Brianna came before him. “I’m sorry for what’s happened,” she said, trying to sound sincere. “I don’t know why I got involved with Matt in the first place. I should’ve listened to you, and I promise it will never happen again.” Salazar cocked his head to the side, smiling down at her. “I am fully committed to Dominic,” she continued. “You’ve chosen a good man to take over the business, and a great man for me to marry. Please forgive me for what I’ve done.” Bowing her head, Brianna waited for the verdict. She hoped that by being proactive, her father would forgive her instead of inflicting pain by some crazy punishment he’d concocted.
“Brianna,” he said, his voice soft.
Tears fell down her cheeks. She quickly brushed them away. Taking a step toward her, Salazar wrapped his arm around Brianna’s shoulders, squeezing her. She was about to count her lucky blessings he’d forgiven her when his body stiffened. Vomit rose in the back of her throat. Salazar’s hand slowly slithered into her hair, latching on. In one swift motion, he tugged her head back, making her neck crack. She cried out in pain.
He whispered in her ear, “All is forgiven—this one time.” Then he released her. Some strands of Brianna’s hair had been ripped out, twisted on his fingers. He plucked them off his hand, dropping them to the ground. With a look of disgust, he turned and walked away.
]
Matt sat on the couch staring at his phone, the realization of what happened sinking in. He’d texted Chris earlier to tell him Salazar had discovered his relationship with Brianna. Chris texted back that the DEA was pulling Matt out.
After hitting the call button, Matt put his phone to his ear. “Chris, my cover’s completely blown. Rene came here looking for me while Brianna was here.”
“Rene? How’d she find you?”
“I think Salazar set me up.” It was the only thing that made any sense. Rene had told Matt someone from the DEA gave her his location. Matt knew no one would’ve done that. Given Salazar’s money and connections, it was safe to assume he had gotten to Rene.
“If that’s the case, we need to get Rene into protective custody.”
“I agree.” Rene wouldn’t be happy about it, but there weren’t many options at this point.
“I want you to come straight in,” Chris said. “I’ll send a car to pick Rene up.”
“No, I’ll go home and get her myself.” Matt rubbed his face. This was a complete mess.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Chris asked.
“Brianna wasn’t exactly dressed when Rene showed up. Neither one will speak to me.”
There was dead silence for five seconds. “Nice job, genius,” Chris finally said. “Brianna wouldn’t work with us before. Now you’ve permanently lost our key player.”
There was going to be a big hoopla over this debacle. Matt continued, “I’m sure I can still get to Brianna—explain things.” He’d never had his cover blown before. “But I can’t deal with Brianna right now. I’ve got to make sure Rene is safe.”
“I’ll send a car to sit outside the house until you get there—just in case.”
“Thanks.” Matt grabbed his gun.
***
Matt pulled up to an older, single-story home. The grass was overgrown. Paint was chipping off the front door. The house needed a lot of work and TLC, neither of which Matt was interested in doing. He didn’t even like the place. Rene wanted it. She said it was in a good school district and that was all that mattered. Getting out of the car, Matt took a deep breath. This conversation was long overdue, and it was time to get it over with.
Entering the house, Matt heard Rene’s voice coming from their bedroom. She sounded pretty animated—Rene was probably on the phone with her sister. Matt walked into the room, bracing for a fight. Rene hung up the phone. Her shoulders shook as she started to cry.
“We need to talk,” Matt said gently.
“I can’t even look at you right now, let alone talk to you. I want you to leave.” She yanked a tissue out of the box and blew her nose.
“We need to discuss what you saw.” Matt stood next to the bed.
“I see. Talk to me, screw someone else,” Rene said.
“You need to understand that I was working.” He shoved his hands in his pockets.
“And that makes it okay?” Rene stood, facing him. “You can do whatever and whomever you want, as long as it’s work related? Are you joking?” Her face was an angry shade of red.
Matt didn’t respond. It was getting late and he was too tired to be having this conversation right now. All he wanted was to get her down to Division where she would be safe.
“How often has this sort of work happened?”
“This is the first time. I mean, I’ve had to dance with girls or kiss someone on occasion, but this is the first time.” And it was true. After all Rene had done to him, he had remained faithful until Brianna.
Her eyes narrowed in. “I can’t believe Chris would put you in a situation like that.”
“He didn’t,” Matt said. “I went under as an attorney to get information on a client. We didn’t know she was involved until after. I was supposed to get close to her, gain her trust, and hopefully get information from her about the organization her father runs.”
Rene’s eyes looked like they would bulge out of their sockets—she was livid.
“So, sleeping with her is how you gained her trust? Well, you’ve sure lost mine. How could you do this to me?” Rene yelled, rage emanating throughout her body.
“Be realistic.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rene stood before him with her hands on her hips.
“Face the facts. You’re the one who was having an affair with a married man. You’re the one who got pregnant. You’re the one who dated me and lied by telling me you were pregnant with our baby.” Matt never had the courage to talk to her about this before. It was invigorating to finally get it out in the open.
“You knew the baby wasn’t yours?” she asked, taking a step back.
