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‘I’m pretty sure she was more than that.’
Emilio looked pointedly at me. ‘Can you find out where she’s spending this money?’ he asked.
‘Not unless I have her online banking details,’ I replied. ‘I’m not a hacker. I don’t even know who we’re talking about.’
Emilio waved his hand dismissively. ‘We’ll go over the figures tomorrow,’ he said, turning back to his son. ‘You think he’s skipped town?’
Dornan lit a cigarette. ‘I told you not to trust that motherfucker.’
‘Oh, really? You got someone else in the DEA who we can use?’
Emilio glared at me. ‘Go.’
I stood and pointed at the laptop, and he placed a hand on it. ‘I’ll get this back to you,’ he said, staring at me until I had the urge to squirm.
I looked at Dornan, but he wouldn’t even meet my gaze. Slowly, I turned and left the office, half-expecting one of them to pull out a gun and shoot me in the back.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
MARIANA
‘Your boy left early today,’ Guillermo said, as we walked down Santa Monica Boulevard together. I shrugged, worry churning in my stomach. Something was up, and I didn’t know if Dornan suspected me of cheating on him with his best friend or murdering his associate. Something was definitely not right and the stress was eating me alive. After the meeting, I’d hung around outside, waiting for Dornan to drive me back to the apartment. It was what we always did on a Sunday. And, sure enough, he had driven me home. He’d pushed me down onto the bed (complete with brand new mattress), fucked me and left without saying more than two sentences to me. I was feeling adrift.
‘You miss me while I was gone?’ Guillermo asked, teasing me.
‘Always,’ I replied, smiling. ‘Your mom okay?’
‘She’ll be dead if she doesn’t stop eating so much fucking fried shit. I tell her, Mama, you’re diabetic, and then I catch her eating cookies and shit behind my back.’
I cleared my throat. ‘Who does that remind me of?’
He rolled his eyes. ‘Ha ha, very funny. I work out, don’t I?’ Guillermo pointed to the large gym we were approaching. ‘So I can eat whatever I like.’
‘I don’t think that’s how it works,’ I replied. ‘I’m pretty sure fried chicken every night is going to kill you, regardless.’
‘Whatever. I’ve got arms today,’ Guillermo said as we walked into the gym, referring to his workout. I nodded, splitting off into the female changeroom as he entered the male one. I threw my bag in a locker, grabbed my towel and headphones and headed out to the cardio area. I wasn’t feeling particularly energetic after the way Dornan had literally come and gone, and so I stepped onto the easiest piece of equipment – the treadmill. The great thing about our gym was the view – like my apartment, it overlooked Santa Monica Beach. The treadmills had prime position, up against the floor-to-ceiling glass windows that framed the beach like a postcard. It was a beautiful day, so I cranked the treadmill up to an easy jog and started running. Back before the gym had opened, Guillermo and I had always run along the path that stretched along the beach, but nowadays he was more concerned with bulking his arms up and talking with his dude friends in the weights section.
I closed my eyes for a moment. I pretended I was running along the beach, instead of on this treadmill. The beach I could always see, but not touch. I imagined there was sand underneath my sneakers, instead of a rubber belt that looped endlessly around and around. I imagined dark blue eyes, a small boy’s hands reaching out to me, the warmth of the afternoon sun on my face.
‘Excuse me,’ a male voice interrupted my daydream.
‘Jesus Christ!’ I muttered, standing on the sides of the treadmill and holding my chest with one hand, panting, as I stopped the treadmill belt with the other.
I looked to the source of the voice, my eyes landing on a clean-shaven face belonging to a guy with a short crew cut and thick arms that Guillermo would be envious of. He looks like a cop was the first thing I thought. Maybe a marine. His hair was the dead giveaway. No one as attractive as this guy would willingly shave their hair that short. He was tall, with striking green eyes that were circled with light brown at the edges of the irises. You’d call them hazel, except that the two colours were completely separate. The green and brown didn’t intersect.
‘Nope. I’m not Jesus Christ. Sorry if I startled you there.’
My treadmill had slowed to a stop, and I stepped off the edge. Bad idea. I hadn’t realised how tall this guy was and now he was towering over me.
‘Look,’ I said, ‘I’m flattered, but I’m kind of busy.’ Before he could open his mouth again, I turned and hightailed it over to Guillermo, who’d been oblivious to the entire exchange. Some bodyguard.
He was lying on a bench, sweat pouring from his face as he did chest presses.
‘You here to spot me?’ he asked through gritted teeth, a vein bulging on his forehead as he lifted again.
‘I don’t think I’d do it justice,’ I said, stealing a glance at Not Jesus Christ. He was talking to the woman at the front counter, flashing his white teeth at her.
‘I’m going to shower,’ I said, leaving Guillermo to his workout.
