by Alexia Adams
Then what? He’d give up everything and follow her around the world while she resuscitated her singing career and set up her late husband’s legacy? Or would he demand that she return to Argentina and become the dutiful wife who looked good on his arm while he schmoozed planning committees and investors?
No matter what happened in the next two days, they had no future.
The old ladies were right. It was time to start over. Now. Before she lost her nerve.
She’d tell Eduardo the offer was off the table—or, more literally, off the bed. New plan: head back to LA, write a hit song about the folly of trying to resurrect a dead love, and live happily ever after in her ivory mansion in the sky.
Job done.
***
Eduardo stood in the shade cast by one of the street trees, idly rubbing Timo’s back. The little boy had his thumb in his mouth, his face tucked against Eduardo’s neck, almost asleep. It was during moments like this that Eduardo was bombarded with the what-might-have-beens. If Anna had stayed, would they have a little boy now? Eduardo’s throat thickened. Timo wasn’t even his son, and still love swelled within him whenever he held the child.
From the moment he’d first encountered the little boy—terrified, clinging to Raul while his mother screamed in the courthouse hallway—he’d felt a kinship with the toddler. He didn’t regret extending a legal career he’d intended to give up when it meant that Timo went to sleep each night safe, knowing he was loved and not a pawn in a battle between embittered adults.
The resultant friendship with Raul had been another bonus. A common background made it easy for them to understand each other. Tiago, Eduardo’s other close friend, had had his share of issues—but money had never been one of them. Raul understood Eduardo’s drive, his need to build his own empire, be his own man. Relying on others was a recipe for disaster. They left. Anna was proof of that. If he’d followed her to LA all those years ago, eventually she’d have tired of him. And then he’d have had nothing. At least now he had something. Even if it was just the opportunity to lull someone else’s child to sleep.
But, Dios, every time he saw her, he was struck with thoughts of what could have been. Taking Timo outside was the only excuse he’d been able to come up with to flee the service.
To flee Anna.
He shouldn’t have come. It had been a last-minute decision.
On the way to St. Felicitas church, he’d reasoned that he was going to pay his final respects to Marta Marquez. But his thoughts had only been about Anna. In his heart, he knew he should keep his distance from her. She could find some other man to be her first. Or hell, even a sex toy could probably do the job she wanted. After the funeral, he’d tell her no.
But hearing her sing in person had been too intimate, even with a dozen other people present, including a priest. Every perfectly pitched note had been a laser, slicing away the time between then and now.
He had a fairly iffy relationship with God. But just in case He did exist, surely it was flirting with disaster to be thinking of sex in a church.
He knew, though, in the depths of his soul, that making love to Anna even once would affect him forever. Seeing her again… All the times he’d told himself he was over her, he’d been lying. He wasn’t going to relive a painful parting for one night with his ex.
Even outside, Anna’s voice floated on the breeze through the partially open church door. He’d never doubted she’d be a star. Selfishly, though, he hadn’t wanted to share her with the world. At least not at eighteen. He’d encouraged her to wait until she turned twenty-one before taking her singing professional. In this, at least, her grandmother had been his ally.
They’d had it all worked out. By the time she was out of her teens, he’d be a professional rugby player, most likely playing for one of the wealthy European clubs. He’d be making his own fortune and able to support the launch of her career. Then together they’d conquer the world.
His injury had obliterated that path. She’d wait, he’d told himself while the doctor explained the likely outcome of the surgery—the end of his professional rugby playing days. Anna would hold his hand and help him recover. Then they’d make a new plan.
While he’d been under the knife, she’d come up with her own strategy. She’d cashed in on the song she’d written about the death of his dreams. Then she’d pursued her dreams, leaving him in agony in a hospital bed thousands of kilometers away.
Maybe if he’d helped her get some local singing gigs, she’d have stuck around. Maybe if she’d started her career in BA, she wouldn’t have had to fly so far away. What if, what if. How many nights had he tortured himself with these thoughts?
It all boiled down to this one reality: Anna had the option of him or fame. She’d chosen fame.
Like his grandmother always said, he’d never be anyone’s first choice.
Timo mumbled something, and Eduardo lightened the pressure of his hand on the child’s back. He’d almost squished the poor boy. Enough. No more thoughts of Anna. It had happened. They were different people now. They had to find a way to close the door on the past and move on.
A few mourners began to filter out of the church. He told himself not to look, but his eyes dismissed each person until they lighted on Anna. Not even the severity of her all-black attire could diminish the light that seemed to emanate only from her.
As if sensing his gaze, she raised her head and caught him staring. She excused herself from the person she was talking to and made her way over to him.
She nodded at little Timo. “Suits you,” she said, her voice husky. She’d been crying. His heart lurched, and he hugged the boy a little tighter, even though Raul was now next to him, arms out, ready to take his son.
“What does?”
“Fatherhood. How come you never married and had children of your own?”
“You have to ask that?”
She had the sense to glance down at the ground. But not before he’d seen the hurt in her eyes. Damn, he needed to stop giving away how much he was still affected by her betrayal.
