by J Q Anderson
“Look, whatever it is you want, I can’t help you. Please, you have to go.”
“Not before I speak to one of them,” he said.
Behind me, the door burst open. Sergei’s mouth twisted in a sly smile.
“Palacios, good timing.” Sergei blew out smoke through his nose.
“What the fuck?” snarled Sebastián, gripping my arm and pulling me behind him. “Zchestakova. I should’ve known. What do you want?”
“I came to talk to your father. Or to you.” He shrugged.
Sebastián let out a humorless chuckle. “You’ve got balls, I’ll give you that. All that circus upfront was so you could slither in?” He shook his head in disbelief.
“I’m a desperate man, Palacios.” Sergei flicked his cigarette, then threw it on the gravel and let it burn there.
“You’re a stupid man,” Sebastián corrected. “You know what’ll happen when they find you here. Julián’s not known for his patience, or his compassion.” He smirked.
“He can’t freeze all our shipments,” Sergei spat out. “If he doesn’t release at least one of them soon, he puts us out of business. Your father doesn’t want that. I need to speak with him, not Julián.”
“My father will not speak to you,” Sebastián said. “This is not how he does business. You broke in. Mocked his men. He will not listen to you.”
“Then you help us,” Sergei said.
“That’s not my turf. Even if I wanted to help you, I couldn’t.”
“Of course it’s your turf. You’re a Palacios. Camila,” he said, glancing over, “talk to him. This affects you too. If we’re forced to leave Buenos Aires, Natascha’s career here is over. Don’t you care? We have ten days before we lose everything.”
Dread filled me at the thought of Nata being punished because of some business quarrel. But Sergei could be bluffing. I didn’t know what to believe anymore.
“Sergei, you have to leave. Now,” I said. “We can talk about this tomorrow, somewhere else. Please.”
“There’s no out for me now. But I knew that, coming here.” He looked at Sebastián. “My family needs those shipments. Or we won’t survive.” Anger flashed through his glassy eyes. “Now is the perfect time to let us in with big shipments. The docks are chaos after the Russian girls were taken from Ivanov’s ship.”
Russian girls? I darted a look at Sebastián. He held my gaze and shook his head fractionally. Don’t.
“We’ve got things under control,” said Sebastián.
“Like hell you do,” Sergei spat out. “Ivanov is like a rabid dog, searching all the boarding houses in the city for those girls. Now is the time to move. He’s distracted. With him out of the way, we can push in our biggest cargo.”
I darted another anxious look at Sebastián, but his eyes were focused on Sergei. Sebastián's expression was serious. Something Sergei had said was new information. I hadn’t mentioned anything about the girls to Nata or anyone, but it was obviously spreading fast. Shit, would it come back to Sebastián? My head hurt.
Rafa charged in and instantly drew out his gun, aiming it at Sergei. “Step back, asshole.”
“Whoa. Is that really necessary?” I snapped, turning to Sebastián. “He’s not armed.” I darted an inquisitive glance at Sergei, and he looked away. “Sergei and Natascha are like family to me. There’s got to be another way. Please, please help him get out of here.”
“Julián’s men are everywhere,” Rafa said to Sebastián. “He’ll never make it out. Your father’s men will tear each other to pieces for his head.”
“Dammit, Sergei. Your sister needs you to take care of your family,” I said. “You can’t do that if you’re hurt.”
“I’m not afraid of them,” Sergei said, looking at Sebastián. “Without your help, my family is as good as dead.”
I clutched Sebastián’s arm. “Please. Help him.”
Sebastián ran a hand through his hair. “Fuck, Sergei. You’re starting to be a real pain in my ass.” He let out an exasperated sigh as he nodded to Rafa. “Take him out to the fourth garage. Take the Maserati, hide him. Tell the men at the door I sent you home to get documents for my father to sign. Then let him loose at the nearest bus stop.” His tone was firm, measured with the confidence of a man who is used to giving orders. In that moment, there was no doubt he was Don Martín’s son.
