In death he continued to look out for her and convinced her that she was making the right decision to leave Esteban. All the pieces were falling into place perfectly.
She wouldn’t live the same luxurious lifestyle she’d become accustomed to as Esteban’s mistress, but thanks to Uncle Rowell, she’d be comfortable.
Her eyes welled with tears.
Unbelievable.
Chapter 35
Before Esteban landed at the Miami International Airport, he knew something was wrong. He knew it both times he’d spoken to Sonia while she was in Atlanta. She’d sounded odd on the phone—apathetic and unengaged. That was why he’d wrapped up his business in California and flown to Atlanta this morning—the day after he spoke to her, only to be told by her cousin, Valencia, that she’d gone back to Miami the day before. The unsettling feeling increased when he called and got her voicemail.
When he arrived in Miami and reached a disconnected number, the sense of foreboding grew. He called Jackie, but she claimed she didn’t know Sonia’s whereabouts—not that he believed her.
The Maybach glided down the causeway, but the picturesque view of Biscayne Bay sparkling on either side couldn’t hold his attention. He’d seen this view thousands of times before, but it didn’t matter to him because all he cared to see was Sonia waiting at the house.
By the time he walked through the front door and dropped his briefcase in the foyer, his head hurt from the stress. The cold fingers of dread fisted in his chest as he noted the eerie silence. Standing in the foyer, he listened for sounds of life.
Someone was in the kitchen.
He hurried in that direction and found Delores standing over the stove, stirring a pot of fragrant meat in preparation for the evening meal.
“Have you seen Sonia?” he asked.
“No, señor.” She looked up briefly, and he wondered if she was hiding something.
Coiled tension gripped his body as he charged through the house like an Iberian bull, shoving open doors on the way to the bedroom they shared. He did that to every room, bellowing her name, because no matter what the knot in his stomach suggested, he refused to believe she had really left him. She must be here somewhere.
A quick sweep of the bedroom showed that it was empty, and the en suite bathroom held no trace of her. All of her lotions, gels, and splashes were gone.
No. No.
She wouldn’t have left him like this.
He yanked open the door to her dressing room with such force it slammed against the outer wall and bounced. Empty hangers mocked him in silent disdain.
He yanked open a dresser drawer.
Empty.
He pulled open another.
Empty.
And another.
Empty.
And another.
He slammed the last one closed, panic seizing his muscles. Where the hell could she be? Why would she leave? He’d told her he wanted to talk. She’d promised to be here.
Back in the bedroom, his eyes landed on a white envelope propped against the stack of pillows on the bed. He’d missed it when he entered, but rushed over and tore it open.
Esteban, I’m no longer happy with our arrangement. I think a clean break is best. Don’t call, because I’ve disconnected my phone. Don’t try to find me, because you won’t. Thank you for everything.
Goodbye,
Sonia
He muttered every curse word he knew as he crushed the handwritten note.
Thank you for everything?
Tossing the crumpled paper onto the bed, he bellowed, “Delores!”
Long strides took him back down the hall and past the sunken living room with its wall of windows.
Before he asked Delores a word, he could tell from her demeanor and the way her eyes didn’t meet his that she was guilty. She stared down at the island, her hands loosely clenched on its stone surface.
“Yes, Mr. Galiano?”
“Do you know where she is?” he asked slowly, in a quiet voice.
“No.” Her voice quivered.
“Do you know where Sonia is?”
“No.” She shook her head vigorously this time. She ventured a look at him.
“Did you know that she was leaving and not tell me?”
“Yes,” she replied in a distinctly smaller voice. Her eyes widened with fright.
“Why did you do that?”
“Sh-she begged me not to.”
Esteban stalked over to her. “Who do you work for?”
She trembled, her gaze dropping and her hands on the surface of the island clenching tighter.
“Who do you fucking work for!”
Her face crumpled, and she clutched her hands to her chest. “You, Mr. Galiano,” she whispered.
“That’s right. You work for me.” He got in her face, and she flinched. “This is the first and last time you make the mistake of betraying me. You work for me, Delores. Don’t you ever forget that again!”
He swung around and marched to the intercom. Slamming his fist to the button, he yelled into the speaker, “Abel!”
“Yes, Mr. Galiano.”
“Bring the Porsche from the garage. I’m going out.”
“Yes, Mr. Galiano.” Abel didn’t hesitate. He recognized that Esteban was not in the mood for bullshit.
With one last glower at his cowering housekeeper, who looked like she wanted to dissolve into the floor, Esteban went back to the bedroom and changed into a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt.
He found the black Porsche in the driveway with the keys on the seat. Donning a pair of sunglasses, he hopped in and gunned the engine, driving off with a squeal of tires and smoke toward South Beach.
He arrived at Sonia’s old apartment in record time. She didn’t know this, but he knew she’d held on to it and sublet it for extra income. He climbed the stairs two at a time, reached the third floor, and knocked on her door.
No answer.
He pounded harder.
