by Paula Roe
A movement caught her eye and Yelena glanced across. Alex stood at the exit.
Their eyes met and despite the horrible truth she now knew, Yelena felt every nerve in her body charge.
“Yelena?”
“Mmm?”
“I can take Bella if you want.”
Yelena took a deep breath and refocused on Pam. “I’m sorry?”
The older woman was smiling in a way that Yelena couldn’t fail to interpret. “I can go and put Bella down if you want to—that is, I mean…”
Now they were both embarrassed. “No, that’s okay,” Yelena assured her, her skin flushing with guilt. “She’s been a bit fussy. Unfamiliar surroundings, I think.”
She gently extricated Bella with a smile then made her way outside.
Alex was nowhere to be seen. Yelena sighed. Relieved? Or disappointed?
Both. She keyed open the security gate and soon the gardens engulfed her.
With a shiver, she quickly made her way down the winding path, lush foliage and the sounds of dusk whispering around her. The afternoon heat had eased off as the ritual preparation for sunset began. Thanks to enthusiastic discussions with Pam, she recognized a flock of rare Princess parrots noisily roosting in River Red Gums, then farther on, more busy bird chatter in the spinifex grass. The trees and plants were abundant, providing coverage for not only the bird population but also various reptiles she’d spotted most mornings soaking up the sun on her patio.
Lost in the sights and sounds, she started when she rounded the curve and Carlos emerged from the opposite direction.
She gave him a smile, too tired to make sure she meant it. “Having a good time?”
She waited while he lazily took a drag of his cigarette before blowing smoke into the air.
Her smile dropped as she pointedly coughed then repositioned Bella on her other shoulder.
“Not as much as you are, apparently.”
Her mouth thinned but she said nothing.
“He denied trying to take Sprint Travel then,” Carlos said flatly.
“I didn’t ask him.”
“Oh, right. Too busy, were you?”
She sniffed, catching the scent of scotch on his breath, but clamped her mouth shut, smiling politely as she made way for a passing couple.
“The man isn’t fit to run a charity raffle,” Carlos said, grinding the cigarette beneath his toe. “And you’re cheapening yourself hanging around him.”
Her breath came in sharp. “What?”
“Just look at his family. His father grew up in Bankstown, for starters,” he scoffed.
“So did Paul Keating, Australia’s twenty-fourth prime minister. What does living in Sydney’s western suburbs prove?”
Carlos sighed. “Breeding, Yelena. William Rush cheated on his wife. Then he dies in mysterious circumstances and Alex gets off scot-free. And from what I’m hearing, Rush Airlines’ business practices weren’t exactly aboveboard.”
Yelena shook her head. “That’s the first I’m hearing of it.”
“Well.” Carlos glanced past her, his smile hinting at condescension. “I have sources. If you stood to inherit a billion-dollar company and knew it was going down the gurgler, wouldn’t you be a little pissed off?”
“I’m not going to validate that by answering.”
He swung his gaze back to her, eyes blazing. “You’re a Valero. What you do is public business and reflects on everyone, especially Papá. I think he’d have something to say about what is going on here.”
A cold shard iced over her heart. “Carlos…”
“And for heaven’s sakes, Yelena, fix your hair! It looks like you’ve just tumbled from his bed.”
Yelena automatically put her hand to her head as he glanced about again.
Then she stilled. Slowly, she let her hand fall.
Carlos’s narrowed eyes caught that. “I thought at least you’d have a little restraint. I knew Gabriela was a bad influence.”
She sucked in a breath. “Do not say one word against our sister.” Now she just itched to slap him. But frankly, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her lose control.
“Well, what would you call it? First, thanks to her we end up in this god-awful, ass-end-of-the-world country! Then she becomes a discount store model—” he spat out the word like others would say “prostitute” “—then she calls and you drop everything to bum around Europe for months on end. God knows what you both ended up doing over there.”
“Remember, she died, Carlos,” Yelena choked out.
