“See that’s one point where we are so different. Bigger isn’t always better.”
Antonio forked the creamy scallop into his mouth, a ghost of a smile touched its corners, but he chewed carefully, leaving her statement hanging between them. Ariana sighed and dug into her own dish.
“That’s true,” he said finally.
“How are we going to make it work? I’m not leaving LA.”
“I’m not asking you to. I travel frequently. I can make LA my home base.” He smiled again. “Does that mean you’re considering my offer?”
“I don’t know, Antonio.” There were merits to his offer, but there was a question she couldn’t bring herself to ask.
As if reading her mind, he said, “It’s a marriage of convenience, but it will be consummated.”
A piece of scallop stuck in her throat and she grabbed her goblet to wash it down, resisting a cough, her eyes watering. She glanced at Antonio and he quickly disguised the laughter in his eyes.
“That was blunt …” she mumbled under her breath. When he was about to say something, she held up a hand, not sure if she could take more of his candor. “I know … I know … you get straight to the point. I’ll consider your proposal, but right now, it’s a lot for me to absorb.”
He seemed pleased. “I’ll have my lawyer draft a contract.”
“A what?” Ariana laughed, nearly spitting out the wine.
“An agreement.”
“Oh, the prenup… uhm, I think that’s getting too far ahead.”
His brows furrowed. “You said you would think about it.”
“Yes, but I imagine a prenup happens when I’ve agreed to your crazy idea.”
His frown deepened. “You know, Ariana, many women would consider me a great catch.”
“I’m sorry, it’s just …” she pursed her lips, unsure of what to say. What was wrong with her? She had a billionaire proposing marriage except … it wasn’t how she envisioned a proposal of marriage. It was so … cold and business-like. “I need time to think about it.”
“You realize I can’t do anything to help your friend until I’m sure.”
That almost sounded like blackmail and maybe it was. She stared at Antonio and held his eyes to see if she could bear to be married to a man like him. Including sex in the arrangement might be more of a danger to her than to him. Specifically to her heart, because she could not separate the act from her emotions. But if marriage to him meant saving a young girl from the trenches of human trafficking, then maybe she could redirect her love to something else if he could not give it to her. With his money and influence, she might be able to do more and make a difference. Not just with Leah.
“I understand.”
At her clipped response, his nostrils flared and jaw clenched and she spied a glimpse of the ruthless man he was rumored to be.
To her relief, two waitstaff came in. One of them cleared the dishes and reset their place settings, while the other laid down their second course.
As the server explained the wine sauce glazing the braised pork belly dish, Ariana could sense Antonio re-strategizing. With street smarts honed into her at a very young age, Ariana knew this was not a man to be trifled with, nor was he a man she could marry.
So, where did that leave her?
When the two servers left them, Antonio seemed to have regrouped and had slid into the role of charming dinner companion.
Ariana gave him her full attention and as they bantered over dinner, cartels and marriage proposals were never mentioned again, but they weighed heavily in the back of her mind.
“Run it by me one more time,” Garrison said from the driver’s seat. Their black Suburban was parked on the street across from the Spinelli restaurant. “You’re just going to ambush Ariana at the entrance?”
“Yup,” Migs replied.
“With Andrade standing right there?”
“I don’t see a problem.”
John snorted. “That’s why you suggested I come along. So I can run interference with his bodyguard.”
“What’s the matter, Garrison?” Migs mocked. “Task beneath you?”
“I wouldn’t miss that meeting for the world.”
Migs didn’t reply as he received a text from inside the restaurant that Ariana and Andrade were leaving. With his restored access to high-level agency data crunchers and analysts, it was simple to find where Andrade made reservations for dinner. Using its employee roster for a background check made it easy to pinpoint which one to bribe with three hundred bucks. Even by LA standards that was nothing to sneeze at for the little bit of information required in return.
“I mean you’re the last person on earth Ariana wants to see,” Garrison added.
“Thanks for the heads up, Captain Obvious.” Was he worried Ariana wouldn’t talk to him? Not really. Migs admitted his knuckle-dragging bullheadedness had its merits. It was a frustration Ariana had with him, but he wondered if she secretly enjoyed their clash of wills. It was a look in her eyes, a look that almost made him forget his job. He lost track of the number of times he wanted to grab her and kiss her. That Latina temper of hers …
“Christ, you better wipe off that dopey grin,” Garrison muttered. “They’re coming out.”
Migs realized he was indeed smiling. He cleared his throat and straightened in his seat, watching a full-figured woman exit the restaurant ushered by a tall distinguished gentleman who had a hand on the small of her back.
“Easy there, tiger.”
Ignoring Garrison’s quip, he unclenched his fists and grabbed the handle of the door, surprised he didn’t crack it, and shoved out of the SUV. He stalked toward the restaurant.
He was halfway across the street when Ariana’s mouth gaped open when she recognized him. Andrade, who was at her side, stepped in front of her as if to protect her.
The gesture incensed him, but he had to play this smart and not let his hot-headedness get in the way of Ariana speaking to him.
That, plus he didn’t want to be the sputtering idiot in this scene that would contrast him with the calm and collected way the other man was eyeing him.
