He turns me slowly in his arms and tilts my chin up for me to look at him. “You were strong before. I’m different from who I was before I met you, but I don’t have the capacity to feel things the way you do. I think it’s something that got stripped away with my memory. I don’t know how to explain it except I recognize that you should be more upset than you’re letting on, but if I were in your shoes, I’d probably react the same way. That’s not necessarily normal or healthy.”
I sigh. “Just… Don’t worry about me, okay? I’m fine. I promise.”
His gaze travels over me, his doubt and concern quietly existing in the silence. “Sorry,” he says softly. “I didn’t mean to ruin dinner. Everything was perfect.”
“It’s fine. I have to learn to appreciate the good moments when we have them. Seems like clinging to hope that they’ll last forever is a setup for disappointment.”
“That sounds awful when you say it like that.”
“Well, we can’t stay here forever, can we?”
His mouth forms a rigid line, like he doesn’t want to let the disappointing truth pass through. Doesn’t matter. I know this peace can’t last.
“We don’t have to think about that right now,” he says.
“Why wait? Why bring me here and make me want something better only to rip it away when we have to move on in a few days? Why tear off my armor when it’s the only thing that kept me alive? Maybe I don’t want to be vulnerable ever again, knowing there’s someone who’s capable of killing me at the next turn.”
“We can stay here as long as you want. As long as it’s safe… But you’re right, there’s work to be done.”
I cross my arms over my chest tightly. “Work?”
The line between his brows deepens. “Let’s not do this right now.”
Inside I’m jumping at the invitation to ignore reality. But knowing Tristan has a plan forming makes me curious about what it is. Not because I’m ready to jump into it but because I want to prepare myself. Nothing could have prepared me for Bones and the things that happened in that awful house.
“I’d rather know what we’re heading into than pretend this can last.”
“How about we agree to save the world tomorrow.” He eases his palm over my cheek and leans in so our faces are close. “You wanted today to be special for me, right?”
I relax my shoulders. “Of course.”
“Then give me tonight. Let me make love to you. Let me take my time with you. We’ll figure out the rest in the morning.”
Before I can muster any sort of argument, his lips cover mine in a tender, possessive kiss. He cradles my face in his hands, angling us so he can go deeper and take more. The fervent exploration of mouths robs me of any dissenting thoughts and draws our bodies closer. The world outside our moment quickly starts to blur.
Maybe reaching for our happily ever after is a waste. When he touches me and holds me like I’m precious, everything shifts. I close my eyes and wonder if this is all that matters. The here and now. The gift of his touch. A night that belongs to us. Waking up to a new day in his arms and not losing a minute of it hoping for more.
TRISTAN
I pour myself a large cup of black coffee, slip soundlessly out the back door to the deck, and dial Gabriel’s number. Early morning brings high tide up the beach, but the waves are lazy and quiet in the distance. I’m both tired and recharged. Once Isabel gave in to me last night, I made good on my promise. Night bled into morning before we finally succumbed to sleep, but I wouldn’t trade a minute of the satisfaction. I’ll sleep when I’m dead.
After a few rings, her grandfather’s accented voice greets me. “Hello?”
“Gabriel, it’s Tristan.”
A brief pause. “Tristan.” He releases a heavy sigh, like he’s been unburdened suddenly. “Where are you?”
I pause. “A few hours away.”
“Is Isabel okay?”
“She’s fine. A little shaken, obviously, but I think she’ll be all right. I’m guessing you heard what happened.”
“I can’t believe it. I can’t believe she’s really gone.” He’s quiet a moment. “The funeral is next week. Reverend Stephens will be out of the hospital by then and will give the service. It gives everyone time to travel too. Martine was very connected. Her death will come as a shock to a lot of people.”
I hesitate because I’m not sure how broken up he is over this or if he has any idea I’m the one who ended her life. I’m not exactly proud of it, but it’s what needed to be done. The fact that I killed her won’t keep me up at night. At least not the way I know Bones’s ghost is haunting Isabel’s dreams. I don’t want Isabel building a wall around her heart, but I hope she can come to terms with what happened sooner rather than later.
“If you’re going to stay in New Orleans, you should be extremely careful,” I say.
“I have to stay. Lucia will be here tomorrow to help take care of affairs. The house was destroyed. There’s a lot to be done.”
“What will happen to Halo?”
“That remains to be seen. This obviously changes things. Martine held the reins for a long time, and I never argued. I didn’t thrive on the power play the way she did. I used our resources sparingly, only when necessary. She amassed so much wealth…”
His voice drifts off, as if he can’t understand what would motivate her to such greed.
“I know. I went through her files. Millions. Plenty of real estate too. What will happen to all of it?”
“The ministry’s assets were placed in a charitable trust. In the event of Martine’s death, Lucia and I become the trustees.”
“That’s quite an inheritance.”
“Some of the money is tied up in the cause. There are channels to distribute the rest. The complexity of this net she built means Halo has to go on, and the trust will continue to support it. But the mission… These things can change. They must.”
