Chapter Sixteen
“This is the last one.” Gia slid a carton of blue nitrile gloves beneath a storage shelf and wiped her forehead, drying her fingers on the hem of her doctor’s coat. She unclipped her hair, finger-combed the damp strands, then secured it in a twist again.
Jennie sliced open another box and pulled out adhesive sterile gauze. “You didn’t have to help. Reggie and I could’ve handled it while you grabbed lunch.”
“I’m not sitting in my office eating while you two do all the work.”
“You need to learn to act like a doctor.” Jennie grinned. “Did you see the hottie delivery driver? He must be new.”
“I noticed he was a flirt.” The man had been attractive—late twenties, Hispanic, charming. He’d chatted up everyone as he hauled in boxes. “Did he ask for your number?”
“He tried you first, but you were oblivious. I told him you had a boyfriend.”
Gia’s cheeks heated. “I do not.”
Any chance she’d had with Caleb died when he found out the man she’d once loved was the man he held responsible for his mother’s death.
The fact your ex is the son of the head of the Espina Negra cartel changes everything .
A strange melancholy dragged on her chest. It was absurd, really—worrying more about Caleb’s opinion of her than staying alive and one step ahead of Vincente.
“Uh-huh.” Jennie shot Gia a knowing look. “So where’s your handsome bodyguard? And how’d dinner with President Blackwater go? You’ve been off today.”
“He had errands. And, dinner was…strained.”
For too many reasons to explain.
“But it was a start.” She glanced at the clock. One p.m. “He should have been here by now.”
Reggie, the clinic’s lab technician, poked his head in. “Lieutenant Blackwater and his cousin are here, Doctor Barone.”
His brows lifted. “Came barging in like they expected to arrest someone.”
Jennie clucked her tongue. “Eager to see you, no doubt. Two hotties. You need to start sharing.” She laughed, but something in her eyes—warm, wistful—lingered.
Gia rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help the smile tugging at her lips. College and med school had left little room for close friends, and Miami? The few girlfriends she’d had drifted away as Vincente monopolized her time.
Having Jennie in her life was…precious. Something she wanted to protect.
Something else Vincente threatened to take from her.
Zach and Caleb waited in the lobby—Zach in uniform, Caleb in his jeans, white t-shirt, and leather jacket from earlier.
The look of relief on their faces when they saw her made her stomach somersault. “What’s happened?”
“We need to talk. Privately.” Caleb’s voice vibrated with restrained tension .
Zach’s stance was cool, unreadable. But the fire in his eyes told her everything she needed to know.
They were in warrior mode.
The butterflies in her stomach turned to lead.
“Let’s go into the conference room,” she said, already moving. Her legs felt rubbery. Her pulse pounded against her throat.
She took a seat at the table. “Tell me what’s going on.”
Zach leaned against the wall, arms crossed, face set in grim lines.
Caleb sat beside her, close enough that their knees brushed, the contact oddly intimate.
“The men who tried to abduct you came back. And they brought friends.” Caleb’s jaw tightened. “They followed me from Gallup.”
“Followed.” Zach snorted.
He shook his head. “What my cousin meant to say was they ambushed him. Shot up his Jeep.”
“Oh my God.” She launched from the chair, her gaze raking over Caleb, searching for evidence of fresh injuries.
He wrapped his fingers around her cold ones, his palm warm and rough. “I’m fine.”
No, you aren’t .
Because Vincente’s men wouldn’t have acted without orders.
Which meant Vincente considered Caleb a threat.
She’d been a fool even to entertain the idea that she could stay here and not endanger everyone around her.
“This is my fault. You need to leave. Go back to DC before he—”
“It’s not your fault.” Caleb, his voice a growl, interrupted her. “Sit.”
He tugged her back to the chair. “This may not even be about you. I sent a message to Lopez through his errand boys to stay away from you. But I also planted a seed that their new partner might be cutting a side deal with a rival cartel. ”
Zach glared. “My cousin waved a big red flag in front of the bull.”
Caleb glared back. “Lopez started this. I’m going to finish it.”
“Oh my God.” Gia dropped her face into her hands. “I don’t know what’s worse—threatening Vincente over me or interfering in his business.”
She lifted her head and met Caleb’s steady gaze, her voice rising. “Do you want to die? You won’t win. He’s a dangerous man.”
If anyone knew exactly what her former lover could do and get away with, it was her.
“So am I.” Steady. So damn sure of himself.
“You’re insane.” She looked to Zach. “Tell him he’s insane. He’ll get himself killed.”
