Chapter 6
six
My theory to get Olivia out safely was to be the boldest motherfucker ever and stroll onto Benito’s property. It was the only way. The classic grab and run. The minute I saw her come out onto the patio and start having breakfast with Benito’s girlfriends I knew it was my one and only chance. If Benito still had his old habits, he stayed up until three or four in the morning then slept until at least noon. So I just walked over to her.
She had looked delicious and annoyed and the minute I laid eyes on her, I couldn’t think about anything other than how she had shattered beneath me so easily. Twice. Then she’d stood up and I realized Benito had dressed her in something that didn’t suit her at all and it pissed me off. Which was insane because I had never seen her dressed. The sum total of our strange little relationship had occurred with her in a robe and naked beneath.
Maybe that was what had offended me—clothes on her. Even a bathing suit. The thought amused me. I also appreciated she understood the danger when Shelly got curious. Going along with Olivia’s fake fight, I started to pull her away from the table. Adrenaline had me squeezing her hand hard as I said goodbye to the other women. The minute we hit the trees, I said, “Run.”
I sensed the movement behind me already. The sound of the back door opening, male voices. Olivia gave me a panicked look but she obeyed. Bare foot in nothing but the black bikini, she took off down the neighbor’s driveway. My intention was to follow suit after I turned around and took in the scope of what I was facing.
That was a mistake. It lost me precious seconds and distance between myself and Benito’s bodyguards. One lifted his arm and I knew he was going to fire a shot. Wanting to make sure he didn’t hit Olivia, I veered a hard left. The shot rang out and the burn exploded in my right bicep. Fuck. Twice. That was twice in one month in the same freaking arm I’d been shot. It pushed me harder, my legs churning, lungs burning and I cut back to the right and ran toward Olivia, raising my good arm and gesturing wildly for her to get in the damn car. She was standing there, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.
“It’s unlocked, get in!” I said.
For whatever reason, she got in the driver’s side. With my left arm, I turned as I approached the car and fired my gun, just as a warning. It didn’t seem to hit anyone but they did pause. The break in stride gave me enough time to jump into my car, shoving at Olivia. She was screaming, which wasn’t helping my ability to concentrate.
“Move over!” I shouted at her.
She was scrambling to get in the passenger seat, but not fast enough. I slid in, under her legs, jerking my keys out of my pants pocket. Her ass was on my forearm, her face somewhere by the glove box but I had the room to shift gears and get my feet on the pedals so I drove.
“Oh, my God!” she screamed. “Wester!”
There was no clue what she actually meant by that, but it didn’t matter. We’d sort it out and upright her later. I pulled out of my parking spot, tore down the street, and barely even glanced to the left before I pulled out into traffic on Alton Road. There were several horns blaring, but a glance in my mirror reassured me we weren’t being followed. I relaxed but didn’t let up on the gas pedal.
My arm was burning like a motherfucker. I ignored it and placed my palm flat on Olivia’s ass to give her a shove so she was further onto the passenger seat.
“Get your hand off my butt!” she screamed from the corner.
That made me smile, despite the situation. I had touched a whole lot more than her butt in a bikini. “I need your legs out of the way. I’m trying to drive.”
After a fair amount of scrambling she managed to pull her legs over the gearshift and onto her seat. She pulled herself up and faced forward. She turned and gave me a glare. “I’m aware of that, thank you very much.” Then her eyes widened.
Here it came. She’d spotted my wound. I looked forward again, concentrating on the road. Miami Beach traffic always sucked. I’d feel a lot better once we were on the causeway and were back at Ricardo’s.
“You’re bleeding! Holy crap, you’re bleeding, Wester!”
“It’s fine.” It was. It hurt but my other gunshot wound was worse. This felt more like a grazing whereas that had been a direct hit.
“That’s not fine, that’s blood!” Her voice was shrill.
She touched my arm and I jerked. I hadn’t been expecting that and it added to my pain. “Seriously, don’t touch me right now.”
“We need to go the emergency room.”
I shook my head. “Not happening. At all. I’ll just bandage it.” I came to a stop at a red light and looked over at her, wanting to reassure her. Panic was high in her voice.