His eyes barely rested on Bella before he glanced away. “And you end up with a bastard child.”
The air crackled with rising tension and Yelena tried to shove her way through it. But his bitter expression, one that went beyond mere anger and disappointment, forced a terrible thought into her brain.
“And you’ll never forgive me for that, will you?” she said slowly. His impatient gesture told her what he thought of that ridiculous thought. But gradually, clarity began to dawn. “Here, hold your niece.”
“Hey!” Carlos took a step back, hands up, and in that moment, Yelena saw a brief flash of disgust twist across his face. It shattered something inside her, propelling a bitter acrid burn into her throat.
“Oh, my God,” she whispered fiercely. “You can’t even hold her, can you?”
Carlos plastered on a tight smile, nodding politely as a woman walked past.
“What are you talking about?” he finally hissed.
“You’ve never once picked her up, talked to her, engaged with her. She’s a baby, Carlos. And just because I don’t have a husband does not give you the right to—”
“To what?” he spat, the venom pitched low and hard as he grabbed Yelena’s arm. “We are Valeros, descended from Spanish royalty! Dios, the irony from you, a public relations expert.” He dropped her arm with a snort of disgust. “Did you think for one second how this looks for our father? Our mother? You’re not only flaunting that child but you’re also sleeping with a convict, a man who killed his father!”
“He did not kill anyone!” Yelena countered, gently patting Bella as she stirred.
“Oh, and you were there, were you?”
“Yes, I was.”
Triumph leaked from her voice: she felt it empower every muscle, every bone as she lifted her chin.
Carlos stepped back, a dark frown contorting his face. “You weren’t.”
“Alex was with me at the time his father died. Let it go, Carlos.”
He looked so stunned that for one second, Yelena almost took pity on him. Yet she knew, really knew, how he felt about her and Bella and she just couldn’t forgive him for that.
Carlos might be family, but so was Bella. She glanced down at her sleeping baby, cupping her warm head with one trembling hand. Carlos not only treated her presence like dirt under his triple-stitched, imported Spanish shoes but now this…this.. disgusting revelation.
All that history had been stripped away, reduced to nothing but bitter ashes. Carlos had done that.
“I don’t want to argue, Carlos,” she muttered, exhaustion and loss engulfing her.
“Then don’t.” He gave her a tight look. “I’m going back to the bar.”
Yelena watched him stalk off without a word, her heart aching. Carlos was her brother. Her charming, funny, smart brother, her champion, her protector. She’d worshipped him. He was her flesh and blood. He and Gabriela were family, more than her absent parents ever were.
When had it all gone sour?
On quick footsteps she got to her suite, smiled at the waiting Jasmine then keyed them both in. She prepared the formula then went into the bedroom, settling in the comfy rocking chair and positioned Bella in her arms.
As Bella fed, the insistent pounding that had settled in the middle of her forehead slowly began to ease. Yet she refused to think about what had just happened, not until she’d settled the baby. Instead she sighed, releasing the tension from her tight shoulders, let
the moment calm her limbs and relax her body as she watched Bella feed.
Too soon, the formula was gone and Bella’s eyes had fluttered closed. After a moment, Yelena rose then gently tucked her into the crib. Staring down at that sweet, innocent face, her heart tightened just a little more.
Carlos’s disapproval had always been there, she acknowledged as her hand rested gently on Bella’s rising chest. After moving to Australia, Gabriela had curbed her rebellion into small localized ones. Hair, makeup, wardrobe and boyfriends were the main points of contention. And when she’d reached eighteen, her brief fling with modeling had earned her enough money to move out.
Despite the years in between, guilt still burned.
What Gabriela didn’t know was the more waves she caused, the more Yelena deliberately smoothed them. Controlling her environment, bringing order into her disorganized world, like Alex had said.
With one last look at her now-sleeping daughter, she crept from the room.
“Going back to the party?” Jasmine asked, glancing up from the book she’d been reading.
