Page 23 of No Darker Temptation

Diego paces the length of the room, swirling his tumbler around before taking another sip. “It’s too…complex. Too well thought out, too brilliant. Almost like⁠—”

“I came up with it myself?”

He comes to an abrupt halt, almost tripping over his feet. “Regina.”

Antonio mutters something vulgar under his breath. “I ever told you how much I hated her?”

“She knows you so well she came up with a plan only you’d be clever enough to figure out. Either to throw you off her scent or hide in plain sight.” Diego blows air through his lips. “She’s an evil fucking genius, I’ll give her that.”

I know I shouldn’t be surprised Regina is taking her brother’s side but the realization stings nonetheless. In the years since our separation there’s always remained a mutual respect between us as well as a silent agreement. We wouldn’t use one another’s weaknesses against the other in the event of a conflict like this but that agreement has just gone up in flames. She creeps through the paths of my mind, winds down dark roads, and sets fire to towers of defense. I feel broken down from the inside out, my own thoughts turned against me.

How much does she remember from the years we were together? How much does she remember about our operations, the function of our businesses? Does she remember numbers, names, routes, anything that could weaken us; and if so, how do I find out which ones in order to protect ourselves? I was never forthcoming about most things regarding the family enterprise, not until much later, and even then I was guarded. It wasn’t until the lead up to the wedding did Regina begin to assert her role in the family as my future wife.

“When I was in New York a few months ago, I wasn’t able to dig anything up,” Diego says, yanking me from my stupor. “Should I take another trip?”

“No, don’t bother. We won’t find anything anyway. They won’t show their hand until they’re ready.”

“Are we sitting ducks then?” Antonio asks. “Waiting around for something to happen? We need a plan.”

I can’t think straight. Another minute in this room and my mental sanity will be in jeopardy. Diego’s gaze flickers over my frame from head to toe, crystalline eyes shifting to a brilliant seafoam color. Without words he seems to understand everything unsaid between us.

“I need to take a walk.”

I move away from the desk and Antonio appears poised to object but Diego swoops in to take my place. The two of them descend into a flurry of impassioned whispers as I strive to get as far away from the chaos as possible.

GOING TO THE CHAPEL

Dahlia

River Vale, New Jersey

December

At half past three in the morning, my phone starts ringing.

I gasp and startle awake. A haze of sleep blurs my vision and clouds my thoughts, remnants of last night’s dream bleeding into reality. I fumble in the darkness for my phone and quickly turn the ringer off. Karina stirs in bed but doesn’t wake. Her ability to sleep through anything astounds me. An atomic bomb could go off under her pillow and she’d still be galloping through her dreams with not a worry in her sleepy, blissful mind.

I almost reject the call but realize it’s probably Alejandro considering the time and his name on the screen confirms my suspicions. Before I can answer, the call ends but I immediately redial his number.

“Are you okay?” I ask, my voice overlapping with his when he says, “I forgot about the time.”

I sigh and sink back into the pillows, drawing the plush hotel comforter up under my neck. “That’s all right. You scared me, you never call at this time.”

“I know…I’m sorry. Go back to sleep.”

“No, it’s okay. In a few hours I’ll officially be on maid of honor duty. Now I can say a proper goodbye.”

A huff of laughter leaves his lips. “It was nice knowing you. My congratulations to the lovely bride.”

“Uh-uh,” I whisper, so as not to wake Karina. Not that it matters but just in case my ringtone did wake her, I don’t want much of my conversation to be audible. “Bad form to congratulate the bride. Where are your manners?”

“My apologies. Congratulations to the groom and best wishes to the bride.”

I smile against the pillow, the soft cotton fabric lulling me back to sleep. “I can’t believe she’s really getting married. It feels so grown up. We’re literally teenagers.”

“Teenagers in their twenties?”

“Exactly. You get it.” I sigh deeply. “Now what’s the matter?”