by Cassie Wild
“More coffee,” she said, a grateful smile on her face.
Once we were alone, Briar confessed, “I drank way too much last night.”
“I think we all did,” Isabel said, rolling her eyes expressively.
We chatted for a bit about the wedding and I started to relax. It happened too soon, though.
Brooks’ name was mentioned.
I couldn’t stop it. I stiffened, fighting the urge to look around and see if he’d entered the room.
But it was just the other two women, talking about him.
“My dad was furious,” Briar said, shaking her head. “I still can’t believe Danika showed up like that—drunk to boot.”
I didn’t ask for details, just sipped at my water while their words flowed around me.
It wasn’t until Isabel said my name that I cued back in the conversation.
“Huh?” I stared at her blankly.
“I was just telling Briar that you think Brooks is hot,” she said, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I just want her to back me up … the man is a dog.”
I kicked her ankle, carefully keeping a neutral face.
“Hey,” Briar said mildly. “That’s my brother you’re talking about.” Then she heaved out an exaggerated, long-suffering sigh. Slanting her gaze toward me, she confessed, “He is, indeed, a dog.”
“It’s not …” I licked my lips, then, forcing a self-deprecating laugh, I said, “I’m just admiring from afar.”
“Good.” Briar reached for her coffee, shaking her head a little. “I love my brother but the man is a serious player. He goes through women like … well … he goes through them. Fast.”
“Understood.” I swallowed the nerves crowding my throat. It was probably a good thing last night had ended so badly.
Maybe if I told myself that often enough, I’d even believe it.
Sixteen
Brooks
“How is Sean handling the fact that he’s all but put his honeymoon on hold so the two of you can get things moving down here?” Declan asked.
I hitched up a shoulder, brooding into my coffee. “I don’t know. He doesn’t seem too put off by it but I think it bothers Isabel.”
“Considering the family she’s from, you’d think she’d be used to business coming first.”
I shot Declan a squint-eyed look. “I get the feeling Isabel’s completely out of touch about just what it is her family does. She’s … flighty.”
Declan grunted. “I noticed that. Sweet, yeah. Maybe too sweet. If she doesn’t know, then Sean better hope she never finds out. It would crush her.”
I tried to wonder how naïve one would have to be to not know what kind of dirty shit the Castellanos were involved in. But from what I’d heard, Isabel had been pampered, a protected little princess in the mostly male family of the Castellanos. Boarding school, then off to New York to study ballet as she’d said she’d always wanted to do.
“Speaking of her family …” Declan shot me a look over the rim of his coffee cup. He glanced around casually but there was nobody to hear. We were at an outdoor café, enjoying the relative coolness of the early morning, and the fact that we were no longer surrounded by the Castellanos family. “How do you think things are going to turn out, us working with Duardo and Marcos?”
Uneasiness crept through me. I understood my father’s desire to expand out of Philadelphia. The heat from the police was getting worse and we needed to do something. I just wasn’t sure this was the right thing.
I wasn’t the head of the Downing clan, though. He was.
“I think it’s going to be … an adjustment,” I said carefully.
Declan curled his lip. “You’re being diplomatic. Personally, I think it’s going to suck ass.”
A bark of laughter escaped, startling a bird that had landed near my feet, looking for scraps. As it flew back into the nearby brush, I nodded at my brother. “It’s definitely going to suck ass.”
Duardo was a cold son of a bitch, entirely focused on the business. I got the feeling that lines just didn’t exist for him.
But out of the two brothers, the one that concerned me the most was Marcos.
He was a hot-headed, spoiled piece of shit, in my personal opinion and it was pretty clear he believed he was entitled to take whatever he wanted and it didn’t matter how he got it.
“Duardo is dangerous,” Declan said softly. “Very much so.”
I grimaced. “This is the Castellanos family we’re talking about—almost all of them are dangerous.”
“Not all of them.” Declan shook his head. “The girls have been protected. I agree that it’s possible that Isabel knows nothing about what her family does.”
“I did some asking around,” I said, following his train of thought. “The oldest sister, Laya, doesn’t even live near here. She’s in Rochester, New York. Get this. She’s a schoolteacher.”
Declan blinked. “That’s … unusual,” he finally said.
We lapsed into silence as the server appeared to offer coffee refills. My mind wandered to the past night, and to Daria. By the time I’d dealt with Danika, the party had been winding down and while I was tempted to knock on Daria’s door, I figured it wasn’t ideal, especially considering I’d been dealing with Danika.
My brother shifted across from me and I sensed him studying me. Looking up to meet his eyes, I cocked a brow, waiting.
“Does Dad know Danika showed up?” he finally asked.
I shrugged. “If he does, I didn’t tell him. She was shit-faced last night, Declan. I don’t even know how she got to the Castellanos estate—if she drove, she would have wrapped her car around a tree. She might have called a cab. I don’t know. But she was pissed you hadn’t invited her.”
“She knew I wouldn’t.” Declan averted his gaze, a muscle pulsing in his jaw.
