AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll start with his wife. Carmen knows him better than anyone. She might have key information we need to take him down.”
Unease blooms in my belly, imagining the things Carmen may or may not know. “And will she help us?”
“She most certainly will. Carmen had been wanting to leave for a long time, but she was too afraid to do it.”
“Why was she afraid?”
“Because she knows Don would rather kill her than let her leave with half his wealth.”
My lips curl in distaste as I recall my run-in with Don. “And you say Carmen is somewhere in Argentina right now?”
Ryan brings out his phone and taps on it. He shows me photos of the place. “It’s a small town called Mendoza. She grew up on a farm so she really loves it there. She manages a few of Alex’s vineyards over there and has even acquired a small ranch by the side.”
I peer at the images, each an idyllic scene of beauty and nature. “How do you usually contact her?”
“I don’t. Not even Alex can reach her, and he’s made it so for obvious reasons. The only person with direct access to her is a guy who works with Alex. His name is Antonio. I can get him to set up a virtual meeting with Carmen now.”
Ryan moves to take his phone back, but I place my hand on his arm, halting him. “Ry, can we bring our friends into the loop on this? Keeping silent has cost me too much already. I need to start trusting and leaning on them more.”
Ryan nods in agreement. “Absolutely, baby. Who did you want to be involved?”
“Everyone. Brooke, Bonnie, and the guys.” Jordan is abroad on business and Sabrina’s gone with him this time.
“Alright. I’ll see if everyone can meet up here tomorrow night.”
Ryan makes the call to Antonio while I sip the last of my now tepid coffee, a buzz of excitement in my belly.
Finally, I’m holding someone accountable for what happened to Viv.
I peer at the brunette with dark laughing eyes, one of the two other faces on the desktop monitor in Ryan’s home office.
“Hey, Ryan!” she calls out, her voice warm with a distinct Spanish accent. “Long time, no see! Sorry, you caught me during feeding time.”
Carmen shifts her camera to reveal two calves, one eagerly taking a large carrot from her hand. “These little ones get cranky if they don’t eat on schedule,” she explains, chuckling. “They must have built-in timers or something.”
She pauses, catching her breath before addressing Antonio. “So, what’s up Antonio? You sounded pretty ominous on the phone. But then again, when do you not?” Her laughter fills the room.
Antonio simply grunts, “It’s too early for sweets, and you’re overfeeding them.”
Carmen rolls her eyes, “And here I thought seeing your twins again would cheer you up.”
I stay out of sight, watching them with interest. When Ryan mentioned that Antonio worked with Alex, I expected a suave businessman, one with connections stretching to Argentina.
This man is the furthest from that. He exudes an air of mystery and danger. While he has the face of a fallen angel, he looks like the type of person you’d send to extract someone from hell.
From what I can see, he appears to be in a cluttered workshop, a greasy towel draped over his tattooed neck and shoulders.
Antonio’s face smoothes into a professional mask, “Carmen, something’s come up, You’re needed back in the States so I’m coming to get you soon.”
“Like hell you are.” She spits, scowling deeply. “I’m not setting foot in America.”
“Mr. Fairchild will tell you the rest.” Antonio grinds out. Clearly not one for coaxing, or many words for that matter, he’s given up. He seems to me like the type that would prefer to drag Carmen’s ass back instead of reasoning with her.
“What’s going on Ryan?” Carmen asks.
“Antonio is right. I need you back in New York, but first, I need to tell you some things about your husband.”
“Ronald?” She questions, using Don’s full name. “Is he…” She trails off, her tone somewhat hopeful.
