Page 10

CHAPTER 10

JULIAN'S SUSPICIONS

Julian

“ T he package was delivered as requested,” Nadira says into her phone while I take the exit toward our hotel.

Of course, she learned we were staying at the same place when I took her keys after walking out of the reception—not that I needed them to get into her car. I took her mild growl of annoyance as progress, that she was growing to accept my presence in her life. Otherwise, she would have shed her heels and attacked me with gusto.

Although I can’t hear the other end of her current conversation, I can guess she’s talking to her version of my Jason. Her coded language is easy to understand.

“No,” she says, peeking at me from the corner of her eye. “There weren’t any problems I couldn’t handle… Okay.” When she hangs up, she removes the SIM card, snaps it, and throws it out the window.

“Do you have to return home immediately?”

Her gaze sharpens, prickling my skin. “Don’t you already know? You seem to have all the details about my life, like where I need to be and when.”

The grin that takes over my face is beyond my control. “I’ll take that as a no.” I let the silence drag, feeding her curiosity until she can’t help but blurt?—

“What does a no response mean?”

“That I get to take you on a proper date. Something with a smidge of romance that doesn’t include blood and murder.”

“Oh, is killing a cartel thief not romantic enough for you?”

I take my attention off the road to capture her gaze. “I’ve told you already, you’re all the romance I need. But you deserve more, and I’m more than willing to lay the world at your feet.”

She lowers her lashes and a ruddy tint tinges her cheeks. Like everything else about Nadira, her confidence, her courage, and her brilliant mind, her blush captivates me. I have to find more ways to draw out the bashful side of her. It’s new and causes a gentle warming in my chest.

Another exit approaches and I turn off, heading toward Seville. Since leaving the castle wedding, the sun has completely set and the moon begins its ascension into the sky.

“How far are we going for this date? I have to feed Leaper. She doesn’t do well when her schedule is disrupted.”

“There’s no need to worry about her. As you’ll learn, I know how to pamper a puss.”

“Ho-ho, big talk coming from you. You’ve done nothing to show that you aren’t just talk.”

“Nadira, don’t.” I slice a warning glance at her. “There’s a price that comes with our being intimate.”

“Like lady blue balls?” she grumbles and breaks off our stare to look out the window.

“Like trust. Yours. Without it, I refuse to be intimate with you. So, don’t belittle my abilities because I haven’t shown you the full gamut of what you’re missing out on. Once I’ve earned your trust, believe me when I say, you won’t be able to go a day without my kind of pampering.”

“Trust doesn’t come easy for me.”

“It rarely does for people in our profession.”

Although I can’t see her face clearly in the window’s reflection, a cloak of overwhelming sadness surrounds her.

When I glance in the rearview mirror, a vehicle catches my eye. I don’t make any surprise moves, but I keep the vehicle in my sights. We spend another two hours on the road, tailed by an unknown person. Are they following me or Nadira? I doubt I’m their target since this is Nadira’s car. Does she know? Nothing about her posture gives me a clue. I pull up to a newly constructed building in the Los Remedios neighborhood and lead Nadira inside.

My butler, Alastair, greets us. “I received your instructions and have laid everything out in readiness for your arrival. Also, your honored guest has eaten, and I believe she’s taking advantage of the view from the roof.”

Nadira glances at me with a question in her eyes. Although Alastair’s British accent is a surprise given where we are, I doubt that’s what’s driving her curiosity.

“Thank you.” I hand him the keys to the car and lead Nadira inside, knowing he’ll unload the automobile without my saying so.

“She?” she asks into the silence.

Her reluctant question causes a smile to twitch on my lips. I make a detour from my original destination to the rooftop. “Yes, you’ll be happy she’s here.”

When we get to the glass-enclosed roof, Nadira glares at me.

“Are you not happy to see Leaper?”

The cat raises her head. Upon sighting Nadira, the feline springs forward with a chorus of meows to greet us.

“Your sense of humor leaves a lot to be desired.” Nadira rolls her eyes and opens her arms in time to catch the cat leaping into her arms.

While Leaper soaks in Nadira’s affection, I steer them toward the bedroom. Although there is an unnamed threat awaiting us, watching Nadira give and receive affection only reinforces why she deserves more opportunities to be showered with love and admiration. And I’m the man who’ll deliver them to her if not create the circumstances.

“Take your time and refresh yourself. I have something to take care of.” I step back ready to deal with the danger.

She drops Leaper on the bed and spins toward me before I can leave the room. “Your errand wouldn’t have anything to do with the Citroen that was on our tail from the time we left the wedding, would it?”

“You knew?” I turn to face her.

“I discovered a tracker on my car when I arrived. Before you met me on the way in, I’d already disposed of it. I figured they’d investigate my last location.”

I nod, appreciating her no-nonsense manner. “So you understand why I need to step out?”

“Did you pack my things while you were reorganizing my life today?”

“If you’re asking about your arsenal, yes. You should find your suitcase in the closet.”