The door remained closed. He pounded again and again, the sound of his knocks booming in the hallway as he slammed the side of his fist over and over into the wood.
Behind him, a door cracked open, and Sonia’s neighbor poked out her head. Today her blonde hair looked frizzy and she was bleary-eyed, as if she’d just woken up. Pulling a ratty robe closer around her body, she looked him up and down with definite interest in her eyes.
“She’s not here,” she said.
“Have you seen her lately?” Esteban asked.
“Haven’t seen her in a long time.”
“How long?” He studied her face. She seemed to be telling the truth.
She shrugged and pulled the robe tighter. “Few weeks, at least. Not since the last person she let use the place left. Anyway, you’re wasting your time.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Her lease must be up, because the landlord ripped out the carpet today. He’s getting ready to put the place up for rent again.”
An invisible noose tightened around his neck.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.” The door clicked shut.
Esteban rushed back down the stairs to his car and stood outside on the sidewalk. His gaze traversed the length of the street, as if he’d see her there somewhere, but all he saw were strangers. A little girl skipped ahead of her mother. A man rode his bike down the middle of the street with one hand, while he hugged a bag of groceries to his chest with the other. Joggers taking a leisurely run followed behind each other in an evenly spaced line of three.
He ran an agitated hand over his hair and harnessed the panic that consumed him. Cálmate, he told himself.
He had to find her. He loved—
Shock resounded through his skull like a sonic boom. Esteban stopped moving. He was losing the woman he loved.
This woman whom he’d simply wanted to bed had become entrenched in his life in a way he never imagined. Sonia was stubborn but kindhearted, goal-oriented and thoughtful, and completely indispensable to
him.
He opened the car door and sank into the driver’s seat. He had to get her back. That was the only way to get rid of this crushing, heavy weight—as if a boulder sat on his chest.
Gripping the steering wheel, he resolved to do whatever it took to make her return. He’d give her whatever she wanted.
He loved her. He needed her.
Esteban took a deep breath and, bending his head, closed his eyes.
Think. Where would she go?
His head jerked up. Jackie.
Jackie must have lied to him, which meant she knew where Sonia was—was probably even hiding her in her house. Esteban started the car and spun in a U-turn back down the street.
Wherever Sonia was, he’d find her. He’d tear the whole goddamn city apart if he had to.
Sonia stepped out of the cool shower and dried her skin in the fluffy towel she pulled from the stainless steel bar. Even though flush with money, she hadn’t gone on a crazy spending spree. She’d paid cash for a used Camry and rented this two-bedroom, two-bath townhouse in a quiet community, away from the craziness of South Beach.
An older Cuban couple owned the place and lived next door. They were kind and friendly, and their son flirted whenever they ran into each other, but not so much that she became uncomfortable.
In the mornings, she walked to the park nearby and ran laps around the small track to stay in shape. At night, she kept mostly to herself. No more parties on South Beach or mixing with celebrities or the uber-wealthy. The last time she’d seen a movie, she went to the matinee. There was no private screening after a special invite from the director, or lounging in the theater room of Esteban’s mansion.
A lot had changed in the past couple of weeks. Including this.
She stepped over to the vanity and looked down at the home pregnancy test.
Despite taking precautions, she’d gotten pregnant.
She stared at the results.
Pregnant.
She bit her lip and smiled.
“I’m going to be a mother,” she whispered.
She stared at her naked image in the mirror and placed a hand on her flat stomach, imagining her widening waistline in the months ahead. There were no discernible physical changes yet, but the tiredness, mild cramping, and backaches she’d experienced now made sense.
What would it be like to be someone’s mother?
She already had a good example of the patience and nurturing necessary for the role. Like her Uncle Rowell did for her, she’d give her son or daughter plenty of love and attention. And they’d learn to make the best darn red velvet cake in the country, even if Mommy didn’t want to eat any.
She laughed to herself, but sobered when she thought about Esteban.
God, she missed him. Ached for him physically and mentally. She wanted to feel his strength, hear the soft rumble of his chuckle again.
Closing her eyes, she imagined his arrogant face. She needed to tell him, but would he want this child?
She spread her fingers over her belly.
It didn’t matter if he wanted this baby or not. She wanted it and could afford to take care of the child by herself. She’d saved tens of thousands of dollars living with Esteban, and that didn’t include the finer, more expensive pieces of jewelry locked away in a safe deposit box for a rainy future. The check from her uncle’s estate had already arrived, and a meeting with a financial advisor in a few days would help her determine how best to make the money last and multiply.
“A baby.”
Sonia couldn’t stop touching her belly. Or grinning. She should be terrified, but wasn’t. She was at peace, and could hardly contain her anticipation.
Chapter 36
Sonia couldn’t stay at home and bask in all those emotions. Jackie’s first engagement party was taking place tonight on the yacht of a wealthy developer named Daniel Baker. Her fiancé was his private chef, and because of their good relationship, Daniel had agreed they could use his property and the yacht moored in front of his house on Hibiscus Island.