I start to pace the deck, sensing there’s more. Gabriel didn’t love the direction Martine was taking Halo, but that doesn’t mean he’s closing down the operation now that she’s gone. The circumstance of her death could mean a whole new direction for the organization.
“Tristan, I have to ask you something. With everything that’s come to pass, have you made a decision about the Company? Will you go after them yourself?”
He doesn’t realize I made that decision before we’d ever met. I’m not sure if mine is the answer he wants to hear, but seeing as he holds no authority over me, I figure the truth is best.
“I don’t trust anyone else to the task. This needs to end.”
“How do you plan to do it?”
“Jay’s become an ally. I plan to pull this weed out by the roots. She’ll help me do it.”
At least I think she will. We’ll see if she answers when I come calling for more intel.
“And Isabel?”
Will I keep her out of harm’s way? Will I take care of her? This is what he wants to know. He doesn’t realize how willful, brave, and determined she can be, though.
“We’re in this together,” I say at the risk of ratcheting up his worry. “I can assure you nothing is more important than keeping her safe. Always.”
He sighs. It’s a worried, tired sound. “I’m glad you called, then.”
I slow my pacing.
“When Lucia gave Isabel her new identity, she set her up with a bank account. We funded it thinking she would be staying with Martine for quite some time. Things have changed, and if you really intend to go after them, money shouldn’t be a consideration. I’m going to move funds around and make a transfer into her account once the bank opens. If it helps, or if it can buy her freedom from these people, it’ll be worth whatever Martine did to get it.”
“Lucia’s agreed to this?”
“She will. Please tell Isabel.”
“I will.”
We hang up, and I finish my coffee, which has grown cold.
I’d never been money hungry. Of course I need
ed to survive, but having access to that kind of money brings new possibilities. Fewer limitations.
The door slides open, and when I turn, Isabel walks through. She’s wearing one of my black T-shirts and holding a ripe peach we bought at the local supermarket yesterday, an endeavor that was more enjoyable than I ever thought it could be. Next to the horrors we’ve seen, being able to pick out produce together was more than pleasant—it was a glimpse into what a normal life could look like for us. A life where we weren’t running, where we could work and run errands and spend every night the way we spent last night.
“Morning, Red.” She smirks before taking a bite.
I lick my bottom lip and look her over while last night plays like a fast reel in my mind.
“Isabel.”
She walks up to me and kisses my cheek. I turn and take her mouth. Peaches and Isabel’s sweet taste. When we pull away, her smile returns and her eyes glitter with affection.
“I think I like when you call me that,” I mutter.
She laughs and takes another bite. I’m not sure why, but it feels like an evolution. Like acceptance. Like I’m the one who’s reclaimed her heart. Tristan Red. Not the man I used to be, who still seems like a stranger most of the time.
“Who were you talking to?”
I redirect my thoughts to the conversation with her grandfather and the fortuitous turn of events at Halo’s helm.
“Gabriel. He gave me his number when we talked before. I promised I’d keep him updated so he knows you’re safe.”
She stills. “Is that all?”
“He and your mother are going to be assuming responsibility for Halo’s assets. They’re significant. Martine had her fingers in a lot of pots. She couldn’t buy her way into the Company, but maybe it’ll be enough to help us take them down.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “Us?”
“Keep an eye on your bank account.”
CHAPTER THREE
Isabel
Of all the things that drove the big choices in my life, money never ranked highly among them. Thanks to my father’s high-ranking government job, I always had everything I needed and most of what I wanted. My parents wanted me to be successful in whatever I did and could afford to put me on that path, but I always cared more about being happy over being rich. No amount of money could have brought back the happiness I’d once tasted with Tristan. That much I knew.
Still, I’m not immune to the shock of seeing my inflated bank balance when the transfer hits a few hours after Tristan told me to expect it. Martine’s humble mission didn’t match her bank account, it would seem.
I put my hand over my mouth. “My God, Tristan, what are we going to do with this much money?”
He rolls over on the blanket we’ve laid out on the sand, slides his aviators down his nose half an inch, and peers at my phone screen. He arches a dark eyebrow before rolling to his back and replacing his sunglasses over his eyes.
“Tristan!”
He grins. “What do you want me to say? Don’t spend it all in one place.”
I let out a short laugh. “I can’t think of a single thing I could buy with this much money. Maybe a private island.”
“You never know. We may need one after this is all said and done.”
I blink a few times. Recount the zeros. Try to wrap my head around the amount. This is insane. Hell, wouldn’t this be enough for us to disappear forever?
“You’re sure we can’t just move somewhere and live on this for the rest of our lives?”
“If I thought it’d be that easy, we’d be there already.”
I sulk a little.
Being here in Perdido Key feels like we’re on the edge of the world, but I know better. Danger could be closer than we know. The Company has caught us off guard before. Even if weeks or months go by here without incident, that’s not enough to rest easy.