“Yeah, but not until after we were married. When you miscarried, the nurse told me how far along you were. I did the math. Did you actually think I wouldn’t discover the truth—that I wouldn’t figure out that you deceived me, just to save your own ass? That baby wasn’t mine, but you led me on and made me feel guilty, so I’d do the right thing and ask you to be my wife.” Marrying Rene had been a mistake. “I was there for you when you needed me.”
Rene sat on the bed. “You may have stood by me through my pregnancy and our marriage, but you’ve never loved me.”
“How am I supposed to love you? You’ve lied to me from day one.”
“You didn’t have to marry me. It’s not like I forced you into anything.” She grabbed another tissue.
“It was the right thing to do at the time,” he said softly. “I thought the baby was mine.”
“I’m just some charity case?”
Matt didn’t want to say anything else. He was afraid he’d say something he couldn’t take back. “Listen,” Matt said, “I need for you to come down to Division with me. You have to tell them how you found out where I was working, and we need to make sure you aren’t in any danger.”
“What does it matter?” Rene started crying again. “I’m not going down there with you to have them look at me—to judge me. There’s the wife whose husband cheats on her. I don’t think so. I won’t have you embarrass me like that.” She slammed her fist on the bed.
Matt knelt down in front of her. “If you don’t go quietly with me, they’ll come here and get you, and it’ll be a big production.”
“Lovely, you destroy our marriage, and I’m the one in danger.”
Matt didn’t have the heart to tell her just how much danger she was in. “Rene, we need to go now.”
After agreeing to go with him, Rene locked herself in the master bathroom. While waiting for her to get ready, Matt walked down the hallway, looking at their wedding pictures. Even though he didn’t acknowledge it at the time, e
ven then he knew it was a mistake to marry Rene. Matt never really loved her. If it hadn’t been for the fact that she was pregnant, had no job and no medical insurance, he never would’ve married her in the first place. And she lost the baby only two weeks after the wedding.
When Rene left the bathroom, she seemed better. Refreshed.
“Ready?” Matt asked.
“Before we go, just answer me one thing.” Matt nodded. “This girl that you were with, do you feel something for her, or is it all work?” Matt didn’t respond. He wasn’t sure how to answer. Rene continued, “Matt, answer honestly. You owe me that.”
“Yeah, I feel something for her,” he admitted.
“You bastard.” She shoved past him.
“Rene, please. Try to understand where I’m coming from. I didn’t go looking for someone else; it just happened.”
She spun around to face him. “Well, we’re through. You can go and be with her if that’s what you want.”
“Let me ask you something,” Matt said as he approached her. “Did you ever love me? Or did you only marry me for convenience, so your child would have a father?”
“I can’t believe you asked me that.” Rene shook her head in disbelief. “If you don’t love me, there’s no point in trying to salvage our relationship. We’ve never had anything to build it on. Why stay together? You make no effort. You’re free—go be with her or go and bury yourself in your work, pretending to be something you’re not. I don’t care. I never want to see you again. I can drive myself to Division. Good-bye Matt.” Rene grabbed her purse and left the house, slamming the door behind her.
Matt felt guilty as relief flooded through him. His sham of a marriage was finally over.
It had been weeks since Brianna felt the warmth of Matt’s caress. Weeks of living with his betrayal. She realized now that he’d been trying to get her to work with the DEA to bring down Salazar. The outcome was the exact opposite—he forced her further into the organization.
Now there was no escape.
All that was left to do was play the role she was given.
And not think about Matt—or his touch—or the hole in her heart.
Dominic was swimming laps in the pool while Brianna watched from the living room window. She needed to tell him about Matt. Salazar insisted she handle the situation with extreme care. He’d even given her explicit instructions on what to say and how to say it. After staring at Dominic for several minutes, she went outside and sat at the edge of the pool, dangling her feet in the water. When Dominic finished the lap, he stood and rested his arms on the wall next to her.
“Don’t let me stop you from your exercise,” Brianna said, smiling at him. When she had first met Dominic, he was lean and slender. Since working for her father, his body had become toned and muscular, transforming him into a different man.
“I was about done. What’s up?” He removed his goggles and tossed them a few feet away.
“I need to talk to you. It’s important.” Brianna wanted to appear nervous, trying to soften him up.
“Is everything all right?”
“There’s something you need to know,” she said as she dropped her head to her chest, attempting to appear distraught. “At first I didn’t want to tell you because I was afraid of your reaction.” Her nervousness was slowly replaced by fear. She hated playing these games, but this was part of the bargain she had struck with her father. Salazar had told Dominic that Matt was a DEA agent. But that was the extent of Dominic’s knowledge about the situation. It was up to Brianna to fill in the gaps.
Dominic’s eyebrows were drawn together with concern. “You can tell me anything,” he said. He enfolded her hands in his.
“I know. I probably should’ve told you sooner,” she whispered, not looking at him.
“You’re telling me now and that’s what matters.” Dominic’s thumbs traced small circles on her palms, encouraging her to continue.
She tried not to cringe from his touch. It was awkward to have another man this close to her. No matter how hard she tried to forget Matt, she missed him. Brianna forced that thought into a locked box and focused on the task before her.
