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He clinked his glass with hers and made a toast in Italian, blessing the evening, the stars in the sky, and the beauty surrounding them. She couldn’t help to feel as if she were on display and that he was making reference to her. It was probably best to let them know she was more than just a pretty face. However, Gustavo beat her to it.
“Ahh, she is quite a lovely woman, but she is also highly intelligent. Has a mind for numbers.”
“And a body for sin,” Armando added then chuckled. So did Manchenso and Gustavo.
As Armando stared into her eyes, she could see that he was really trying to rattle her. But she could handle him. In fact, she could play at his little game, too.
She turned from them and began to move toward the door.
“Well, it was a pleasure meeting you both. I appreciate the invitation to your home, Manchenso. It is quite an impressive villa. But, I should be going. Sienna and her men were planning on leaving soon, and they’re my ride.”
“Wait,” Gustavo told her as he placed his glass down onto the desk and headed toward her. She handed over her glass and held Gustavo’s gaze.
“I don’t know what type of game the three of you are playing, but I’m not falling for it. I’ve worked hard to get where I am, and I can choose who to surround myself with. Good night, Gustavo,” she said and then walked out of the room. As she closed the door behind her she felt her entire body on edge. She was annoyed but also intimidated.
In all honesty, she was kind of pissed off at Gustavo. He’d deceived her, or had some ulterior motive for introducing her to these men.
She tried to remember which way Gustavo had brought her to get to this side
of the house. She could hear the music in the distance, but there were doorways and other exits leading out to the side of the villa, and the gardens. Giving up on finding the right door to head back to the main living area and not wanting to open up too many doors as a stranger in Manchenso’s home, she ventured outside. She would follow the walkway and hopefully it would lead to the front of the home.
She had been pretty fired up and confused back there, but now as the cool air collided with her heated skin, she began to feel the cold air. She crossed her arms and tried to figure out the way when she heard the footsteps behind her. Turning toward them, she immediately saw Armando.
Great. Now what would he harass her about? Walking somewhere guests weren’t permitted to be?
“Are you lost, Mariah?” he asked. She turned her back toward him.
“No. I was trying to get some fresh air,” she said, her teeth clattering along with each syllable that left her lips.
She immediately felt the black jacket being placed over her shoulders. It was warm and it smelled really good. A unique cologne mixed with cigar smoke.
She turned toward him. “Thank you for the jacket.”
He gave her a soft smile and then he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
“Gustavo speaks very highly of you and your professionalism. I’m sorry if I insulted you back there.”
“Insulted me? I just met you and you decided to play some sort of game with me. It really doesn’t matter. I’m going to head back to the party now.”
She started to walk when his deep voice stopped her midstride.
“It’s that way.”
She turned around and he was pointing in the opposite direction than where she was headed. She wasn’t sure if she believed him and for a moment they stared at one another.
“I promise, I am not playing games. I’ll walk with you. The other direction will lead you straight to the security team and the killer mastiffs Manchenso keeps around as added security.”
She swallowed hard. That would have been a bad situation.
They began walking back through the gardens and into the house again.
“As I was saying earlier, Gustavo has spoken very highly of you. Manchenso has been looking for a trustworthy and frugal financial advisor for one of his companies in Dallas. I understand that’s where you’re from.”
“Yes. What type of business?”
“He’s a partner in a government arms and security firm. He’s planning on taking over soon. I understand that you’ll be headed to Texas next week. Perhaps a tour of the facility will persuade you to take the position if Manchenso offers it to you?”
She thought about it a moment. As soon as she heard government arms and security firm, her ears perked up. It could give her some insight into the entire arms dealing business. While Googling on the computer last night, she’d read about a police officer who had gone missing, and then was found dead. The follow-up article said that he was actually working undercover and had been aiding drug dealers. She didn’t believe it. The article stood out in her mind, and she kept thinking about Michael. Could this be another incident that would go uninvestigated?