But what I saw made me forget all about Benito possibly being on my ass and my nicked arm. Her breast had completely popped out of her bikini top. There was a whole lot of round creamy flesh. Her nipple was being pushed skyward. My mouth watered. I wanted to bend over and take that peak into my mouth. “You, uh, have a wardrobe malfunction,” I said, gesturing to her breast.
She glanced down and her jaw dropped. “Don’t look!” She yanked the fabric back up.
The light turned and I started driving again. “I’ve already seen you naked.” That was honestly puzzling to me. Why did she care now if I saw a tit?
“You have not seen me naked. I had a robe on.”
“But—” Then I decided to just let it go. She wanted to pretend that having a robe underneath her naked body and on her arms had given her any sort of modesty, then I needed to let her have that delusion. Feeling emotional was normal under the circumstances. She’d been kidnapped and was forced to have sex with me to save her life.
It was fucking with my head. I could only imagine what it was doing to her.
“Do you have clothes at Ricardo’s?” I asked. That would go a long way toward restoring normal if she were actually wearing a bra and panties and maybe some shorts and a T-shirt.
“Of course I have clothes! I’m staying with them for the week. I don’t walk around naked.”
I wasn’t touching that one.
“I wish I had my phone. I’m worried about Eva.”
Also puzzling to me. “Why are you worried about Eva? I’m sure she’s fine. Benito thinks you’re Eva.”
“Which is gross.”
A glance over showed her chewing her thumbnail. Olivia didn’t have on any makeup. It was the first time I’d actually realized that. Her sister had been heavily made up, but Olivia was fresh faced. Maybe that was because she had gone out onto the patio the night before straight from a shower. I hoped she preferred easy on the eye shadow. She looked beautiful the way she was, natural.
When she didn’t elaborate, I asked, “Why is that gross?”
“Because everyone seems to think it’s totally normal that my sister would cheat on her husband with her bodyguard.”
For some reason that rankled. “What, a bodyguard isn’t good enough to have an affair with? It offends you that she would go slumming?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. My sister and I grew up broke as a joke with my grandparents. I don’t give a shit about money or status. I just mean that people seem to think she is perfectly capable of getting married but still living like she’s single.”
It made me feel better that Olivia was so vehement about not being materialistic. I believed her. “It’s not that unusual in this lifestyle. And no one knows your sister. It’s not personal.”
“I guess not.”
“So what do you do with your days, Olivia?” I realized I knew nothing about her. I knew her body inside and out. But I didn’t know her and for the first time in my life that actually made me uncomfortable. I was the king of hook-ups. I loved the choreography of catching someone’s eye, flirting, coming to a mutual agreement to get naked, and sharing an hour of pure base pleasure. I thrived on the hit and quit because there were no expectations beyond an orgasm. That I could give. More was out of the question. I couldn’t get close to anyone because I couldn’t lose someone again.
Rachel popped into my head and I forcefully pushed her out.
Olivia helped me avoid those painful memories by saying, “I’m a grad student and UM. Chemistry. My undergrad degree is in engineering.”
That caught my attention. “Seriously?” It made me grin. “So you’re a smarty pants? Nice.”
I don’t know what I was expecting but not that she was a chemistry major. Who did engineering. I didn’t even know what that meant, but it sounded complicated and like a lot of math was involved.
But she seemed uncomfortable with my teasing compliment. “I just learned how to study well. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“So when do you graduate?”
“Next year. Then I’m hoping to get a job in an oil refinery. I’ll probably move to the gulf somewhere. I’m kind of ready to move on. I’m hoping Eva will go with me.”
Interesting. Olivia was a girl with a plan. I found that very sexy. She also seemed to have forgotten I was bleeding, which also made me happy. “I thought you said Eva loves Ricardo.”
“Thanks for reminding me.”
“Sorry.” It seemed to me Olivia was being a little unrealistic to think her sister would leave a dude she loved who was filthy rich to move to a strange city and live in a small apartment with her sister. Then again, Eva wasn’t getting good dick from Ricardo, so maybe she would.
In any case, it was none of my business.
So why did I want it to be my business? That made me angry, as did the press of those dark thoughts, memories, I didn’t want to exist. Shit I couldn’t undo.
I pulled up to the gate to enter Star Island and told Olivia, “You have to be your sister for the gate guard.”
