The woman hugged Eddie, gave him a kiss that borderlined on pornographic, then walked away toward the parking lot. When the woman was out of sight, Eddie winced, touching his bandaged nose. Dante had given him a beatdown. From the looks of his bruised face and arm holding his side, he was far from recovery.
Jemma reached for her basket and hurriedly threw her itemsinside. Eddie would be on the move soon, and she didn’t want him to get too far ahead?—
“Jemma? Is that you?”
Her gaze flicked upward right at Eddie Baez.
She took off her sunglasses and gave him a small smile. The hunted one had come directly to her. What the fuck could that mean? He might have recognized her. But thirty-eight-year-old Jemma looked different than the twenty-three-year-old version who was Eddie’s nanny. Still, she had to be careful.
“Eddie, right?” Jemma sat up straighter. “How are you feeling? It’s horrible what happened to you.”
Eddie shrugged. “I take a licking and keep on ticking. Trust me, Dante will regret his actions soon enough. What are you doing in the park all alone?”
“Rocco’s at work, so I thought I’d come out here and enjoy the day,” Jemma said.
Unease built inside her as Eddie stared at her for a long moment, almost as if he was memorizing her face … or remembering it.
“The two of you met when Rocco lived in San Juan, right?”
Jemma nodded. “At a bar. Can you believe that? He offered me a drink at Barrachina when I was on vacation a few years ago. We didn’t keep up with each other after that. Then I’m here on vacation and run into him at the farmer’s market. I don’t believe in coincidences, so I took it as a sign that maybe we were meant to cross paths again.”
“Lucky guy,” Eddie said. “I’m sure he’ll be sad when you have to go back home to …”
He was fishing for information.
Jemma said, “Virginia. But I may stick around for a while. It’s easy for me to work remotely with my job.”
Eddie nodded. “I hope you do. Well, I’ll let you get back to your picnic. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
“Thanks, you too,” Jemma said, then pushed the sunglasses back on her face.
Eddie walked away across the park, stopping to look back in her direction a few times too many. He likely sensed that he knew her from somewhere but couldn’t put his finger on it. The more time she spent around Eddie, the more likely he remembered who she was.
And if he did, Eddie would tell his father.
Nomar knowing where she was in Dajabon before she could find him would be a disaster.
Jemma couldn’t let that happen. She’d lost this chance to follow Eddie, but he wouldn’t know she was there the next time.
Chapter 35
Rocco pushed through the clinic's back door and inhaled a deep breath. The tropical air was heavy, carrying the distant sound of the Caribbean surf. Palm trees rustled gently in the night breeze, their shadows dancing on the clinic's faded walls. It had been a slow day, which gave him too much time to think about Jemma.
He’d never thought about how pretending to be a couple could put her at risk when they were around other members of the Sombro Cartel, some who might have spent time working for Manny Ortiz.
Rocco had worked himself up too much and left during lunch to check on Jemma. But she wasn’t at the bungalow, and she wasn’t answering her phone. He didn’t want to feel like a jealous boyfriend, but he was pissed she hadn’t told him where she’d be today. Knowing Jemma, she’d kick his ass if he made a big deal about her lack of communication. Yes, she could take care of herself. But he wanted her to know she didn’t have to. Just like he’d stepped in and helped her get away from that asshole at the club in La Placita, he would do that again. He’d do it whenever she needed him and when she didn’t.
The rest of the day had crawled at a snail’s pace. There were only a handful of patients, which The Two Carlas had no problem handling. So, he’d grabbed a burner phone and checked in with Proteus. Lenny had given him an update on Eddie Baez’s moves. His gang had battled another rival and taken over their territory, expanding his foothold in selling drugs around San Juan. He was gaining more respect across the Caribbean. But they were still at a loss on the connection Eddie could offer El Sombro.
Even more strange was that Jemma hadn’t sent them the photos of the unidentified man they’d seen in the jungle with Vance and Eddie. Lenny and Tank didn’t seem concerned. Jemma had remote access to all their cyber-intelligence software and was known to do research herself. She didn’t need them to run the search. He still thought it was strange she hadn’t mentioned it.
Or maybe he was on edge because he didn’t know where she was.
Turning the corner, Rocco paused. In the dim glow of the streetlight, Dante leaned against the weathered wall of the clinic, methodically disassembling and reassembling his handgun with practiced ease.
He approached his friend, footsteps soft on the gravel.
"Slow night?" Dante asked, his eyes never leaving the gun. His fingers moved with a surgeon’s precision, each part of the handgun sliding away effortlessly under his deft touch.
