Broken Circle

by Amy McKinley

  “There is no need for her to join us, Father.”

  A hard glint flashed in Juan Carlos’s narrowed eyes before he turned his attention to Alex. “I insist.”

  Chapter 9

  The boat ride from Margarita Island blurred by as Liv wrestled with her fear of the men onboard with guns. Rather than give in to a full-fledged panic, she focused on the passing scenery, as they stayed close to the shoreline. Questions buzzed in her head, but she pressed her lips together. She would wait and hope there would be an opportunity to talk to Alex without the others onboard overhearing. Except she did have a burning need to find out where they were headed. That, she would ask.

  The moment she waited for came. No one was in earshot. She leaned closer to him and quietly asked, “Where are they taking us?”

  Alex leaned to her ear and whispered their destination. “We’re going to Northern Colombia.”

  Despite the warmth, she shivered. “Why do these men have guns?”

  Alex’s expression shuttered, and his brother, who stood just out of hearing distance—she hoped—flashed her a wolfish grin.

  “What’ll happen when we get there?” She’d dropped her voice even lower, hoping he would at least answer that. He didn’t. A tic pulsed angrily in his jaw.

  Alex moved to speak to his father, and she turned away, uncomfortable with how his brother’s cold, dead eyes followed her. The boat pulled alongside a lone dock and a shoreline thick with vegetation. Wringing her hands, she waited for Alex to return to her side.

  An arm slipped around her waist, and she stiffened. Mateo gazed down at her. “Alex will be just a moment.” He ushered her toward the boat’s exit, where a dockhand waited to help her off.

  She extended her hand to the stranger. The leer that spread across his face made her want to yank back. His grip tightened, and he pulled her forward. When her foot stretched across the edge of the boat, she gasped as the man’s hand wandered up her leg and under her dress.

  “Get the hell away from me!” she yelled, appalled at the brashness of his touch.

  Teetering, she stumbled onto the dock, both his hands still on her. With a thump, Mateo landed next to her, grabbed her from the dockhand’s grip, and pushed her to the side. A flash of silver arched toward the offensive man, and Liv yelped. Blood gurgled. He wobbled back. As life ebbed, he sank to his knees. With a thud, he fell flat on his face. A pool of blood seeped from beneath his body.

  Chills erupted along her arms, despite the humid air, and she fought the bile that burned in the back of her throat. With her stomach churning, she clutched her shaking hands in front of her, afraid to move. A stream of angry Spanish words volleyed back and forth between Mateo and Juan Carlos before Mateo grunted and turned back to the prone body.

  Frozen in place at the brutal violence, Liv followed Mateo’s movements as he flipped the man over, withdrew something from his pocket, and splashed some liquid over the deckhand’s face.

  Mateo moved, and she caught a quick glimpse of the dead man’s face melting into an unrecognizable mass of flesh, blood, and bone. He’d used acid. Jerking to the side of the dock, Liv lost what little she had in her stomach as she fell to her knees.

  Oh God. Mateo killed him…for touching her? Her body shook, and when she was pulled to her feet, cold fear ran along her spine. Alex murmured something in her ear she couldn’t recognize with the roaring panic in her head. His arm wrapped around her, and he guided her down the dock without another word.

  What world had they entered?

  Mateo stopped them, waiting until she looked at him. The words he uttered scraped her ears raw. “It is our way.”

  She flinched as he hooked the dainty silver necklace with his finger and pulled the butterfly pendant from beneath her clothes. In a fast staccato, he and Alex hurled foreign words at each other before her husband tucked her closer and led her away from the boat and the blood pooling behind them.

  “The necklace needs to be visible, Liv.” At her blank expression, he sighed. “To prevent situations like this.”

  Her gaze jerked to Alex’s bare hands then to Mateo’s then to the armed men who surrounded them. Everyone but her and Alex had a butterfly tattoo. Her vision swam at the realization she wore something that linked her to this awful experience, this group of people, and whatever it was they were involved in. Even so, she wasn’t suicidal, and she would stop fighting him on wearing it in public.

