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“Put your fucking phone away,” Rafael demanded. “We have work to do.”
We were supposed to be overseeing the men load the shipment, and since we’d recently caught two thieves, I really should be keeping a closer eye on things instead of being distracted by worry about my home life.
Home. Isabel had said she wanted to make the house a home for us both. She should be in the city right now, picking out options for the bedroom we would share. I didn’t care what it looked like, but I did care that it mattered to her. She’d been so excited about showing me her design concepts on her tablet this morning during breakfast.
“Stop daydreaming about your wife and help me out,” Rafael grumbled.
I blinked at him “How do you know I’m thinking about Isabel?”
He rolled his eyes. “You have this stupid smile on your face. You never smile.”
I grunted, not having a response for that. So what if the thought of my beautiful young bride made me smile? Any man would be proud to have a woman as lovely and sweet as Isabel.
“Give me a minute,” I said to Rafael. I wouldn’t be able to focus until I knew she wasn’t upset with me about postponing our dinner plans.
To reassure myself that she was simply busy shopping, I unlocked my phone and checked her location—we’d turned on the feature as a show of mutual trust and reassurance. Isabel was sensitive about being neglected, and I wanted her to know she could always depend on me. Even more than that, I wanted to know where she was at all times, but I didn’t say that part to her out loud. She’d been so happy when I’d told her she wouldn’t be under guard anymore. I didn’t want to make her feel like I was still watching her every move.
When I checked her location, my gut twisted. I knew something was wrong as soon as I saw the address. She wasn’t shopping; she was in a residential neighborhood. A rough one. There was no reason for her to be there.
I was connecting the call before I could think through my actions. The tinny ringing set my teeth on edge. Fear began to claw at my chest with every long second that passed. She wasn’t answering.
“What’s wrong?” Rafael asked, my oldest friend more attuned to my shifts in mood than almost anyone.
Anyone except Isabel, who seemed capable of reading my soul.
Before I could answer him, the call connected.
“Isabel,” I rasped, my heart hammering against my ribcage. “Where are you?” I knew her location, but I’d give her a chance to explain herself. To tell me that she was fine, and there was nothing to worry about.
She had to be okay. I couldn’t survive if something had happened to her.
“I’m taking you down, Castillo.” A man’s voice. Not Isabel.
“Where is my wife?” The demand was little more than a snarl.
“Sebastián!” Her scream was a knife to my chest.
“Your wife,” the word dripped with scorn, “is about to tell me every one of your dirty secrets, even if I have to fuck them out of her. Then I’m coming for you, motherfucker.”
Another one of her screams tore through my heart, just before the line went dead. An animal roar ripped from my chest, something between rage and agony.
Isabel was in pain. He was hurting her.
I’d promised to protect her, and I’d failed.
“What’s going on?” Rafael barked.
Dimly, I realized that I’d grabbed my gun from the desk drawer and was storming toward the exit.
“Isabel.” I couldn’t manage more than rasping her name, but he seemed to understand.
His expression turned grim, and he called out to Raúl. “Guerrero, take over. Something’s happened to Sebastián’s wife.”
I didn’t pause to see if Raúl agreed. I ran toward my Jeep, but Rafael grabbed the keys from my hand.
“I’ll drive,” he insisted. “You’ll get us both killed.”
I was half out of my mind with rage; I could barely see straight through the fear that clouded my world like a red haze.
We jumped in the car, and I barked out her location. The car moved too fucking slowly, and violence gathered just beneath the surface of my skin. My Isabel was in pain. He was hurting her, and I wasn’t there to stop him.
She might be dead now.
The thought of the light leaving her lovely eyes made my stomach churn, and I swallowed against the bile that burned at the back of my throat.
I couldn’t lose the woman I loved.
My heart burned with my love for her. I’d known the truth deep in my soul for weeks now, but I’d been too much of a coward to face it. Ever since she’d been vulnerable with me that day in the aviary, I’d been falling for her. I’d wanted to keep her, to protect her.
