Jago lifted his head, ice cubes in his hand. “You sound like Genevieve. Has she been whispering in your ear?”

  I didn’t answer. She hadn’t, although I’d suspected she’d been eager to engage in other business operations for months.

  “You’re serious,” Jago scoffed. “We offloaded hundreds of millions of dollars of freaking diamonds because we didn’t want to get into the world of precious jewels, which is what we’re really talking about here. That is one brutal business.”

  Navarro snorted. “You used to chase the most dangerous business possibilities. Now, you’re running away from them? Fuck. I will never have a family.”

  “Think about it,” I offered. “By using Genevieve’s company⁠—”

  “Our company,” Jago corrected.

  I waved my hand. “Whatever you say. Run the business through the corporation. This consulting work is bullshit and Genevieve is determined to remain right by your side, however bloody the endeavor, which you obviously don’t want.”

  “No, I don’t,” he admitted.

  “Whoa. Hold on here.” Hearing Genevieve’s voice from behind brought a smile to my face. She was one formidable woman. In her hand was a brightly colored package that she placed on one of the tables.

  “You’re home, darling. Early too,” Jago teased.

  She strolled toward him, giving both Navarro and me what I considered her signature look.

  The bitch mode.

  Jago had certainly met his match.

  “I had business to handle outside the office. Meanwhile, I see what you were doing.” She slapped him on the butt and took the drink from his hand, tossing back a hefty gulp. “Did someone mention diamonds?”

  Jago visibly cringed. “We don’t need to get in the middle of another business operation. We have enough to deal with.”

  “We don’t have enough legitimate businesses. The accountant is having a fit and as your attorney, I’ve advised you dozens of times we need to diversify.”

  “She’s tough,” I told him. “Besides, we don’t need to get into it hot and heavy, just enough that our presence at the Diamond Exchange is acceptable.”

  “You mean the Diamond Dealers Club,” Genevieve countered. “That will be tough since part of the qualifications is that you must have been in the business for a minimum of two years.”

  Jago yanked off her sunglasses and his, fisting her hair and pulling back her head. Growling, he crushed his lips over hers.

  The man was a showman and it drove me crazy. “Records can be altered. And… there’s always the concept of greasing a few palms. As we all agree, greed is a powerful incentive.” My words forced Jago to shake his head.

  Jago leaned toward Genevieve, the two sharing a look between them.

  “Jesus Christ,” Navarro hissed. “Do we need to see this shit?”

  They were a passionate, fiery couple. Just like the way Christine and I were with each other.

  Not that we were a couple.

  A series of sensations crawled into my system. I couldn’t think about my sweet guest without becoming aroused. Dangerous. Fucking dangerous.

  Jago finally pulled away, his entire face contorted. “You’ve been going behind my back, my sweet wife.”

  “Since you’re determined to continue ruling the world with an iron fist instead of finesse, I knew I’d need to keep abreast of our possibilities. We need to consider Kruz’s idea. Which I’ve already done, including finding the perfect location for a sexy jewelry store. If we want to flush out Fassi, that’s the quickest way. Hit him where it hurts.”

  “Again,” I added.

  She nodded. “Again. If we do so legitimately, my guess is the man will lose it. Now, by legitimate, I’m not suggesting we cease all other activities.” Her smile was even more mischievous than normal. The woman always had an angle.

  “You have this all figured out,” Jago told her.

  Her sigh was heavy. “I’ve been paying attention, husband. Men like Fassi aren’t easily threatened. We need to simply hit him where it hurts. We could be up and running in less than a week.”

  Jago rubbed his jaw, his eyes finally lighting up. “Okay. Not bad. Let me think.” He paced the pool deck, suddenly stopping and glancing in my direction. “Admittedly, not a bad idea, but you’d need someone to work with you, someone we can trust.”

  When Genevieve turned her head toward me as well, I could swear I noticed her eyes were twinkling. What the fuck? Then it dawned on me. Oh, hell, no. I bristled noticeably and Genevieve laughed.

