2. Emilia
CHAPTER 2
The helicopter dropped us directly into enemy territory.
Well, not mine but his.
Only, he didn’t know that.
My Pack, who had no idea I wasn’t where I was supposed to be, was the kind to kill first and ask questions later.
The wolves here didn’t know me and wouldn’t recognize me.
The only way to keep them from mistaking me as a part of Alessio’s crew and taking me out––I didn’t think I could stop them from murdering anyone else––was to reveal my true identity. At that point, what would I have to lose? Alessio would be a dead man.
No, damn it!
They couldn’t interfere. Not yet!
We were too close to the finish line. I was in his inner circle. The seeds I planted in Miami were finally blossoming into doubt and instability—is and Brazzi’s. I added gasoline directly onto the flames of their bitter rivalry.
I’d been highlighting Alessio’s flaws to his men. Showing them how easily distracted he was, how he cared about his new girlfriend more than the smooth function of his businesses. Bit by bit, Alessio’s empire was weakening, and we needed just a little more time.
But I had no way of telling my team where I was heading and asking them to let our Pack know to stay away. I needed to reach Rod.
“Did you pack my phone?” I bent over to look through my bag.
“Yes, but you can’t use it.”
I raised a brow. “Excuse me?”
“This is a dead zone. You won’t get service until we land.”
Dead zone. He didn’t know how right he was.
“Don’t worry. A car will be waiting for us.” He seemed remarkably unbothered by our fleeing an attack in the middle of the night. Did he think I wanted to call an Uber?
“Alessio, this is too much.” Maybe I could guilt him into going back to Miami. This sudden diversion to Mexico was basically a kidnapping. Not that I’d use those exact words. I was supposed to be his loving, trusting girlfriend, but everyone had a breaking point. Millie was getting pretty damned close to hers.
“I know––”
“No. You’re not listening to me.” I closed my eyes for a second and sighed. “I don’t know who you are right now. I don’t understand what’s happening. In just a few hours, we went from waking up in bed and you asking me to be your girlfriend to flying off to Cuba. I was excited to meet your mom. Seeing more of your life and having you open up to me meant a lot to me, so I didn’t say anything. But this crosses the line! It’s too much. I want to go home.”
The pilots kept their attention forward in a pretense of privacy, but they could hear every single word I said in their headphones. I expected Alessio to realize that too, but he didn’t blink. Maybe their NDAs were airtight, or he paid them enough to have very short memories.
“I hear you. I do. I didn’t expect this to happen, but I’m doing what is best to protect you.”
“By taking me farther from my home, my country, to yet another place I don’t know?”
“No one knows about my home in Mexico.”
News flash! The Velez sure as hell did, so that meant anyone could. Including Brazzi.
“Alessio,” I snapped. It was the first time I ever raised my voice around him. “I’m not comfortable with this. I want to go home.”
I yanked my hand away when he reached for me. His lips dipped into a frown.
“Amor, I’m trying. I want to keep you safe.”
“Then take me home.”
“This is the best option. We won’t stay long. I just need to make sure the situation is resolved before we return.”
I raised a brow. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Brazzi sent men to my mother’s home. That cannot be allowed without consequences.”
I straightened. “What?”
“I have men who will take care––”
“Stop.” I put my hand up, sighing, and rolling my eyes. “I don’t think I want to know. That way, I can plead ignorance.”
“I’m not like Brazzi.”
I shook my head and shifted to stare straight ahead. “I don’t know who you are anymore.”
Tension filled the small cab until lights appeared on the distant horizon, and the pilots began their landing protocols.
As we climbed out of the helicopter and crossed to the waiting SUV, no landmarks or signs told me where we were. Maybe the cover of night would be enough protection to get us to Alessio’s house unnoticed. Maybe Pack members in the area were busy with more important things.
Maybe I was lying to myself.
Eventually, we arrived at a gate that automatically opened.
“Security is in place,” the driver announced. He hadn’t pressed a button or called anyone, so someone had to be watching. That was a small comfort.
“Thank you,” Alessio said. He’d been on his phone the entire drive, barely looking up.
The distraction had given me time to text Rod and the guys, letting them know where I was and to hurry to let the Pack know. Hopefully, they would stay away. I deleted the messages and turned my phone off before their replies could come in.
We pulled through a winding drive to a sprawling one-story villa. Lights aimed at the house made it appear even grander and more daunting.
The driver opened Alessio’s door, and he got out and swiveled his head before turning and offering his hand. I scooted over and allowed him to help me.
“It’s going to be okay now.” He kissed my cheek.
