Chapter 46
Britt swirled the tumbler of whisky, watching the amber liquid coat the sides of the clear glass.
The same color as Lachlan’s eyes—smoky, smoldering, and sensual.
She inhaled the scent, then took a long sip.
This was his preferred brand. A local favorite that wasn’t very popular outside the borders of Scotland.
A way for her to soothe the longing and loneliness warring within her for pushing him away. Even if it was for his own good.
The gentle ocean breeze wafted through the open accordion doors of the mansion, framing a multi-million dollar pristine ocean view designed to impress.
Britt lay on a chaise lounge, staring at the postcard-perfect view.
Tucked away in The Bluffs, the crown jewel of St. Basil’s affluent neighborhoods, the home was a sprawling estate protected by state-of-the-art motion sensors, thermal cameras, and a rotating contingent of armed guards.
This particular safe house had always been her father's favorite retreat—a lush tropical hideaway where business and pleasure blended seamlessly in surroundings of obscene luxury.
The heavy oak door groaned on its hinges, announcing a visitor.
Alejandro stepped through, closing it softly behind him.
His footsteps echoed against the Italian marble floors.
He was impeccably dressed in a charcoal suit that hugged his broad shoulders, his olive skin immaculately dry despite the island heat permeating the room.
He exuded every ounce of the dangerous magnetism that had propelled his strategic ascent to power as her father’s second-in-command.
A beautiful specimen of a man, but he’d never won her heart.
His devotion to her was his weakness. Not that loving a woman made a man weak.
His inability to hide his weakness could be a detriment not just to him but to Quattro.
The cartel her father built with his bare hands. Her legacy.
She placed the glass on the side table and gazed at him. “Did I pass all the tests?”
Alejandro chuckled. “What do you think?” He sat on the end of the chaise lounge, lifting her feet into his lap.
His hands caressed and massaged her arches, his thumbs working the tension from her tired muscles with precision.
“I didn’t have any doubts. Neither did Corey or Miquel.
The moment you entered that room, we knew it was you. ”
“But convincing the thousands in our organization wouldn’t be so simple. They don’t know me like the three of you do.” She reached for her glass, the whisky burning her throat as she swallowed. “And they were convinced I was dead because of the body you found. The one that had my DNA.”
A cloud of anger flashed across his face. “They made a fucking fool of me. When I find out who was behind it, I’ll kill them myself.”
“You’ll have to get in line behind me,” Britt said, and she meant it.
Her chance at the life she wanted with Lachlan had been snatched from her on that fateful afternoon.
She remembered it clearly. Paloma had been fussy all morning as they prepped for a day at the park.
Britt had packed everything except her daughter’s favorite toy, a teddy bear called Mr. Bow.
And Paloma wasted no time announcing her displeasure, crying for almost an hour after they arrived. Nothing they did was soothing her.
“It’ll only take ten minutes,” Britt said, kissing Paloma’s head and then Lachlan’s. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
“It’s an unhealthy attachment, Britt. We shouldn’t encourage her,” Lachlan said, reaching for her with his free hand.
“Stay and swing with us. I can hold both of you on my lap.” He winked.
“And she’s not screaming anymore. Being at the park, feeling the wind on her face, is helping her forget about Mr. Bow. ”
She stared at her baby girl, face red and coated with tears, exhausted from crying. She wasn’t close to being okay. Just the calm before the next crying fit.
“I can’t stand to see her in pain.” Emotions hitched in her words. “She loves being at the park but wants to be here with Mr. Bow.”
“Fine, I’ll go. You stay with her.”
“And have her screaming every minute you’re gone. No way. She’ll stay calmer with you than me. Trust me, I know. I was a daddy’s girl, too.”
That was enough to make Lachlan give in. “Ten minutes, not a second longer.”
“I promise.”
But the car bomb made a liar out of her.
Ten minutes turned into three years, and now she’d be gone from them forever.
