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CHAPTER TWENTY

Emily hated how Elonzo was so sure of himself. Especially because he wasn’t a man who went into situations by licking a finger and sticking it up in the air. Not that she knew him, but one did not become the most powerful narco in the world by winging it, even if risk was the nature of the game. In short, there was a chance he’d told the truth about Charge, even if her heart struggled to believe it.

“Shit!” She threw her heels at the bed and began pulling the pins from her hair. No, no. Don’t fall for it. Charge cares about you. As much as a man who killed for a living could.

But was that true?

He’d had her locked up, claiming it was for her own protection. Insane! Then he told her to kill Roberts, a guard who worked for Elonzo and intended to break her out of prison.

Okay, so…Charge didn’t want me falling into Elonzo’s hands. Made sense. But then why lie? Why not try to break her out of prison himself? Why put her in there in the first place? Why the games?

He never trusted me. He’d never let her into his tent of secrets. But did a man like Charge ever let anyone in?

She sat on the bed, scrubbing her face with her hands. This entire thing felt like a puzzle that kept shifting shapes. Impossible to solve.

And at the end of it all, regardless of whether Charge wanted her dead, it didn’t explain what Elonzo planned to do with her. She was useless for information at this point. Suite forty-five was in the wind by now, setting up camp elsewhere. She couldn’t tell Elonzo where to find the operators or Charge. She had no pull, communication, or influence.

So what does he want?

Her mind flashed to the end of the dinner tonight. After she’d had two bites of steak, she rose from the table and told Elonzo he was wasting his time with her.

“Am I?” A flicker of lust had glittered in his eyes and sent her scrambling to her room.

I might have to kill him. If he tried anything with her, there’d be no other choice. If she died in the process, it would be worth it. He was a poison apple. Gorgeous and shiny on the outside but toxic on the inside.

There was a knock at her door, and she froze. Please don’t be him. Please…

“Come in.”

Nelly appeared and handed Emily a note.

Emily,

Sorry for losing my patience. I will earn your trust.

Be ready at ten a.m. tomorrow. A day of fun. No agendas. You may choose to stay in your room and hide if you like. But what sort of life is that for people like us?

– Elonzo

People like what?

Emily handed the note back to Nelly. “Tell him okay. I’ll be ready.”

“Do you need anything to help you rest? The boss wanted me to make sure you had a good night’s sleep.”

Got a phone so I can call a hit man? She wanted to hear Charge say it with his own two lips: She wasn’t a target.

Before, when Elonzo said that Sampson wouldn’t let her live, she’d dismissed it. After all, Sampson wasn’t even real. But Elonzo had disclosed that he knew Charge and Sampson were the same person? It gave weight to his words.

Poor Flint. She could only imagine the hell he’d gone through before they ended his life to gain that information. He was no angel, but he’d come through for her when no one else would. I wonder if he chose Olivia in the end. Maybe that was how Elonzo got to them both. After finding out she was pregnant, Olivia’d fled for a safer life, unsure if Flint would join her.

I hope they found peace together. Them and the baby who’d never be born. Poor little thing. It was like Olivia had once said: this wasn’t a life for anyone with a soul or the capacity to truly love—or something like that.

“Miss?” said Nelly, asking again if Emily needed something to help her sleep.

“No, thank you. But if you don’t mind, could you find out what he wants me to wear tomorrow and leave a note under the door?”

She couldn’t believe she was having to do this again in order to stay safe. She’d promised herself that she would never dress for a man again, like she’d had to do with Ed.

“Yes, miss. Good night.”

***

The next morning, Elonzo didn’t join her for breakfast. He also wasn’t in the SUV with the armed bodyguards waiting to take her to an unknown destination. She hoped it might be somewhere outdoors.

It was a warm day, filled with gentle ocean breezes and plenty of sunshine, just perfect for swimming at the beach. Or dying. It could go either way today.

She’d been advised to wear something cool and comfortable, so she’d picked a linen, cobalt blue summer dress and white sandals. Big hat. Red hair in a braid down her back.

She’d debated five times about prying the blade from her razor in the shower and hiding it in her clothes, but it was a dumb idea. So far, Elonzo had made it a point to stay arm’s reach away, and there were always armed men lurking. She’d have better luck trying to slip away when one of his men was distracted.

