AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It was fine,” I say softly. “I can do that, Charlie.” I try to take my plate from him but it's too late—it is loaded with a healthy portion of everything.
He puts it down in front of me, squeezes a drizzle of lemon on my fish, then he dishes up his own dinner.
We’re eating much earlier than we usually do. It’s just past two thirty in the afternoon.
Maybe it’s because he knows I’m going to pig out on sweets.
“Your hair looks pretty,” Charlie says, glancing at me.
Pretty?
I give him a funny look, noticing there's something crafty glittering in his eyes. I'm not sure, but I feel like he's up to no good. It's the way he's acting today.
Picking up my cutlery, I dig into the salmon. It's lovely. It melts in my mouth and tastes tangy with lemon.
I eat in silence, paying acute attention to Charlie, trying to figure out if he's up to something or if I'm going mad.
“You okay?” he asks in time, chewing on a piece of salmon. “You're really quiet.”
“I'm fine,” I say, swallowing down my food.
Though he doesn't for a second believe me, he doesn't press on. He starts telling me about the phone call he had earlier in the car. “There's a gang crisis going on in North Mexico and the Congressman wants me to deal with it.” He looks between me and his plate, speaking after every mouthful. “I need to send funds for more weapons so my men can get rid of the problem before it gets out of hand.”
I don't say anything. I listen intently to him, opening my eyes in astonishment when he explains how he took over three cities, so this little issue isn't a problem.
He’s achieved more than Maksim
“Have you ever been to Mexico, Blaire?” He has some more of his beer, and that crafty gleam in his eyes is still there—he's definitely up to no good.
“Yeah.” I finish off my food and push against the empty plate.
“Did you like it there?”
I shrug. “It's hot.”
“Yeah, it is hot.” He laughs fondly, then he wants to know where in Mexico I've visited; if I'd ever live there. It's likethatmoment earlier in the car—the kiss—didn't happen.
“I'm not sure I'd be able to deal with the heat,” I say, looking directly at him, studying him and his odd behavior. He's finished his food too, and now he's leaning against the table on one elbow, bestowing me his full attention.
“People climatise...” he says softly.
I gesture at my hair. “I'm a pale redhead—not sure I'm meant for the sun.”
He gazes over my hair, utterly fixated. It's streaming down my back in sleek locks. I haven't tied it up since visiting the salon.
“If you had to, would you give it a try?”
“What?” I wipe my mouth clean with a napkin and drop it on my empty plate.
“Try living in Mexico.”
“Oh. Well, sure, if I had to—I doubt Maksim would ever live in Mexico though.” I laugh awkwardly, not sure where he's going with this.
He reaches for my hair and strokes down a length, making my scalp tickle. I don't really know what to say again, so I remain quiet, clasping my hands together in my lap.
“I reckon you'd like it in Mexico,” he says, lifting my hair to his nose. “Where I live, it's a big estate boarded by a village with only the trusted...” he goes right into saying what sort of people live there; how many people live there, which sounds like thousands. “It's completely secluded from the world—you can't even see it on Google maps.”
“Does that woman live there too?” I ask, holding my breath for his answer.
