Page 57 of Rio (Knight Empire #3)

RAQUEL

I’m waiting in Rio’s apartment for him to come home.

Dani vouched for me with the concierge and he gave me the keys. I let myself into Rio’s apartment and made my way to the pool deck. The sun’s beginning to set, streaking the water with gold.

Walking around her I feel like an intruder, my steps echoing in the quiet. Through the glass, the pool glitters in the late light, and I recall the last time I was here. What we did in the pool, and up against the countertop in the kitchen.

A slow, burning heat curls low in my belly, as flashes of us tangled in bed fill my head. The memory of his mouth on mine, his hands all over me, the way he moved inside me, makes me impatient to see him.

I sit and wait nervously.

Dani texts me to say that Dex just walked in, and that Rio’s probably on his way. She tell me that they have plans to go for a celebratory dinner, all of them, including her and Cari. She says to wait for Rio to mention it.

Just as I get off the phone to her, I hear the key in the lock, and then ... I see him.

He walks in, and time slows down. I clasp my hands together, my chest tightening as emotion washes over me.

My heart fills, with love and longing, because as soon as I set my eyes on him, looking devastating in his suit, head held high, dark eyes widening as he sees me.

I’m filled with longing and a hunger that only Rio can satisfy.

I rush to him, and he catches, wrapping his big, strong arms around me, like he never wants to let go.

I melt into him, clutching his shirt, my tears falling freely now.

He gently prises me away and tilts my face up. Worry fills his eyes. “Did you watch it?”

I nod.

His hands move to my face, gently wiping my tears away.

“Am I forgiven?”

“Completely.”

“Do you believe me now? That’s all I wanted. That’s why I did it,” he says, his voice hoarse.

I press my fingers to his lips. “I believe you. I do. I wanted to before, but I needed proof.”

He grins. “I know. That’s my lawyer lover. My girl. Always needing the facts.” A quiet, broken laugh escapes him. “Any lingering doubts?”

“No.”

Our lips press together, gently at first. Hesitantly. Then we fall into a kiss, soft and tender, filled with yearning and regret for all the days, hours and minutes we’ve missed. Our kiss deepens, and I breathe in his scent, taste his mouth, feel like I’ve come home.

Tears tangle with our fevered breath. His hands skate over my waist, while I cling to his neck.

And slowly, between the kissing, we explore.

His hands skate over the contours of my hips and bottom and I splay my hands across his chest, looking up at him.

“I loved all of it,” I whisper. “Everything you did, standing up in front of everyone. Standing up to your father.”

“I’ve missed you,” he says. “God, Raquel, have I missed you. You not being around, was like losing a limb.”

A multitude of emotions flood through me, and I smile through them.

“I needed time away, to think things through.”

He cups my cheek. “I wanted you to take all the time you needed. I was working on things here.”

“I’ve had the best time with Dani and Cari. They’ve been so good.”

His mouth widens to a smile. “They’re amazing, aren’t they?”

“The best.”

“I’m putting things right. I promise.” His expression sobers.

I squeeze his hand. “I heard. There’s a lot happening behind the scenes.”

“I figured Dani would keep you up to date with everything.” He takes my hand, leading me out onto the rooftop garden, to the area by the pool. We sit facing one another on the recliners. My legs in between his, holding hands.

“The resort’s still going ahead,” he says. “But not the way it was planned. I’ve halted the launch. We’re bringing in a third-party environmental team. Full oversight. Maybe you can recommend someone from your NGO network?”

My heart is full. “We can work something out.” I need to reach out to Alma, and I will, in time.

“I wanted the old man to apologize to you, but he won’t, not in words. I seriously doubt he ever will, but I told him.”

I kiss the back of his hand. “I don’t expect him to. It doesn’t matter. You did what matters. I’ve always known he wasn’t a ... a... good man.” I struggled to find the words.

“He’s a monster,” Rio says easily.

My hand slides up and curls behind his neck. “You’re nothing like him, Rio … my love, my everything. Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

He touches my lips. “Meeting you was fate. It was destined to happen.”

I lean into his touch.

“I did it for you, but for the people in Belize, for Tomas, and Vilma, and the villagers. But I also did it for my mom.”

His voice cracks.

“Standing up for you—doing this in the open—was standing up for her too. For the woman who didn’t get a voice. For everyone he tried to crush. This was me finally saying, no more.”

Leaning forward more, I rest my forehead against his, blinking back fresh tears. “You did the right thing. The only thing. You exposed him.”

He has a faraway look in his eyes. “He’ll recover, sure. But something shifted today. Everyone saw it. They saw who he really is. We knew, the brothers, but the board members got to see him for who he is.”

“Will it damage the company?”

“He’ll smooth it over. He owns the board. But I made it clear where the blame lay. He felt it, and so did everyone else. No doubt about it. The dynamic’s starting to change. We’re fixing it from the inside, and I think we’re all working towards the same goal.”

