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“Of course. Are you ready for breakfast?”
Breakfast?What time is it? I glance at my watch.Earlier than I thought.“That would be good. Something very light,” I add. “We’ll have a heavier meal on the return flight.”
I leave Monica and go find the woman whose life my father tried to destroy. Just like Tomas isn’t a ringleader, Abel wasn’t the mastermind behind what happened. He was certainly capable, at one time anyway, but he always deferred to his big brother. My father was the genius behind the murder and rape. I’d stake my life on it.
When I reach the cabin, Daniela’s sitting on the sofa, staring out the window into the bleak sky.
Unlike this morning, I take a seat near her and push aside a book on the coffee table. “It’s going to be another long day. Why don’t you put your feet up and try to rest?”
She nods but doesn’t move.
“Monica’s preparing breakfast.”
“Have you heard anything from Gray or Delilah?”
“Nothing new. It’ll be a bit before they get to the school.”
We sit in silence that’s so goddamn uncomfortable my skin is crawling. Daniela’s somewhere else, somewhere far away, and I’m not even sure she notices the disquiet.
My father was dead. But why didn’t Manuel kill Abel and Tomas after what they did? Even if he didn’t crave retribution, it would have ensured Daniela’s safety, and ultimately, Valentina’s too. I don’t get it. I glance at Daniela.Maybe she knows.As much as I’d love to shield her from reliving the events over and over, we’re shooting into the dark. We need all the background we can get.
“Why didn’t your father have Abel and Tomas killed?”
She sniffs, still staring straight ahead. “He believed it was your father’s plan, and that it was executed on his order.”
That’s definitely true.
“And he thought that avenging my mother’s death would turn the region on its head. Maybe start a war that would destroy everything. He wasn’t willing to take that risk.”
He wasn’t willing to avenge his wife’s death or the evil that was done to his daughter?Fuck that.Manuel D’Sousa might not have been willing to take the risk, but I sure as hell am. My uncle has one foot in the grave, but Tomas? He won’t live to see his next birthday.
Monica enters the cabin with a large tray and a big smile.
“Just leave it there,” I tell her, pointing to the coffee table.
“Is there anything else I can get you?” she asks.
Daniela doesn’t respond.
“We’re all set for now. I’ll let you know if we need anything.” That’s her cue to leave us the fuck alone.
“Of course,” she says politely.
There’s a plate of pastries and some fruit on the tray. Ordinarily, Daniela would be eyeing the chocolate croissant, but she shakes her head when I offer it.
I pour her some tea and add a breakfast biscuit to the saucer before handing it to her.
She shakes her head, again. “I don’t want anything. Thank you.”
“It’s just tea and a dry cookie. You need to put something in your stomach.”
She accepts it reluctantly, but I doubt she’ll eat a morsel.
I desperately want a whiskey, but I pour myself a coffee. The caffeine won’t dull my senses like booze.
We’ve been careful to cover our tracks, even filing multiple flight plans. The island where we’re meeting Gray is about as private as one could hope for, but we don’t know what we’re up against. When the advance team lands, we’ll have more information.
The events of the last few days could have been avoided if D’Sousa had just told me about the rape and murder. I look at Daniela, but there are no answers on her face.Find your balls and ask. She’s not going to wither.
