“I’m happy for you,” he said in Spanish. It was crazy how much he missed hearing his native language being spoken. Yes, he and Isabella talked every day, but he missed hearing it in the streets as he walked around. On the TV and radio.
“Thank you. I’m happy too.” Isabella pulled out a chair and sat next to her brother. “But I am worried about you, Angelo.”
“Don’t be,” he said immediately. “I’m fine.”
“All of this has been very hard on you.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I know, but I can’t help but feel sorry anyway. We never talked about it…what happened to you when we were being held captive?”
Angelo didn’t want to talk about this. Not now, not ever. Didn’t want to admit to his sister that he wasn’t actually being held against his will. That he’d been fed well. He’d explained why he hadn’t delivered the drugs on time and apologized profusely. He’d sworn his loyalty to the cartel. Yes, his room was locked, but the small crew at the house had let him out frequently.
He would never tell Isabella that he’d lied about wanting to come to the States. That he didn’t need to be rescued…because he was working with the men who’d taken them to that house.
“Nothing,” he finally said in response.
“Come on, it’s me. Your sister. You can talk to me. You used to tell me everything,” Isabella cajoled.
“Nothing happened. They locked me in that room and the next thing I knew, you were there and we were leaving,” Angelo told her.
Isabella sighed. “Okay. But if you ever need someone to talk to, if you ever get overwhelmed, we’ll deal with it together.”
Angelo nodded.
“Thank you for being here with me today. It means so much. There’s no one I would’ve rather had at my side than you,” she told him. “We’ve been through a lot together, and I don’t know how I would’ve kept going if you weren’t there, giving me a purpose.”
“You have your husband now,” he told her. “You don’t need me.”
“I’ll always need you, Angelo,” Isabella said with a shake of her head. “And no matter how old you get, you’ll always be my little brother. I’ll always worry about you.”
He didn’t like that. At all.
He was slowly, begrudgingly beginning to accept the idea that perhaps the American could take good care of his sister. She needed to move on with her life in Missouri. He knew that once he got in deep with the cartel…well, deeper…that they’d expect his loyalty and focus to be entirely on the organization. Not on any family. Not on any friends. He’d have to live and breathe the cartel. And it was what he wanted.
For Isabella, he wanted freedom. Freedom to live her life. To have babies with her American husband.
“I can take care of myself,” he said. “You need to let me go, Isabella.”
She sighed. “I know. You’re an adult now. I love you, Angelo.”
“I love you too.”
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. Isabella smiled at him once more, then stood to go and find her husband. Woody was watching from the other side of the room, giving her space but still making sure she was all right.
Angelo sighed. Maybe the American wasn’t such a bad man. He treated his sister with care and it was obvious how much he loved her. He didn’t understand that kind of love, but he was still glad Isabella had it.
When he was alone, Angelo pulled out his phone once more. Pablo had sent another text while he’d been talking to his sister.
Pablo
We will be waiting. We look forward to you proving you are worth the trouble.
Angelo frowned. He’d told Pablo over and over that he would do whatever it took to pay back the money he was sending. And that he’d do what the cartel wanted, no questions asked. He quickly sent one last text.
Angelo
I am worth it. The cartel is my family now.
Three dots indicated Pablo was writing back.
Pablo
We will see.
Angelo’s frown deepened. He didn’t like the ominous sound of those three simple words, but he’d prove himself. As soon as he got back to Colombia, he’d show Pablo and the others that he was more than a kid. That he was someone they could rely on. Not only to deliver drugs when they needed him to, but to provide security as well. Being an enforcer was one of the most highly sought-after positions in the cartel. Those men were respected and feared. Angelo wanted that for himself. And he’d do whatever it took to earn it.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Reese sighed in contentment as she stretched lazily. Gus had brought her home after the reception and made love to her for hours. He’d worshipped every inch of her body. Had brought her to orgasm with his mouth, then his hand, then he’d taken her in half a dozen different ways…on her knees, with her on top again, with him standing and her face down over the side of the bed, against the wall, and finally—her favorite—missionary style, his gaze boring into hers as they both went over the edge. He was rough, then tender, then out of control, then loving.
She’d never get enough of him and his lovemaking.
The bed next to her was now empty, but Reese wasn’t concerned. Gus had left a while ago, but not before kissing her awake and letting her know he was headed out to clean up the main walking trails with Pipe, Stone, and Brick, removing fallen branches and other debris from the storm that had hit two nights ago.
He’d told her once that doing work around The Refuge helped keep him in shape. That he was glad he didn’t have to run for miles and miles and work out as hard as he had while he was in the Army, but that he still enjoyed being physical and getting his exercise doing something useful at the same time.
Deciding she’d been lazy long enough, Reese rolled out of bed and padded to the bathroom. She was sore again today, but in a delicious way that simply made her remember how amazing Gus had been the night before.
She showered and wandered into the kitchen, smiling when she saw a note on the counter that said Gus had already made her coffee, although it was chilled this morning instead of hot. Opening the fridge, Reese saw a cup in there with a sticky note with her name on it…and a cinnamon roll with another note that told her to heat it in the microwave for sixty seconds.
She didn’t know if Gus would always be this sweet and thoughtful in the future, but she had a feeling he would. He was rough around the edges in a lot of ways, but to her, he was perfect.
Reese didn’t have a lot planned for the day, except for meeting her parents, Woody, and Isabella for dinner in town. She ate her breakfast with a smile on her face and was about to wander up to the lodge to find Alaska and talk to her about wedding dates, when a knock sounded at her door.
Furrowing her brow and wondering who the heck was there, she blinked in surprise when she opened the door to find Angelo on the other side.
“Hi. Hola,” she said with a smile.
He said something to her in Spanish that Reese didn’t understand. She held up a finger, hoping he understood that she wanted him to wait, as she dashed back inside to grab her phone, which was still sitting on the table next to where she’d eaten. She scrolled to the translation app and went back to the door. She held it up and nodded at him.