Chapter 29
29
HOPE
“ H ow’s everything with the prince of darkness?” Daphne asked over the phone.
She’d been gone for five days, but had called every afternoon to check in.
“He’s…behaving,” I replied while flicking through the weekly mail delivery. Mostly bills.
I hadn’t told Dee about Vaughn’s fear of touch or what we’d tried in the water. In hindsight, maybe the desensitization exercise had been a foolish pursuit.
Vaughn had been different since that day. It was like he’d shrunk inside his shell, choosing to keep our relationship strictly business.
The banter? Gone. The mischievous comments packed with thinly veiled innuendo? Vanished.
And he’d firmly refused to consider trying touch desensitization again. Stubborn man.
The worst part? Vaughn had changed his mind yet again and insisted on bringing his brother here to replace him. So much for promising to stay.
Daphne snorted. “Why do you sound disappointed about that?”
At times like this, I wished my friend weren’t so perceptive.
The reality was that Vaughn’s standoffishness felt shitty. Like I’d lost a friend. No. More than that. Like I’d lost one of the only people who saw beyond my scars and had glimpsed the real me.
I wanted my bossy, smart-ass bodyguard back.
I missed Grim.
The bruises on my wrists had faded and hadn’t been that bad to begin with. Vaughn disagreed. Every time he’d looked at them, guilt and anguish had darkened his mood. The man was way too hard on himself over an accident.
I glanced outside to where he sat on a bench, smoking a cigarette while throwing a ball for Chuck.
I exhaled a deep breath. “I’m not disappointed. I’m just ready for all of this to be over.”
One lie, one truth. They canceled each other out, didn’t they?
“Vaughn’s people haven’t found the compound?” Daphne asked.
“Not yet. They’re continuing with their investigation and surveillance, but so far, they don’t have anything promising.”
Over the last few days, Sage and Brandon had returned with a lot of follow-up questions as well as photos of properties they thought might be the cartel compound. None of them were the residence that had been in the background of my father’s video calls. So far, Vaughn’s friends had hit one dead end after another. My usefulness was reaching its end.
Dee grunted, sounding as frustrated as me that my father remained elusive. “Any news on the cartel douchebags you ran out of town?”
I stacked the letters at the end of the kitchen counter so she could go through them on her return. “Nothing. I don’t want to get my hopes up just yet, but maybe there won’t be any retaliation after all.”
“And Vaughn’s replacement? His brother’s arriving soon, right?”
“Mm-hmm. Owen’s still on leave, but he’ll be here in a few days.”
Dee sighed. “You know, you could ask Vaughn to stay.”
I leaned my hip against the counter. “Why?”
“Don’t give me that crap. You know why.”
“It doesn’t matter.” I picked at the hem of my tank. “He doesn’t want to be here.”
“He’s as stubborn as you. Talk to him. Make him change his mind.”
“I’ll think about it.” Lately, it was all I could think about.
“Think fast. You’re running out of time.”
I shook my head. “You can’t stop yourself from trying to fix broken things, can you?”
“Neither can you. Now, go get your man.”
I groaned. “He’s not”—Daphne hung up—“my man.”
My chest tightened when I again stared out the window at Vaughn’s lone, dark figure. Set amid the lush greenery of the yard and the shimmering blue ocean beyond, he looked as miserable as I felt.
Why did I have to have these annoying feelings for someone as complicated as him?
Vaughn was an asshole and a hero. Strong and fragile. He was the hottest man I’d ever met, but he thought himself hideous.
And the most troublesome thought of all? He’d be out of my life in a matter of days.
I didn’t want him to go. I wanted him to stay so I could get to know him better. I wanted time to convince him to try desensitization with me again. And most of all, I wanted him to be the one protecting me. Not his brother or anyone else. Because even though Vaughn tried to act like I meant nothing to him, I was almost certain he felt something. I couldn’t be imagining that, could I?
Dee was right. Vaughn was as stubborn as me, so if I didn’t speak up, he’d leave. Maybe he would anyway, but at least I’d have tried.
Decision made, I grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and drank half to relieve my parched mouth. Asking this of Vaughn made me feel vulnerable. But what was the worst that could happen? He’d reject me again and leave anyway? I had nothing to lose.
When I headed for the sliding door to the yard, Vaughn was gone.
That was weird. Being in bodyguard mode, he rarely ventured out of sight for anything. And if he ever needed a moment to himself, he always let me know where he’d be.