“Why? They know she has an identical twin sister.”
Every word I spoke she argued against. It didn’t help my mood. “Then be whoever you want. I don’t give a shit.”
“Chill out.”
I worked hard on a regular basis to keep my rage under wraps. That’s why I avoided attachments—if I didn’t care, I wouldn’t get angry. But I didn’t ask for any of this and it pissed me off that she didn’t seem to understand without me she might be dead. “I’m not going to chill out. I just fucking stole you from Benito. I’ve been shot. Your brother-in-law owes Benito two hundred grand in drug money and now I’m right in the middle of this whole shit show, risking my neck, because of you.”
Olivia didn’t answer and I slammed on my brakes at the gate and turned to her. She had tears in her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Thank you.”
Ah, shit. I couldn’t look at her. It killed me to see those glassy eyes wide with emotion. I turned to the guard and rolled my window down. “I’m taking Mrs. Davis home.”
The guard glanced past me and saw Olivia. He nodded. “Have a nice day.”
“Thanks, you too.” Anyone was likely having a better day than me.
I drove through the gate, ignoring the increased throb in my arm, and prepared to face Ricardo. Without letting Olivia know that I fully intended to take Ricardo at gunpoint and deliver him to Benito, the very man who was my former best friend and the reason my girlfriend had died.
She didn’t need to know any of that.
And she didn’t need to know that Benito had clearly let us escape. Which meant the next move in our little chess game was his.
I didn’t want to cry because I had never been a girl who cried. It had always driven my grandmother crazy. Eva would cry when she was sad, when she was happy, when she didn’t get her way, and when she saw babies and puppies. There had been one time at the pet store when we were about six where she had just wailed while holding a kitten and kept saying, “He’s just so cute!” over and over while tears streamed down her face. Me? I had looked at her like she’d grown a third head. I didn’t get it. I never cried. Not when my mother left. Not when my high school boyfriend broke my heart. Not during heartwarming movies. Evil Twin. That was me. Everyone had joked about it, and once I had heard my aunt whisper to my mother that she was afraid I was a sociopath. But no one understood I had feelings. Lots of feelings. I just didn’t want to show them. I had to be strong for Eva, for my grandparents. Besides, I think I was afraid if I started crying, I might never stop.
So it didn’t make a single bit of sense that I had been able to hold tears at bay the night before but now I was in danger of full-on sobbing. But what was confusing as hell to me was why Wester was risking his own life. I had thought about it, sort of, but not really. To hear him say it out loud, clearly angry with me, had shamed me. Made me feel guilty and humble and small. I had given him attitude and the truth was, he could have just watched me get snagged the night before, told Ricardo, and gone about his own business.
He had been shot because of me. I hadn’t thought I was squeamish before either, but seeing his suit darken in a broad swath of blood, I was grateful he was wearing black. If I had to see crimson on white I thought I would probably throw up.
“So why are you helping me?” I asked Wester after we pulled through the gate and headed down the street toward Ricardo’s mansion.
“Because I would be an asshole if I didn’t.”
That should have been an okay response but I wanted more. Sitting there in nothing but a bikini I crossed my legs, feeling exposed. I knew what I wanted and it was stupid. I wanted that moment with Wester the night before to be real. For there to be a me and him. Totally ridiculous because I knew nothing about him. Not a thing. He could be the biggest prick on the planet and yet there I was all googly-eyed over him.
I was so annoyed with myself that I devolved back to snark. “At least you got laid out of the whole thing.”
If I expected him to be offended I was completely wrong. He didn’t look at me but the corner of his mouth turned up.
“That’s true.”
Rolling my eyes, I watched anxiously as we pulled into Ricardo’s compound. My sister must have been worried sick. Or not. Eva was sitting in the kitchen when we came into the house. She had a cup of coffee and an omelet laid out in front of her and she was watching Real Housewives of Somewhere on her iPad. Which another day would have struck me as hugely ironic since she was a real housewife herself, but today only annoyed me further.
“Hey,” she said, giving us a wave and eating a grape off the end of her fork. She was dressed in the world’s silliest pajamas, lots of silk and lace and plunging neckline. It was Barbie meets seventies porn. “What have you two been up to?” She eyed my bikini. “Where did you get that suit? It’s super cute.”