“Sergei, go.” I pulled Sergei into an embrace so I could talk into his ear. He stiffened and didn’t hug me back. “I’ll do what I can to help. Now go. Please. For Nata.” I pulled away, and he looked at me with skeptical eyes. Then he followed Rafa to the garage a few yards away.
Sebastián shook his head. Growling, he took my hand. “Let’s go.”
In the hallway, Mercedes intercepted us as she came out of the bathroom. All my muscles tensed. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. What now?
“Sebas,” she said, ignoring me. “I need your help to get Julián out of there.” She gestured to a closed door beside her. “The cake is ready.”
“Sorry, Mechi. We’re on our way out.”
“No, you can’t!” she said, shaking her head and placing her hands on his chest. She looked up at him and smiled widely. Poisonous snake.
Sebastián relaxed a fraction.
“Please.” She pouted. “Julián’s been in there with your dad for ages. Can you please do it? For me? It’s my birthday, too, and I don’t want to blow out candles alone. All you have to do is slip in there and tell Julián he’s needed in the pool area.” She tilted her head to the side.
Sebastián let out a defeated sigh. He turned around and kissed my forehead. “I’ll be right back, babe.” When he saw the disappointment in my face, he whispered, “I won’t be long.” Then his expression changed, and he cursed under his breath. “Actually, my father needs to talk to me…and Rafa is gone. Do you want me to have someone drive you home?”
“It’s fine. I’ll wait. Excuse me, I have to use the bathroom.” I glanced behind him at Mercedes, who shrugged with a winning sneer. “Something’s made me feel sick.”
I shut the bathroom door and slumped against it. The white marble room spun wildly around me, and my pulse raced. Dammit. This evening had turned into a nightmare. Suddenly, all the things that seemed beautiful when we first arrived, now whirled in my head. Mercedes, this party, all these fucking people. All those guns. And Sergei, here, using me to get to Sebastián.
Nata. My best friend. She had used me too.
I rushed to the toilet and emptied the contents of my stomach, heaving painfully. Tears burned down my cheeks like acid. Dammit, Nata.
I splashed my face with cold water and, as I looked up in the mirror, my mind was suddenly clear: I didn’t care about any of it. I didn’t want to be part of this fucked-up family.
I wanted out.
I quickly dried my face and stormed out of the bathroom. I searched my purse for my phone. I would call an Uber and wait outside by the gate. I would be gone by the time Sebastián came out.
“Cami.” Startling me, Milo grabbed my arm from behind.
“Milo. Wh-what are you doing here?”
“On my way out, actually.”
“Oh. Can you give me a lift?” I said.
“Sure…” He frowned. “Aren’t you here with Palacios?”
“Yes. No. I mean…” I shook my head. “He’s busy. I was about to call an Uber.”
“Okay. Wait here, I’ll get my coat.”
I plopped down in a hallway armchair to wait for Milo. I rested my head back, closing my eyes. Arguing male voices burst from a room a few steps away. Sebastián…There was silence, then another outburst. I stood and silently stepped closer. The voices became more discernible, and I stilled, sure that one of them was Sebastián’s. He was arguing with…Don Martín? I pressed myself to the wall, pretending to look for something in my purse.
“You made this mess. You undo it,” Don Martín was saying.
“With all due respect, they were trafficking girls on our waters.
What the hell did you expect me to do?”
“There are codes for these things. Do I need to remind you how things work?”
“Those girls were being raped every hour,” Sebastián growled. “We couldn’t leave them there, waiting for our ‘codes.’”
“Dammit, Sebastián. You know damn well Ivanov won’t stop until he finds who’s behind his ship’s ambush. And he won’t give a fuck about our codes either. If Julián doesn’t release the cargoes, Zchestakova will become more desperate to save his business. He’ll capitalize on Ivanov being distracted to make up for the lost profits. Who knows what he’ll try next.”
“I assure you it won’t come to that, Papá.”
“I don’t want these vultures near us. They’re savages. I’m too old for these games. Talk to Julián. You two resolve this…mess. If this comes anywhere near us, we’ll be facing a war.” Don Martín’s husky tone had turned hoarse, strained. Even through a brick wall, it still managed to send a chill down my back.