I made my way toward the dogs. Chuck was back in the pen, but no sign of Vaughn. Then I heard his voice and caught a glimpse of him through the garden as he walked to the beach with his phone at his ear.
Did he want privacy? He’d never left the yard to make a call before.
Curiosity piqued, I followed him, keeping my distance and using palm trees to conceal my approach.
Eventually, Vaughn made it to the beach and stopped near a rocky outcrop. I crept between bushes until I was close enough to eavesdrop on his conversation.
He spoke Spanish, which meant he wasn’t talking to Sage or Brandon. It sounded like small talk. Vaughn asked about the caller’s family and offered condolences about a cousin. But then I heard a sentence that made ice shoot up my spine.
“Capitán, Brother, you know I’m always prepared to help la Mano Roja out—for the right price.”
Help la Mano Roja?
Capitán? There was only one person in the Red Hand who went by that name, and he was second-in-command of the organization.
Miguel Torres.
Wait. Why did it sound like Vaughn was negotiating a deal with my father’s henchmen? Carlos had been contracting la Mano Roja as his private security and transportation service for over a decade. As far as I knew, the ruthless militia group was still loyal to the Pacific Coast Cartel.
“You’ve come to the right pilot,” Vaughn said with a nod. “That’s a lot of cargo. But yes, I can deliver it in one shipment. No problem.”
I didn’t want to believe it, but I’d heard him loud and clear. Vaughn was smuggling for la Mano Roja.
Not only that. It sounded like Vaughn and el Capitán were old pals.
What in the actual fuck?
This wasn’t possible. He couldn’t be in league with the enemy. Or could he? Vaughn had only been here for a week. How well could you really know someone after such a short time?
My mind raced as I struggled to come to terms with what I’d just heard. What did this all mean?
An oily feeling settled in my belly, sending me off-balance. Despite the warm morning sun, tiny hairs on my arms stood on end.
Something was very wrong.
Vaughn ran his hand over his stubbly jaw. “Listen, I recently came across something special, and I want to deliver it to you in person.” He laughed at el Capitán’s response. “You could keep it for yourself, but once you see the treasure I’ve found, I think you’re going to want to gift it to Espinoza. Trust me. It’ll make you his new favorite.”
Something special Vaughn had recently acquired and wanted to gift to my father? What was he talking about? All he had in his possession was a shitty truck, a duffel bag of black clothes, and a bunch of weapons. The only thing of value he’d recently found was?—
My hand flew to my mouth to hold in my gasp.
No.
Vaughn had to be talking about me.
I was the special delivery my father would be thrilled to receive.
Why would Vaughn do this to me? He’d told me to trust him. He’d promised to protect me. In reality, all he’d been doing this week was making sure I didn’t disappear until the exchange could be made with la Mano Roja. He must’ve been waiting for this phone call to set it up.
He’d probably said those things to make me compliant. It was much easier to steer a willing subject than one who resisted. And I’d fallen right into his trap. Something cold and painful stabbed at my chest like a shard of ice sinking between my ribs.
What did Vaughn have to gain from getting in my father’s good graces? The same things anyone did, I supposed. Money. Power. And I was his ticket to it all. Humans were greedy by nature, and the possibility of becoming wealthy beyond imagination was too tempting to resist. Vaughn had probably thought he’d won the lottery when he’d stumbled across me. Tears welled in my eyes. I felt so goddamn stupid.
“Yes, I’m in the country,” Vaughn said. A moment later, he winced and braced one hand on his hip. “All right. Tonight it is.”
He was going to hand deliver me to la Mano Roja tonight? Daphne was away. There was no one to stop him from kidnapping me. No one to alert the authorities that I was missing. Today was my day off from Javi’s. My disappearance wouldn’t be noticed until Daphne got home tomorrow.
I pressed my back to the palm tree as panic erupted within me. I wouldn’t let Vaughn hand me over to the enemy. I’d end up back in the hell I’d escaped. Trapped in my father’s gilded cage and ripe for marriage and breeding with Jorge.
Absolutely not. I refused to accept that fate.
I had to get away from Vaughn. Of all the people I’d thought I might have to run from, I’d never imagined he’d be one.
I didn’t have much time. Barely enough to grab Titan. I’d have to steal Vaughn’s truck before he realized what I was planning.
Move, woman.
I wiped away the first tear. The second I let fall. But as I turned to leave the safety of the palm grove, I slammed straight into a solid wall of muscle.