After twenty minutes of skirting the coastline with breathtaking views of the deep blue ocean, the SUV turned down a dirt driveway lined with cacti. The house ahead wasn’t anything extravagant, but it did look old—arched doorways and windows, red clay plastered over adobe brick, and weathered wooden beams sticking straight out from under the clay tile roofline. Plastic, multicolored flags with lacelike cutouts hung over the huge rustic wooden front door, where a group of people in their Sunday bests chatted and hugged. Some held gifts with bows.

“What is this?” Emily asked the guard to her side.

“A birthday party.”

“For who?” Emily asked.

“Elonzo’s niece.”

This was a family function? Why in the world would Elonzo bring a prisoner to this? “And I didn’t even bring a gift.” Bad hostage.

“You’re Elonzo’s guest. It is not necessary.”

They parked, and she was let out of the SUV. With two men trailing her, she made her way toward the porch. How should she introduce herself to these people? Hi, I’m Emily—fugitive from prison, Elonzo’s unwilling guest, and I used to work for a group of hit men who killed a ton of his people. Nice to meet you!

Suddenly, a red convertible sports car pulled up with three SUVs trailing it. It was Elonzo.

Guess he’s not too terrified of the contract on his head. Because his head was sticking right out of the car for anyone to see. His dark skin and thick black hair contrasted his white linen shirt. His mirrored sunglasses gave him the air of a man out enjoying life and soaking up the sun. If she didn’t know him, he was the type of man she’d look at twice.

He parked alongside the row of cars and hopped out. “Sorry I am late. Needed to pick up my niece’s gift.” He grabbed a big pink box with a white bow from the trunk and approached her. He suddenly leaned in, taking her off guard, and planted a kiss on her cheek.

She sucked in a breath, stiffening her body, and he noticed.

“Do not worry. It is simply a custom,” he whispered in her ear. “Now smile and relax. I will introduce you to a few people.”

She turned to face him, their noses only inches apart. “Why am I here, Elonzo? This is a birthday party for family.”

He flashed a charming smile. “Well, as powerful as I am, even I cannot change birthdays. And what would you have me do, ignore my niece or leave you isolated at my house all day?” He tsked. “Besides, I know you will be on your best behavior.” He leaned in to whisper again. “There are armed men circling the property. You will be perfectly safe.”

She was more worried about escaping.

Elonzo took her hand and showed her inside. “The house belonged to my grandparents. It is over one hundred years old.” He pointed to a black-and-white photo on the wall of a young couple dressed in white, standing on the same porch she’d just passed. They weren’t smiling.

“So much history here,” she said.

“You wouldn’t believe the secrets this house holds. They say it was built on land once occupied by the Pericúes king—the pre-Hispanic people who once occupied the Baja peninsula.”

“Well, it’s beautiful.” In that creepy museum kind of way.

He showed her to the kitchen, which had modern appliances but old white-and-blue hand-painted Mexican tiles on the counters. A woman in a yellow cotton dress with white flowers embroidered on the hem stood cutting limes.

“Angela, this is Emily,” he said. “She is staying with me a few days. Perhaps longer. Would you show her around and introduce her to Natalia and Candi? Keep her away from Rodrigo.

“Rodrigo is one of my brothers,” he said to Emily. “He thinks he is the best looking, but of course, he is wrong.” Elonzo winked.

Why was this man winking? Watching him act playful was throwing her off, not to mention making her feel more uneasy.

“Are your children here?” she asked. After all, it was a family function.

“I did not want to take the risk, given the situation.”

She stared for a second, working it out. “You mean Charge coming after you?”

“Us,” he corrected.

But they were surrounded by his family, and he didn’t seem too worried about them. Then again, Elonzo had made it clear that he cared about his daughters more than anything.

Elonzo finally dropped her hand. It was as if he wanted everyone to think they were a couple. “I must discuss some business with my brother. I won’t be long.” He left the room.

Angela smiled warmly at Emily. “Welcome to our home.”

Just then, four women came from the door behind Angela.

“Ladies, this is Emily. Elonzo’s date ,” said Angela, with a smirk.

They all stared like they were seeing a ghost.

“Oh. No,” Emily corrected. “I’m not his date. He just asked me to come to the party with…him…” Shit. I’m his date. She cleared her throat. “We, uh, sort of work together, that’s all.” If you could call being on opposing teams and being Elonzo’s prisoner work .

Angela smiled. “Well, we’ve never seen him bring anyone to a family gathering. Not since his wife passed, so you are a breath of fresh air.”

“She’s too skinny. We need to feed her,” said a short woman with a caramel brown bob. “Let me show you where all the food is.”