Chapter 14
The next morning, Erica pulled on a rose-colored T-shirt and inspected her reflection. Mikel had explained that wearing a wire was a figure of speech because technology had evolved beyond taping wires to your chest. He had advised her to dress as she normally would on a day off.
However, she was also going to see Raul, and that required more than her average casual attire.
So, she had on a new pair of designer jeans, sneakers, and a V-necked T-shirt in her favorite shade.
The dusty rose brought out the color of her lips and cheeks, as well as contrasting nicely with her dark hair.
It was going to be windy on the high cliff of Acantilado Alto, so she tamed her hair into a French braid tied off with an elastic band sporting a silk hibiscus flower. She shrugged into a hooded gray sweatshirt and slung a small leather crossbody bag over her shoulder.
Taking a deep breath, she picked up the backpack she had packed for later, stuffed with a bikini, a cover-up, sandals, and other sun gear, along with some cosmetics.
This would be her last day with Raul before they went back to their respective jobs and positions in society.
She needed to shake off the melancholy that already weighed down her mood, or she wouldn’t be able to fully savor their final precious hours together.
When he had asked her to spend the day with him, she had tried to say no . She was already too emotionally entangled with him. Another day would just sink the hooks deeper into her heart. The pain would be greater when he ripped them out.
Why did he have to be so fascinating behind that gorgeous facade of his?
His good looks she could resist, but the glimpses of his guilt and vulnerability drew her to him like a magnet.
It was that damned sense of connection that he kept claiming he felt, giving her the false idea that he cared about her as more than a vacation distraction.
In truth, she felt it, too, as though they flew wingtip-to-wingtip in perfect synchronization.
All that meant she didn’t have the strength to turn him down when he asked for her company.
Her phone pinged with a text. He was here. There was no way to stop the surge of exhilaration that flooded through her, making her skin heat and her breath go shallow. She jogged down the stairs from her second-floor apartment and stepped out into the early morning sunlight.
A dark green SUV idled by the curb. As she reached the sidewalk, the back door swung open, and she caught a glimpse of Raul before he slid away into the car’s dim interior.
As soon as she climbed in and closed the door, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side for a long kiss.
The feel of his lips and his lean body turned her insides soft with yearning.
He lifted his head, his face echoing her own feelings. “My apologies for not getting out of the car, but I didn’t want to draw any attention. You never know where the paparazzi are hiding these days.” He waved a hand at the crutches propped against the seat beside him. “And these are a pain.”
“I appreciate the discretion. A lot.” She didn’t need the media tying them together.
“Embarrassed to be seen with me?” His grin was teasing.
“I like to keep a low profile.” She settled in against him, reveling in the heat between them.
“Are you nervous?”
“About meeting Bertucci? No.”
“El corazón de un león.” He nuzzled a kiss against her temple. “You have the heart of a lion.”
Ha! If only he knew how much her heart was cringing from the thought of tomorrow and the end of their fling. “With Mikel’s people there, I have nothing to worry about…other than that Bertucci won’t show up.” She glanced at the raised divider between them and the front seat. “Who’s driving?”
“Pascal. Dario has the day off. And as you said, Mikel’s people will be taking care of our security.”
They rode through the narrow, winding streets of old San Ignacio before pulling into an enclosed parking lot. Erica scooted away from Raul and reached for the door handle, but he said, “Wait.”
After a few seconds, both back doors opened. She glimpsed Pascal on Raul’s side, but she didn’t recognize the young woman on hers.
Before she had time to think, they had been ushered through an unmarked door and into the conference room in what she assumed was Mikel’s office building. She had been here for her interview for her job flying Gabriel’s plane, but then she had come through the front door.
She barely had time to notice the oak paneling that covered the lower half of the walls and the historical murals painted on the upper half. A large olive wood table that looked very old stood in the middle surrounded by green leather chairs.
“ Su Alteza Real . Erica.” Mikel rose from one of the chairs and bowed. Today, he was wearing black jeans and a dark gray T-shirt. She’d never seen him in anything but a suit before. “Would you like to sit?” His question was directed at Raul.