And they both needed to stop pretending they could have any kind of relationship now. Some things were meant to be a lesson and not a happily-ever-after.
“Boss, are you coming back to the apartment with us?” Raul’s question shattered the silence.
Being in a confined space with Anna was more than he was capable of withstanding at the moment. She may be his not-all-love-lasted lesson, but clearly, he hadn’t learned all the nuances yet. He still wanted her. Fiercely.
“No. I’ve got Tiago’s SUV. I’m heading back to the office anyway.”
Raul nodded. “Señorita Marquez, I will get Timo settled in his safety seat. We can go whenever you’re ready. The car is just across the street.”
She gave Raul a watery smile, but no words escaped her lips.
Eduardo transferred the now-sleeping boy to his father’s arms. Raul already had the keys in hand and clicked the unlock button.
Kaboom!
The lightning Eduardo had feared earlier in church turned the daylight blinding. The shock wave hit them next, followed swiftly by chunks of metal and glass, and a deafening roar.
He dived for Anna, knocking her to the ground as much as the blast had done. He covered her with his body, bearing the brunt of the debris that rained down on them for what seemed like an eternity.
Screams filled the air. Eduardo raised his head enough to see that Raul had similarly sheltered Timo. The fronds of the palm tree that had stood in the church’s courtyard were blown off and now partially covered their bodies, providing flimsy protection against the flying missiles.
Car and building alarms blared. Within seconds, the sirens of emergency services vehicles joined the cacophony.
“Are you hurt?” he asked Anna.
At least his rugby career had taught him how to land without doing too much injury. Stabs of pain echoed through his collarbone, but he’d deal with that discomfort later.
It took he
r a second to reply, long enough for him to start an inventory of her limbs. “I’m okay. What happened?”
“Stay down while I check.”
“But—” She started to sit up.
“Just this once, Anna, listen to me.”
She lay back down but began to inch her way towards Raul and Timo. The big man was rising as well, running his hands over his son to search for injuries. The little boy was whimpering, although it appeared to be more from fright than pain.
Eduardo scanned the courtyard. Several others had been thrown to the ground by the blast, but there didn’t appear to be any serious injuries; all body parts were still attached at least. Most of the funeral’s attendees had stayed at the far side of the building. If anyone had been closer… Thankfully, the chest-high stone walls around the churchyard had provided some protection.
What remained of his vehicle was now on fire. All the windows of the building beside it were shattered. Glass was strewn about the sidewalk and roadway.
Raul crouched next to Eduardo, a sobbing Timo in his arms. “Take Timo and Señorita Marquez back into the church,” Raul said. Every vestige of civilization had disappeared from his face. Here was a man ready to rip apart the world to find the person responsible for endangering his son.
“I—”
“Señor Forenza, this is one of the reasons you hired me. I will make sure it’s safe and then get you all out of here. Where is Señor Alvarez’s SUV?”
“It’s parked on Azara by Suarez. I paid a boy to watch it.” Eduardo handed over the keys as Raul transferred Timo into his arms.
“I’ll get it.” He clenched the keys. “If something happens to me, will you look after Timo? Don’t let that bitch get him.”
Eduardo nodded, and Raul darted around the debris that was strewn about the courtyard. For a big man, he moved quickly.
The priest had emerged from the church and was ushering people inside. Anna held her arms out for Timo as Eduardo moved them towards the solid stone building. It would be easier to protect them if he had his arms free, so he let her take the small child.
The stained-glass windows on one side of the church had been blown in. Colored shards littered the pews and aisle, glittering in the unfiltered sunlight. Despite the destruction, it was still beautiful.
The shaken cleric rushed over to them. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“We’re uninjured,” Eduardo answered. “How are the others?”
“A few cuts and more than a few bruises, I suspect. Señora Vasquez may have re-injured her hip. But everyone is, gracias a Dios, alive.”
Eduardo nodded. He could now turn his attention to the cause of the blast. Or, more importantly, to its intended victim or victims. His gaze caught Anna’s. Her whole body was shaking. He wrapped both arms around her and Timo. This was the third incident involving her. It was hard to believe they weren’t somehow connected. But there was no denying he’d made a few enemies himself.
Now, however, wasn’t the time to compile a list. They had to get to safety.
“Is there a back way out of here?” he asked.
“Yes, through the priest’s door at the side of the chancel. But shouldn’t you stay to speak with the police?”
He handed the man one of his business cards. “They can call me for a statement. But I saw nothing. And please”—he leveled his sternest stare, usually reserved for an uncooperative court witness—“keep the name Angel from slipping past your lips. If her being here remains a secret, I will personally pay to have the church’s windows replaced.”
“I will pray for you all,” the priest said before directing them through several back corridors to a small room with a door to the exterior. He undid the six locks while Eduardo called Raul to let him know the pickup point.
Minutes later, with a squeal of the tires, they were speeding away from the church and the devastation.
“Where to, boss?” Raul asked.
“The airport. We’re all getting the hell out of town while we figure out who is after which one of us.”
