Chapter 27 #2
Brooke was safe and sound, loving the attention she was getting from Navarro’s men in our absence. She relished learning more about her home country, eager to see what the future held. For me? I was fraught with anxiety, concerned the game we’d set in motion would backfire on us.
Especially with regard to my father.
A single phone call to him had been made prior to leaving Barcelona for LA. The message had gone through, the voice no different than the message he’d recorded six times after I’d gotten him the iPhone one Christmas. Yet everything felt different.
As if I was waiting for the shoe to drop.
Maybe a gavel.
No, a guillotine.
Hearing a rustling noise, I turned my head to find Navarro picking through my ruined art.
I’d gingerly placed the torn canvases against one wall in the living room, determined to fix them.
Right. How could one go about repairing something that had been slashed by a knife?
I lifted the dress I was wearing. My bone-handled knife had been returned and was strapped to my leg in the exact place I’d secured it the night I’d gone to the club.
I don’t know why, but it made me smile. To think I’d really believed I could kill the man.
“The paintings are beautiful,” he said in a quieter voice than normal.
“They were my favorites.”
“Hopefully, you’ll recreate them. They remind me of you.”
I crawled from the banquette, slowly walking toward him. “How so?”
“Vibrant yet cautious, eager to explore the world while still tethered to a past that refuses to let go.”
“Is that what you believe?”
He placed the painting he had in his hand on the floor and took my hand into his, pulling my knuckles to his mouth.
The sensual move was accompanied by a killer look in his eyes. Far too seductive. “Nice try.”
Chuckling, he kissed my fingers before allowing me to pull my hand free. “You love this little house.”
“Just four walls and a roof as my dad once told me.” When he laughed, I narrowed my eyes. “What?”
“Something my dad used to say too.”
“Maybe that means we were destined to meet.” I moved toward the kitchen, picking up one of my favorite coffee mugs that had been broken. I hadn’t been able to throw it away. “Yeah, I do love this place. But everything is different.”
“Different doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy what you loved before.”
“Barcelona is a long way away from Santa Barbara.”
“There are always vacations.”
The lilt in his voice had me lifting my head. “What are you getting at?”
He sauntered closer. “Maybe I purchased the house and the one next door. I thought we could turn it into a little vacation property for us. Plus, since I also purchased the building blocking your view, you never know what might happen.”
“You didn’t.”
“Why not?” He had his hands in his pockets, the tight black tee shirt he was wearing making me appear as the big, bad cartel commander I’d come to know and… maybe love? The jury was still out, but if tingling sensations were any indication, I was heading in that direction.
For good and bad.
For richer, for poorer.
“We’ll need to travel while you show off your talents across the world. Call it an early wedding gift.” I walked closer. “Believe it or not, I want you to be happy.”
“Happiness is not about four walls and a roof.”
“I’m finally learning that. I’m curious. What do you think it’s about?”
I pressed my hand on his chest and peered down at my sister’s portrait, slowly smiling.
“I wasn’t certain all my life. I’d searched for something I thought I wanted, but it always seemed unreachable.
If the last few days have taught me anything it’s that life is short.
You can find happiness in anything from a beautiful sunset to the perfect cup of coffee.
Maybe a movie you’ve longed to see or being able to find the time to read a book uninterrupted.
Most of all happiness is about being in the moment and never allowing the past or fears to take you away from the present. You know what’s funny?”
“Hmmm… What?”
“In a way, you taught me that. You’re responsible for forcing me to face my past including all my fears. In doing so, you allowed me to see the beautiful light of just being.” I rose onto my tiptoes, pressing my lips against his cheek.
Exhaling, he touched my face, darting his eyes to the same painting. “And you’ve taught me that family means more than anything.”
“You really didn’t need to buy me a couple houses.”
“We can sell if you want.” He had a wry grin on his face.
“Not so fast, buster. This was my gift. Remember?”
He burst into laughter and even if it would last only a few minutes, it felt good not to feel the need to look over our shoulders from fear of being shot at. Granted, the fact there were four burly men keeping a constant watch on our surroundings did help.
The new norm.
Sadly, seconds later the beautiful moment began to fade. “Come on. Let me show you what my father left.”
We headed to the envelope I’d hidden in my own secret compartment behind boxes of clothes in my bedroom closet. With everything spread out on the bed, we started going through the vast number of papers.
An hour passed.