  A Jeep met them, and they traveled in silence over bumpy roads with low-hanging trees toward their destination. Dense foliage narrowly brushed the quick-moving vehicle. Off in the distance, she noticed a lean-to with men pouring and mixing over several barrels.

  “Eyes forward, Liv.” Alex’s hushed whisper jerked her back to the dirt road before them.

  Juan Carlos turned around, and his calculating gaze moved back and forth between them. “Interested in our business, Olivia?”

  “She’s not.” Alex’s clipped answer caused his father to smirk.

  Shivering from Juan Carlos’s maniacal laugh, she edged closer to Alex. They traveled a good fifteen minutes until they emerged in front of a sprawling Spanish-style home that boasted arches and hand-crafted tile work. Iron bars decorated the windows. Armed men peppered the roof and patrolled past windows and beneath arches. Humid, thick air pressed against her clammy skin. When the door to the house opened, she stepped inside to a chorus of noise.

  Mind numb, Liv reacted on autopilot as Alex guided her sluggish body. They passed by a few children running through the main room, where several women sat and talked. One of them huffed, disgust clear when she caught sight of the two of them. Alex whispered to her after they walked by that she was Mateo’s mother and Juan Carlos’s wife.

  Juan Carlos waved them off, and Alex propelled her down a long hallway, up a flight of stairs, pushed open a door, and ushered her inside a suite of rooms. With a quiet click, the door shut behind them. His hands lifted and shoved through his hair, disheveling it even more. “Why, Liv? Why did you follow me?” His gaze pleaded with her as he asked.

  The anguish emanating from him shook her even more than their recent experience. “Your father, Alex? You lied to me.”

  “No, I did not. I just didn’t tell you about him.”

  Anger fueled her, and she threw her hands up. “That’s the same thing! It’s lying by omission.” She whirled on her heels and paced the length of the spacious room. “You could’ve mentioned something about them. I’m your wife. I deserve the truth about what’s going on. What is he, what is this really, Alex? What does he do, and…oh my God, you came from here?”

  “No, I didn’t exactly come from here.” The hollowness of his answer snared her attention. “I grew up in my mother’s home, not here. You weren’t supposed to meet him. It’s not safe, and I wanted our life together separate. One thing—I wanted one thing for myself. And that was you.”

  She sucked in a breath at the naked pain on his face. “Then why were you meeting him? I don’t understand.”

  He pushed away from the door and crowded her. One hand hauled her against his chest, and the other thrust into her hair, cupped the back of her head, and pulled her closer to rest his forehead against hers. “I didn’t want you to come. I tried to send you back to my mother’s.” An anguished moan left his mouth. “I’ll try to get you out as soon as I can.”

  She twisted in his arms, and his palms cradled her still-flat stomach. Helpless against his possessive hold and desperate for the closeness they shared, she leaned against him. Her hand reached up and around to cup the back of his neck, when the door opened.

  Alex stiffened, his hands shifting higher as they both turned to take in who’d barged into the room. The dangerous gleam in Mateo’s charcoal eyes as they dropped to her stomach shot panic through her body. In a flash of clarity, she remembered his reaction to Alex’s father’s mention of her pregnancy. He knew. For some reason, other than the obvious, she didn’t want him to learn about the baby.

  “A baby?
How long had you planned to keep that from Father, Alexander?”

  Something about his calculated tone sent raw fear to chase the earlier panic.

  “He was told before we met on the beach. That’s what the meeting was about, Mat. Pissed your spies didn’t learn that back in Manhattan?”

  Mateo’s snicker cramped her stomach. Oh my God! That man—the one she’d seen when she’d gone to meet Rachel and after she and Alex had left dinner—was sent by Alex’s brother. Why was Mateo having them watched?

  “My wife and child don’t concern you, which is why you were not included in our discussions. Where’s Father?” Alex’s controlled speech and subtle digs put her on high alert. The warmth of his body left her with an eerie sense of premonition. She never should have followed him.

  Mateo laughed low and long. “Ahh, dear brother, that’s where you’re wrong.”

  “Wait here, Liv.” His words were clipped, a command.