“I’m good,” Raul said.
Mikel turned to Erica and gestured to the array of hardware on the table in front of her. “You have your choice of audio devices. You should choose the one that seems most comfortable for you.”
A sports watch, a fitness tracker, a pen, a baseball cap, and a slim black box sat on the beautiful wooden surface.
She picked up the white sports watch and slid it onto her left wrist. She always wore a watch when she flew, so it felt familiar.
“Please say something,” Mikel said as he slipped on an earpiece.
“Hello, Ricardo,” she said.
“ Muy bien! You remembered to use his alias,” Mikel said with a nod of approval. “And the device is working properly.” He removed the earpiece and tapped the envelope on the table. “Here’s your cash in an envelope from your bank. It shouldn’t trigger any suspicion in our subject.”
She picked up the envelope and tucked it into the crossbody bag.
Her nerves tightened the muscles in her throat and shoulders.
Now she understood why Mikel made some people anxious.
His intense focus and competence in things that most people never needed to know hammered home the seriousness of what she was doing.
“Let me introduce my security team.” He swiped something on his phone, and a few seconds later, the conference room door opened to admit two women and two men.
“Ines!” Raul said as the second woman came through the door. “Great to see you again!”
“ Su Alteza Real . A pleasure.” The woman bent her knees in a small curtsy. The others also acknowledged the prince with bows or curtsies and a noticeable air of deference.
“Ines was on my security detail until she got promoted,” Raul said to Erica.
Erica wondered what position was higher than guarding the prince, but she decided not to ask.
Mikel introduced his team members to Erica and Raul. They ranged in age from mid-twenties to mid-forties, Erica guessed. Two were dressed casually. Two wore more formal clothing that suggested they might have gone to church this morning. All looked fit and alert, and her nerves calmed a good deal.
Still, Raul’s mouth was a tight line of worry. She started to lay her hand against his cheek but stopped herself as she scanned the people in the room. Instead, she said, “I’m feeling very safe and confident. Gracias , Mikel.”
He nodded before he once again turned to Raul. “Shall we proceed?”
Raul shifted his gaze to her. “Are you good?”
“Affirmative,” she said in her crispest pilot’s tone.
“Let’s go,” Raul said with a nod.
Mikel’s team filed out.
“They’ll get in position before you arrive,” Mikel said. “ Senor , you will ride in your car, while Erica will come with me. I do not want to risk having you seen together.”
Raul pressed his lips together in obvious displeasure but said nothing.
She had thought she understood the constraints of his life based on what she had observed of her royal boss’s situation.
However, she was beginning to see that Raul was confined by even more boundaries.
His prominence was a liability to this operation, so he had to be kept hidden.
She suspected that Mikel also wanted Raul away from the action for security’s sake. She could feel Raul’s frustration.
Pascal opened the door. “ Senor , we are ready for you.”
Raul started to lean down toward her but stopped himself. Instead, he gave her a look that said to be careful. “I will see you afterward.”
She nodded, because the tension had returned to her throat. And then Raul crutched away with Pascal.
Mikel glanced at his watch. “We’ll wait a few minutes. Remember, this purchase isn’t life-or-death to you, and you’re giving Ricardo a lot of money, so he should be willing to put up with a slight delay.”
“Right. He approached me, and he’s lucky to have found a buyer for his eggshells.” She reminded herself of her role.
“That is exactly the right attitude,” Mikel said. “You’ll do fine.”
She smiled at him with gratitude, even as she wondered what he thought about her relationship with Raul.
He would know how much time she had spent at the palace recently, because Raul’s bodyguards reported to Mikel.
She studied his profile as he packed the unused listening devices into a black plastic case, finding it impossible to read anything in his expression.
Of course, he had to be adept at keeping all kinds of secrets.
He checked his watch again. “Now it’s our turn.” He faced her. “You may reverse your decision to participate in this meeting at any time.”
“I’m good,” she said. “I’m only worried about screwing it up.”
“You are an honest, straightforward person. Acting a part can be difficult.”
She acted a part more than he knew, but she nodded and stood.