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“Then why isn’t he here marrying you instead of me?”
Silence.
“I might consider letting you take the cost of this ring out of my salary then,” I relented, admiring how it sparkled under the light. “At the end, not now.”
“Don’t be silly,Mrs. Carter,”he said. “That’d be a terrible business decision on your part.”
“Is it somehow worthless just because it’s personalized?”
“No, but I’m only paying you four million dollars. Your ring costsseven.”
“What? Why would you ever spend that much?”
“Because like I said on that voicemail you clearly didn’t listen to—” He paused. “I need this to be as real as possible…”
SEVENTEEN
PRESENT DAY
TATIANA
Two Hours Later
Fifty Miles Outside Las Vegas
Beep! Beep! Beeeeeep!
Drivers honked their horns in exasperation as the desert’s sweltering heat sifted through the town car’s open windows.
Evening traffic was at a complete standstill, and the only movement ahead was the smattering of fireworks in the sky.
“Mr. Faber, if you had to guess, how long will it take for us to get to my condo?” Travis asked.
“Four hours if I’m being generous.” He looked at us through the rearview mirror. “I forgot about Desert Fest starting tonight. My apologies.”
“It’s not your fault.” Travis looked over at me and sighed. “Do you still have problems with insomnia at night?”
“Yeah,” I said, surprised he remembered. “Why?”
“Because we should get out here if that’s the case,” Travis stepped out of the car. He walked to my side and opened the door.
Clasping my hand, he led me through gridlocked traffic and into an open-air mall.
He stopped inside an Ivory Sleep store and asked for the manager.
“Ah, Mr. Carter.” The man beamed. “To what do I owe this unexpected visit?”
“My wife and I need some sleepwear for tonight,” Travis said. “As fast as possible, please.”
The man snapped his fingers, and two staffers appeared behind me, tape measures in hand.
Within minutes, they placed an elegantly wrapped box into my arms.
Travis took out a few hundred dollar bills, but the manager pushed away his hand.
“Your money is no good here, Mr. Carter,” he said. “Just mention our store whenever you have a chance. Oh, and be sure to knock Juarez the hell out whenever you fight him again.”
“Will do.”