I fought to stay composed because I needed to stay. Our mission to destroy his empire from within was at a critical point. We were still gathering intel and names, fleshing out the plan to make sure not a single soul was missed. That required time—hopefully only a few more weeks. Then I could leave. I might even have earned enough points with my Alpha, El Lobo, to negotiate a few changes in my life. I could ask for freedom. A new home. Different assignments. I wasn’t sure what I wanted yet, but I’d be set with leverage for it when this was complete.
I couldn’t risk my safety though. My role might be that of an innocent, oblivious heiress who was head over heels for Alessio, but everyone has limits.
I pulled away and followed the driver as he carried our bags to the front door, where another man was waiting.
“Good morning, Mr. Dias.” He turned to me. “Ms. Torres, we’re pleased to have you here.”
Sure he was.
I offered a tight smile, and he led us through the grand foyer and down the right hall, past several closed doors to one at the very end. He opened it to reveal a large shadowed bedroom with only tableside lamps providing light. The bedding was turned down, and it was annoyingly inviting.
“Thank you.” Alessio dismissed him after he placed our bags onto a bench at the foot of the bed.
After the door clicked shut, Alessio let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I am so sorry. I don’t know what went wrong. I don’t have a report yet, but no one should have been able to access the property, especially without me knowing.”
Yet the Italians and my team managed.
He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around my waist. “I know I failed you. I swore to keep you safe, and I let you down.”
I wanted to close my eyes and block him out. I was thinking too much––feeling too much––to be rational. Years of training to think on my feet and stay three steps ahead meant I never once felt overwhelmed or caught off guard on a mission. Not since I first started.
Until now.
My head was spinning.
I wanted to run. I needed to stay.
“This has all been too much,” I finally admitted. “I just want to go to sleep.”
He kissed my forehead and took a step back. “Of course. I’m going to shower and try to wash this whole night away. Can I get you anything?”
“No, I’m fine.”
He eyed me as if he couldn’t quite figure me out.
Good luck. I can’t either.
Once the bathroom door shut behind him and the shower started, I hurried to pull my phone out of my bag. As it started up, Alessio knocked around in the bathroom, opening drawers and cabinets before finally getting into the shower.
Rod and Javier replied.
Rod: Pack is aware. They will stay out of the area for now.
I thanked him and then opened Javier’s message.
Javi: Rod is on it. You need to get back to Miami. We can’t get to you.
He was right. Being here on my own presented too many unknowns with my team and my equipment. Plus, I needed to hear his voice. I needed to know he wasn’t mad at me for staying behind.
I called him.
“Em?” Javi answered immediately.
“I don’t have long.”I listened, making sure Alessio was still occupied before speaking again. “We’re at his villa.”
“I can have a Pack member meet you down the street. You can get away now.”
I hated how tempting that was.
“No, I still can’t run.”
He growled. Marco called in the background, but I couldn’t make out his words.
“He knows it was Brazzi?” Javi asked me.
“Yeah.”
He relayed my response, and I continued.
“He said he needs time to resolve the situation back home.”
“Fuck, we need to get to you,” he snapped, then spoke to the guys, telling Cruz to book flights, Marco to start packing, and Derek to check surveillance on Brazzi’s feeds.
I stared at the bathroom door again, hearing only the soft echoes of Alessio singing, oblivious.
“I’ll try to get him to go back tomorrow.” I glanced at the clock. “Or today, I guess.”
“You need to get back as soon as possible.”
As if I needed that reminder. “I know. I already yelled at him for basically kidnapping me, but he’s adamant about keeping me somewhere safe for now.”
“Then you use your unlimited funds to get your own flight back.”
“I can’t just––”
“You can do anything, so don’t try to feed me more bullshit.”
Javi’s abrupt bark stunned me into silence, a rare occurrence for me.
“Are you staying for the mission or him?”he asked in a low growl.
I closed my eyes and sat on the edge of the bed. He thought there was only one right answer, but it was more complicated than that.
“Em.”
That one syllable broke me. So much pain came through. It was a slap in the face.
What was I thinking?
I didn’t love Alessio. I could fantasize about a life with him, but it would only ever be a daydream. Being with him was impossible. I’d be putting myself and him in danger, and I could never do that if I actually cared about him.
Fuck.
I needed to get away. I needed to step back and get my head on straight.
Remembering who I was and what mattered to me was getting harder, and my feelings for the guys clouded my judgment just as much as my need to finish this mission. My dark wish for things with Alessio to be real was a daydream, completely impossible.
I needed a vacation from my own mind.
“Em?”
The slight plea snapped me back to reality. I was better than this. Coach would shake me and have me running drills until I passed out for spiraling so far out of control.
I knew what I had to do.
“Can you get a plane here?”
A beat of silence passed. “Yes.”
“Send a car to my location, and text the specifics as soon as you have them.”
“On it.”
We hung up. I changed into fresh jeans and a top and shoved my pajamas inside my bag. I was pulling on sandals when Alessio opened the door and froze with only a towel on.