“Yeah, well, what sober Danika knows and what drunk Danika knows are two different things apparently.” I drained my coffee as I took my time, thinking through what I wanted to say. “You know Dad would have lost it if he’d seen her there.”
“I know.” He inclined his head. “I also heard that Briar got you when she couldn’t find me. Did you have to let her sleep in your fucking bed, Brooks?”
“It was either get her out of sight or risk Dad seeing her.”
I shrugged, feeling a little pissed myself. I’d had plans for last night, plans that had gone up in smoke once Danika appeared.
“Besides, you don’t need to get all worked up over it. I found another room to sleep in once I knew she was down for the count. Trust me, I’m not interested in your woman.”
“She’s not my woman,” Declan said, shaking his head. “We have a physical relationship, but that’s it. Still doesn’t mean I want to think about her getting naked with my brother.”
“It will never happen,” I assured him.
“She caused a ruckus when she left.” Declan stared down at the top of the table, shaking his head to himself over something. “I’m probably wishing for a miracle, hoping Dad won’t find out she was there.”
“If he does, he does.” I shrugged. “Not much you can about it now.”
“Hopefully, he’ll be so wrapped up in his new enterprise with Basilio Castellanos that he won’t spend too much time thinking about anything else. Considering how easy it was for him to get what he wanted down here, he should be floating on cloud nine.”
I curled my lip, thinking about that merger. I wished I could be as happy as my dad was about it. Both Declan and I had argued against this merger and not just because I wasn’t too sure about how it would go, working with the Castellanos brothers.
They were some serious suppliers, one of the biggest drug outfits in the country, but even that wasn’t my main concern.
“What did Dad say when you talked to him about the prostitution rumors?” I asked.
Declan took his time responding, but I could tell by the way a muscle pulsed in his cheek that he was about as happy about this partnership
as I was.
“He thinks, as long as they keep from expanding that part of their enterprise into our territory, things will be fine.”
I snorted and looked away. “There’s no way we can expect the Castellanos brothers not to try and push to expand on that front. There’s money to be made selling sex.”
“You and me both know this isn’t just about sex. Most of the women working for them are probably not there by choice. I don’t have a lot of lines, but that’s one of them.”
I agreed with him and hoped that maybe my father would too, if push came to shove.
He was loyal to the family, protecting it, seeing it thrive. What we had to do was make sure he understood we’d do better keeping certain aspects of the Castellanos enterprise separate from ours.
“We’ll deal with if it comes up,” I said softly.
There was one thing that was certain, though. While loyalty kept me involved in the family business despite spending a lifetime working so I could break away from it, I, too, had lines.
Dragging women into a life of slavery and forced prostitution crossed that line.
Maybe that was the hill I’d die on and if so, I was willing to do just that.
Dad wanted to keep the family together and if he knew how much such an endeavor would alienate Declan and me, hopefully, he’d decide it just wasn’t worth it.
If I had to, I’d play the ace in the hole.
What would Mom think about this, Dad?
She’d been gone for years, but the old man still mourned her, still missed her. A simple suggestion that Mom would be disappointed was sometimes all it took to have him rethink things.
Seventeen
Daria
One more day, I told myself.
It was Tuesday and all I had to do was kill time until tomorrow, then Isabel would be back from her brief honeymoon.
I’d spent most of Monday by the pool with Briar. She had offered to stay with me another day and I most definitely had appreciated the gesture. I didn’t know when she planned on leaving, but the fact that she’d been there had just barely made my stay at the Castellanos home tolerable.
I shouldn’t have let Isabel talk me into staying.
Even if I would occasionally like a bit of freedom from Nadia’s ever-watchful eye, I hadn’t been able to relax here on the luxurious Castellanos estate.
From time to time, I’d caught sight of guards patrolling the property and at least once, I’d been close enough to realize the men were armed, though none of them ever came all that close to the guests.
When I went exploring, though, I couldn’t stop thinking about those armed guards, now that I knew they were there.
Those big guns were enough to keep me from relaxing. So instead of heading out to the pool to hang with Briar, after breakfast I changed into a leotard and found my shoes. After packing a few things in a small bag, I headed out of my room to search for the studio Isabel’s indulgent father had built for her.
She showed it to me the day I arrived but I hadn’t been back to it since then, It took a couple of missed turns through the massive gardens before I finally found the place again.
Luckily it was unlocked and I stepped inside. The far part of the main wall faced out over the garden, allowing the natural light to shine into the studio.
On the opposite wall another wall of windows opened to a viewing gallery in case anybody had the fancy to watch. It was probably built with Basilio in mind. Isabel’s father adored her and it wasn’t unusual for him to make trips to New York City just to see her. Nadia even broke one of the schools cardinal rules, allowing the burly, quiet Latino to observe practice whenever he wanted.
I ignored the windows as I went about selecting some music to play while I warmed up.
Once I’d readied my shoes, then donned them, I blew out a breath and felt the stress draining away.
When I danced, nothing else existed.
I stopped thinking about Isabel and how I wished she’d hurry back from her honeymoon.
