Chapter 56
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
I stared through the windshield at the concrete buildings beyond the fence. I stayed quiet as Marcus drove the SUV through the gates, bringing us closer to where they were holding Titus.
“Damn,” I said, shaking my head. “I can’t believe he’s actually in there.”
Marcus followed my gaze toward the facility. “I can assure you he can’t believe he’s in there either.”
A humorless laugh escaped me. “Somehow, it’s worse just knowing that.”
“He’ll adapt.”
I looked over. “You sound very certain about that.”
“I am,” he said. “Titus has spent his entire life solving problems.”
“I know, but this isn’t exactly a business problem.”
“No, it’s not.” Marcus nodded. “It’s worse.”
Gee, I feel so much better. Apparently, he recognized my expression, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
“This place gives me the creeps,” I said, looking back toward the razor wire and guard towers. “It feels…” I searched for the word, “…wrong.”
“That’s because it’s supposed to,” he answered. “The government doesn’t build facilities like this to make people comfortable.”
“Mission accomplished.”
That earned the faintest hint of a smile.
“You’re not helping, Marcus.”
“Actually, I am.” Marcus leaned back against the seat. “What you’re seeing isn’t prison.”
“Sure as shit looks like it to me…”
“Well, it’s not. It’s a detention facility.”
“Honestly, though. What’s the difference?”
“A very important one.” The seriousness in his voice caught my attention. “Prison is where people serve their sentences.”
I remained silent when he put the SUV in park after pulling into a space.
He looked over at me. “Detention is where people wait. Titus hasn’t been convicted of anything.”
“Doesn’t matter. It still looks like he’s in prison.”
“Well, his freedom is restricted.” Marcus shrugged. “But that’s not the same as being in prison.”
I stared back toward the buildings. “Does he get to go outside?”
“Yes.”
“Exercise?”
“Yes. Ms. Veléz?”
I looked over at him.
“If it helps. You should know that Titus is angry.”
“Angry?”
Marcus nodded. “He’s not sitting in there scared, broken, or defeated.”
“That actually does make me feel better,” I said, finally unbuckling.
“And he wants answers.”
“I think everyone does.”
“I know.”
“And as you personally know, he’s not fighting this alone.”
“I know.”
Marcus opened his door. “Now, let’s get you in to see him.”
Marcus and I parted after I was finally cleared to see Titus. The guard led me through several secured doors before we were finally admitted to a long hallway. Every door in this place seemed to require a code, a key, or a badge.
I was surrounded by nothing but steel and concrete as we walked under fluorescent lights. The entire place felt sterile and cold. The sound of my footsteps echoed down the corridor as my nerves stretched tighter with every step.
This was where Titus had been living for the past week, and that realization bothered me more and more.
The guard stopped outside another door. “Wait here.”
I nodded.
The woman disappeared inside, and after a few seconds, she finally returned. “You can go in.”
I sat alone at one of the metal tables and tried not to stare. The visitation room wasn’t what I’d expected. Everything was bright. I was surrounded by white walls, beige flooring, and fluorescent lighting overhead.
Around me were glass-lined observation stations, and several other visitors were occupying nearby tables.
A young woman sat across from a man in a detention uniform while a little girl colored beside them. An older couple sat with another detainee several rows away, and attorneys occupied two tables near the windows.
Correctional officers remained stationed throughout the room, watching and listening to everything.
It was surreal to see all the detainees in this room, waiting for someone else to decide their future. I hated this so much for Titus.
My eyes drifted toward the secured door at the far end of the room. Still nothing. Then, finally, the door opened, and everything inside me immediately stilled.
My heart rate picked up when a correctional officer stepped through first, and then my heart damn near stopped when Titus followed behind him.
For a second, he didn’t see me, his attention still on the officer after the officer had said something to him.
Then he looked up and just froze. How many times did I wake up last night, knowing I was coming here today, imagining this moment? What I would do. How would I react and feel?
Instead of reacting in any of the ways I’d imagined, the shock of seeing him right now left me paralyzed where I sat. It was when the officer pointed toward my table that Titus began walking over to me.
Every step made this feel more real. The facility-issued uniform hung across his broad shoulders. The stubble along his jaw was darker than I’d ever seen it, and the shadows beneath his eyes told me he wasn’t sleeping nearly enough.
And despite all of that… he still looked like Titus Hawk. He still carried himself like the most powerful man in the room and moved with the same quiet confidence that had made entire boardrooms nervous.
The correctional officer walked away when Titus stopped beside the table.
“Catalina.”
“Hi.”
His jaw flexed when he sat across from me. “My God. What are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you too.”
His expression didn’t change. “What are you doing here?” he asked again, more seriously.
“I came to see you.”
“No, please God, tell me that one of my brothers didn’t pull you into the middle of this.”
“Nobody pulled me into the middle of anything,” I said, meeting his direct gaze and realizing this would not be the reunion I had hoped for with him.
“Now,” I said, trying to soften the mood.
“It really is good to see you. I don’t approve of the wardrobe, but that’s a subject for another day. ” I waved my hand over the jumpsuit.
For the first time since I’d arrived, the corner of his mouth twitched, and he glanced down at his uniform. When his eyes met mine again, they were softer. God, I’d missed him.