She wouldn’t lose them like she lost her mother and her father.
Lachlan could only be known as a former fling.
Paloma had to stay completely off their radar.
It was the only way to keep them safe from this world.
Alejandro pulled her from her memories with a gentle squeeze of her calf. “No need. You have a legion of enforcers dedicated to killing those who hurt you. And you have me to take care of you if you want.”
Britt was quiet.
She’d had no choice but to align herself with Alejandro all those years ago.
Her father’s freedom depended on it. He was in a bind that only Alejandro could fix.
The price of his help was her hand in marriage, solidifying his spot as the number two in line to run the cartel after her father handed the organization to her.
An antiquated concept that had left her furious.
She’d known Alejandro had feelings for her, but she never expected he had the balls to make that kind of power move.
She would’ve been impressed if the deal had impacted anyone but herself.
But her father needed the criminal charges against him to go away, which required their star witness to forget the details she knew about his operations.
Alejandro would make that happen if she agreed to his terms. And there was nothing she wouldn’t do for her father.
Once the charges had been dismissed, Britt resigned herself to complying with the terms of the deal.
Being Alejandro’s wife wasn’t exactly a hardship.
That all changed when she met Lachlan.
“You love him,” Alejandro said.
It wasn’t a question. Admitting her feelings for Lachlan would cripple her. Stop her from doing what needed to be done. It didn’t matter. The truth was written all over her face.
“It was hard for me to see it. The lengths you’d go to protect him,” Alejandro said.
“I couldn’t let you kill him when his only crime was loving me,” Britt said.
“But you sent him away.”
“He doesn’t belong in our world.”
“No, he doesn’t. You need someone who is fully committed to this life. Who understands it as deeply as you do.”
She chuckled. “Someone like—”
“Me.” Alejandro blessed her with a sexy smile. “All I want is a real chance to win your heart. The chance I never got before with our relationship being a business transaction,” Alejandro said, then leaned down to kiss her foot. “When you’re ready, of course.”
“Of course,” Britt said.
Three quick raps against the door interrupted them. She turned to see Miquel entering, followed by Corey.
Britt jerked her feet away from Alejandro, standing as worry flooded through her. “Miquel, what are you doing here? Where’s Lachlan?”
“He wasn’t in the best condition for travel,” Miquel said, his face betraying a flicker of concern he couldn't quite mask. “I’ll take him home in a day or two when the doctors clear him.”
Britt squeezed the tense muscles of her neck. “How bad is he?”
Miquel’s voice remained calm, steady, and reassuring. “He’ll live, but it’s better to wait for the pain to subside a bit. More comfortable for him, which I knew would be important to you.”
These men had been her family since childhood, raised like cousins, confidants, conspirators.
If anyone would ensure Lachlan's safety, it would be Miquel, with his methodical precision, and Corey, with his fierce loyalty.
She trusted these men with her life. The irony wasn't lost on her—the very world she was protecting Lachlan from would now be his shield.
“Get over here and give me a hug,” Britt demanded, waving toward them. “I’ve missed you guys.”
“Fuck, you don’t know how happy I am that you’re alive,” Corey said, enveloping her in a bear hug. “I missed you so much.” He ruffled the top of her head, like he’d done so many times before, causing her hair to shoot in all directions. She playfully swatted his hand away, smoothing her strands.
“Me too,” Miquel said, waiting his turn. He gave her a quick hug, full of all the reserve and detachment she’d come to know and love about the man. “What happened? Where were you all this time?”
“Pull up a chair, boys. This is going to be a long story,” Britt said.
Over the next couple of hours, she filled them in on everything from the car bomb to hiding out in St. Felipe after breaking free of the underground facility.
She kept Paloma and Lachlan out of her story.
No mention of Stingray Security or the last few weeks living with Lachlan.
Miquel looked at her intently. “So, the intel your father had on Lachlan was because you ran away with him to Dove Island.”