Zach’s dark eyes regarded her steadily. “Lopez sent men to kidnap you and tried to kill Caleb. He won’t let up until he gets what he wants. If we lure him here, we have the advantage. I know this terrain. Caleb and I know how to fight.”
“Trust us—trust me . The people here need you, and I know you want to stay. It’s the only way you get your life back.” Caleb’s quiet voice carried a confidence she clung to with the desperation of a drowning woman.
She stared at him. Her life.
But at what cost? Losing Caleb would haunt her forever.
Damn you, Vincente.
Not a day went by when she didn’t think about that night on the yacht. She’d promised Vincente she’d never speak of it. That it would die with her, even as it left a black stain on her conscience.
But Vincente wasn’t letting her move on. He was burning every safe place she found to the ground.
Caleb’s phone rang. His mouth tightened when he glanced at the screen. “Dìleas. I’ll be right back.”
“Exam room two when you’re done.” Gia hadn’t missed the wince when he stood. “I want to see for myself that you’re,” she used finger quotes, “ fine .”
His grin sent her heart in a spiral. “Yes, Doc.”
She tracked him as he slipped out the door, not wanting to let him out of her sight.
“You’re attracted to him.”
Gia blinked, her attention shifting to Zach.
Resignation shadowed his face.
She remembered Jennie’s words. Zach has a thing for you. Surely you’ve noticed.
“I’m sorry.” She winced at how inadequate her apology felt. Zach was a good man. But she’d never considered him more than a friend.
“Just don’t end up with a broken heart.”
“I won’t.” She’d be crazy to fall in love again.
Again?
Had she been in love with Vincente, or simply allowed herself to be seduced by his flattering attention and money?
Allowed herself to be treated like an object for his pleasure.
Right now, she hated him with a passion that ran soul deep.
Caleb had once again stepped into the role of her protector and, even though he could have died today, he wasn’t running.
No one had ever done that for her. Ever.
This isn’t about you, it’s about his mother.
Caleb wanted revenge. She’d do well to remember that.
Still, it didn’t change the fact that he was in danger because of her.
And she had one card left to play.
Her stomach cramped hard. Cold prickled her skin.
Zach’s eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong? ”
“Cramp. Probably pulled something unloading supplies.” She forced a breath. “I need to make a call for a patient. If you see Caleb, tell him I’ll be right there.”
She left the room, heart hammering, half expecting Zach to follow.
This plan to lure Vincente to the rez? Madness.
He would come with plenty of his soldiers. People would die.
Caleb.
Zach.
You know what you have to do.
She stepped into her office. Locked the door. Pulled her phone from her pocket.
It slipped from her sweaty fingers and clattered to the desk.
“Breathe.” She closed her eyes, filled her lungs, and reached for sorely needed composure.
This was insane.
But not doing it was worse.
She tapped out the first nine digits of Vincente’s number. Her finger hovered, shaking, over the last one.
All this time, silence had been her shield. Protecting herself and—she’d told herself—others. But wasn’t that just an excuse?
Look at Caleb. His scars—both visible and invisible—were proof you could survive the jagged edges of life and come out stronger for it.
Her own scars were self-inflicted, a reminder she’d chosen fear and silence over courage and truth.
Enough letting fear keep her small. If this was a war. She’d fight too.
She pressed the final digit.
Vincente answered on the fourth ring. “Hello? Who is this?”
Of course he answered. Very few people had his personal number. He’d be curious .
Her heart beat like a bird desperately trying to escape its cage. “It’s Abigail.”
“Ah, Abigail. Or Gianna I should say. That’s your real name, after all.”
His purr raised the hairs on the back of her neck. “So many secrets, mi amor . So many lies.”
She knew that tone. It never ended well for the other person.
“I changed my name before I met you. Don’t take it personally.”
“Are you ready to come home? You aren’t safe, you know. My family doesn’t like loose ends.”
Her blood chilled. She was a loose end. One who put everyone around her in danger.
If she hadn’t truly understood that before, she did now.
“As my wife, they wouldn’t dare move against you.” His voice dropped, menace threading his words. “I’ll even overlook your association with Caleb Varella if you return to Miami immediately.”
“That’s why I’m calling. Leave Caleb alone.”
Her voice was steady, even if her pulse wasn’t. “He’s no one. Just a stranger who stepped in. There’s nothing between us.”
Her shoulder blades itched. Not a lie. Not the whole truth, either.
At least on her part. Even if they parted ways today, she had a feeling Caleb Varella would haunt her dreams for a long time.
Gia bit her lip and marshaled her courage before continuing. “I won’t let you kill another innocent man. If you don’t call off your soldiers, I’ll go to the police and tell them what happened that night.”