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I took her lips in a fierce kiss, binding our bodies as closely as possible. We belonged to one another. Last night, I’d consummated our marriage, but now she was truly my wife. My forever. Always.
CHAPTER 26
ISABEL
I hummed to myself as I drove into the city, anticipatory excitement fizzing through me. I couldn’t wait to show Sebastián my final plans to redesign the master bedroom. Our bedroom. Where we would make love before we slept together every night.
I shifted in the driver’s seat, loving the little twinge of discomfort between my legs. I was sore from our rough union yesterday, but I relished the small pinch of pain. It was a reminder of our bond. All the secrets that’d separated us had been confessed, and we accepted one another completely. He’d told me the darkest parts of his past, and I was glad he’d shared them with me. Even the parts that were hard to hear.
I shook my head slightly. His past didn’t matter. When we’d made love, he’d looked into my eyes and he’d seen me and only me. That was all that mattered: the two of us, together.
A siren wailed behind me, jolting me out of my pleasant reverie. I glanced in my rearview mirror to find flashing lights on my tail.
Damn. I glanced at the speedometer. Had I broken any traffic laws? I’d been so distracted with thoughts of my husband that I hadn’t been paying enough attention.
I pulled over and took a deep breath, drawing up the most composed, polite demeanor that my mother had drilled into me. I rolled down the window, and my stomach dropped.
Francisco Morales was approaching my car. I hadn’t broken any laws; the man was determined to harass me until I spilled the cartel’s secrets.
Just before I could put the car in gear and drive away, his hand flew to his gun.
Fear gnawed at my insides. Would he really shoot at me if I tried to evade him?
Then he was at my window, and it was too late to take the risk. The gun was still holstered at his side, but his hand remained firm around it, a clear warning.
“How many times do I have to ask you to leave me alone?” I demanded, struggling to maintain my cool composure.
“Get out of the car,” he barked.
“What? I haven’t done anything wrong.” He couldn’t arrest me. He just couldn’t.
“I’ll be the one to decide that. Get out.” He started to ease his gun from the holster.
I rushed to comply, my shaking fingers finding the door handle. “Okay, okay!”
My stomach knotted as I got out of the car. Nothing good could happen next. Morales had no reason to arrest me, but he had a gun, so he had all the power here. My hand twitched toward my skirt, where I’d stashed my phone in one of the deep pockets. I wanted to call Sebastián. He would make Morales go away.
Before I could act on the impulse, the cop grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back. Pain flared in my shoulder, forcing me to turn to alleviate the pressure. I cried out when my torso slammed against the hood of my car. Cold handcuffs clicked into place around my wrists.
My heart leapt into my throat. “I didn’t do anything!” I protested, my voice too high and thin. I pulled against the cuffs, and the unyielding metal bit into my skin.
“You’re coming with me,” he said grimly, yanking me upright with a cruel wrench of my arm.
I yelped at the shock of pain, but no one could hear me. Cars sped past us, no one bothering to check on a woman who seemed to be under arrest.
Regret twisted my insides. I’d been so happy to be free to go about my life without a guard, but now there was no one to protect me. No one would witness this and tell Sebastián that I was in trouble.
Morales hauled me toward his vehicle and shoved me into the backseat. He slammed the door behind me, and the lock immediately clicked into place. He climbed into the front and started the car.
“You can’t do this,” I protested, even as we started to drive away from my own car, my only means of getting away from him. “I haven’t committed a crime.”
He spared me a glower in the rearview mirror. “I’m going to question you. You’re going to answer honestly.”
I steeled myself, summoning up my iciest expression. “If you take me in, I’ll make sure you get fired. That’s the only way this ends unless you let me go right now.”
“I’m not taking you in. We’re going to talk privately.”
Fear skittered down my spine. “What do you mean?”
In profile, I saw his jaw tick as he ground his teeth. He didn’t answer.
“What do you mean?” I demanded again, my voice lacking the ring of command I’d tried to summon. My hands began to shake where they were cuffed at the small of my back. “Where are you taking me?”