  “I think we have a willing captive who might enjoy working with me,” she added. “And don’t you dare say she’s not up to the job. I heard how she held her own with you.”

  There were no secrets within the organization.

  “Fuck, no,” I interjected. “Christine is a goddamn teacher, not some entrepreneur.”

  “Oh, yes,” she cooed. “That’s even more perfect. The bastards won’t know what hit them around her. If I know you, Kruz, and I do, you’re trying to figure out how to make it acceptable in your head to keep her.”

  “She’s not a dog.”

  “No, she’s a woman whose life was just destroyed. Because of you. I think you need to make it up to her. Plus, I can teach her a few things about how to handle the Torres boys.”

  “Except I’m not a Torres,” I told her, wrestling with the idea. “Plus, she’s hardheaded.”

  “Absolutely perfect,” Genevieve threw in. “That’s exactly what we need in an all-boys’ world. You’ve seen how powerful men react to my presence. They’re uncomfortable. Why not continue the effort?”

  Navarro chuckled under his breath.

  “What?” I demanded.

  “So many things have changed,” he retorted. “But it’s not a bad idea. Plus, Fassi won’t see it coming. A female-run operation with powerful soldiers behind them.”

  “I said no.” I was a little too vehement.

  “Well. Well. Well,” Navarro teased in his usual nasty way. “It would seem our boy has a crush on a woman he just met.”

  “I don’t have a fucking crush.” That time, my answer was a little too quick. Huffing, I looked toward Jago.

  I could tell by the look on his face he was as hesitant as I was. While his wife was a fighter and had proven herself time and time again, he didn’t like her in the killing field.

  That much I could understand. I wouldn’t allow Christine to touch a weapon.

  Inwardly laughing, I knew that would go over well. She’d do the exact opposite just to spite me.

  “Not a bad idea,” Jago finally said. “But if we do this, we do so with strict rules.”

  “You can’t be serious,” I interjected.

  Genevieve rolled her eyes. “Yes, my rules.” She stole his drink and walked around the end of the bar, heading in my direction.

  “I didn’t agree to this,” I threw out.

  Jago lifted an eyebrow. “If what I heard about Christine is remotely true, she won’t allow herself to be your plaything and nothing else.”

  An ache behind my eyes had formed. I knew he was right. Her agreement to accompany me to Spain would likely be forfeited once she fully understood there was no return ticket. I rubbed my forehead. “She will not be placed in harm’s way.”

  “Yep. You like her.”

  This time, I lifted my middle finger at Navarro.

  “It’s settled then,” Genevieve said as she nodded toward the colorful bag. “Kruz. There’s a little welcome to our world present for Christine and Maverick.”

  “You know about Maverick.”

  She laughed. “Do you honestly think there’s anything that goes on inside this glorious regime I don’t know about? Puh-lease. Now, let me give you a hint since you’ve never had a house guest before. Don’t leave her alone too long.”

  “What makes you think I’m going to do that?”

  “You’re here, aren’t you? You just flew in only a few hours ago and instead of making your guests feel welcome, you came right over to Jago’s house. That tells me you have no clue how to make guests feel comfortable in your home. Likely since you’ve been a confirmed bachelor for a million years.”

  “Ouch,” Jago chortled.

  His attitude tugged my intense scowl his way. “I’m not that old.” My insistence was met with a roll of Genevieve’s eyes.

  “Uh-huh. You need to do something to make Christine feel special. Take her and her boy out to dinner. Buy her some flowers. Candy. Take her on a shopping trip. Whatever you can do to break the ice. If not, my guess is she’ll find a way to head back to Miami.”

  “Not without my permission.”

  “There you go. Another Neanderthal. Good luck with that. Why don’t you ask how Jago fared? Don’t forget,” Genevieve added, “I recently established a daycare inside the corporate headquarters. We need to be able to hire top notch employees.”

  Navarro sighed. “I think we also need to have a chat with an old friend of mine.”

  “What old friend?” I asked, although I knew the man wasn’t interested in nurturing friendships.