She didn’t know anything about me being gone. That fucker Ricardo had never told her I was gone. “Where’s Ricardo?” I asked, ignoring her question.
“In bed still.” She gave me a look of alarm. “Why? Don’t interrupt him, Liv. He hates being woken up.”
Whatever. Ricardo was twenty-two. He’d get over losing a couple of hours of beauty sleep. “Well, I didn’t enjoy spending the night in a locked room because he can’t pay his debt.”
She wrinkled her nose. “What are you talking about?”
“I was kidnapped last night! They thought I was you!” I wasn’t sure why I was angry at Eva. It wasn’t her fault. But her na?veté annoyed me after my own restless night spent in fear.
Wester was looking a little glassy-eyed, his right arm drooping low. “We should wrap your arm,” I said, even as the thought made me want to vomit. “Take off your coat.”
“It’s fine for now.” The set of his jaw brooked no argument. “Where is Ricardo’s bedroom?”
“I’ll go get him.” If me waking him up was going to make Ricardo salty I could only imagine if Wester stormed in there.
“No. I’m doing it.” He started down the hall.
“You don’t even know where you’re going!” I scrambled after him. “This way.”
I didn’t know what I thought Wester was going to do. Wake up Ricardo and explain the situation? Offer to have the cash courier delivered? I didn’t know. But I didn’t expect him to stride into the bedroom, yank back the covers, and put the barrel of his gun onto Ricardo’s forehead.
“Don’t move or I’ll blow your fucking head off,” he said.
“What are you doing?” I screamed.
Ricardo’s eyes popped open and he started to sit then realized what was pointed at him. He went completely still. “What are you doing, Lewiston? Put the gun down.”
“Oh, my God, don’t kill him!” I mean, I didn’t like Ricardo but I didn’t wish him dead. I bounced on my heels, not sure what to do. I wasn’t afraid to do something as stupid as grab Wester’s arm, but I was absolutely certain if he shot him in front of me, I was going to lose whatever cool I had remaining and flip the freak out.
“Listen to my wife. You don’t want to do this.”
He thought I was Eva. Under normal circumstances I would be pissed about that, because a husband should be able to recognize his own wife, but he was thirty seconds out of sleep and was probably cross-eyed from watching the gun on his forehead so I would give him a pass.
“That’s Olivia, you idiot. The woman who ended up spending the night locked up as a prisoner at Benito’s house because you’re too much of a cheap-ass to pay your bills.” Wester grabbed Ricardo by the arm and yanked him out of bed. “You’re coming with me.”
“You’re going to regret this. I have guards, you know.”
“Yeah, all in the same firm I work for. All my buddies. Your one guy who isn’t should be tied up out back by now. The thing about being cheap is that you should never have all your staff from the same firm. It’s a basic rule of safety, Davis.”
“Where are you taking him?” Eva appeared in the doorway and spoke. Then she spotted the gun and started screaming.
Afraid she was going to charge into the room and get shot by accident I ran over to her. “Eva, come with me.”
She fought me off and honestly, I had no idea she was that strong. Trying to contain her was like fighting with a feral cat.
“Eva, it’s okay,” Ricardo said, being led across the room by Wester. “I’ll be back by lunch. I just need to see a guy about a thing.”
Two men appeared in the hallway behind Eva and one took over my attempts to control her. He was tall and big and serious. The other one was Hispanic and he winked at me. “Having fun yet?”
I glared at him. “No. I’m not. Who the hell are you?” I turned to the big guy. “Stop molesting my sister!”
“Whoa. There is no molesting,” the dark haired guy said. “We’re just doing our job. I’m Alejandro and this is Ryan.”
“What is your job exactly?”
“Security. We’re here to protect you and your sister until Wester gets back.”
That had me whipping my head over to Wester, who had Ricardo handcuffed now. “Where are you going? I’m going to lose my shit if you don’t answer me.”
“Don’t worry about it, babe. You and Eva will be safe.”
I wasn’t sure I had ever understood the expression “saw red” until that very moment. My vision blurred, a buzzing began in my ears, and hot saliva flooded my mouth. Shaking from anger, I said, “Babe? Did you just call me babe in literally the most patronizing manner ever?”