“Step out of the way, Andrade,” Migs said softly when he reached them.
“Ariana doesn’t want you here,” Antonio replied.
The woman in question went around Andrade, glaring briefly at the businessman before concentrating her furious gaze on Migs. “What are you doing here?”
“Heard you need help.”
“Oh, let me guess, your employer is still keeping tabs on me,” she fumed.
“Employer?” Andrade said, a derisive smile curling his mouth. “Interesting.”
“Stay out of this,” Migs stated more forcefully.
“Problem here, chefe?” A stacked man who was a head shorter than Migs appeared beside them.
Migs glanced behind the newcomer and watched Garrison lean back against a Mercedes sedan.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” Andrade told his bodyguard. “Maybe you want to keep our friend company.” He nodded toward Garrison. “Make sure he doesn’t steal anything from our car … hmm?” The billionaire’s eyes connected back with Migs. “Your employer, I presume—Miguel Alcantara Walker.”
They stared at each other, nose to nose, both men matching up at six-three, their builds similar, but hard to tell for sure in case Antonio was hiding some padding beneath his stuffy suits.
“See. I know about you too,” Andrade said. “You’re not the only one with resources.”
“If they’re any good, then you know you shouldn’t be in the U.S.” Migs shot back. He was bluffing of course. Garrison confirmed the Brazilian was clean but judging by the narrowing of the other man’s eyes, Migs hit his mark.
“I haven’t broken any laws,” Andrade said.
“Doesn’t matter.” The smile Migs gave him was shark-like. “If you did your research right, you know we can make up shit.”
“Excuse me,” Ariana interrupted. “I don’t have time for this cockfight. I
’m going home.” Without waiting for their reply, she spun on her heel and strutted away from them.
“Ariana,” Migs growled and made to go after her.
Andrade grabbed his arm and Migs finally lost his temper and pulled back to punch him, but Garrison was there, yanking him off the Brazilian and pointed a warning finger at the bodyguard who hurried back to help his boss.
Suddenly, Ariana was in his face. “Oh my God. Were you going to hit him?” she yelled, her body inches from his.
His own came alive. “Ari—”
“You left!”
“I had no choice.” Why did it sound lame this time? Seeing the hurt in her eyes made him bleed, made him feel lower than a sewer rat. He betrayed her when he’d promised to keep her safe, and now she was in danger from the cartel. He needed to make this right.
“And you have such nerve simply showing up here, ambushing my date.”
His jaw clenched. “A date?”
“I’ve asked Ariana to be my wife,” Andrade said as if he was talking about the weather.
Ariana turned her displeasure on the other man. “Not helping, Antonio.”
A boulder dropped in Migs’ gut and grew into his lungs. It took every effort not to snap at Ariana. “What. Is. He talking about?”
“Fuck,” Garrison muttered as his grip tightened on Migs’ arm.
Ariana averted her gaze. “Can we not talk about it here?”
“Agreed,” he clipped and extended his hand. “Keys.”
Her eyes flew to his. “What?”
“I’m driving you home.”
“Not happening,” Andrade snarled. “You don’t owe him anything, Ariana.”
“Listen, motherfucker—”
“Stop!” Ariana got between them again but was addressing the Brazilian. “I need to talk to him.”
“You don’t owe him an explanation.”
“He saved me from the cartel. Give me time to think, okay?” Ariana pleaded.
Think about what? His proposal? If Migs wasn’t in such a precarious position with Ariana, he’d drag her away right this fucking second.
Andrade’s eyes flicked over her head to his. Ice-cold blue. This man would smother her spirit. No way was Migs allowing that to happen.
“Okay, Ariana.” Antonio lowered his head to kiss her on the forehead.
Forget dragging Ari away, Migs was this close to throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her off like a caveman.
When she turned to him, the exasperated look she cast him didn’t help the surge of possessiveness he had to contain, so he clenched his fingers. She fished out her keys from her purse and held them out to him. Migs grabbed them as she stalked off.
Garrison’s hold eased on his arm and they exchanged looks, an understanding.
John was going to keep an eye on Andrade while he made his case with Ariana.
4
Ariana was seething.
Her nerves, already frayed under Antonio’s scrutiny, were lit up like a Christmas tree. Her skin prickled, feeling every movement, every hungry look he shot her way. There was an overwhelming urge to scream at Miguel, but she didn’t want him to know how much his leaving hurt her.
She did not trust him. She had to remind herself of that.
But it wasn’t just Migs. She had little faith in people nowadays.
But that didn’t lessen her awareness of him. The way his gaze devoured her when he opened the door of the SUV for her to get in. The way he rounded the vehicle, eyes always watching the surroundings, always vigilant. Familiar actions giving Ariana a sense of déjà vu to the time he’d spent as her bodyguard. A time when she fancied being receptive to the attraction between them.
Until his betrayal.
A reminder of that betrayal plunged sharp pain straight into her heart. It made it difficult to breathe.