Anna shot him a confused look. But instead of demanding an explanation, she said, “I have to pick up something from your apartment.”
Dios, did she not understand the danger she was in? “We can’t risk it. If someone is after us, my apartment will be the first place they’ll look.”
“Please, Eduardo. It’s vitally important to me.” A tear threatened at the corner of her right eye. He’d noticed a few fall since they’d been in the car. It wasn’t one of her better days. Actually, her whole week had been pretty upsetting. And it was only Wednesday.
Raul caught his gaze in the rearview mirror, his eyes full of compassion. “Señorita Miranda’s pet is also there.” He said it as though Eduardo would more likely be persuaded to care for a cat rather than cave to the whims of a woman who seemed to cause chaos wherever she went.
“My housekeeper—”
“Please, Eduardo,” Anna repeated. “It will only take me a second to grab it.”
Mierda. Didn’t they know he was trying to keep everyone safe? “All right. But I will get what you want. You’re to stay in the car with Raul.” If they were headed towards an ambush, at least some of them could escape.
“Thank you.” Her voice broke, and the tears began in earnest.
If Timo weren’t between them, he’d take her in his arms.
And then they’d both be lost.
Chapter Five
Anna flung her hat on the bed and kicked off her shoes with such force one bounced off the wall. Eduardo had insisted she stay ‘in disguise’ until she was inside the house. Her guitar, the item she’d insisted on bringing with her, received gentler treatment. She rested it in its case against the dresser, in sight of the bed.
How long until the shakes from the explosion left her hands? Her ears still rang with the sound. Right now, she didn’t care if the hearing loss was a career killer. She was too happy to still be alive and whole.
If Eduardo hadn’t dived on her, she’d have topped Carrie Underwood in the facial injury charts. His suit had been shredded, and she’d noticed the bloodstains on his shirt when he’d removed his jacket. But he’d refused her offer to help bandage his injuries. Was his terse tone due to pain or her continued presence in his life?
Not that he’d given her any other option. He’d taken over again—made decisions without her input. And she’d slipped back into the besotted girlfriend role. Grief, exhaustion, feeling adrift … they had all conspired to turn her into a weak-kneed woman who let a man run her life. Good thing her mother wasn’t speaking to her, or Valentina would have a few choice words for Anna’s damsel-in-distress impersonation.
Tomorrow she’d wrest back control. But just for now, she was grateful someone had a plan. Because she had no clue what to do. Hopefully, a good night’s sleep would cure that. Whether she’d get it or not was anyone’s guess.
At least the room wouldn’t be to blame. Bright and airy, decorated in cream tones, with a cement balcony overlooking the vineyards and mountains beyond, it was the essence of comfortable. The king-sized sleigh bed was covered in a fluffy duvet, with a navy blue blanket draped across the bottom for added warmth. The whole place was amazing. As far as safe houses went, this one erred on the side of magnificent.
Maybe a soak in the claw-foot tub in the adjoining bathroom would help her relax. Eduardo had spent the drive to the airport making calls and arrangements on his cell phone while keeping everything very mysterious. It wasn’t until the Andes came into view through the tiny window of the private jet that she realized where they were heading.
Mendoza. Back to where it all fell apart. This was where Eduardo had been playing when he was injured. This was where he’d stayed, finished his degree, and made friends, including the owner of this stunning mansion set among the vineyards.
Here, she and Eduardo could finally talk, make peace with each other. Here, she could start over.
If only someone wasn’t trying to kill her.
>
So much for her revised plan to head back to LA and forget Eduardo. They were stuck together for at least a few more days. Her glance strayed once more to the large, inviting bed. Should she still rescind her offer? Or wait for him to decide?
Dammit, she was back to square one.
“Señorita?” She turned to find a young woman standing in the open doorway. The maid’s mouth dropped open.
Anna pasted on a weary smile. Angel, with her sweetness and light, who always made time for her fans, refused to make an appearance. “Yes?”
“Señor Forenza asked me to bring you some clothes. They belong to Señora Alvarez, but she won’t mind if you wear them. Would you like me to put them away for you?”
“No, I can do that. Thank you.”
The young woman placed the items on the bed then backed towards the door. “He also asked me to tell you that he is down on the terrace if you’d like to join him.”
At least she wasn’t being confined to her room. “Please let him know that I’ll just have a wash and be down shortly.”
The woman bobbed a curtsy—people still did that?—then shut the door behind her.
Anna selected a bohemian skirt and caftan top from the pile of clothes on the bed. These items, among the predominantly fitted dresses, offered comfort. She started to wind her hair into a chignon but at the last minute decided to pull it into a high ponytail instead.
She relegated the relaxing bath until before bed and headed downstairs. From there, hopefully, she’d be able to find the terrace and Eduardo. The house was built in a U-shape around a central courtyard, but there seemed to be hallways and doors everywhere. Maybe there was a map of the house she could use to find her way.
In the end, she didn’t need assistance. She heard him before she saw him. His deep, authoritative voice drew her like a dancer to music.