He presses another kiss to my lips.

“You said I wasn’t like him,” he murmurs, his breath warm and sweet. “Now I finally believe it.”

“You were worried that you might be?”

“Sometimes, you become the very thing you try to resist.”

I scoff. “Never. Not even close.”

He smiles, then says, “Dex says we need to celebrate. He says this was a big step, exposing the old man in front of the board.” He pauses.

“You don’t feel that way?” I sense his hesitation, and I wonder if he regrets it. Going up against a monster can’t be easy, especially if the monster is your father.

“I agree. He’s talking about renting out that fancy rooftop place where he proposed to Dani. It’ll just be for us. I swear that dude just want to relives his engagement scene over and over again.”

I can’t help but giggle. “It’s nice of him to suggest that.

I think it’s a great idea for you all to celebrate this big milestone together.

” I pause to consider my words carefully.

“I don’t have any siblings, and neither does Dani.

You’re lucky to have so many. Even if you didn’t all grow up together, it’s never too late to forge a bond.

You’re all brothers and nothing will ever change that. ”

“Do you want to go?” he asks. “We don’t have to. We can hang out here.”

I hesitate, not because I don’t want to go, because I do. “I’d love to. But more than that you need this time with your brothers. You’re healing. You’re finding each other again. I don’t want to get in the way of that.”

He cups my cheek. “You wouldn’t. You’re part of this now. All of it. You’re part of us. Dani and Cari will be there.”

My heart swells. I think of Dani. Of Cari. Of the way this strange, powerful, messy family has started to come together. “It would be good to see them again,” I whisper. “This feels like a family.”

He kisses me again, deeper this time, and as our lips and tongues mesh and intwine, the world begins to make sense again. I begin to find some clarity in the debris of my world.

“I was thinking of getting the ethics board to open an investigation into Pierce and the abuse of power.”

I shrink back, but Rio’s hold on me tightens. He shakes his head. “I’ve got you. I don’t want you to worry about him.”

“It’s not worry. It’s a dull ache. Something irritating that gnaws at me each time I think of him.”

“I know what that feels like. Just tell me what you want me to do.”

I consider his proposal, then decide against it. “I would rather let karma come for him in her own sweet time.”

The man fired me, and though I didn’t want to be let go of in that manner, I was looking to move anyway. Now I have other things to look forward to.

“I was going to get Knight Enterprises to issue a public apology to you on behalf of the company. It’s not going to be from the old man directly, but it will clear your name publicly.”

I think about that for a moment. “I would like that. More than anything, I want EcoGuardians to know that I wasn’t completely careless.”

“Completely careless?”

“I shouldn’t have used your data. I should have recused when we came back to the US. I shouldn’t have gotten involved when I did.”

“You make it sound like you did it single handed.” He cups my chin. “I was just as complicit, but know this. If you hadn’t used the data, the old man would have found another way to bring you down. That’s who he is.”

Chills zig zag along my skin. “It never ceases to surprise me the lengths bad actors go to. If they only used that energy for good.”

We fall silent for a while.

“What are you thinking?” he asks, quietly.

“Of what I should wear to my first interview with Kingston Mansell,” I say casually, like it’s no big deal, when it’s everything to me. Almost everything. “It’s a globally renowned law firm in Manhattan.”

I wait for the words to land, when they do, Rio’s eyes widen like saucers. “In Manhattan?”

“Yes.” I try not to burst from the inside out. “They headhunted me. I have an interview next week.”

I didn’t think his eyes could get any bigger, but they do. “Kingston Mansell? They’re extremely prestigious.”

“Yes. They want me for Senior Counsel, ESG—environmental, social and governance, and International Compliance.” When I say it all out loud, it sounds like a big deal.

I can’t stop myself from smiling, or ignore the way my stomach feels all fluttery, in those moments when I know something good is coming.

Rio jumps to his feet, pulling me up with him, and then he lifts me up in his arms, and spins me around effortlessly. “Babe! Wow. That’s .... that’s fucking incredible.”

“I don’t have the job yet. It’s the first interview,” I say, breathless from both the spin and the thrill, and Rio’s uncontained joy.

“They want me to lead high-profile cases, and advise billon-dollar clients, as well as build international policy strategy. It’s .

..” I laugh, overwhelmed. “It’s like the universe is finally listening. ”

Not just with the job, and removing me from working for a boss I detested, but by letting Rio strut into my life. I’m filled with joy and disbelief, my heart so full, my skin tingling. I’m experiencing a joy that doesn’t come from adrenaline or excitement but from alignment.

He sets me down, his arms still around my waist anchoring me. “You’re going to walk in to that firm like the storm that you are. They’ll be lucky to have you. Just like I am.”

Then he kisses me, slow and certain, and it’s like a new chapter is starting in our lives. We’ve made it through the worst, and the best is yet to come.