Yelena nodded, unable to force out pleasantries. Swiftly she picked up her purse and quietly left.
She couldn’t let it go like this.
A myriad of conflicting emotions dogged every step as she walked down the shadowed path, twisting and turning inside. It hurt, damn, it hurt. It was her brother, the same man who’d said all those awful things, shown her a terrible side she’d never witnessed before.
But if she gave up on Carlos, she’d have no one left.
That appalling thought quickened her pace and soon the path widened out into Merlot’s raised courtyard, the low sun and spreading shadows highlighting her brother drinking deep from a glass, his back to her as he glared at the elaborate water feature in the center of the patio.
Carlos. Just as she was about to call out, Alex emerged from the bar.
She shrunk back, instead taking the fork in the path that led down a gentle slope until the marble wall grew taller and taller, eventually hiding her from view. The cool stone against her shoulder goose-bumped her flesh and she suppressed a shiver.
“What the hell do you want?” she heard Carlos growl directly above her head.
“You’re drunk, Carlos.”
Carlos snorted. “And you’re a murderous son of a bitch who’s screwing my sister.”
Yelena’s hand went to her mouth, stifling the gasp. She glanced up but unless she took a step back, revealing her hiding place, she could see nothing but the wrought-iron railing topping the marbled wall.
“Wrong on the first one,” Alex murmured, sounding way too calm. “But on the second…” The pause was long and deliberate. “What’s it to you if I was?”
Something smashed close to her feet, the bitter smell of scotch assailing her nostrils a second later. “I’ll kill you.”
“Careful. I might think you actually mean it.”
“I don’t give second warnings, Alex.”
Thick apprehension swirled as Yelena frowned, holding her breath.
“And I’m sure that’s been enough to scare the others into silence,” Alex finally said. “But it won’t work with me. Not now. We both know who’s been feeding those stories about my father to the press. Stories that have no basis in truth, I might add.”
Carlos remained silent.
“You’re itching to say it, aren’t you?” Alex sounded almost amused. “So why don’t I save you the trouble? You overheard a private conversation between me and my father, assumed he was cheating then used it to fuel a publicity headache, one you’re hoping will sway Sprint Travel in your favor.” He paused, then added almost regretfully, “Why do you hate me so much?”
Yelena could feel the heavy tension in the air. It wasn’t hard to imagine Carlos’s flaming glare, radiating pure fury. She’d been the recipient of that look already.
“You were the son of the great and powerful William Rush, adored by millions, the talented heir to a bloody saint.” A loud crack signaled Carlos had slammed his palm on the stone wall.
“Nothing was ever handed to me on a plate. I had to work for it.”
“So did I.”
Carlos reeled off a blistering curse in Spanish, making Yelena’s ears burn. “That’s a crock. Nothing ever came hard to you.”
“So that’s what this is about—jealousy?”
“It’s about getting just reward,” Carlos threw back. “I’ve put every penny into Sprint and unlike you, I don’t have an airline company and a billion-dollar resort to fall back on if it goes bust. You gave no thought to the consequences when the cops started questioning you, did you? No consideration for our partnership deal. You could’ve just said, ‘No, I didn’t do it.’ Instead you hid behind a lawyer and clammed up.”
“I didn’t kill him, Carlos.”
“I don’t really care,” Carlos sneered. “Our business plummeted because of you, which breaches our partnership agreement.”
“And that justifies what you’re doing now?”
“I’m doing what I have to to save Sprint and my reputation.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
Yelena couldn’t bear it any longer. She eased along the high wall until it began to dip. Just above eye level she snuck a glance over the top.
Both men were squared off, bodies rigid. Yet where the thunderous look on Carlos’s face was painfully familiar, Alex seemed almost…calm. Confident, even.
“My solicitor assures me the courts will be in my favor,” Carlos said now.
“Not after they know you’ve been slandering my family in the press.” Alex placed his hands on his hips. “You’ll stop this vendetta. Now.”
“What vendetta?”
