Chapter 9
Julian
I find Nora by the pool, lounging with a book under one of the umbrellas. Her slim legs are crossed at the ankles, and she’s wearing a strapless white bikini, her golden skin gleaming with droplets of water. She must’ve been swimming recently.
Hearing my footsteps, she sits up and places her book on a side table. “Hi,” she says softly when I approach her lounge chair. Her sunglasses are too big for her small face, making her look a bit like a dragonfly, and I make a mental note to buy her a more fitting pair on the next trip to Bogotá.
“Hello, my pet,” I murmur, sitting down on her chair.
Raising my hand, I pull the sunglasses off her nose and lean forward to take her mouth in a short, deep kiss.
She tastes like sunlight, her lips soft and yielding, and my cock instantly stiffens, reacting to the proximity of her almost-naked body.
Tonight, I promise myself as I reluctantly lift my head. I will have her again tonight.
“What was your meeting about this morning?” she asks, her breathing slightly uneven after the kiss. Her dark eyes hold curiosity and just a hint of caution as she looks at me. She’s testing the waters again, trying to determine how much I’m willing to share with her now.
I consider that for a moment. It’s tempting to continue keeping her in the dark.
Despite everything, Nora is still so na?ve, so ignorant of the real world.
She got a small taste of it back in that warehouse, but it was nothing compared to the things I deal with every day.
I want to continue shielding her from the brutal nature of my reality, but there is no safety in ignorance any longer—not when my enemies know about her.
Besides, I have a feeling my young wife is tougher than her delicate appearance would suggest.
She has to be, to survive me.
Arriving at a decision, I give her a cool smile. “We just got intelligence on two Al-Quadar cells,” I say, watching her reaction. “Now we’re figuring out how we can wipe them out and capture some of their members in the process. The meeting was to coordinate the logistics of that operation.”
Her eyes widen slightly, but she does a good job of controlling her shock at my revelations. “How many cells are there?” she asks, shifting forward in the chair. I can see her right palm curling into a fist next to her leg, though her voice remains calm. “How big is their organization?”
“Nobody knows, except their top leaders. That’s why it’s so hard to eradicate them—they’re scattered all over the world, like vermin. They made a mistake, though, when they tried to play hardball with me. I am very good at exterminating vermin.”
Nora swallows reflexively, but continues holding my gaze. Brave girl. “What did they want from you?” she asks. “Why did they decide to play hardball?”
I hesitate for a second, then decide to fill her in.
She might as well know the full story at this point.
“My company developed a new type of weapon—a powerful explosive that’s almost impossible to detect,” I explain.
“A couple of kilos is all it would take to blow up a mid-sized airport, and a dozen kilos could take out a small city. It’s got the explosive force of a nuclear bomb, but it’s not radioactive, and the substance that it’s made of resembles plastic, so it can be molded into nearly anything… even children’s toys.”
She stares at me, her face turning pale. She’s beginning to understand the implications of this. “Is that why you didn’t want to give it to them?” she asks. “Because you didn’t want to place such a dangerous weapon in the hands of terrorists?”
“No, not really.” I give her an amused look.
It’s sweet of her to ascribe noble motives to me, but she should know better at this point.
“It’s simply that the explosive is difficult to produce in large quantities, and I already have a long list of buyers waiting.
Al-Quadar was at the very bottom of that list, so they would’ve had to wait years, if not decades, to get it from me. ”
To Nora’s credit, her expression doesn’t change. “So who is at the top of your list?” she says evenly. “Some other terrorist group?”
“No.” I laugh softly. “Not even close. It’s your government, my pet. They put in an order so large, it will keep my factories busy for years.”
“Oh, I see.” Initially she appears relieved, but then a puzzled frown creases her smooth forehead. “So legitimate governments buy things from you too? I thought the US military developed their own weapons…”
“They do.” I grin at her na?veté. “But they would never pass up a chance to get their hands on something like this. And the more they buy, the less I can sell to others. It’s an arrangement that works well for everyone.”
