Page 111

CHAPTER 20

BLACK WALKED AROUND the helicopter on his way to help Jane, pausing to give me a high-five in the way he always used to whenever we came back from a successful job. But why did he do it just then? Today hadn’t exactly gone smoothly, had it? Habit, maybe.

He’d barely uttered a word on the way back. It wasn’t that we used to talk all the time, because we didn’t, but the silences between us had always been comfortable. Today, the words unspoken formed a gulf, one I had no idea how to cross.

What should I say to him? Flying an unfamiliar helicopter, keeping low to avoid detection in a country where I wasn’t supposed to be, meant thinking about it had been impossible. I’d needed every ounce of concentration not to crash and kill us all. Wouldn’t that have been ironic? Black surviving more than eight months as a prisoner having goodness knows what done to him only to die in a rescue attempt.

Over at the house, tiny figures emerged onto the terrace, staring in our direction. I saw the moment when the team recognised Black. The stampede wasn’t instantaneous, but then again, he didn’t exactly look like his old self. When Bradley saw the length of his hair, he’d have a fit, and don’t get me started on the beard.

I snuck another glance. Where the soot covering Black had rubbed away, his skin was as pale as the puffs of cloud hovering far above us. Had he spent any time above ground since he left? I looked for longer as he guided Jane onto the lawn. Muscles rippled through the grime, his six-pack sharply defined due to the amount of weight he’d lost. He was nowhere near as stacked as he used to be, but he didn’t seem in bad shape, all things considered.

Nate reached us first, grabbing Black in a man-hug and thumping him on the back.

“Hey! Be careful,” I warned. “Don’t break him.”

“I’m fine, Diamond.” He lifted Nate clean off the ground as he hugged him in return. “Good to see you, buddy.”

Everyone else crowded around, offering hugs, kisses, handshakes, and pats on the back. Dan hopped madly about before flinging her arms around his neck and hooking her good leg behind his waist.

“You’re back!” she shrieked. “Now all we have to do is find Diego Ramos and we’re golden.”

I pulled my rucksack out of the helicopter and slung it over my shoulder. “We don’t. I shot him.”

Oh, sugar. I should have put earplugs in, her screech was that loud. “Party! Champagne!”

“Not on duty, shrimp,” Nick reminded her. “And it’s not a good idea with the pills you’ve just taken.”

“Yes, Dad.”

I felt like a spare part. Not wanting to spoil the celebration, I backed out of the huddle of people and went to help Jane get her ridiculous pet out of the cabin. What were we supposed to do with him?

“Will Kitty be okay? I mean if we just let him out? Won’t he run off? Should I try to find a leash or something?”

She reached a hand out and he rubbed against it. “I don’t think so. He’s quite timid. Diego and his men used to kick him around when he was small, and he’d come to me when he got scared. I used to hide him from them and make sure he ate.”

She was right. Kitty jumped down onto the grass, shrank away from the noise, and slunk around to sit behind her. I scratched him on the head. He seemed to enjoy that.

“He likes you. I think you remind him of Lorena. She used to share a room with me, and she’d pet him that way.”

My breath hitched. Had we left someone behind? Then I realised Jane had used the past tense. “What happened to Lorena?”

“Diego killed her.”

Boy, was I glad to have shot the man. Before today, I’d never felt joy at taking a life. A sense of accomplishment at a job being completed, sometimes even relief, but never happiness. On that sunny day in Colombia, however, I made an exception.

Jane gazed over at Black, still stuck in the middle of the crowd. “They look pleased to see him. Are they all his family?”

You know that old saying about blood being thicker than water? Let me tell you, it’s a load of rubbish. Your real family are the people who are there for you, day in day out, who’d put their lives on the line for you, related by blood or not. “Yes, that’s his family.”

“He’s lucky to have so many people who care about him.”

“Yeah, he is. We both are. Do you have family? Because no offence, but you don’t look like you’re related to the Ramoses.”

She cut her eyes to Black then shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Just then, my husband managed to extricate himself from the middle of the team, and he made his way swiftly over to Jane’s side.

“Are you okay? Are you tired? Do you need to sit down?” Before she could answer, he turned to me. “What do pregnant women need?”

“How should I know? Do I have a child?”

His voice dropped to a whisper. “I’m sorry.”

“Forget about it.”

His eyes closed for a second, and I knew what he was remembering. Something I’d rather obliterate from my mind. Then he gathered himself together. “I shouldn’t have said that. I just thought as you’re a woman…”

“Okay, as a man, on a scale of one to ten, how painful is a vasectomy?”

“Point taken. A doctor. She should see a doctor.”

“There’s a doctor in the house,” Nate said from behind Black. “Although Eduardo found him, and he’s more of a trauma surgeon than a gynaecologist. Seems to be pretty good, though. Guess he gets a lot of practice around here.”

“Why do we need a trauma surgeon? Exactly how much trauma have we had?”

“Dan and Felipe both got shot. But not too badly, right?” I looked to Nate for confirmation.

“Felipe’s shoulder was the worst. He’ll need physio after the wound closes up to get his full range of movement back. Dan’s thigh was only a flesh wound. She’s hoping it won’t scar too much. You know how much she loves to wear indecently short skirts.”