I stopped thinking about how uncomfortable I was in this lush, exotic sanctuary.
I could just be me.
Arms stretched overhead, I went through my warm-up, my muscles becoming loose and ready.
I’d selected music that I’d danced to before, back in Moscow, and once I finished warming up, I fell into the familiar old steps.
I’d just finished the first piece when I caught sight of a dark shadow standing at the observation window.
I froze as my gaze locked on Brooks’ dark eyes
That temporary paralysis broke almost immediately and I averted my gaze, falling back into the rhythm of the music. It wasn’t as easy to blank my mind this time.
I found myself wondering if he was still there.
I wouldn’t let myself look and my tension began to show in my movements.
Irritated with myself, I stopped and went to get a drink of water. From the corner of my eye, I glanced at the window.
He wasn’t there anymore.
The fist around my chest eased up and I went to the sound system, restarting the song from the beginning.
I moved easier this time.
But I still couldn’t quite find the peace I’d had before I’d noticed Brooks.
I stayed in the studio for hours, but eventually, exhaustion and hunger drove me out.
Nobody paid any attention to me as I walked through the house in my damp leotard, a pair of flip-flops on my feet instead of my slippers. I had to assume they were used to seeing Isabel wander around in similar garb.
Once in my room, I showered away the sweat from my practice session and dressed in my swimming suit and a pair of shorts. I pulled a loose tank top on over the plain black tank suit and repacked my little bag with everything I’d need to lie by the pool.
On my way out, I went into the kitchen.
Isabel had assured me that it was fine to go there at anytime and the staff would set me up.
I saw Marquetta talking in animated tones to another staff member and when she saw me, a bright smile lit up her face. “Miss Daria. You must be hungry.”
“I am. I was wondering I could make myself a sandwich.”
She urged me into a chair, asking me what I liked. In no time, she was building me a massive creation of ham, cheese and vegetables.
“That’s too big,” I protested. “I don’t eat that much in a day.”
She harrumphed under her breath. “You need a good meal in you.”
I squirmed on the stool. “My instructors at the school would have a fit if I gained any weight.”
Marquetta made an expressive face and I couldn’t help but laugh. Isabel had told me how the staff pampered her. They seemed to enjoy showering that attention on everybody, from what I could tell.
“You’re going to the pool?” she asked, skimming me up and down with a practiced eye.
“Yes.”
“Good. Head on down there. I’ll have one of the boys bring this out.”
“I can get it,” I protested. She was cutting up a strawberry and I watched as she laid it out in a pretty design on the plate.
“Nonsense. You go.” She winked at me. “You must let me do my job, Miss Daria.”
Acquiescing then, I slid outside and found the now familiar path that led to the pool.
Briar was there and she flagged me down when she saw me. I offered a wave and made my way around the pool to where she stretched out under the shade of a cabana on a chaise longue with the back raised, a book in her lap.
It was wide, big enough to accommodate three people easily and she patted the empty space next to her. “Here, sit,” she said. “I was wondering if you’d come today.”
“I spent the morning practicing.” I pulled a book from my tote and dropped it on the chaise, then stripped out of my shorts and tank top, folding them neatly and putting them in my bag.
“I never took any sort of dance,” Briar said, sighing wistfully. “Sometimes, I wish I would have.”
> Curious, I looked at her. “Are you in school now?”
“Actually, I’m in my residency.” She shrugged and looked down at the book in her lap. “I’m going to be a cardiac surgeon.”
I blinked, caught off guard.
She caught sight of my face and laughed. “Go ahead and stay it. I look too young.”
“Well, you do. How long do you have to train be a surgeon?”
She told me and I shook my head, dazed at the thought that this woman who looked just a little older than me would be operating on people in a short time.
“I graduated from high school early,” she said, shrugging like it was no big thing. “Our mom died when I was eleven. It hit me hard and I sort of wrapped myself up in school. By the time I hit college, I was used to the nose-to-the-grindstone sort of pace. It’s all I know, really. I finished college almost two years early, then went onto medical school.” She grinned at that. “They didn’t let me blast through that, although, if I could have…” She shrugged.
I felt a little intimidated now. Somebody had arrived from the kitchen, carrying my tray and a tall glass of ice water. There was also a pitcher full of ice and yet more water, plenty enough to get me through the afternoon.
I picked up my plate. Over it, I met Briar’s gaze and offered a hesitant smile. “So, you’re like this … genius?”
“Everybody’s got a gift. Yours is dancing.” She rolled her eyes and shared a big smile. “I trip over my own feet.”
She was so open and down to earth, I felt that knee-jerk nervous reaction fade away and I relaxed as I ate my food. I didn’t even finish half the sandwich and offered the rest to Briar, but she declined. “They stuffed me full to bursting at breakfast.”
“That seems to be standard,” I said, grinning wryly.
A raised voice drew my attention away from her and I only barely managed to control my reaction when I saw Brooks approaching. One of the men who’d been in the wedding party had called out to him and he lifted a hand in greeting.