10. Chapter 10
Ines
I'm engulfed by festive music, a cacophony of laughter, and the sound of clinking glasses as the bartender fills orders like a madman.
Much to my delight, and my dismay, the bar is popular so there's not much room to move seamlessly through the sea of bodies.
Despite the difficulty, I sift my way to the bar at the center of the room and by the grace of the Saints, whom I don't believe in, I find an empty barstool and claim it before anyone else can.
Being in the center of the tavern will make finding Salvador a little bit easier, if he's indeed in the bar and hasn't flitted off somewhere else.
But it also means, he has an equal chance of spotting me, although he isn't on alert and may very well miss me.
"What can I get for you?" The bartender abandons the drinks he's pouring to slide over to grab my order.
I shrug my cloak off my shoulders since the heat of all the bodies in such a small area is suffocating. With nowhere to hang the cloak, I'm tempted to abandon it on the floor and let someone else claim it once I leave.
The bartender extends his hand, and I glare, unsure of his intentions.
"I'm guessing there's no room to hang your cloak at the front. I'll place it back here if you prefer."
The tension in my shoulders release and I will a charming smile to my face as I shrug the stolen coat off my person and hand it to him. "Thank you, Senor…?"
He grabs my offering and places it beneath the counter, waving off my pleasantries. "No formalities here. I'm Shaw."
"Should I assume you're the Jaded Fox?" I giggle, hoping I can flirt my way into some information concerning Salvador.
His bright, wide grin shows off the dimples in his tawny-brown skin and draws a genuine smile from me.
There's something infectious about his hospitality.
Now I see why his bar is so crowded. He probably knows all his patrons by name and makes them feel as if their numerous troubles don't matter here.
"The one and the same." His deep voice dances around me like a welcoming embrace. When the music picks up in pace, people cheer and start singing along, so he leans closer and says, "I haven't seen you here before. Are you out by yourself?"
With my guard once again engaged, I start to wonder who is interrogating whom?
Shaw is far too charming and charismatic for his own good and has more than likely smooth-talked Dons and Donas out of their deepest, darkest secrets.
He is supposed to be the pawn in my snooping game, not the other way around.
I shrug a shoulder and reuse a lie I tried and failed on Salvador. "I just needed a little fresh air."
He clicks his tongue, his hazel eyes dancing in mischievous delight. "Ah, you must be one of the elites sneaking out for a night of unchaperoned fun. I don't blame you. It's a stuffy world you live in. I'm gathering you aren't sure what you want to drink then?"
If Shaw wants to paint me as a naive damsel in need of guidance, then so be it. I can play that part well. I avert my gaze, allowing my cheeks to redden in feigned embarrassment.
"Is it that obvious?" I peer up at him through my lashes and tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "I was trying to blend in."
Shaw roots his elbows to the wooden counter and whispers, "Your secret is safe with me. But if you want to fit in, flirt a little."
I crinkle my nose, but immediately smooth my features, remembering I'm playing a part. "Flirt?"
"Yeah," he bobs his head and wipes his hands with a towel. "I bet if you flirt with the next man who sits down, you'll get a free drink."
"And what would he expect for that drink, I wonder?"
My question catches him off guard but then he laughs. "Nothing you aren't willing to offer. If anyone gives you trouble, you let me know and I'll handle it."
I dip my head in subservient understanding. "Thank you, Senor."
"It's Shaw, remember?"
"Shaw," I smile.
An abrupt ruckus at the far end of the u-shaped bar beckons Shaw to handle the unruly customers, but before he walks away, he taps the counter in front of me twice and says, "I'll be back."
With the bartender finally out of my hair, I allow my eyes to glide across the room, hoping to catch sight of Salvador.
Funny enough, I see plenty of men I recognize from the files Dona Otero had me commit to memory before burning, but they are tomorrow's problem.
My focus is on Salvador and what he's doing here and who he's meeting.
Frustration begins to pool in the pit of my stomach.