“Should I remember Felipe?” Black asked.

“He’s one of Eduardo’s men,” I explained.

“Are we talking about the same Eduardo who the DEA would have a heart attack over if they realised you spent a few weekends a year living it up by his pool?”

“The one and only. I should introduce you.”

“We need to get Jane comfortable first.” He turned back to her. “Can you walk to the house? Should we get a golf cart or something? Or Emmy could land the helicopter closer now we’re not in danger of getting shot at.”

“I think I can walk there.”

Black hooked her arm over his and supported her as they made their way slowly across the vast lawn. The place was a hive of activity now, and Eduardo’s men had joined the party.

Eduardo himself came bounding out of his villa, wearing a burgundy warm-up suit and sunglasses, a gold-plated revolver stuck in his waistband. He grabbed hold of me and swung me around, a big grin on his face. Well, at least one of the men in my life was happy to see me.

“Oh, angel, you’re late. Alejandro made dinner, but I’m afraid it may be ruined. I will have him start again.”

“I’m not sure we can stay that long. I want to get out of here before someone notices the carnage down the road and puts two and two together.”

“You must eat. I will tell him to hurry up. Where is this husband of yours? I’m intrigued to meet the man who has managed to keep a wild cat like you tied down for so long.”

I looped my arm through his and led him towards Black. “What’s with the tracksuit?”

“Floriana bought it. She’s always telling me to relax more. It’s comfortable, but my gun keeps slipping.”

“Probably you could put the gun down for a little while.”

“I like to carry the gun. It makes me feel secure.”

“I’m standing next to you, and I’ve got a gun. Secure enough?”

Eduardo shrugged and gave the shiny gold gun to his butler, who walked off with it held aloft on a tray. I tapped Black on the shoulder and introduced them. “Eduardo, Black. Black, this is Eduardo.”

“It’s good to finally meet you.” Black sized Eduardo up then relaxed a touch. “I need to thank you for looking after Emmy while I wasn’t here.”

Eduardo dismissed that with a wave of his hand. “She looks after herself. Emerson is a strong woman.”

If that was true, why did I feel so broken inside?

“I know, but thank you anyway.”

Eduardo looked Black over, taking in his “wild man” look. “Would you like to borrow some clothes? I have spare warm-up suits.”

I coughed to cover up the snort of laughter that threatened to escape, and Black tried to hide his smile. I didn’t dare to meet his eyes. Black was about nine inches taller than Eduardo and even in his current state, twice as wide. He’d split the seams trying to get into the older man’s clothes.

“I’m not sure anything in your wardrobe would be big enough.” I tried to be diplomatic, a rare occurrence for me. “Nick or Nate’ll have something spare.”

Although even now, the dirty girl inside me was enjoying the sight of Black wandering around shirtless. Boy, had I missed that.

In the end, we compromised over Alejandro’s food. Some of us grabbed mouthfuls on the go, and Eduardo’s household staff packed us a couple of picnic baskets to take on the plane. Floriana took Jane into the house and helped her to clean up while I rinsed the soot out of my hair. Once I had a pair of jeans and a tank on, I felt more human.

Outside, the flurry of activity continued as we finished packing our gear into the helicopters, ready for the short hop to the airstrip. We’d brought the larger of the two company planes, but even after leaving the boats behind, it promised to be a tight fit. Why was it when you packed to go on a trip, everything fitted perfectly, but when you came back, your suitcase—or in our case, plane—seemed to have shrunk?

Things became clearer when we started transferring the contents over to the jet.

“Where are those trunks from?” I asked Eduardo.

He beamed at me. “Just a few gifts for my favourite girl.”

I dreaded to imagine what was inside them. Clothes? Flowers? The contents of a small diamond mine?

Still, I smiled. “You’re too freaking sweet, you old brute. But don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

Dan hobbled around on a pair of crutches, trailing after Black as if she was afraid to let him out of her sight. They’d always had a soft spot for each other. She’d be almost as happy as me that he was back.

Jane had been seen by the doctor, who said he didn’t think flying would harm the baby, but suggested we do so fast if we didn’t want the child to be born at thirty thousand feet. I was only too happy to oblige. The thought of our plane doubling as a delivery room terrified me.

Finally, it was time to leave. I hugged Eduardo tightly, promising to come back and see him soon in slightly more relaxed circumstances.

As he embraced me, I leaned in close to whisper in his ear. “If I ever had a father, I’d be proud if you were him.”

He squeezed me harder for a second then quickly waved me off, and as he turned away, I was sure his eyes were glistening.

Rats, mine were too.

Black had managed to fit in a shower and looked more at home in a pair of Nate’s cargo pants and Nick’s Guns N’ Roses T-shirt. I still hadn’t had a chance to speak to him alone. Even on the trip over, he’d ridden in one chopper with Jane while I squashed into the other between Dan and Nick.

Inside, I felt all wrong.

I knew I should be happy. Deliriously so. I mean, hadn’t Black just come back into my life? If somebody had asked me yesterday to name the one thing I wanted more than anything, that would have been it.

But things just weren’t right between us. How on earth was I supposed to fix them?