“I don’t have time for this,” he told me.
Ricardo smirked, dressed in nothing but silk underwear. “You shouldn’t have fucked her, Lewiston. Now you have attitude.”
“He didn’t fuck me!” I said out of pure embarrassment as both the bodyguards’ eyebrows shot up and my own sister look aghast. But of course that was a lie. I hadn’t on the patio here at Ricardo’s, but later? Full on penetration. And I had liked it. Even knowing that I had to, I had wanted to. Damn it.
Wester gave me a smile that made me hate him. I wanted to kick him in the nuts and watch him double over in pain. This violent world was making me violent. I had never been one to have ball-busting thoughts, but now I wanted his nuts in a vice while I turned the crank.
“Whatever you say, babe . Now do what Ryan and Alejandro say and I’ll see you later.”
I lunged toward him out of pure rage, but Alejandro intercepted me. “Get your hands off of me!” I said.
Wester looked back over his shoulder. “Seriously, man. You touch her where you shouldn’t and I’ll break you.”
“For real?” Alejandro looked pissed. “I just saved you from getting your eyes scratched out.”
“Keep your hands off of my–
He seemed to realize I wasn’t anything to him. He paused, looking confused.
“What?” Alejandro grinned. “So that’s the way the wind is blowing. Nice.”
“Fuck off,” Wester said.
“Keep his hands off of your what?” I asked, because I was feeling sour and bursting with rage. My sister might be just fine with bowing to a man and his opinions but I was not. This was bullshit. I wasn’t a possession. I was a woman. A woman who hated him.
But he didn’t answer. He just left.
Eva was standing there pouting in her lingerie, completely immobilized by the brawny guy, who wore zero expression. Apparently just another day on the job for him. “Eva, are you okay?” I asked, concerned about her. She was crying.
“What is going on?” she asked. “This is insane.”
“I told you, I was kidnapped last night. They were trying to kidnap you to hold you until Ricardo pays his debt.”
“Why would Ricardo have debt? He’s rich.”
That was the two hundred thousand dollar question. “I don’t know. He’s doing something shady, that’s all I know.”
“I don’t believe that.”
The big guy, whose name was apparently Ryan, snorted.
“What?” I asked him.
“My boss always said if you’re not indicted, you’re not invited. Everyone in Miami is involved with shady business dealings.”
And that was relevant how? “Thank you for the history lesson,” I said. “But I don’t give a shit. Eva and I aren’t shady and I resent the hell out of being pulled into this nonsense.”
“Nonsense?” Alejandro looked amused. “How old are you? Because you sound sixty.”
“We’re twenty-four,” Eva said, because she always strove to be helpful.
I didn’t bother to explain that he was being facetious.
“I’m going to go get my phone and some clothes and you all can go fuck yourselves.”
Now who sounded sixty? I stomped off, or at least tried to. It was difficult in bare feet and a bikini. Just not the same impact.
“If you show me how to fuck myself, I’m happy to,” Alejandro said.
He and Ryan started laughing.
Jerks.
I turned and gave him a doe-eyed look of wonder that I had seen on my sister’s face hundreds of times. It was a look that made men melt. I put my hand to my chest and ran my fingers over my cleavage. “Okay,” I said in a breathless voice.
Alejandro’s jaw dropped. “Really?”
My face returned to my natural state of pissed off. “No. Not even under penalty of death.” One bodyguard was enough. “But if you need instructions I’m sure you can find some on the Internet.”
As I continued down the hall to the living room, I heard Alejandro say, “I see why Wester has a thing for her. Sassy. Gotta like that.”
That made me roll my eyes. Eva followed me, looping her arm through mine. “Olivia, is Wester going to hurt Ricardo?”
“No, of course not.” I didn’t think. But really, I was way out of my element here. “He said he’d be home by lunch. Come on, let’s go into your room so we can have some privacy.”
“I can’t let you go in any room alone,” Ryan said, following us.
Going past a sofa I picked up a faux fur toss pillow and hurled it at him. Sixty. Twenty-four. Two. I was all ages.
He caught it.
Alejandro laughed.
And I tried not to feel like stabbing something, but failed.