He didn’t speak, just took me in as his shoulders slowly dropped and his mouth tightened.
Frozen in a standoff, neither of us rushed to address my change of clothes. Javi needed time to put things in motion, or I’d be stuck sitting on the road outside of the gate in the wee hours of the morning for who knew how long.
But Alessio wasn’t the type to just let me go. He expected me to obey him immediately, climb into bed like a good girl, and let the big strong man handle things.He underestimated Millie and needed a reminder of exactly who his girlfriend was. She wasn’t a pawn for him to move around at will.
No, she was an heiress with pull of her own. Someone worth fighting for. He had to prove himself.
Reminding myself of the same, I finally came to my senses.
Catching me had been far too easy. It was fine to be available for dates in Miami and even romantic when he whisked me away to Cuba. This was too much.
I couldn’t put up with his shit, no matter what role I played. I wasn’t a doormat. He had to feel like he was losing me.
“I called my father.” I finally broke the silence.
His eyes dropped to the thick cream carpet. “Millie, I promise––”
“You’ve made enough of those lately, and look how few of them you’ve kept.”
He jerked his head as if I slapped him. “I love you.”
“Don’t,” I snapped. His jaw flexed as he blinked and met my gaze. “Don’t use those words as a weapon.”
“I’m not.”
“You are. You’re trying to control me. You want me to stay. You want me to listen to you and trust you, but I can’t.” I sighed. “Whisking me away, then refusing to take me home. This is all about you.”
“I’m doing what is best.”
“What you think is best for you!”
All the panic and fear I suppressed from the moment Javi’s name appeared on my screen at Maria’s house rushed out of me. In that moment, I knew something was terribly wrong for him to risk calling me when I was with Alessio.
So far, I’d suppressed the emotions, but now was the time to unleash them. I put my hand on my forehead and faced the bed.
“This was such a bad idea. I should have known from the very first night not to get involved with either of you. The truth was right there! You two bickered, the most anyone could do in that setting, but I should have seen it.”
“Millie…”
I could feel him getting closer and threw out my hand to stop him.
“You interrupted our first date, and I thought that was some act of heroism, but it wasn’t. It was another manipulation.” I spun toward him. “You two play this game. I’m like some doll you both want and can’t share, so you fight. But I’m not a toy.”
“You can’t truly believe that.” His voice broke. “You mean so much to me.”
“Maybe now, but that’s not how it started. Is it?”
He avoided my eyes.
“Exactly. I refuse to be a thing you two fight over.” I paused until, finally, he looked up. “I’m worth more than that. My life and safety and well-being are worth more than some immature competition about whose dick is bigger. I deserve better!”
My phone vibrated in my pocket, but I didn’t check it. Hopefully Javi confirmed our plan.
“I know you do.”
I shook my head. “I don’t believe you.”
He stepped closer, but I lifted my hand again.
“Your mother’s home was attacked, Alessio. He sent men to your childhood home, and you’re acting like that’s nothing. What was their plan? Why were they there? For me, right? To take me away from you? And then what? Would stealing me from you have been enough?” I shook my head. “I doubt it. He would have done horrible things. Taken what he wanted from me just to hurt you. Who knows if I would have survived.”
He tightened his grip on the towel around his waist but didn’t argue, so I went on.
“What if I hadn’t woken up? What if I hadn’t begged you to check? Would I be standing here? Would you? Your mom? This whole thing is fucked up, and I won’t be a part of it anymore.”
I picked up my bag and headed to the door.
“Wait!”
I spun to face him. “Don’t tell me what to do. I’m leaving, and you won’t stop me.”
“It’s the middle of the night. It’s not like taxis are just waiting outside. Let me have one of my men drive you.”
“No!” I closed my eyes and sucked in a breath before addressing him again. “My father’s arranged everything. A car is taking me to our plane.”
My plans finally clicked for him. Pain dimmed his eyes. “I’m sorry. Please stay.”
“I can’t.”
His mouth tightened.
“I don’t trust you.”
He huffed like I sucker punched him.
“I can’t be around you. Not until you figure out your shit with Brazzi and can prove to me you’re truly the man you claim to be.”
I turned and walked down the long hallway and out the front door. A car waited at the gate. Security hadn’t let it in. At least these guys did their jobs.
I walked down the driveway and waved for the guard to let me exit. The driver of the black sedan got out and gave me a single nod.
“Ms. Torres?”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Torres said to take you to the airport. Your plane will be arriving shortly.”
My shoulders eased. At least the guard’s report would line up with my story.
“Thank you.” I handed off my bag, and he put it into the trunk while I climbed into the backseat.
I didn’t look back to see if Alessio was watching, unsure if I wanted him to be there or not.