“Papá,” Sebastián said in a calm tone, “this won’t come near you. I’ll make sure of it.”
“I’m leaving to Italy tomorrow to see your brother. I’ll need you to keep an eye on the new car shipments that are coming in. It’s a large midnight load, and I don’t trust anyone else. All the paperwork is ready.”
“Julián’s a better man for that.”
“I want you to do it.”
“The studio is busy and I need to be there full-time. I’ll help if Julián needs me, but you need to talk to Alejandro about moving back here.”
“I need you by my side, goddamnit. You’re a Palacios. Stop fucking around!” A slam against wood made me jump, and I immediately stepped away. Sitting down onto the same armchair, I put my head in my hands. Shit. I needed to run—I knew that much. But I couldn’t. Not tonight. There he was, facing the storm after helping those girls, facing his father who kept sucking him into the business, and I was jumping ship. Guilt filled me. I didn’t know if we could be together, but I couldn’t leave him now. Not like this.
Milo appeared, holding his coat. “Ready?”
“Actually, I’ll wait. Sebastián won’t be long after all.”
He watched me for a moment, then squatted down beside me and took my hand. “What are you doing with this guy? How did you end up mixed with these people? This is not you.”
I bit my lip hard, holding back the tears. “I’m okay. Thanks for offering me a ride.”
He nodded, concern etched in his eyes, then kissed my cheek. “Take care, Cami.” He stood, threw his jacket over his shoulder, and calmly walked away, turning once before disappearing down the hall.
When Sebastián stepped out of the room a couple of minutes later, his expression was strained.
“Sorry I kept you waiting,” he muttered and held my hand to help me up. I followed him down to the entrance. There were no traces of the Russians or Julián’s bodyguards. A couple approached Sebastián to say good-bye. He nodded politely and signaled to the valet to get the car.
Within seconds, the valet pulled over in the BMW. “Is your driver with you, sir?”
I tightened my fingers around Sebastián’s hand and felt him flinch, so I immediately let go. His hand was swollen and blotched with pink around the knuckles. He let the valet know he would be driving himself and ushered me in the car. The knot in my gut eased a fraction. We were finally leaving this nightmare.
“What happened to your hand?” I said as Sebastián drove past the main gate and onto the road.
He stretched it out and scowled at the pain. “Nothing, it’s nothing.”
Sinking deeper into the seat, I let my eyelids drop. How in the hell had I ended up in the middle of all this? I wasn’t even sure what all this was. What I did know was that I hated guns and I was suddenly surrounded by them. My best friend was keeping things from me, and that made my gut hurt. But she was also in more trouble than I could grasp, and ironically, I seemed to be her family’s only hope. When the night had started, I was determined to prove to Nata and Papá that Sebastián and his family weren’t gangsters. But they were. Don Martín, Julián, Mercedes. It was a thick weave of complex ties, and Sebastián was at the very center of it. I pressed my head to the cool glass. Mercedes had been right about one thing.
I didn’t belong here.
Chapter 24
On the ride home, Sebastián was quiet, deep in his own thoughts. His eyes were lost in the road ahead, the moon kissing his perfect profile. He drove up the private road to his house. At the top of the driveway, Rafa and Tano were waiting inside a Maserati. Sebastián killed the engine and told them to go inside. They headed toward a sort of guesthouse a few yards behind the cavernous garage. I hadn’t even seen Tano at the party. Had he been there too? There was so much I didn’t know about Sebastián’s world.
We watched the two men disappear. The night was still, and the silence of the black forest enveloped us. I shifted in my seat so I could face Sebastián.
“So…what’s all this between Nata’s family and yours?”
“Cami…” He sighed.
“Tell me.”
He shook his head. “Sweetheart, no.”
“Why?”
“Because…it’s late. And because the less you know, the better.”
“What happened to your hand?” I said, nodding at his swelling knuckles.
