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For at least the hundredth time, I reminded myself that was what I wanted. Wasn’t it? And was it really what he wanted? Reina had planted a seed with her crack about him looking at me like a lovestruck teen, and it was taking root and growing like a weed. She had to be wrong. Everyone who was as in love as she and Ivan always thought everyone else was too.
I sat in the kitchen for a while, hoping he’d join me for a midnight snack, alternating between dark musings about what became of the intruders and wondering why things had become so awkward. Yes, there’d been another mistake, but that hadn’t stopped us from getting back on track before.
Giving up, I decided to go to bed and put this day behind me. As I passed Leo’s open office door, he called out, asking if I wanted to watch a movie. His tone was forced as if someone had a gun to his back and was making him ask me.
“Doyouwant to watch a movie? Because it doesn’t really sound like it.”
He looked at me mournfully. “I just don’t like this tension between us.”
If he didn’t like it, why had he ignored me the whole day, acted sweet while his family was around, and then went right back to treating me like crap? Sitting next to each other while a movie played wasn’t going to change that. And besides, even though it sucked not hanging out with him that afternoon, it was for the best that we kept our distance. To avoid more mistakes.
Why did he have to keep looking at me that way, though? As if he was sorry or like he wanted to pull me into the room and kiss me.
I pasted on a smile. “What tension?” I asked breezily. Not one hundred percent convincing, but he’d have to accept it. “Everything’s fine. Good night.”
I all but raced up the stairs and into my room. If I’d stood there one more second, I would have been running straight into his arms. And that could not happen anymore.
Chapter 21 - Leo
The following day, all I could still think about was Samantha’s rejection of the olive branch I offered after Ivan and Reina left. A movie would have been the perfect thing to erase the tension between us because we were so passionate about both the ones we loved and the ones we hated. There was no way we’d get through an entire movie without starting to talk to each other in a normal way again.
I thought about skipping breakfast again but decided to keep trying to get her to talk to me. It wasn’t as if I didn’t have other things to worry about, but Sam was my priority. At least the hostages were gone. Once the sun went down, Ivan and I helped get them down to the beach, where there was a waiting boat. I could only imagine they were fish food by now and couldn’t spare them too much pity.
Samantha was already sitting at the kitchen table when I arrived, dressed in a pretty halter top and finishing up a bowl of cereal. We exchanged cordial greetings, and her eyes instantly dropped back to her bowl. Was she paler than usual, or was that my imagination?
“I can make eggs,” I offered. “Cereal’s not enough, is it?”
“I’m not that hungry,” she said. “But thank you.”
Ouch. The thank you was as cold as ice in its politeness. As soon as I sat down, Samantha stood up, snapping her fingers for Burya to follow her outside.
“We can head to the beach in a few minutes,” I called, starting to feel stupid in my desperation. Why the hell did I care so much either way?
“I’ll just stay in the garden,” she called back.
I made myself pour my own bowl of cereal instead of rushing after her and forcing a confrontation. When I was done, I’d go out and take the dog to the beach. She could tag along if she wanted. After all, Burya was still technically my dog, even though she was his clear favorite.
The milk barely hit the cornflakes when I heard a crash from outside, and Burya began frantically barking. What now? I raced outside to find Samantha on the ground, curled into a ball and clutching her stomach as she cried. A large potted plant had crashed to the ground beside her, and for a second, I worried it had landed on her.
At her side, I saw she’d only tried to grab the plant to keep it from falling but ended up bringing it down with her. Her face was contorted with pain, and tears coursed down her cheeks. I shooed the dog away and knelt beside her, fear like no other washing over me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“It hurts so much,” she said through her tears.
I scooped her up and carried her to the nearest couch, but that seemed to make her pain worse. She could barely speak, only curling into herself and holding her stomach as if she’d been stabbed. I forced myself not to panic, but I could barely see straight through the terror that gripped me.
I shouted for a guard, too afraid to leave her side for a second. “Bring a car,” I ordered. “Now! I need to take her to the hospital.”
He brought his walkie-talkie to his lips to carry out the command. “We should send someone out ahead of you,” he said. “In case anyone’s staking out the road for you to leave.”
I shook my head. “We can have someone follow me, but I need to get her to a doctor immediately. You can see how much pain she’s in.”
He nodded, not liking it but having no choice. I gathered Samantha close to me again. “I have to pick you up again, Sunshine,” I told her. “I’m going to get you help.”
She nodded, stiff in my arms from fighting the pain that seized her. I walked as fast as I could without jostling her and got her in the backseat as gently as possible. She gulped for breath and gritted her teeth, trying to press the pain away with her hands.
I got in beside her, motioning for the nearest guard to get in and drive. They had a second car ready to follow us, but anyone who tried to stop me from getting Sam the help she needed better be ready to meet their maker. As we raced off the island, I tried to pull her hands away from her middle in case she was making it worse. I had appendicitis when I was a kid, and that had come on quickly and hurt like the devil.