“When I first met you, I was involved with someone else,” the lie flowed from her lips. Salazar had told her exactly what to say. “It wasn’t serious or anything, but I’m embarrassed to say, we didn’t break up until after you and I were officially together.” She thought she saw a flash of disbelief flicker across his face. Brianna glanced away, unable to tolerate his expression.
“You were dating someone when we first got together?” Dominic asked with a hint of resentment.
“Yes,” she whispered, looking down at their entwined hands. “I’m sorry. My father was pushing our relationship, and I didn’t know if we would hit it off. After we spent some time together, I realized we were going somewhere, and I broke it off with him.” She stared directly into Dominic’s eyes, willing him to believe her every word. She awaited his verdict.
After a few minutes, he finally said, “You should’ve told me the truth.” Yeah, she thought, like he was being honest with her about his feelings for Claire.
“I know,” she said, “and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. From now on, I’ll be straightforward with you. I promise.” She brought their clasped hands to her mouth, gently kissing Dominic’s fingers.
“That’s all I expect,” he said, his voice hoarse.
So far, so good. Now it was time to break the bad news. She wanted to smack Salazar for making her do this. “There’s one more thing you should know,” she paused for a second. Dominic released her hands and moved between her legs, resting his hands on either side of her. Tension emanated from his arms. His stance was far more possessive than encouraging. The gesture reminded Brianna of her father. She pushed that thought aside and tried to focus. “The guy that I was seeing was Matt.” Brianna wanted to keep the entire incident a secret. Salazar insisted she tell Dominic this version of the truth. He claimed it would bring them closer to together.
“Matt from the firm?” His fingers tightened around her thighs, his voice as cool as water.
“Yes.”
His eyes locked with hers. Neither one of them moved. Finally he lessened his grip and said, “The DEA agent.” It wasn’t a question.
“That’s what makes it worse. He sought me out because of who I am. He only dated me to get information on my father. Matt used me. Luckily, I didn’t like him so I didn’t tell him anything. Still, it makes it difficult to trust people outside of my immediate family.” She hated lying to Dominic about her feelings for Matt, especially after they were just talking about honesty. Her stomach twisted.
“What a bastard.” Dominic removed his hands from Brianna’s leg. “I don’t know how he could use you.”
Was Dominic really that naive? Weren’t they all using one another? “Thank you for understanding—I was afraid you’d be angry with me.”
“I’m upset, but not at you. You didn’t know you were being used.” Dominic leaned forward, sliding his arms around her waist.
Now that the awkward conversation was over, it was time for part two. She wanted to vomit. Grabbing her water bottle, she twisted off the cap and chugged the vodka inside. Putting the bottle down, she said, “Hey, you’re getting me wet!”
“I’ll get you a lot wetter!” He pulled her from the ledge and into the pool. She laughed as she went into the water, thankful the vodka was already taking affect.
She laughed and slurred, “Just remember—I’ll get you back for this!” Her world tilted sideways.
***
Dominic watched Brianna resurface, flinging back her long, brown hair, smiling. Her shirt clung to her body, teasing him. He wanted to rip off her clothes right there in the pool and take her. Whenever he was around Brianna, he felt possessive of her in a way he never was with Claire. It was like he had to possess her, to make his mark, so other men would leave her alone. He’d never let another man touch her. If they did, Dominic s
wore he’d tear them to pieces. Brianna was his, and no one else’s.
Glancing behind him, Dominic saw their bodyguards off in the distance, watching over them. He saw one of her bodyguards in particular, Ben, staring with more than a protective eye. Dominic knew Ben, if not all the bodyguards, wanted her.
“I need to get out of these clothes,” Brianna said.
His fantasy of making love to her was gone. It was stupid of him to have entertained such thoughts.
Brianna climbed out of the pool. “Are you coming?” She peered back at Dominic, a slow seductive smile spreading across her lips. “I have something to show you in my room.”
Dominic jumped out of the pool. Brianna stood on her toes and kissed his neck. Dominic’s eyes shut, a feeling of warmth overtaking his body. She stepped back, grinning. Then she slid her hand in his, pulling him along.
This was a side of Brianna that Dominic hadn’t seen before. It was a side of her he liked very much.
Once inside her bedroom, she pushed Dominic onto her bed. Standing before him, she slowly removed her wet clothes while he watched. Once she was completely naked, she spun around for him to admire.
“Well?” she asked.
Dominic smiled. “You’re gorgeous.” He couldn’t take it. Dominic stood and went to her, sliding his hands over her body. She gasped when his fingers slipped inside her. But he wanted more. He wanted all of her.
Dominic’s lips crashed into hers. He lifted her up and her legs wrapped around him. Moving to the bed, Dominic shoved his trunks down. He lowered himself on top of Brianna and slid inside. It was like he’d died and gone to heaven. She was finally his, and he planned to consume her.
A tear slid down her cheek. “You okay?” Dominic asked, afraid he was being too rough with her. But he couldn’t help himself.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I’m just so happy I’m with you.” Brianna arched her back, encouraging him.
“Where the fuck is my shipment?” Salazar asked, slamming his hand against the glass window. “It’s midnight. It should’ve arrived by now.”
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