She follows my directions and selects a case. She removes the false bottom. “I’ll be ready in five. I should probably change so I don’t mess up my dress.”

I shake my head, unsurprised by her response. “There’s no convincing you to stay and relax?”

“How will I know what they’re after?”

“You could trust me to relay the information.”

“But what if I also want to send a message?”

“I don’t know how I missed the signs.” I shake my head in wonder. As deep as my knowledge of Nadira goes, she still surprises me. “You’re too calm, which means you’ve entered the tundra level of pissed. I would feel bad for whoever got you this mad, but considering I don’t appreciate anyone else keeping tabs on you, I need to make my feelings known. Unfortunately, they’re the type this person won’t walk away from.”

Nadira positions her body in a loose fighting stance, placing her right leg ahead of her left and resting her weight on the balls of her feet. “Do we need to fight this out?”

A smile spreads across my face. “Sparring with you will be a nice appetizer for the meal awaiting me outside. Should I wait for you to change first?”

“Not on your life. You’ll leave me waiting, and I’m not falling for that smile you wield like a weapon.”

“Good to know you aren’t immune to my smile.” I check my watch. “If you’re ready by the time I’ve gotten my gear, we can leave together.”

Nadira raises her arm to access the side zip and slowly slides it down.

“Otherwise…” I follow the slider as it releases the elements, revealing the warm brown skin hiding beneath.

She drops the dress to the ground. Brown boob tape that perfectly matches her deep complexion restrains her breasts, and a pair of lace boy short panties highlight her thick thighs and upper pussy area.

“Rest…easy,” I finish although I’m not sure what my earlier point was. I reach out to her, forgetting my vow not to initiate anything before she trusts me.

The vision of her reaching for a set of blades to strap to her thighs jolts me out of my daze. I spin around and withdraw before temptation wins and she leaves me behind.

Despite my rush, we meet at the door. Dressed in breathable black, Nadira is no less enticing than when she stood in her underwear.

“Where do we start?” she asks.

Alastair reappears. “I believe there is a person of interest making his way to the roof as we speak. He tripped a sensor on the way.”

Nadira and I glance at each other and change direction.

“You wouldn’t have any drop cloths handy would you?” I call behind me.

“I pride myself on being ready. I’ll prepare the spare room for our new arrival.”

“Where did you find him?” Nadira whispers.

“If I offer to share him, will that soften you to my suit?”

She rolls her eyes. “I hope you pay him well for his service.”

“I do.”

Light footsteps, almost indiscernible from ours, sound ahead. Nadira and I still and glance at each other. I signal for her to cover me. Surprisingly, she agrees without argument.

A slim man, a few inches shorter than me and wearing all black, rounds the corner. His mask hides his identity but not the shock widening his eyes. I step into the opening he leaves and deliver a chop to the side of his neck. He falls into my arms, and I shake my head.

“Almost anticlimactic, huh?” Nadira’s lips wobble with the effort to suppress her amusement.

“Makes me wonder why I got all dressed up.” I haul the unconscious man over my shoulder and lead her to the room Alastair is preparing.

“You work fast.” Nadira steps on the drop cloth, nodding at his efficiency.

“I try,” he responds dryly before leaving.

Nadira and I settle our uninvited guest into a chair, tie his hands behind the chair back, and shackle his feet to the chair legs.

“Now, let’s see who we have here.” I pull the mask off our intruder. “Look familiar to you?”

“Not even a little.” Nadira removes the weapons hidden in her outfit to place them within our hostage’s view for when he wakes.

While we wait, I stand behind her and wrap her in my arms. When she doesn’t protest, flinch, or fight, I clutch her a little closer, loving the softness of her waist, and the subtle fresh notes of her perfume.

I fill the waiting silence by asking her, “This message you intend to send, what does it entail?”

“Nothing too strenuous. I carve my alias into his chest.”

“Kind of puts a target on you, doesn’t it?”

She shrugs. “It also exposes their organization when they come after me. All who’ve tried never survive.”

I nuzzle her neck. “You have no idea how sexy your abilities are.”

“But you want me to stay home.”

“What can I say? I’m a walking contradiction.”

“You’re a fucking traitor,” says the unmasked man.

Nadira and I gaze at each other with the same question in our eyes. We return our attention to the man.

“And who is the traitor?” I ask.

“You dipshit. When I report this, there’s no place you can hide.”

I leave Nadira to slap the man with my pistol. “Report to who?”

He smiles as he raises his head. “The past is best left to yesterday.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Nadira asks. She eyes me warily. She has reason to.

I’m stiff, running scenarios through my head. Then I take a breath. My company doesn’t know about me yet. I point my pistol at his head and pull the trigger.

“Hey! He didn’t answer my question.” Nadira pushes me to the side to see the smoking hole in the middle of the man’s head.

“He didn’t have to. What he said is a phrase our operatives use to recognize each other. He works for my employer, which means I’ll have to take a rain check on that date. We need to leave now.”

“But why are your people following me?”