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“He’s back in Miami, unfortunately,” I said. “His wife is expecting, and she hasn’t wanted him too far from home.”
The man rolled his eyes. “And is Angel Castillo so whipped for his wife that he would miss a business opportunity?”
I clenched my jaw, aggravated. “Did Ademir share what happened to my brother’s wife?”
He nodded, largely unimpressed. “She was taken. It’s not so uncommon...and he got her back, so all’s well.”
“Maybe,” I conceded, “but the man who took her wasobliterated. Angel’s wife and their child are the most important things to him; I wouldn’t be so flippant when talking about them. Even if he’s not here to hear you, I can hear you.”
I fully expected the man to say something else derisive, but he must have decided to take me at my word. Instead, his dark eyes were studying me, taking in the bruises and cuts. “What areyoudoing here? So far from your brother?”
I gestured to my face. “Obviously, I’m licking some wounds.” I jerked my head toward the house. “I brought a friend with me to help with that.”
I didn’t want to mention Lyse at all, but if they happened to hear her while in the house, I had to have plausible deniability.
The man’s face broke into a grin. “Sly dog. Angel approves you doing this?”
He was fishing: the number of times he brought up my brother’s name wasn’t a coincidence. “Angel and I have had free use of this island since we were children. He doesn’t begrudge me a vacation when I need it. Now, let my man work on your engine, so you can be on your way. My housekeeper will have lunch ready for us, I’m sure.”
Thankfully, the promise of food distracted the man, and by the time we finished the meal, Efrain had their engine purring. They hopped aboard and said they’d be in touch about when they would return to pick up the crates.
“Crisis averted,jefe?” Pascal asked.
I nodded. “But now we have a metric fuck-ton of guns in our dry dock.”
“One problem at a time,” Efrain said.
Ain’t that the fucking truth.
CHAPTER9
Lyse
Ithought nothing was more maddening than being stuck in my father’s house, but I was wrong. Hell on Earth was being stuck inthisroom, waiting for something to happen.
Omar had given Felix a week to sort things out. It had already been three days, and there had been nothing but radio silence on Felix’s end. Helena brought most of my meals, but Omar came in each evening with my dinner. He didn’t speak to me, but he made sure that I ate before he took the tray away. He was fulfilling his promise to Felix: making sure I was well taken care of while in Castillo custody.
Lying on the bed, staring at the cracks in the ceiling, I realized that I couldn’t do this for another four days. I would bash myself against the walls first. I had to think of a plan that got me out of this room. Running wasn’t an option. Omar would kill me before he let that happen. But what if I got him to trust me instead? Then I could try to slip away when the time was right. Or maybe I could convince him to take me back to the mainland.
Even in my head, it sounded stupid. Why wouldLa Bestiaever trust me? Not only was I a Rojas, I was the eldest daughter of the man who put a hit out on his brother. He would be totally within his rights to kill me…or ruin me.
An idea, reckless and utterly stupid, came to mind. If I could make him want me, then I might be able to convince him to let me out of this room. Then I could plan my escape. Surely there was more than one boat on this island, though the thought of operating one on my own sent a chill through me.Could I really do it?
The sun was sinking in the sky, and I knew it was getting nearer to dinner time. If I was going to do something, I had to be ready. Only I wasn’t sure exactly what I was trying to do. I’d been earmarked for Felix since I was fifteen years old. Apá had been adamant that I remaineduntouched,meaning not even hints of attraction to anyone else were allowed.
But I wasn’t completely innocent: I knew how men looked at me. I knew howOmarhad looked at me the night that he brought me here. Even as angry as he was, he’d been attracted to me. Hell, Felix’s ultimate fear was not that I would be killed, but that I would be ruined before he could have his way with me.
Maybe I can kill two birds with one stone, I thought as I scrambled off the bed and headed into the ensuite bathroom. I stripped off my clothes and left them in a heap on the floor, turning the shower on as hot as it would go. I yelped as I stepped into the cubicle; the water practically sizzled when it hit my skin. It hurt, but it helped ease the tension between my shoulders.
I quickly shampooed my hair with the coconut-scented products that were surprisingly good quality for a prison cell. Once I was scalded clean, I turned off the water and reached for my towel. I roughly dried my hair and finger-combed the locks until they fell in wet curls across my shoulders.
Instead of getting dressed again, I took the damp towel and wrapped it around my body so that it was tucked beneath my arms and hung down to my thighs. I stood in the bathroom, heart pounding against my ribs, until I heard the door unlock. Then, steeling myself, I walked out as casually as I could manage, like I hadn’t just rehearsed this whole thing in my head.
I ran directly into Omar, whose eyes grew large when he realized that I was nearly naked. I slapped my hands over my chest, holding onto the towel like it was a lifeline. “You can’t evenknock?” I demanded. My voice was a touch too high; there was a phony quality to it that I hoped he wouldn’t notice.
But, of course, he did.
“What are you doing,conejita?” A dangerous smirk worked its way onto his face; his eyes traveled down my body, and it felt like his hands were on me. A shiver zipped up my spine. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”