Alejandro cracked his neck and looked toward the ocean. A sly smile spread on Corey’s face at Alejandro’s discomfort. Corey never thought Alejandro was good enough for her.
Britt nodded. “Back then, I was spooked. I wanted to vanish and start a new life with him. But I was crazy to think it would work. Quattro is my life. Just like it was my father’s. There’s no running away from that.”
Miquel reached for her hand, a tenderness he rarely showed.
“Your father had many regrets when we thought you were dead. Things he would go back and change if he could. I hate that … he isn’t here to have this moment with you.
Like we are. He would’ve done anything to have you back, even respecting your wishes. ”
Corey interrupted. “What Miquel is being too damn subtle to say is that if you want out of Quattro for good, we can make that happen.” He pulled his chair closer to her.
“Britt, you were only a target because our enemies knew Titus was grooming you to take over the cartel. But a Britt with no memory of Quattro isn’t a threat.
You’d be worthless to leverage against us.
You can have the life you want… with Lachlan.
“You would do that for me?” Britt asked, overwhelmed by their willingness to upend the organization they’d dedicated their lives to, to make a sacrifice that would be detrimental and risky to the cartel just to see her happy.
“Yes.” Alejandro cleared his throat. “We would.”
“But you would always be under our protection. Discreetly, to avoid raising any unwanted attention,” Miquel clarified.
“Quattro is better with you, Britt,” Corey said. “We want you with us. Leading us. But only if it’s what you want, too.”
“What if I don’t know what I want?” Britt admitted, unsure if she could actually have the life they were offering her. Could it be that simple? Or were they all delusional, hoping for something that could never be?
“Then we’ll give you time to figure it out,” Alejandro said. “There’s no rush—”
A distant beep from the security system interrupted him, followed by the soft voice of the AI assistant announcing a perimeter check. Through the windows, armed guards patrolled the immaculate grounds, a reminder that the estate's beauty was built on violence and vigilance.
“But there is,” Britt reminded him. “Someone kidnapped me and wants me dead. I have no clue who he is or how to protect myself from him.”
“Quattro will protect you,” Miquel said, then exchanged a knowing glance with Corey and Alejandro. “And we’ll make them pay for everything they did to you.”
“Wait a minute. Do you know who did this to me?”
“Based on everything you’ve told us, I’m pretty sure we know who was behind faking your death and why,” Corey said.
Alejandro moved closer to her. “The area you mentioned escaping from in Little Turkey is a suspected blacksite.”
“A blacksite? Like run by the government?” Britt asked, the words tumbling from her lips.
“Quattro is a growing threat to the Palmchat Islands,” Corey said with a hint of pride.
“And one they mistakenly believe will be easier to eradicate than the PC-5. We have credible intel about an unauthorized blacksite run by rogue PISCO agents who believe vigilante warfare is the only way to battle the cartels. A few of our members have disappeared over the past year, and we believe they were taken to the blacksite. When the PISCOs couldn’t break them, they were killed. ”
“It’s not clear if the military secretly sanctions these off-the-books ops,” Miquel added. “But one thing is true—they fucked with the wrong cartel when they went after you. And we’ll make sure they know it.”
“We’ll mobilize our best team over the next few days and hit them hard. The blacksite will be destroyed, and we’ll make sure the PISCOs feel a world of pain for what they did to you,” Alejandro said.
Her father had built this fortress not just as an affluent retreat but as a command center disguised in paradise. The basement levels housed enough communications equipment and weaponry to wage a small war—which was precisely what they were about to do.
“I just have one request,” Britt said, a new plan formulating in her mind.
“You’re the boss. What is it?” Corey asked.
“I need Hunter back. I want him leading the team,” Britt said.
The uncomfortable glances exchanged between the three men were expected, but it didn’t change her request.
“As you wish,” Miquel said, then led the others out of her room.
Hunter would do the one thing that these three wouldn’t—provide a gateway for her to get revenge on The Visitor.