“Fine. As always, you win.” His eyes narrowed.
“I know,” I smiled.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he said with absolute sincerity. “I swear, it’s probably a good thing we’re not allowed to embrace, because if I touch or hold you right now, I wouldn’t be able to let you go.”
“That’s not a bad thing,” I answered with a soft laugh, then glanced over at the guards. “I guess it’s a stupid question, but how are you doing in here?”
“Well, I can’t say I’d give the place a Michelin star,” he answered with a soft laugh.
“I certainly could think of better décor to warm the place up,” I said, my expression reflecting the shock I truly felt.
He finally offered me the smile I’d missed, “I really have missed you. How are things with work?”
“That’s a fun one,” I said.
“What happened?” he became serious again.
I took a breath. “I terminated the lease at the Newport office and am moving back to my old place on Melrose.”
Titus stared at me. “You broke the lease with Jameston?”
“Yes.”
His eyes closed briefly as though he was already regretting this conversation.
“What happened?”
“I used my friend, who’s an attorney, to help me break the lease early. Christian just… gave me the creeps.”
His hand dragged slowly across his jaw. “Marcus was instructed to—”
“Marcus was in the room with my friend and me. He drove me here today. He even offered to hire movers to get me out of my office,” I said. “He’s followed everything you told him to do.”
“Then why is Christian suddenly giving you the creeps?” Titus asked, his eyes searching for the real reason I suddenly moved out.
“Titus,” I said.
“That man’s name has come up numerous times between my attorneys and my brothers. And now—”
“Well, yes,” I said. “I know most of what they know.”
“I do not want you involved in this nightmare. This isn’t your burden to carry.”
“Don’t play the martyr with a woman like me. You know damn well how I am. When my boyfriend gets hauled away from our weekend getaway in cuffs, well, yeah, I want answers about what the hell happened to him.”
He nodded and exhaled. “Why am I not surprised by this?” he subtly grinned.
“Thank you,” I answered. “And now that that’s out of the way…” I folded my hands on the table. “I met with the Valdéz family.”
The room seemed to go completely still, and for a second, I wasn’t sure he’d heard me.
“You met who?” he finally asked.
“The Valdéz family.”
His stare didn’t waver. “How?”
“I flew to Madrid.”
He didn’t say anything, but just sat there, staring at me, the way I imagined he would when someone in a boardroom said something so unexpected that his brain needed a moment to process it.
“Titus?”
His jaw flexed. “You flew to Madrid.”
I nodded.
“With whom?”
“Jim.”
His eyes closed slowly, and I could practically see the headache forming. “Jim Mitchell.”
“The one and only,” I answered.
“What possessed you to get on an airplane and fly across the Atlantic?”
I stared at him. “You got arrested.”
His eyes held mine, and the room suddenly felt much quieter.
“I know.”
“Well, I wanted answers.”
“Catalina.”
“What?”
“You crossed an entire ocean for answers?”
I laughed softly. “You’re really hung up on that part.”
“No.” His voice lowered. “I’m hung up on the fact that while I was sitting in here, you were fighting battles that never should’ve belonged to you.”
“Well, that’s not for you to worry about right now.”
“I wondered whether you learned about this. I am truly sorry my father hurt that family in such a way. I had no idea about any of it.”
I smiled at Titus admitting his innocence without even trying.
“There’s no need to apologize to me for things your father did… things you didn’t even know about,” I assured him. “That’s not your cross to bear.”
“Isn’t it?” he said, his mind seemingly somewhere else.
“No,” I replied. “I want you to know, if you don’t already, that the Valdéz family isn’t behind this.”
His expression immediately sharpened.
“They were actually shocked when they heard you’d been arrested. Senor Valdéz gave Jim a leather file to bring back with us, filled with tons of documentation about this.”
He continued staring at me.
“The documents show that Herbert created the hidden ownership structures, but they also show something else.”
Now I had his full attention.
“What?”
“Jim, Spencer, and Sebastian are already reviewing everything with your brothers, but they’ve found documentation indicating those entities were dormant.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Jim said your attorneys are meeting with you tomorrow to discuss what they’ve uncovered, and he is infinitely more hopeful now than when this started.”
“You really terminated your lease with those assholes and then flew across the world?”
I smiled. “Hell yes.”
His gaze softened. “What the hell am I supposed to do with you, Catalina?”
The question sounded suspiciously affectionate.
“Take me back to that sweet little cottage once you get out of here,” I winked.
“The plans I have for you and me when I leave this place will only start there,” he said with a smile.
“I look forward to it,” I said, arching an eyebrow at him.
He glanced away, then his eyes met mine. “I will properly thank you for this later,” he said. “But for now…” He paused. “God damn, woman. Seeing you isn’t helping.”
“Helping what?” I said, confused by his sudden change.
“I was doing a decent job of convincing myself that everything was fine. And now?” His eyes moved over me. “Now you’re here.”
I stood up, and he followed. “I understand,” I answered with a sympathetic smile. “I will see you soon.”
“Yes,” he answered resolutely.
As I left, I didn’t look back to watch him leave with that officer. I knew in my heart I would see him again soon, and then we could hold each other and forget that any of this had ever happened.