Chapter 25
RAUL
How could I have let her leave like that?
I've tried calling her. Texting her. Over and over again. The second she walked out, regret hit me like a freight train, sudden and brutal and impossible to ignore. It's been days.
I need to talk to her. Now.
I grab my keys, jump into my Cadillac, and race to her house. Three knocks later, her father opens the door.
"Is Olivia here?" I ask, trying to keep my voice level. Desperate. Controlled. He sees right through it anyway.
"No, son. She should be on her way to work."
"Thank you, sir." Polite. Polished. Steady.
The exact opposite of what's happening inside me.
On the drive to Scarlet, I call Olivia twice more. Straight to voicemail both times.
If she hates me, I wouldn't blame her.
I spot her yellow car before I even see the club. The sun is still hanging low in the sky, casting everything in gold, softening the edges of the street like it hasn't decided the day is over yet.
I park on a side street and make my way to the front door. The bouncer greets me with a nod, and I return it before stepping inside. The door is already being opened for me when my eyes land on her.
Olivia feels my stare and looks up just as I approach.
"What the fuck do you want, Raul?"
"Olivia, please."
"Please what? You want to keep secrets? Fine. Especially since we're 'just friends,' right?" She throws the words back at me, dragging them out with pure venom.
The words hit harder than her slap from the other day.
"It's not like that."
"Then what is it, Raul?" she snaps, barely looking up from the limes she's cutting for the night shift.
"Can we talk outside?" I glance toward the other bartender.
"Hey, Jess, you got this?" Olivia asks over her shoulder. "I have some unfinished business, apparently."
Her sarcasm isn't lost on either of us.
"Yeah, hun. You're good," Jess says.
We take the path to the side doors and step into the alley. Olivia turns to face me, and my heart stutters. The last light of day catches on her caramel skin and deep red hair, turning her into something nearly unreal. She's breathtaking. Furious, but breathtaking.
"What the fuck do you want, Raul?"
"Listen."
"This is your last chance. I'm fucking done listening. I'm done being treated like an option. Stop fucking playing games with me."
"Wait. You think this is a game?"
"What else would it be?" Her voice rises, sharp with hurt.
"No. Olivia. I'm so sorry." I say her name, and the sarcasm cracks just enough for me to see what's underneath it. Fear. The same kind clawing at my own chest. I grab her hands. She lets me. "It's my dad."
"You've said that. What about him? What does that mean?"
"I need you to promise me you'll listen. No judgment. No telling anyone. This is for you and only you."
"What?"
"When I'm not working here with you, I help my dad with his own work stuff."
"What do you mean?" She's peeling me open, layer by layer.
"After my mom died, my dad got wrapped up in some shady shit. He and some of his business partners own a storage unit outside of town. And what they're doing… it's not always legal." I leave the rest unsaid. I've never been much of a liar, but omitting the truth comes easy enough.
"Like what? Drugs?"
I just look at her, hoping that answer is enough.
"Okay," she says slowly. "But what happened last night?"
"Dad showed up with some of the business partners. They needed me right then. I didn't have a choice."
"Okay," she says again, stretching the word out.
"Okay?" I stare at her. I just laid everything on the line, and all I get is okay?
She steps closer. "Okay. I forgive you."
"Really?" I ask, barely able to believe it.
She grabs my face and kisses me hard, lips crashing into mine with a hunger that borders on punishment.
Her nails dig into my jaw, sharp little crescents that sting just enough to make my blood roar.
I taste the lime on her tongue, sharp and citrus-bright, mixed with the heat of her anger still simmering under the surface.
My hands find her waist on instinct, fingers splaying wide over the curve of her hips, pulling her flush against me.
She gasps into the kiss, body arching instinctively, her breasts pressing soft and full against my chest. The alley's shadows swallow us, but that golden light still clings to her skin, making her glow like sin made flesh.
I back her up against the rough brick wall, the scrape of it against her back drawing a low moan from her throat.
My thigh slides between her legs, pressing up firm against the heat radiating through her tight jeans.
She grinds down on it, deliberate, her breath hitching as friction sparks between us.
"Raul," she murmurs against my mouth, voice husky now, laced with need instead of fury. Her hands slide down, fisting my shirt.
My phone interrupts us, pulling me back into reality.
It's my dad.
Olivia glares at the screen with me.
"Answer it. I have to get back anyway. Thank you for talking to me."
One more parting kiss.
I start down the alley toward my car and answer the call.
"Status report?" Dad asks bluntly.
"Diego is on it."
"How do you know? Go see him. I have some runs for you tonight anyway."
"Fuck, okay." I run my hand down my face before texting Diego so we can do a few runs together tonight. I'll take him out for a drink or something after.
Diego and I wrap up the night in a way I never saw coming.
He's completely caught up in this girl. The one tied to the hit. I'm trying not to let irritation bleed into my voice. This job was supposed to be clean. Simple. Adding someone else into the mix? That's a fucking catastrophe waiting to happen.
I try to pry more out of him, digging for details, but Diego's locked down tight. Won't give me shit.
A pretty little blonde getting roofied in Miami? That's nothing new. So why the hell is he so hung up on it? On her?
Who the fuck is she?
His answers come vaguer than the half-truths I fed Olivia earlier. I'll need to keep eyes on this. Make sure she's not a liability for him. For us.
We drop her off at Aunt Val's coworker's place for safekeeping. My mind spins the whole drive back, questions piling up like bad debt.
I've never been suspicious of my cousin. We tell each other everything. But he's holding something back. Clear as day.
What a fucking hypocrite I am for even thinking it.
No one knows about Olivia. And I'm perfectly content keeping it that way.
No one needs to know.