He looked down at his left hand and flexed it. “I had an argument with my father.”
“You hit him?”
“No, I hit a beam.” He frowned. “He presses all the right buttons sometimes.”
“Sergei took a huge risk by coming to Julián’s house. What’s happening with their business? He seemed desperate. Is it true they have only ten days?”
“Camila, babe, this isn’t something you and I will discuss.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s just business. My father’s business. I’m not involved.”
“Then take me home.”
“What, now?” He scowled. “You’re not going back there tonight.”
“It’s my place.”
“No. It’s their place.”
“If you’re not going to talk to me, then I want to go home.”
“That’s out of the question.” Pushing the door open, he stepped out and circled the car to get my door. He held it open, but I crossed my arms over my chest, pressing back into the seat. He sighed in exasperation. “Camila, please get out of the car. Let’s not do this here.”
I stepped out and he reached for my hand, but I pulled it away. He rolled his eyes, running both hands through his hair.
“Please,” he said, “let’s go inside. It’s late.”
“This is not how this works. We can’t be together if you keep me in the dark.”
He held my shoulders gently. “I don’t want you involved in all this shit. Please let it go. Trust me.”
“But, see, that’s the thing. I’m already involved.” I shook my head. “You’re so contradictory. First, you want to keep me as far away from your family as possible. Then you want me to meet them. You draw me into this world of yours full of guns, and secrets, and in every way so different from mine. I ignored everyone’s warnings and let it happen because…I wanted to know you better. But as soon as I get close, you push me away.”
“Camila.” He took my face in his hands, caressing my cheeks. “If anything happened to you because of me. Anything at all…”
I brushed a few disheveled strands off his forehead. Worry lines creased it. “You won’t tell me about the Russian girls, and that worries me because what I’m sure are very dangerous people are now looking for you. Something Sergei said tonight interested you.”
“Yes,” he murmured. “We need to move fast. I’ll take care of it.”
I gave him a pointed look.
“Don’t ask any more.” He sighed.
“Tell me something. Tell me what’s happening with Nata’s family business.”
“No.” He sh
ook his head. “Just…no.”
“Sebastián.” I coerced his eyes to meet mine.
“No.” He frowned. “The only way you’ll be safe is if you don’t know anything.”
“Dammit, I’m not a child!”
“For fuck’s sake, it’s two in the morning. Can we please just go inside?”
“I want to talk about this. I don’t want to be in a relationship where you call all the shots and I…obey.”
His face softened, and his mouth curved down in a sad smile. “Obey? You have so much power over me. Haven’t you figured that out by now?”
“What?”
He gently took my waist and brought me to him, pressing his forehead to mine. Our broken breaths collided, and I closed my eyes to block the immediate effect he had on me.
“I don’t belong here,” I whispered, fighting the tightness in my throat. “Mercedes is right.”
“Mercedes?” He pulled away. “What’s she got to do with anything?”
“After you left, she said to me…she said I don’t belong here, and that you’re hers.”
“What? Cami.” He chuckled. “She was just messing with you. Mechi has a strange sense of humor.”
“She was very convincing.”
“I’ll talk to her. Whatever she meant, we’ll straighten it out. I want you two to be friends.”
Right. “It’s not even her. I feel I don’t fit into your world.”
“Yes, you do,” he said, pulling me closer. “You fit in with me. His lips brushed mine. “You’re my angel. To me, you’re light. And through all the darkness around me, I see you, the most beautiful woman in the world. Please, please don’t run.”
The words winded me. His mouth met mine, consuming me. His fingers threaded through my hair at the nape and clenched it while his other hand wrapped around my waist and lifted me up. I straddled him as he pressed me against the car, his weight pinning me to the window. I shivered when my bare back met the cool glass. He pushed himself between my legs, and desire exploded inside me like the Brazilian Carnaval.
“You drive me crazy,” he said against my mouth. “It was hard to control my thoughts…and my hands tonight. Speaking of hard…” He pressed his hard-on against me and kissed me voraciously. When we broke for air, I drew in a sharp breath.