behind me and step out on the porch, Tina rushes ahead down the stairs and finds a nearby bush.
The morning air is cool and clean. Nothing pressing in. Nothing is closing around me. There’s just space stretching out in every direction—too much of it. The air fills my lungs so easily it makes me suspicious.
We walk side by side, our boots scuffing underfoot, the house falling away behind us. The land rolls out in soft hills as we head past a pool house and impressive outdoor entertainment space toward where a barn comes into view.
“Do you get much time outside where you’re from?” Luis asks after a moment.
I glance at him. “Not really. I work a lot.”
He nods once. “How did you get into dog grooming? If you don’t mind me asking… some people don’t like to talk about work but for me? It used to be all I had to talk about.”
He says it wistfully, as if he misses it.
“We have that in common, Luis. All I really have to talk about is my work, too.”
He nods his head toward Tina and her pink poofy head. “You’re a creative one.”
I can’t help the bashful smile that creeps on my lips from his compliment.
This guy is either actually half decent or very good at disarming people.
Luis is warm and likeable and when the clouds part, offering my cheeks a blast of comforting heat.
This morning is turning out a lot better than it could have.
We walk a few more steps and onto grass, approaching a post and rail fence that surrounds a huge circular racing track.
“Rio hated being inside when he was younger,” Luis says, now reaching the fence and pitching his boot up on the bottom rail. “Couldn’t keep him still. Always out. Climbing fences he wasn’t supposed to. Getting himself thrown in the dirt by riding something he shouldn’t.”
I let out a quiet snort. “I can’t picture him like that.”
And yet my brain really wants to. Thinking about Rio in jeans fitting tight across his hips and a tight white t-shirt…
a cowboy hat? It’s probably something I’m better off not seeing, especially after last night.
He is dangerously good-looking and clearly knows how to touch a woman so she doesn’t realize she’s stepping into a trap.
The way he grabbed my wrist last night practically brought me to my knees begging for more. What is it about his touch? The way he stares at me? And why, despite hating the guy and knowing he’s bad, not just in general, but for me, can’t I stop finding him so hot?
Rio is controlling–the absolute opposite of what I’d ever choose if I ever wanted a relationship.
Luis points out at the horses in the stalls on the race track, suggesting I gaze out at the beasts. Their muscular bodies shine and glisten in the sunshine. It must be amazing to groom them. Their angles are magnificent. Majestic even.
“Yeah,” he thinks about my comment about his son. “He does seem buttoned up these days. But underneath that starched shirt? Ranch boy through and through.”
The sun breaks through a passing cloud, warming my face. I glance back. Tina’s still there, trailing behind us, nose to the ground, taking in everything happily.
Luis points toward the horses. “Aren’t they something?”
“Gorgeous.”
They are.
We stand in a comfortable awe filled silence as the horses trot by on a warm up lap.
Suddenly, I realize this is the perfect opportunity to learn more about the man I’m living with. Know thy enemy and all that.
“You make Rio out to be a lot more laid back than the man I know.”
If Luis wants to talk, I’ll let him. The more I know about Rio, the better I’ll be able to read him.
And I need to read him because knowing his secret past doesn’t make me a safe person to let go.
It hasn’t escaped my mind that even once we find Beatrix and Isabel, and I have to believe we will, will he ever believe that I can keep a secret?
Will he let me go?
I thought about that while lying awake last night. How will Rio ensure I keep my mouth shut? Is he the kind of man who will operate on a vow? Or find a way by force?
Luis glances at me. “Laid back?” He laughs roughly. “Hardly. He’s still an overthinker. But he’s still quite the guy,” Luis continues, as if he’s Rio’s wingman. “His loyalty, his willingness to work hard and even…”
Luis trails off.
“Even what?” I ask.
Luis huffs a soft laugh. “Rio seems like he does things for himself. He comes across as very self-centered, but he’s actually the opposite. He’s very accountable. He blames himself for things and is very selfless.”
My thoughts slow down as I watch Luis’ profile, staring at the track, thinking about his son with real love radiating off his shoulders.
It’s moving.
Just then, the track comes alive again, more this time than last.
The jockeys lean forward, and the horses surge into motion—tight lines, controlled power, hooves striking hard and steady, the sound carrying across the open air.
I don’t realize Luis is watching me now until he speaks. “Beautiful, huh?” Luis folds his arms over the fence. “You’ll let my son teach you to ride, I hope. It’s kind of a rite of passage in our family.”
He says it like I’m permanent.
Just then, the moment is interrupted by the sound of my name cracking through the air.
“Delilah!”
Luis and I turn around, and there’s Rio, in jeans, cowboy boots, and the tight white t-shirt I thought belonged in his past, jogging toward us. If it weren’t for the scowl on his face, he’d be the hottest thing I’ve seen in a very long time.
Rio slows as he reaches us, breath controlled, but there’s an edge to him that wasn’t there before. His gaze moves over me quickly, taking stock.