When we were finished, we both lifted our heads at the same time. For some reason, I thought he’d be angry, but the same soulful, yet wry smile was on his face.
“Your father is an extremely astute businessman.” His statement was said with reverence, which surprised me. I’d felt Navarro’s acrid hatred of my father for placing Brooke and me in danger.
“You think so?”
“He planned his daughters’ futures long before leaving Barcelona. He set everything in motion because he knew something was brewing.”
I cocked my head and stared down at the real estate closing papers I’d found nestled with documentation on bank accounts in several countries, stock certificates, and even a recent turnover of his property in LA to both Brooke and me.
I did the math in my head. The date for the sale of my parents’ estate in Barcelona had occurred when I was eight.
My mother died not long after I turned nine.
“He was planning on taking his family away from Spain.”
He nodded. “Apparently.”
He’d planned on honoring my mother’s request.
“And he’s planning what will happen in case of his death.”
His sigh was heavy. “That’s what it appears.”
“Does that mean he didn’t betray Rafael?”
“That remains to be seen, but I think we can assume he was well aware something was about to go horribly wrong. He took a huge chance with selling the house.”
“Yes, he did.”
“Nothing from your father yet?”
Shaking my head, I even pulled the phone from the little purse I had strapped around my neck, staring at the screen. “Maybe he’s already dead.”
“He survived twenty years after the massacre. He’s a smart man.”
“But someone found him.”
“That’s my belief.”
“Fassi?” I’d done some research on the Moroccan crime lord, although the data was sketchy. However, he was considered one of the most dangerous men in the world.
Navarro sucked in his breath. “My best guess.”
“What if Papa really is dead? What then? How are we going to follow through with the conniving plan you concocted?”
His chuckle was deep. “We concocted. Remember? You insisted.”
I rolled my eyes on purpose. “You needed help.”
“So you kept telling me. What is the American expression? There are two ways to skin a cat? In this case, a rat. Let’s not jump to any conclusions. You and your sister are wealthy women.”
“Money. He sacrificed for over twenty years so his girls would have money. I don’t know how I feel about that. It feels like blood money.”
“You can’t think that way, Fallon. For all the anger I felt for that man and your uncle over the years, it’s easy to tell how much he loves both of you. Use it to build a life the way you want.”
“Why do I have a feeling you already have something in mind?”
“Why not a gallery? Maybe two. One here in Santa Barbara, one in Barcelona.”
I feigned shock, sucking in my breath and placing my hand over my heart. “A ruthless man such as yourself would allow me to work?”
“Wait until you meet the two women who rule Jago and Kruz with iron fists. They’re the breadwinners.”
We both laughed and for the first time since I’d met the dark, dangerous man, I noticed the light shining through his beautiful eyes. Perhaps he was learning to let the past go just like I was.
What the heck? Maybe we were good for each other.
I gathered the items, shoving them back into the envelope before we both stood.
“We have a plane to catch. Let’s pack whatever you want to take with you. For now. We’ll return when this is over with.”
“Will it ever be over, Navarro?”
He rubbed my face with the rough pads of his fingers. When he fisted my hair, dragging it back as far as it would go, I gasped. “Yes, it will. One way or the other.”
I closed my eyes as his heated exhale feathered whispers of sensitivity against my neck.
Being lost in the man was a delicate balance, but one I’d grown to need with every aspect of my heart and soul.
As he pressed his lips against my skin, he rubbed his other hand down my side, curling the material of my dress in his fingers.
“Touch me,” I whispered, the deep throb between my thighs already painful.
“Is that what you really want?”
“Mmm… Yes.”
His breathing still ragged, he slipped his hand underneath, easing his fingers under the thin elastic. The moment he delicately stroked my clit, I issued an enraptured moan.
“You’re very wet.”
“Yes.”
“You’re hungry.”
“God, yes.”
“Desperate for my cock.” He drove his tongue into the shell of my ear, the light touch driving me crazy.
“Please, yes.” Every muscle in my body constricted as my desire became uncontrollable. I clung to his arms as he thrust two fingers inside, using his thumb to tease my clit. My entire body pulsed from the intensity of tremendous need.
As lights flickered in my eyes, I let off another ragged moan.
We both suddenly stopped moving the moment my phone rang. He released his hold on my hair, allowing me to lift my head. Our eyes locked, the brief moment of anticipation unyielding.
I reached into my purse, grabbing my phone, and took a step away as I shifted my gaze to the screen.
“My God. It’s my father.”