“But why don’t they just take it from you by force? Or simply shut down your factories?” She stares at me in confusion. “In general, if they know of your existence, why do they allow you to produce illegal weapons?”
“Because if I didn’t do it, somebody else would—and that person might not be nearly as rational and pragmatic as I am.
” I can see the disbelieving look on Nora’s face, and my grin widens.
“Yes, my pet, believe it or not, the US government would rather deal with me, who bears America no particular ill will, than to have someone like Majid in charge of a similar operation.”
“Majid?”
“The motherfucker who killed Beth.” My voice hardens, my amusement disappearing without a trace. “The one responsible for stealing you at the clinic.”
Nora tenses at the mention of Beth, and I see her hands balling into fists again. “The Suit—that’s what I called him in my mind,” she murmurs, her gaze appearing distant for a moment. “Because he was wearing a suit, you see…” She blinks, then focuses her attention on me again. “That was Majid?”
I nod, keeping my expression impassive despite the rage churning inside me. “Yes. That was him.”
“I wish he hadn’t died in the explosion,” she says, surprising me for a moment. Her eyes glitter darkly in the sunlight. “He didn’t deserve such an easy death.”
“No, he didn’t,” I agree, now comprehending her meaning.
Like me, she wishes that Majid had suffered.
She hungers for revenge; I can hear it in her voice, see it on her face.
It makes me wonder what would happen if she somehow ended up with Majid at her mercy.
Would she be able to truly hurt him? To inflict such pain that he would beg for death?
It’s an idea I find more than a little intriguing.
“Did you ever bring Beth here?” she asks, interrupting that train of thought. “To this compound, I mean?”
“No.” I shake my head. “Before she came to stay on the island, Beth traveled with me, and I didn’t come here for a long time.”
“Why not?”
I shrug. “It wasn’t my favorite place, I guess,” I say casually, ignoring the dark memories that flood my mind at her innocent question.
The estate was where I’d spent most of my childhood, where my father’s belt and fists reigned supreme until I was old enough to fight back.
It was where I killed my first man—and where I came to retrieve my mother’s bloodied corpse twelve years ago.
It wasn’t until I renovated the house completely that I could stand the thought of coming to live here again, and even then, it’s only Nora’s presence that makes it bearable for me to be here.
She places her hand on my knee, bringing me back to the present. “Julian…” She pauses for a moment, as though unsure whether to proceed. Then she apparently decides to forge ahead. “There’s something I would like to ask you,” she says quietly, but firmly.
I lift my eyebrows. “What is it, my pet?”
“I took lessons back home,” she says, her hand unconsciously tightening on my knee. “Self-defense and shooting, that sort of thing… and I’d like to resume them here, if possible.”
“I see.” A smile curves my mouth. My earlier speculations had been right, it seems. She’s not the same frightened, helpless girl I brought to the island.
This Nora is stronger, more resilient… and even more appealing.
I remember reading about her lessons in Lucas’s report, so her request is not totally unexpected.
“You would like me to train you how to fight and use weapons?”
She nods. “Yes. Or maybe have someone else teach me, if you’re busy.”
“No.” The thought of any one of my men laying his hands on her, even in a teaching capacity, makes me see red. “I will teach you myself.”
I decide to start Nora’s training that afternoon, after I catch up on a few business emails. For some reason, I like the idea of teaching her self-defense. I don’t intend for her to ever be in a dangerous situation again, but I still want her to know how to protect herself if the need arises.
The irony of what I’m doing doesn’t escape me. Most people would say I’m the one she needs protection from, and they would probably be right. I don’t give a fuck, though. Nora is mine now, and I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe—even if it involves teaching her how to kill someone like me.
When I’m done with my emails, I go searching for her back at the house. This time I find her in the house gym, running on the treadmill at full speed. Judging by the sweat trickling down her slender back, she’s been going at this pace for a while.
Making sure not to startle her, I come up to her from the side.
Spotting me, she reduces the speed on the treadmill, slowing down to a jog. “Hi,” she says breathlessly, reaching for a small towel to wipe her face. “Is it time for the training?”