Vaughn grabbed my shoulders to steady me. “Going somewhere?”
“Take your hands off me!” I slapped them away and scurried out of his grip.
“What are you doing here?” His eyes scanned my blotchy face and narrowed. “You were listening to my phone call.”
“Stay away from me.” I backed up one cautious step at a time.
He advanced in equal measure. “Are you going to give me a chance to explain?”
“No.” My muscles tensed, preparing to bolt. “I understand everything.”
“Don’t do it.” He lowered his chin, his body balanced and ready to pounce if I made the slightest suspicious movement. “Don’t you run from me, Hope. You know I’ll catch you.”
He was probably right, but I had to try.
“You’re not the first asshole I’ve escaped.” I snatched up a handful of sand and pitched it in Vaughn’s face.
Then I dashed. Judging by the furious growl behind me, the sand had found its way into Grim’s eyes. That only gave me a few seconds’ head start, but I’d take it.
My arms pumped. My legs moved with a speed I’d never known I had as I dodged palm fronds and jumped over low shrubs. I needed to make it back to the house. Dee had guns inside. If I locked the doors and grabbed one, I had a chance to defend myself.
“Hope, goddammit. Stop!”
He was so close. The house came into view, but I wasn’t going to make it. I needed a weapon right now.
I grabbed a shovel from beside the vegetable patch and spun to face Vaughn. “Don’t come any closer.”
He skidded to a halt on the sandy path, palms outstretched in a placating gesture. “Put that down.”
I shifted on my feet with the shovel tight in my sweaty grip. “I can’t believe I trusted you.” I hated the way my voice cracked. “You said you’d protect me.”
“I am protecting you!”
“Bullshit!” I launched forward and swung the shovel at his head.
Vaughn ducked, then moved out of range again. “You don’t want to listen, Gatita? You’d rather fight me?”
My lip curled in a vicious sneer. Yes, I wanted to fight him. I’d love nothing more than to clock him over the head and leave him sprawled on the sand. I was so mad that he’d deceived me.
I answered Vaughn’s question by swinging the shovel at him again. This time, he stepped in and caught the wooden handle. With a fierce growl, he tore it from my hands and flung it to the ground. His furious expression sent a tremor through me.
On jelly legs, I bolted again, with Vaughn hot on my trail. The dogs barked like crazy as I sprinted toward their large pen. Inside the house, behind the screen door, Titan anxiously watched the commotion unfold.
Almost home.
Then a pair of arms clamped around me like steel bands. Vaughn tackled me to the sand, both of us landing on our hip and shoulder.
I squirmed in his bear hug, my back plastered to his hard chest. My legs kicked like my life depended on it.
Vaughn rolled and maneuvered me so I was trapped beneath him. Both of us gasped for air. I fought him with all my strength, but as soon as I had my hands free, he pinned them above my head with one of his.
“Let me go!” I spat.
Sand covered his neck. Wayward strands of dark hair hung over his slick brow.
“Nah. Don’t think I will.” He gave me a sly grin, which only made me want to scratch his goddamn eyes out. “You should know better than to run. It’s my favorite kind of foreplay.”
I writhed beneath him, hating the way his scent and hard body felt familiar. Hating the way I still found comfort in it.
A golf ball–sized lump worked its way into my throat. Foolishly, the part that stung the most was that I’d allowed myself to catch feelings for Vaughn. Feelings he couldn’t possibly share. Otherwise, he’d never hurt me like this.
A tear slipped from the corner of my eye, and I wished like hell the waterworks would stop. I wasn’t a crier.
“Oh, Gatita.” Vaughn’s rough finger traced the path the tear had taken. “Is this for me? Did I break your heart?”
I jerked my face away from his touch. “Screw you!”
His gaze darted to my lips. “That can be arranged.” And then his hips pressed into mine, grinding his hardness against me.
A fireball of heat shot straight to my core. No. No. I wouldn’t allow him to elicit that response from me after what he’d done. I despised him. He represented everything I loathed in this world. Vaughn was just another violent man who wanted to use me for his own gain. I didn’t want him. I refused to want him. Yet when he arched into me again, I shivered and a small whimper left my lips.
Brain to body: check your fucking messages! The asshole wedged between your thighs is your enemy.
Coming to my senses, I bucked against him. “You’re a pig. You don’t get to play with me like this anymore. We’re done.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Vaughn’s grin vanished, and something shifted in his eyes. “We’re not done until I say so.”
Then his lips crashed against mine.