I don't see him. But that doesn't mean he's not here. I've only ever seen part of his face. He could be sitting next to me, and I wouldn't know it.
A hiccup to my left draws my attention to the man occupying the barstool beside me, who is turning an unnatural shade of green.
Before I can ask if he's alright, he leaps from his seat and sprints toward the front door, shoving men and women out of his pathway, barely making it outside before emptying the contents of his stomach.
I press a hand to my abdomen, my own stomach now doing somersaults at the retching sounds. Thank the Saints he didn't throw up inside. I might tolerate many things, but vomit isn't one.
"Can I buy you a drink?" A man's voice nabs me from secondhand nausea.
The barstool the drunk abandoned moments ago has been snagged by a man I not only recognize but should panic seeing in the city without Dona Otero present.
Don Rafael Canoso, one of the Soberano's councilmen, and the man in charge of the Night and Entertainment Districts.
He's one of the eligible bachelors the Dona wants me to impress and somehow manage to weasel a proposal from.
Knowing there's no way he won't recognize me later during the ball season, I have no choice but to slip into my role of Elena Lozano early and give her a bit of a naughty side.
From his file, I'm sure Don Rafael isn't interested in a meek and quiet woman.
He wants one who will challenge him, one who will be a prize on his arm but will surprise him when he least expects it.
He's certainly more handsome in person. His dark hair is faded on the sides with longer strands on top which fall to the right side of his face.
He has a silver nose ring in his left nostril that signals despite him being a man of great wealth and power, he has a fun side – probably a dark side too.
But it's his eyes that are so warm and inviting; makes me feel as if I've met him before, but I know that's not possible.
I've crossed paths with the elite before, but not this one.
Aware I've been eyeing him head-to-toe far too long, I smile up at him and bob my head. "Sure."
"Your boyfriend won't mind?" I'm not sure if Rafael is prying to see if I'm engaged or if I'm out on the town solo, but as he swivels his knees toward me, closing the gap between us, I know without a doubt he's interested in me.
"Boyfriend?"
"I thought I saw you walk in with a man."
Rafael is much more observant than I anticipated he'd be. Clearly, he saw me follow Salvador inside. There's no denying it. Let's hope I can spin this in my favor.
"He's not my boyfriend, he's, my ..." Shit. Where was I going with this?
A wicked grin graces his handsome face, like a cat toying with a mouse.
But it's his smile lines rippling across his cheeks that cause me to pause.
Maybe I have seen him before while hiding in the shadows and watching couples dance during festivals over the years.
He is the Master of the Night and Entertainment Districts after all.
I hate that I can't place exactly when and where I've seen him before.
His interest thoroughly piqued; he tilts his head to the side. "Your…?"
I clear my throat and say the first thing that comes to mind. "My business associate."
"So, not your lover?"
"And if he was?" I ask, infusing a tinge of seduction in my voice.
Rafael leans closer. His chiseled jawline and tantalizing smile suck me in and hold me hostage. "I'd buy you a drink and see whose bed you wake up in tomorrow morning."
"Well, aren't you a smooth talker." My body is alight.
Now I see why women are enraptured by this man.
But two can play this game. I twist on my stool, so my shoulders are squared to his.
Crossing one leg over the other allows the slit of my dress to reveal my upper thigh and just as I hope, his eyes dip down and heat when I put my boot along the footrest of his seat. "I'll take that drink now, Senor…?"
"Canoso," he says, his voice raspy. "Rafael Canoso." His line of sight lingers on my leg before he finally draws up to meet my gaze. I have him under my spell.
"Well," I smirk, "now you'll definitely need to buy me a drink, Don Rafael, since I know you can afford it."
"And does the purchase of that drink come with your name?" He smiles and my heart beats wildly inside my chest. This is where things could get risky, but I'll worry about that later.
"Elena."
Rafael takes my hand and kisses my knuckles. The softness of his lips makes me ponder what his mouth would feel like pressed against my own. "It's lovely to meet you, Elena."