  His odd behavior shocked her. When the door closed behind Alex and Mateo’s retreating forms, she walked to the window, moved the drapes, and peered outside. Armed men came and went within her view. The closer she looked at them, the more she noticed every single one of them wore the same jagged butterfly tattoo.

  How could Alex have come from this world? From all aspects, it seemed as though his father was a drug lord, the antithesis to Alex’s career. With every fiber of her being, she hoped she was wrong.

  Perhaps an hour passed, and in that time, Liv scoured her memories for any mention of his family other than his mother and grandmother. Nothing came to mind. Needing to talk to someone, she slipped her phone from her purse and shot off a text to Rachel.

  Liv: Rach. Freaking out here. Met Alex’s FATHER and BROTHER.

  Not even a half a second later, Rachel replied.

  Rachel: WTF? He’s never said anything about his father, right?

  Liv: God, Rach. He’s mafia or something. Drug trafficking. I’m not entirely sure yet. They have GUNS.

  Rachel: Get out. You need to leave now! Did Alex know about him?

  Liv: Yes. But I don’t understand what’s going on. He may be undercover. Nothing else makes sense.

  Rachel: If he is, you shouldn’t be there.

  Liv: Yeah. Seriously get that. I’ll talk to him. But, Rach. Don’t say anything to anyone, okay? Not yet.

  Rachel: Um.

  Liv: Swear. I don’t want to jeopardize his career or anything, not if he’s undercover.

  Rachel: I know you love him but stop defending him. You shouldn’t be there.

  Liv: I’m not. Not really. I just have a bad feeling about word getting out before I know for sure. There’s another issue, Rach. This is his FAMILY. I don’t want to cause him to lose his job at the NYPD before I know what’s going on.

  Rachel: I don’t agree. Not to you waiting or staying. He can take the risks but not with you.

  Liv: I understand and fully agree. I should not be here. I wasn’t supposed to, actually. I’ll tell you all that later. I don’t want to get caught on the phone.

  Rachel: Please be careful. Text me as soon as you can.

  Liv: Will. Love ya.

  She selected all the texts to Rachel and deleted them, just in case. A wave of exhaustion hit her, and her eyelids dropped to half mast. A yawn stretched her mouth wide. Reaching her hands behind her neck, she fiddled with the difficult little silver clasp. Unwilling to venture beyond the room without Alex, she sat on the bed, still toying with the clasp to the butterfly necklace. She understood the need to wear it in public, but it was so very uncomfortable to lie down with it around her neck. The rest of her jewelry didn’t bother her, but the pendant felt as if it was strangling her. Her distraction with removing the jewelry caused her to miss the sound of the door opening and the approaching footsteps.

  “Leave that on.” Alex growled as his hands locked around hers, lowering them from the clasp. “I told you not to remove that while we’re here.”

  “I was going to lie down.”

  Alex clenched his jaw. “Not even then.”

  The grim line of his mouth gave her pause. This wasn’t the same man she’d come to know, to love. The minor behaviors she’d witnessed while he was on the black cell phone at home were in full-blown appearance, and she was worried. The man before her no longer resembled her husband.

  “I came back to check on you. I need your brooch cuff for a little while. I’ll give it back in an hour or so.” He clamped her wrist between his side and arm, his back to her.

  She felt the release of the bracelet but wished she could have watched him take it off her. That clasp wasn’t something she’d ever wrestled with before. So weird.

  “Rest. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “Wait! Where are you going?” The fear she worked to keep at bay shot its way to the forefront. If Alex did not want her there in the first place, what did that mean would happen to her, to them? “Are you leaving me here? Please don’t lie. I-I can’t take the thought of being in this place without you.”

  A mild softening in his gaze reminded her he was still in there, somewhere. “No. I’m not going anywhere without you. I have a meeting with my father, this time without Mateo present, which I’d hoped for before my plans went to hell.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Promise I’ll be back.”

  Liv woke to a dark, empty room and downward pressure in her abdomen. Pulling her knees up, she pushed out a calming breath. It must be stress.

