Page 102 of Nacho Boyfriend

IGNACIO

IGNACIO

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“Olive, are you okay? What are you doing here?”

The beautiful woman I love blinks up at me and frowns.

“I was worried.”

“So you just decided to throw gnomes around?”

She winces and darts her eyes around. “Yes?”

I pull her into a hug. “What am I going to do with you? And where are your shoes?”

She shivers in my arms. It’s so cold in here.

“Sorry I botched up your rescue. I seem to ruin everything.”

I kiss the top of her head.

“You do. You ruined me—and I’m so glad of it.”

She smiles, tears forming in her eyes.

“You ruined me, too.”

She looks around. “What is this place?”

“It’s a meat cooler. Without the meat.”

Laughing, she says, “I guess we’re the meat. It’s so cold. Too bad we have to strip down to keep each other warm with our body heat.”

“I don’t think it will come to that. Here.”

I take off my shirt and wrap it around her bare shoulders. She looks stunning in this dress, but I’d rather she not turn blue.

“Whoa, what’s all that?” She’s pointing to the wires taped to my chest.

“Well, Olive, I’m bugged.”

Her jaw drops. “Bugged? Do you need me to tackle you into a cake?”

“Maybe later,” I say, drawing her into me. “When we’re… alone.”

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

“I will. I promise. For now, we should wait for the D.E.A. to arrive.”

“Carlos called the police,” she says. “And your dad, apparently. But they should have been here by now.”

“How did you find me?”

She squeezes her arms tighter around my waist. “Your ‘find my phone’ app and my spy instincts.”

“You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever known,” I say. “What do you say about keeping that ring on your finger?”

She doesn’t have time to answer because of the sounds of gunshots and shouting from outside. We both lie flat on the floor, even though we’re probably safe in here. The floor is hard and cold. If I had more clothes to spread out on the floor for Olive, I would.

Ten minutes pass before the door to the meat cooler opens. I cover Olive’s body with mine, bracing myself for the worst. But the man standing in the doorway is my dad, and right behind him are Carlos and Pancho Two