He got into the driver’s seat and started the vehicle. She didn’t bother telling him where to go because she didn’t trust herself to speak. He knew where she lived anyway. She was sure that even if she changed residences, he had ways of finding out. They certainly knew about her predicament. She was relieved as well as bitter about it, and she was annoyed at herself for the conflicting emotions this man invoked in her.
Migs pulled the Audi into traffic. “Is it true he asked you to marry him?”
She bristled, but why deny it? “Yes.”
“And?”
“And nothing. I said I would think about it,” she tossed back.
“Why?”
“Why not?” She knew she was mocking him, but she couldn’t help it. The complicated feelings between them needed an outlet. What they shared wasn’t a mere bodyguard-protectee relationship. She understood the difference because Raul had assigned her bodyguards over the years, especially when he was in a power play with other criminal organizations. None of those came close to what blossomed between Migs and herself. In the beginning it was business as usual. Migs kept a watchful distance, but all that changed during the charity drive at the clinic, when he insisted on getting her out and took her into a safehouse. For three days, they existed in a bubble where both their walls came down. Nothing happened, not even a kiss, but their friendship became intimate. There was a promise of something more until Garrison showed up and it was revealed that Migs worked for the CIA.
The CIA.
Ariana knew there was more to Migs than her brother’s hired thug. She’d asked him about the tattoos on his arms because that had been her first suspicion that there was more to him. There was ink, and there was expensive ink. Having been around the Hollywood elite herself she could spot exceptional body art.
“You deserve better than Andrade,” he growled.
Ari couldn’t help raising a brow. “You know he’s a billionaire, right?”
He cast her a sharp glance before returning his eyes on the road. “You never cared about money, so that’s not it. And you don’t want to be a trophy wife either. That’s not the life you’re meant to have.”
“What is this, Miguel? You’ve known me for what, six weeks? And the first four you kept your distance, barely speaking to me, and now, suddenly you’re an expert on Ariana Ortega’s dreams and aspirations.”
“I know you,” he said roughly.
“No, you don’t.”
“I know you,” he repeated, more insistently. “More than you realize. I kept my distance, but I watched you. I studied you. I know how you care about the immigrants who come into this country. It doesn’t matter if they are from Mexico or Ukraine. If they’ve been abused, if they are being kept here by force, you want to find ways to help them.”
“It’s been eight months since you’ve seen me. A lot has happened. I’m not that person anymore. I’m powerless,” her words ended on a barely audible whisper.
“But the heart to help is still inside you,” he said just as quietly. “You were one of the reasons why Raul never condoned human trafficking and why the Carillo cartel wanted him gone.”
She stiffened when he mentioned the Carillo organization. “Can you offer an alternative?”
“What’s he offering you?”
“He’s going to get Connie’s daughter back.”
She watched his knuckles whiten over the steering wheel. “And the answer is marriage to him? Bullshit.”
“He said he’s going to have to solidify his alliances in order to make this happen.”
“What alliances and what’s going to happen?”
“I don’t feel comfortable telling you these things,” Ariana said. “I know who you work for, remember? I don’t want him to get in trouble because he wants to help me.”
“Fair enough,” Migs gritted. “What if I tell you we have eyes on your friend’s daughter?”
“What?” she whispered.
“Unlike Andrade, we have no patience for human traffickers.”
“She’s still here? Where?” Ariana and Connie were so scared that they’d already taken her out of the U.S.
“In the
Valley. We have people positioned to move in, but Garrison isn’t clear if it’s just a bait.”
“I’m not following you, Migs.”
“Did Raul leave you anything to safeguard?”
“There were a couple of documents in his safe, but I had to surrender them to the LAPD.”
“Then they’re in the evidence locker,” Migs muttered as though he was talking to himself, then glancing over to her again, he said, “We have reason to believe that Carillo has Doctor Bennett—the virologist who helped your brother escape.”
“And it has some connection to me?”
“That’s what Garrison and I are trying to figure out.” The corner of his mouth twisted into a sneer. “Andrade’s offer to help isn’t all that benevolent, Ari. Carillo has something he wants, too.”
“The virologist?”
“Yes. This has something to do with the experiments done in the CDC lab while your brother was there.”
“Well, if this person helped my brother escape, then wouldn’t he know where it is or have it?”
“I don’t have all the intel yet, but Garrison and I are back on the case and we’re thinking your brother had custody of some of the research and stashed it somewhere.”
Even though she was sitting in the car, a lightheadedness gripped her. “What? Where?”
“Where are all your things from Vitamin Infusion?”
“In storage. Some are in my house.”
“Good. Let’s go there first.”
When they arrived at her house, Ariana was appalled to see the front door open. Another vehicle was in her driveway, and the red-haired guy she knew as Hank Bristow approached their vehicle.
Migs barely stopped the car when she got down from the Audi. “What’s going on?”
Hank nodded to her in greeting, but didn’t answer her, his eyes riveted on Migs. The two men met up in front of the Audi and engaged in hushed conversation, leaving Ariana fuming. She turned away from them and hurried to her front door, anxious at what could be awaiting her inside. A giant of a man emerged from her house, one she wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley if he was a stranger.
But she did know Levi James—another associate of Migs.
Protector Of Convenience (Rogue Protectors Book 2) Page 3