I put the phone down and take in Tristan’s reclined figure. His chest is bare and marred with scars I wish I could erase forever. The instinct to run and hide suddenly morphs into something else—the instinct to right all the wrongs, take back what was so cruelly ripped away, and build the life we deserve.
“You said we’d figure out how to save the world this morning. It’s almost noon.”
He rolls to his side and props his head on his hand. “Are you in a rush?”
“Clearly, I am.”
He pushes his sunglasses into his hair. “Why are you pushing the pace?”
“Why aren’t you?”
“Because you need some time to recover after what happened.”
“Okay, but while we’re here, they’re not going to lose interest. They’ll never be less motivated to destroy us until we stop them. Once they find out about Martine and Dunny, they’ll be regrouping and coming up with a new plan of action, right? Maybe that’s when we should be putting ours into motion. Like Jay said, she didn’t expect us to maneuver with Boswell so quickly. It caught them off guard. They may be deadly and soulless, but they’re still an organization. They’re bigger and have more moving parts. We can always be more agile.”
He swings his gaze over the pretty aquamarine water and then back to me. “We need to get a meeting with Soloman. Take him out.” He hesitates a minute. “Then we need to set our sights on Kristopher Boswell. Probably Vince and his sister too.”
I tense, not only because of what I went through with Vince Boswell but because of the relationship I had with Kolt not that long ago. Kolt may have fallen for me, but he also betrayed me every minute he pretended to be someone he wasn’t. If his mother and uncle were instrumental in putting the hit on my life, then those two people are between us and our freedom. Still, I’m grateful they’re second on the list so I don’t have to dwell on it too much right away.
“How do we get a meeting with Soloman?”
Tristan purses his lips a little. “Crow has a connection, but the last time I relied on him to carry out a plan, it was catastrophic. Also, if Jay’s willing to help, I can’t have Crow involved. Once Townsend finds out what happened to her, he’s more likely to outright kill Crow than let a plan unfold with him in it.”
“That’s true. So we go to Jay first?”
He nods. “I’ll message her.”
“You really think she’ll help?”
“I have a feeling she will. We’re in the same boat now. She wants Soloman out of the picture as much as we do. Her life depends on it too.”
He may be right, but I’m too impatient to wait to find out. I grab my things and make my way up the path to the house.
“Where are you going?” he calls after me.
I hurry up the stairs and into the house, find Tristan’s laptop, and bring it to the wicker dining room table.
Tristan bursts through the door just as I key in his password.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Taking initiative.”
He rolls his eyes and pulls up a chair. I’m opening the chat terminal as he turns the laptop toward him, putting an end to my hijacking of the machine. “Anyone ever tell you you’re impulsive?”
I just smile and rest my chin on his shoulder as he types into the chat.
RED: I have a client for Soloman.
How does he get a meeting?
“You have a client? You can’t mean you.”
“No. Mateus,” he says.
“Mateus? He’d come all the way from Brazil—”
“He’ll do whatever I ask him to do. And he’s probably not in Brazil anymore. He could be anywhere.”
JAY: What’s his industry?
Tristan rests his fingers lightly on the keys, not depressing any of them. He’s calculating, so I don’t distract him even though I’m definitely more eager than Jay for the answer. His history with Mateus was never fully explained to me. All I know is he has a debt to Tristan, a multi-million-dollar condo in New York City, and access to private jets and pilots on standby. And he may be one of the only people Tristan trusts.
JAY: Don’t bullshit me. If he’s introduced
through the wrong people, the plan will fail.
The corner of his lip lifts, but he hesitates a moment before responding.
RED: Textiles. Brazil with global
reach. Money is no object.
A few minutes pass as we watch the screen and wait for her to respond. I sit back and cross my arms. “So are you going to tell me what happened between you two?”
TRISTAN
A burst of visions flicker across my mind. The red glow of the neon signs that lit up Mateus’s face the night we met. The busy bar that muffled our introductions and the conversations that followed. The hand-drawn map he gave me with an offer I could have easily refused.
Isabel links our fingers together, drawing my focus back to her thoughtful gaze. I think back to when I all but dragged her into Mateus’s home a month ago with no explanation. He’d known then that Isabel was important, even if I couldn’t fully grasp it myself.
There’s no reason not to tell her about our history except that no one ever knew what I did for Mateus or why. It happened before the accountability that came with the assignments Company Eleven fed me for years after.
“I met Mateus a long time ago. Before I’d accepted any jobs from Jay. She’d been pressuring me to get started for a few months, but I kept putting her off. I told her I was still healing and figuring out my way around Rio, which was half true. I used to hang out at this bar called Banana Jack, close to where I lived at the time. It was nothing special, but I ate half my meals there. I didn’t go to socialize, but the small talk helped me learn the language. Plus it got me out of my own head, which at the time wasn’t a great place to be. Anyway, that’s where I met him.”
“I thought he lived in Petrópolis.”
“Sometimes he’s there if he’s not traveling or working. He came to Rio for business pretty often. He owned a condo on the strip, which ended up being mine when everything was said and done. You saw it.”
The Red Ledger: 6 Page 2