“Don’t play dumb. We both know what you’ve been doing.”
Carlos snorted. “Fine. But only if you hand over Sprint. And stay away from Yelena.”
A raw moan of dismay rumbled in her throat but she managed to swallow it. Her hands, she noticed, clutched damp fistfuls of red satin and quickly she released her grip, furtively smoothing out the skirt.
“No.”
Alex’s cold response rang clearly across the courtyard, breathing life into Yelena’s stiff form, warmth into her cooling limbs.
“You’ve got no proof,” Carlos hissed. “And with a few well-chosen words in Yelena’s ear, she’ll drop you and your account quicker than last week’s leftovers.”
“She won’t believe you.”
“But I’m her brother. The only person she trusts. She’ll believe me.”
Although she couldn’t read Alex’s expression, his tense shoulders and angled jaw at Carlos’s smug words spoke volumes.
“What Yelena and I do is none of your business, Carlos.”
“Like hell it’s not!” Carlos’s fists tightened. “You’ve dragged her down to your level and I should—”
“Do not threaten me, Valero.” Alex stepped into the light, his face a mask of angry impatience and dark shadow. “You can try your luck right here, right now, but I’ve taken on guys twice your size before and won. In fact—” his chin lifted, a tight smile stretching his lips “—go right ahead. I’m just itching to punch that pretty face of yours.”
In deathly silence, Yelena watched the standoff, heart thundering, every limb and muscle alert with horrible anticipation.
Then, after interminably long seconds, Carlos slowly stepped back.
Alex shoved his hands in his pockets. “Ultimatums only work if you’re holding all the cards, Carlos.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you lose. I have your threats on tape. I have proof you were talking to the press. And pretty soon I’ll have proof you were stealing not only from Sprint but others, too. And more importantly, I have Yelena. Don’t try it,” he added tightly as Carlos rocked on his feet. “I will take you down.”
Carlos’s face twisted into a furious mask of rage but Alex kept going. “Keep talking to the press and you’ll see h
ow much mud sticks.”
Finally Alex turned and headed across the courtyard, to the path that led back to the party. At the last minute he paused, glancing back. “You need to leave now. I’ll have security drive you to the airstrip.”
A stream of curses followed him as he disappeared, before Carlos turned on his heel and stalked inside.
Yelena slipped back, the lengthening shadows enveloping her. With racing heart, she placed her palms on the smooth stone, taking relief from the cold, unyielding surface against her burning skin.
This changed everything.
A few seconds passed before her body craved movement, her mind solitude. It was no surprise she ended up at the most secluded area of the resort.
The grotto was private and intimate, a small rock pool surrounded by an impressive array of trees and strategically placed slabs of granite to form a miniature version of Diamond Falls’ waterfall.
She sat in a deck chair, the gentle rustle of material whispering around her legs. The bubbling, lapping water, coupled with the hypnotic ripples shimmering across the illuminated surface slowly edged into her consciousness, gently prying loose her fervent thoughts. Gradually the noise in her head eased off, leaving her with unanswered questions.
Since when had Carlos become so vindictive? How could her brother willingly set out to destroy a family? He’d never even met Pam and Chelsea.
The crystalline waters held no answer. A gentle breeze rushed through the trees, bringing with it the faraway noise of the party. Moments later, a bunch of jovial partygoers interrupted her reverie. As they laughed and joked, clumsily stripping off their formal wear, Yelena rose.
“Hey! Come and join us in the pool!”
The cute guy was grinning as he paused midstrip but Yelena shook her head with a smile. “No thanks.”
Amidst their calls of disappointment, Yelena threw them an apologetic smile before clicking open the pool gate.
She kept on walking until the path stopped. Startled she glanced up, to the very last suite, which stood alone and apart from the others. Her eyes ran over the brickwork, the fancy tiled patio with its top-shelf furniture and drawn curtains.
Such perfection and beauty. Yet she wondered if the occupants would come up quite so well under scrutiny.