Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 84085 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84085 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“Oh,” Will whispered. Something about Will’s wide-eyed shock had Charlie dying to crawl the rest of the way across the table and kiss those damp, parted lips. He wanted to kiss Will until he was melting underneath him. It was clear no one had been there to take care of him, to protect him, in so fucking long.
No more.
Never again.
He was not letting the adorable William Monroe out of his sight.
But for now, he straightened and turned down his smile from sharklike to mild amusement. No need to scare him away and make his job of winning Will back that much harder.
“We’re happy to put the Vergara mystery on hold for now. I’m more interested in keeping you safe while we help Carlos.”
To his surprise, Will didn’t argue. He gave a nod and looked at his nearly empty bowl. “Thank you,” he whispered.
If he wasn’t utterly lost before, Charlie knew he was now. Will was never getting rid of him. He was winning this man’s heart back.
14
WILL MONROE
Will was having a heart attack.
No, a panic attack.
It just felt like a heart attack because his heart was trying to explode in his chest and he was having trouble breathing.
Charlie was there for Thiago. His Thiago.
Sure, the man went by Carlos now, but he’d poured the whole story of his narrow escape and ensuing name change over a bottle of cheap whiskey neither of them should have been drinking.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Could he really keep this from Charlie? They came all this way to find out what happened to this missing artist. What if they thought he was trapped or murdered? It was wrong to keep the truth from them. They were trustworthy, right?
But he’d promised Carlos that he’d never breathe a word of his true identity to another. Will wasn’t even sure that Carlos’s dead wife knew the truth.
But was it wrong to keep the truth from Charlie when he and the others were risking their lives to help him?
No. It wasn’t his truth to tell. He needed to talk to Carlos first. Get his approval before he said anything.
Yes. That was the right thing to do.
Then why did he feel so guilty?
His stomach churned and tried to twist itself into an angry knot around the food he’d just eaten as they rode to the house Charlie and the others were renting. He wasn’t good at keeping secrets. He didn’t like it. He believed in sharing knowledge and feelings.
On the other hand, Charlie was fantastic at keeping secrets. The man was a former spy. His entire life was a secret.
Did that also mean Charlie was a liar? It was one thing to withhold the truth, but had Charlie lied to him about their life together? Had any of it been real? Or was he the only one in love and wrapped up in this temporary false bliss while Charlie was using him to pass the time between jobs?
“You okay over there?” Charlie inquired. He reached across the center console and placed his hand on Will’s leg.
Will instantly twitched out of his reach, pressing his body against the car door. “Fine.” He inwardly cursed himself. That did not sound “fine” in the least. “Sorry. I think lunch isn’t agreeing with my stomach.”
“Do you want to stop at a pharmacy?” Charlie offered, drawing his hand back to the steering wheel.
“No, it’ll be okay. I think it’s just the stress of the past several days.”
Charlie grunted in agreement. “A lot has happened.”
There was the fucking understatement of the year.
“When we get to the house, you can lie down for a little while—”
“No!” Will barked and then cringed at the harshness of his tone. He hadn’t meant it to come out like that. Everything felt off balance and out of control right now. It had to be Charlie. He wasn’t used to being around Charlie. Old memories and emotions were colliding with the present-day mess to confuse everything in his heart. No, in his head. “We need to work out what we’re going to do next. Even though Carlos is doing well right now, his condition could worsen suddenly. I want this resolved for him before he passes.”
“Will…” Charlie started softly. He reached for Will but stopped and instead dropped his hand to his lap.
“I know. I know. We could be wrong. Perez might not be related to his wife. Or Carlos could die suddenly in the night. I’m not going into this blind. I just…I need to know that I’ve done my best to answer this question for him and his wife.” Will sighed heavily and closed his eyes against the blur of tall buildings and cars rushing by them. “And who knows? Maybe Benicio’s mother is still alive, and she has no idea what her true parentage is. Maybe she’d like to know the truth.”