  She felt another unusual tightening and moaned. Slowing her breathing, she waited it out as her mind whirled. Could something be wrong with her baby? Shoving the unwanted thought away, she peered at the bedside clock. Several hours had passed. Stretching her hand to the side Alex should be on, she frowned. The sheets were cold and the pillow still fluffed, no indent from his head. Worry for their child and for her and Alex plagued her, and she wished he had returned.

  With her discomfort egging her on, she rose, crept out of the room, and hoped she wouldn’t run into anyone other than Alex. Maybe tea would help. With that thought, the kitchen was her destination.

  The stress of her situation must have been the root of what affected her physically—a position, she recognized, her husband had tried to shield her from. Again, the same question haunted her about the secret he’d kept. Because it was a secret. Buried underneath her fear, she was more than disappointed about his lies.

  The reason for his planned visit to see his father and what exactly he was doing there ran through her mind on a treacherous roller coaster. Could it be he was working to expose his father’s organization? If so, why hadn’t he said anything to her? Or were there listening devices in the rooms that she wasn’t aware of?

  Retracing the direction they had come together would be easier, but she remembered glimpsing another set of stairs closer to their room. That probably led to the kitchen since she didn’t remember seeing it on their way up the other staircase. She moved quietly, with muffled steps, on the red floral carpet runner that ran the length of the long hall and approached the steep flight of stairs. Soft light illuminated the landing. She put her hand on the wall and slowed. Dull aches radiated through her stomach, and she took measured breaths. Just a little ways and she would arrive at the landing. Hand outstretched, she stopped when deep voices snared her attention.

  Nervous and wanting the reassurance of her husband, she leaned against the wall, and her focus snagged on the light seeping through a cracked doorway just ahead. She nibbled on her lip. Would she make it past there without the door opening and someone catching her outside her room? As the discomfort subsided, she became even more aware of a semiquiet conversation.

  Step by step, she inched closer. Clipped voices shattered the quiet, and she paused. Alex? Unable to stop herself, she leaned forward, her body tense.

  The bark of Juan Carlos’s voice strung her body tight, and she debated about the wisdom of her actions. She should leave, quietly. As she crept carefully away, her ears strained to catch their w
ords. What she heard made her blood run cold.

  “She stays. You’ll have to figure out how to keep her in line,” Juan Carlos ordered.

  “She wasn’t supposed to be involved in anything here,” Alex argued.

  “But you need to be. It’s high time you do more than your pampered job in the States.” He paused for a beat. “You’ll have your political career. I’ve already seen to it. You understand what you need to make it look legit.” Another pause, and Liv heard Alex grunt. “If you ever want to prove your importance alongside your brother, you’ll increase your efforts with our family business.”

  “I’ve done more in my short career over there than my brother has to advance—”

  “Enough! Now let’s look at the shipping routes and make sure we have the right people paid off. This is very important, Alejandro. We are filling four tons in barrels. Mistakes will not be tolerated.”

  They discussed Alex’s involvement with the family business—cartel business. Her hand flew to her mouth, stifling a gasp, as she quickly backed away. She’d heard “coca fields” and put two and two together. Cocaine. That was what they’d been doing in that field.

  Tears flooded her eyes, making it difficult to see as she rushed down the hall to the opposite set of stairs. She needed a plan, a way to get out. With each frantic beat of her heart, the rest of what she’d heard filtered through her thoughts. Did his father mean to fix the election for Alex? A muffled noise made her pause as her foot dangled over the first step.

  A hard thump to her back caused the air to whoosh from her lungs. In a free fall, time suspended. Her surroundings blurred as she tumbled down. The ground waited. So did pain. On impact, time fast-forwarded, and her awareness rushed back. Her bones moved in a way they shouldn’t.

  Sound rushed back, and splintered distress slammed her entire body. Shallow breaths moved her battered lungs. Warmth trickled down her face—blood. She lay in a crumpled heap, and agony spread like a spider’s web on each breath. Alive—that was what the needles of pain screamed. Moaning, she cracked her eyes open and blinked away black floaty spots.