With his free hand he waves for Shaw to approach and when he does, the bartender gives me a quick wink. Most likely proud I've taken his advice and flirted with the next man to sit beside me. "I'll have a whiskey on the rocks and my lady will have…"
I smile at Shaw and say, "The same."
Shaw quickly pours the drinks and slides the glasses to us, before scurrying off to help other thirsty customers.
"Your lady?" I pick up the glass and swirl the amber liquid around. "Awfully presumptuous of you."
He shrugs and clinks his glass against mine. "I'm used to getting what I want, Senorita."
"And what do you want?"
"Tonight?" He smirks against the rim of his cup when he brings it to his lips and the hair on my arms stand up. "You."
I chuckle to steady my beating heart. He's extremely forward for a Don. Not at all like the other conservative and secretive councilmen. "I'm afraid one glass of whiskey won't be enough to earn my company for the evening, Senor."
He leans toward me, allowing his lips to hover above my ear.
When he whispers, I can smell the slightest hint of whiskey on his tongue and hate myself for finding the scent intoxicating.
"Before the evening is through" – there's a cadence in his voice that sends a shiver down my spine – "you'll be exactly where I want you. "
"And where is that?"
His calloused hand slides up my exposed thigh. "Do you want me to be descriptive or should I surprise you?"
I laugh, infusing a girlish giggle in the mix, and he retreats. "You are extremely bold, Don Rafael."
"Fortune favors the bold, mi reina." My queen. "And as you can see" – he winks and takes another swig of his whiskey – "I am quite fortuitous, so I believe my boldness has served me well."
"I see why you sit on the Soberano's council, Don Rafael." I rest my hand on his knee, and he hums in the back of his throat.
"Oh? And why do you think that is?" He reaches for my face and I permit his thumb to trace the curvature of my jaw before sweeping across my bottom lip.
"Apart from your charm, of course."
"Of course."
"You are sharp, cunning and direct. The Soberano is fortunate to have …"
Behind Rafael, a woman clearing glassware from tables catches my eye and silences me.
The way she moves reminds me of someone I used to know, someone I thought died when we were fourteen.
But when she turns to walk to the back of the establishment where the kitchen is located, a scar on her right cheek stops my heart. It can't be her.
Before I realize what's happening, I've abandoned Rafael and our flirtatious game and chased after the brunette. Each step I take feels heavy and the noise in the tavern slowly dies down until all I hear is my heart thundering inside my chest.
Years ago, she was the only friend I had.
We scrounged up food and lived in an alley after escaping the brutal orphanage we were placed in as children.
One day, she never came back to our make-shift home.
I waited for her all night and the next morning went looking for her.
I scoured every alley, asked everyone who would give me just a second of their time if they'd seen her, but to my dismay, no one knew who I was talking about.
For months I thought she'd come back, but eventually I had to accept the fact she was dead.
After all, that was the only reason she wouldn't have returned.
We made a blood pact; no matter what, we'd stay together.
The only way one of us would walk away was due to death claiming us.
I mourned her. But when it came time to throw her only prized possession into the sea as we promised to do in the case of death, I couldn't bring myself to do it. Cheaply made and missing a back pin to cling to a lapel, the broach was left in a trash pile, but she saw it as a sign we’d make it out of the Brogratto one day.
Keeping the broach was the only promise I ever broke.
Surely, the woman I've followed through the bar to the back section isn't the friend I lost. My mind must be playing tricks on me.
Before I lose my nerve, I storm through the swinging door and step inside the kitchen. The woman whips around, hands clinging to the glassware she snagged moments ago. A soft gasp escapes me, and the tears welling in my eyes burn from the sight of the ghost before me.
"Carmen?" I manage.
Her eyes are wide. She looks horrified. "Ines?"
I reach for her, but I stop short when a jolt of pain shoots through my body. My head begins to throb, and before I can do anything to prevent it, I fall to the floor. Darkness clouds my vision and the last thing I see are two boots stomping toward me before I lose consciousness.