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It would be so nice if my love alone could teleport us away from the man who stares down at us with an unmistakable smile. When I finally glance Jaguar’s way, his chilling expression reveals why he planned this dramatic reunion in the first place—to open my eyes to the truth.
He owns us.
Yet… Despite his dangerous aura, I’d almost forgotten how handsome he is. His eyes gleam in the waning daylight, his skin kissed gold by the sunset. His muscular body is accentuated by a black shirt that clings to every inch of his chest. Even as I feel my skin crawl with fear at his nearness, my belly flips. The thin material draped over my body feels as effective as tissue paper against him.
With one look, he strips me naked. Vulnerable. Exposed.
“Franco, I’ll let you and your mama chat,” he says with a gallant grin, snapping me back to awareness. Amusement never reaches those glittering eyes, however. These are sharp, heavy-lidded, and full of mystery. God, what does he remember? “Relax, Tiena,” he scolds as if reading my mind, “you and your boy will have the run of the house. I can promise that you won’t be disturbed. Then we can discuss what you missed while you were out.”
“You were sleeping for a long time,” Franco pitches in. “The whole day!”
“I’m sure you both are exhausted, Franco,” Jaguar chides, but his grin never falters. “Later on, we can play that video game again. If you think you can beat me, you are sorely mistaken.”
“Okay!” Franco perks up, his eyes glittering with excitement as he tracks Jaguar’s retreat. It’s an expression I don’t recognize in him. He didn’t look at Braulio like that.
Then again, Braulio never paid him any mind unless it was to beat him into submission.
God, what have I gotten us into?
“Can I go with him now?” he asks me, craning his neck in the direction Jaguar went off in. “Please?”
“Just… Slow down, baby. Let me look at you.” I stroke my fingers through his hair and then cup his beautiful face against my palm. It hurts to see how much he resembles Tiena. She always had that Cheshire-cat grin. Is she still smirking now, unconcerned about the welfare of her own son? Even if she is, that isn’t my problem. Meeting Franco’s gaze, I force myself to smile back. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
He looks cleaner in an orange shirt and shorts than he ever did on Braulio’s estate. Still, I can’t trust his happiness is entirely genuine—even though his hair is neatly combed, his face is clean, and his beautiful grin is on full display. Jaguar is incapable of entertaining a woman without threatening her life every five minutes. No way could he properly safeguard a child.
It doesn’t matter that Franco’s smiling. Actually smiling. Until he catches me staring and wrinkles his nose.
“Auntie, what’s wrong? And why did he call you my mama’s name? Where is she?” He looks around, scanning for her in the shadows.
“Franco…” I drag him into my arms and place my mouth near his ear, praying he understands how much I love him. How sorry I am. “I don’t know, but I’m looking for her. I swear I am, baby. But for now, I need you to pretend for me, okay. Call me Mama. Just think of it as a game. I know you’re confused. And Jaguar… Mr. Domingas. Stay away from him. He is a very busy man. How long have you been here with him?”
“Today. The morning, I think.” Franco shrugs, scrunching his nose as he tries to remember. “I came by airplane—”
“Did he talk to you?” I prod. “Mr. Domingas?”
“Yeah. He was there when the plane landed. He said he’s Papa’s friend. Can I go play with him now? He’s fun.”
“No,” I snap. Then I remember the ruse I signed up for—the eager mistress to a dangerous psychopath, all in the name of protecting my so-called son. With Franco within his reach as a token to control me, I cannot risk upsetting Jaguar now. Not yet, anyway. “I-I mean… Sure, but can I watch?”
“Yeah! Let’s go. This way!” Grinning, he takes my hand, pulling me along.
While I slept, it seems he explored the house thoroughly. With cheerful narration, he gives me a guided tour of our route to meet Jaguar.
“That’s the living room. It has a big TV on the wall! And there’s a really big kitchen over there.”
He points his finger as he speaks and, as I swivel my head to take in every new feature, I slowly begin to understand why this place felt so familiar before. It wasn’t for nothing that Jaguar presented me with real estate listings—I chose this house out of the three he suggested. The elegant modern mansion composed of concrete and glass.
I must admit that it is more beautiful in person. The design choices are minimal compared to the previous mansion, but Jaguar’s primal allure somehow fits this setting better. The black and gray color scheme enhances his mystique—not to mention that concrete is easier to clean blood off of than white marble and fancy wallpaper.
With that grim imagery in mind, I can only dread what his “game room” might look like.
“The basement is this way,” Franco explains as we near a winding staircase leading to a finished lower level sporting several rooms. In one of them, Jaguar sits in a leather recliner positioned before a massive flat-screen television. An array of various video games line shelves along the walls, spanning every recent decade, it seems.
“It’s about time,” Jaguar says with a wink in Franco’s direction. “Ready to lose?” He has a gaming remote in one hand and tosses one to Franco as we enter.
“Not on your life!” Eagerly, Franco climbs onto a recliner beside him, and they commence with a loud, violent round of whatever game they’ve chosen to play.
At the back of the room, I watch them, ready to jump in at a moment’s notice. If Jaguar speaks at him too loudly. Looks at him wrong. Anything—I’ll step in, no matter the risk. With each passing minute, I’m reduced to a sweating, twitching mess, unable to move...
