Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 88918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“Yeah?” He rubbed his jaw, silently agreeing with her. “Where’s Lucia?”
“Matias is showing her the citrus grove.”
“Citrus grove?”
She bit down on her smile and hugged her waist. “He grew it for me a long, long time ago.”
Because Matias loved her. He’d loved her his entire life, and apparently, Tate had to go through hell and back to truly understand the meaning of that.
“You know…” He gripped the back of his neck. “The feelings I had for you—”
“I know.”
“It’s different now.”
“I know.” Her eyes glistened as she smiled.
“You’re my closest friend. That isn’t going to change.”
“Dammit, Tate.” She pressed the heels of her hands against the corners of her eyes. “Don’t make me cry.”
“Come here.”
He held his arms out, and she stepped in for a hug.
“Lucia’s pretty fucking amazing, isn’t she?” she mumbled against his chest.
“Yeah, she really is.” He nudged her back and held her teary gaze. “We good?”
“Yeah,” she said softly. “Thank you for finding her. Words can’t express—”
“You’re welcome.” He appreciated her smile, but it wasn’t the one he craved. His heart hammered, begging him to go find Lucia, but first… “Do you know where Van is?”
“Did you check his room?” She motioned toward the east wing. “He doesn’t let Amber out of bed.”
He chuckled. “Okay, I’ll check there.”
Ten minutes later, he stood at the door to Van’s room, fist raised to knock and a million thoughts clashing in his head.
Just say what you need to say. In and out and move on.
He drew in a breath, slowly released it, and rapped on the door.
A few seconds passed before Van answered. Dressed in only a pair of jeans that weren’t fully zipped, he glanced behind him before opening the door to let Tate in.
As Tate stepped through the doorway, he caught a glimpse of Amber crossing through the far side of the room, wrapped in a sheet and her hair a tangled mess of just-got-fucked.
Camila hadn’t been joking.
“If I’m interrupting,” Tate said, pausing in the entryway, “I can come back.”
“Let’s go out to the patio.” Van turned and strolled toward the back door.
Tate followed him. The guest rooms were set up like hotel suites, with kitchenettes, sitting areas, private bathrooms, and artfully decorated beds and furnishings.
It never ceased to amaze him how much wealth could be amassed through corruption. He didn’t know what the Restrepo cartel was involved in. No one knew but Camila. That said, Matias spent a great deal of time and money fighting a war against human slavery. Tate admired the man deeply for that.
The room reeked of sex. Several belts lay on the king-sized bed, and clothing scattered the floor as if they’d been stripped in a hurry.
A shiver crept up his spine as he entered the private patio and lowered onto the chair beside Van. It was blissfully hot outside, even at dusk. Moisture infused the air, so unlike the parched heat of the desert.
“How long will you stay?” he asked Van.
“Until I know my family will be safe in Texas.”
That wouldn’t be the case until Tiago Badell was six feet in the ground.
Matias had brought in a private teacher for Van’s daughter, so she was probably getting a better education here. But Liv and Josh would lose their jobs if they stayed much longer.
“Spit it out, Tate.” Van shifted his gaze from the tropical landscape and rested it on him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Amber moving through the living area and decided to start there. “Does she know what happened?”
“Of course. I don’t just fuck my wife. I confide in her, lean on her, and trust her. I tell her everything.”
Tate nodded, letting that settle through his rioting nerves. “How did she take it?”
“She cried.” Van’s frown twisted into a smirk. “Then she demanded I talk to you when you returned.”
“I’m not good at this.” Tate leaned forward, bracing his elbows on knees. “I think what’s been digging at me the most is the damage I might’ve done to you.”
“Well, you have a huge goddamn cock, and I felt every inch—”
“You know what I mean.”
“Right.” Van heaved in a heavy breath and leaned back in the chair. “I was raped as a child. You don’t really get over that, but you get through it. I’ve done that, and so have you.” He removed a toothpick from his pocket and set it between his teeth. “What happened between us in that basement might not have been willing, but it wasn’t violent or cruel. You didn’t abuse me the way I abused you all those years ago. You understand the difference?”
“Yeah.”
“The hardest part for me was betraying my wife.” Van twisted in the chair and tracked Amber’s movements through the window. “She sees me at my weakest, and she still loves me.”
“You weren’t weak in Caracas. What you did for me—”