Guests had permission to use the house, but the party was taking place on the yacht. The second engagement party, scheduled two weeks away in London, was a way for Jackie’s parents to meet and approve of her fiancé, and begin the aspects of the traditional Chinese wedding they expected Jackie to adhere to.
Sonia was leaning against the railing of the boat and watched two leisure crafts anchored in the dark water a distance away. Guests’ laughter floated on the night air as the sound of waves lapped against the hull.
“You are a doll.”
Jackie threw her thin arms around Sonia’s neck in a side hug.
Tonight she wore her long black hair over one shoulder and looked radiant in a sleeveless dress with spaghetti straps that skimmed her slender body. The red color, chosen because it symbolized good fortune in Chinese culture, made the diamond necklace around her neck shine with a brilliance that matched the ring on her finger.
“Why am I a doll?” Sonia grinned at her friend.
“Because you’d obviously rather be anywhere else but here, but you came anyway.”
“That’s not true.”
Jackie cocked an eyebrow.
“You know I’m happy for you,” Sonia said.
“I do. And I’m glad you came instead of moping at home.”
“I wasn’t moping.” Sonia elbowed her friend, but Jackie cocked her brow again. “I wasn’t.”
“If you say so. Anyway, I have someone for you to meet,” Jackie added in a conspiratorial tone.
Sonia sighed. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m not ready to start dating.”
“It doesn’t have to be serious, love, but you need someone to take your mind off him.” She leveled a concerned look at Sonia.
“Stop looking at me like that. I’m not going to fall to pieces. I managed to survive twenty-seven years before I met Esteban, and I’ll be fine without him.”
Jackie had been her rock and hadn’t once reminded her that she’d warned Sonia against getting involved in a mistress-benefactor relationship with Esteban. She simply listened and hugged and soothed with words of comfort.
“Of course you will, but we could speed along your progress by helping you find a nice-looking, eligible bachelor among the lot here tonight.” She twisted Sonia away from the water to face the people on the yacht. “As far as the eye can see, there are plenty of men available.”
“I don’t need a matchmaker,” Sonia said. Nor did she want a man, especially since she had a child growing inside of her, her primary focus for a long time to come.
“The one over there, talking to my darling fiancé, is looking for a wife.” Jackie inclined her head to a dark-haired man sipping a martini while in conversation with Evan. Evan was blond, with blue eyes and pale skin. Jackie stood two inches taller than him in flats, but it was clear that she saw him as a giant among men.
“He’s a friend of Evan’s, and he’s dying to meet you. I promised him an introduction.”
“You did what?”
Jackie shrugged. “I thought it would be good for you.”
“Jackie…”
“Don’t make me out to be a liar.” Jackie pouted.
That face might work on her fiancé, but not on Sonia.
“No.”
Jackie’s brow wrinkled. “You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
“Very well.” Jackie sighed dramatically. She scanned her friend’s face. “I must say, you look better tonight. Better than I’ve seen you in a while. You have a bit of color in your cheeks.”
“I’m feeling a little better, and getting out socially is good for me.”
“I agree.”
They stood quietly in companionable silence before Evan caught Jackie’s eyes and motioned for her to come over.
“Duty calls,” she groaned, although she obviously loved it. “You’ll be all right?”
“I’ll be fine. Go.” Sonia gave her a gentle shove. She watched as Jackie, afte
r a brief hesitation, floated away to her fiancé’s side. She said a few words to Evan’s friend, who then turned in Sonia’s direction. She immediately looked away, not wanting to offer any encouragement.
From the corner of her eye, she saw the trio walk farther away on the deck, and let her gaze wander around to the other guests.
Across the way, a voluptuous woman wearing a body-hugging jumpsuit that left little to the imagination drifted away and revealed two men seated on deck chairs, one of them the last person she expected to see.
Sonia’s heart juddered to a stop and her breath caught in sudden panic. What was Esteban doing at Jackie’s engagement party?
Entranced, she watched him bring a crystal tumbler to his lips and nod at something the other man said. His appearance reminded her of the first time she’d seen him. He looked arrogant, rich, and bored.
Then he spotted her, and his gaze lanced through her from that distance. Guests crisscrossed in front of their line of vision but couldn’t break the magnetic connection that kept their gazes locked on each other. Very slowly, Esteban placed his glass on the nearby table and rose from the chair.
Sonia’s eyes darted around for an escape, but instead of running, she pressed her back against the boat and gripped the edges of her maxi dress, desperate for something to hold on to.
Esteban stopped a few feet away, and his dark eyes took her in, scouring from her face to the length of her body.
“You look delicious,” he said.
She knew what was coming next and didn’t want to hear it. “Esteban—”
“Good enough to eat.”
He’d done it on purpose, of course, because the words had always precluded him doing just that. His lips would kiss and tug the flesh between her legs, and his tongue would lap at the moisture her body emitted at the sound of those words.
He looked like a predator ready to pounce, and she tried not to fidget under his scrutiny.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she said.
“I was invited.”
More Than a Mistress (Latin Men Book 5) Page 22