  “Call him a pain in the ass two-bit traitor.” Navarro didn’t suffer fools lightly and I could tell whoever he was thinking of had grated his last nerve. “Remember Gio Farrelli?” He was asking Jago.

  Jago narrowed his eyes first then hissed. “Traitor is right. After stealing from us, wasn’t he pinched and sentenced to some time in prison?” Jago knew exactly what had happened to the man. He kept tabs on everything and everyone.

  Navarro nodded. “He did. Three years. Word on the street is that he’s out and had a direct line to some assholes from guess where?”

  “Morocco.” My answer was succinct. “Interesting. I assume he’s branching out, maybe moving away from cocaine.”

  “Exactly. He might not be the best source, but he owes us. Maybe we can craft some information to pass along.”

  “Not bad. Not bad at all,” Jago mused. “Perhaps a game of chess.”

  Navarro was smirking. “We can both butter him up and give him a lesson in treachery at the same time. I’ll find him so we can have a nice, long chat.”

  “How tight is he in with Fassi? We can’t trust anyone at this point. Fassi has made no bones about the fact he will retaliate.”

  “Kruz is right. If you rough him up, do so in a way he can still limp back to Fassi. But only toss out crumbs. You know how rats are. They’ll come back for more.” Jago grinned. “But I do like the idea. We lose nothing and perhaps gain some decent information.”

  “As long as Gio doesn’t squeal.”

  “He won’t. He has a family. He won’t want them hurt.” Navarro narrowed his eyes. The man was bloodthirsty.

  “Be careful, boys. You might learn to become as conniving as I’ve been. When you’re ready, Kruz, bring Christine by the office so we can get acquainted. Don’t worry. She’ll be fine in my hands. Oh, and make certain she brings the adorable Maverick with her. I can’t wait to meet him.” Genevieve pressed her hand against Jago’s chest, flipped her hair, and sauntered away from us.

  As she disappeared from view, I fought laughing.

  “Don’t you say it. Not a word,” Jago snarled.

  “My mother would call that nesting,” Navarro teased.

  Jago fixed the man with a nasty gaze. “Both of you. Shut the fuck up.”

  I threw up my hands. “Not coming from me. At least not this time. I’ve said my piece before.”

  “Which is exactly what I’m going to do with you now. However much a pain in my ass she is, my lovely bride is right. You need to decide what you’re going to do with Christine before she becomes even more of a liability. She could ruin you if you aren’t careful. You’ve already allowed her to mess with your head. At least in going with my wife’s idea, we can keep an eye on Christine while also maintaining her safety. And maybe your sanity.”

  As much as I hated hearing it, Jago was right.

  Christine had more cards in her hand than even she realized. While I’d saved her life and brought her son back to her, at a risk to business and my reputation, unless handled carefully, she would be clever enough to find a way to ruin me.

  If that’s what she wanted.

  I couldn’t allow it to happen.

  Maybe it was time for a change in my life and lifestyle.

  CHAPTER 16

  Christine

  Unsettled.

  The word for the day.

  I’d driven way past fear at this point. Next, I’d be heading into murderous territory. It wasn’t good to keep a woman unsettled.

  I shouldn’t be alone. I’d been known to do crazy things when my mind was churning with possibilities. Chloe had lived through them. And given the strange mood I was in and the fact there was a full moon this week, who knew? Maybe I’d turn into a werewolf.

  “Mommy. Where are we?”

  The sweet little voice was a reminder I couldn’t resort to going on a murdering rampage today.

  What answer could I give my son? He had no understanding of anything he’d been through. Or about moving. Or that he was never going to see his preschool friends again. Or his babysitter. He had no concept that all the toys I’d been forced to leave behind would likely get tossed in the trash.

  Reaching over, I ran my fingers through his hair. “We’re in a special place. You need a haircut, bud.”

  He giggled. “That’s what Daddy said.”

  “Daddy?” I breathed, trying not to choke as rage rushed into my throat.

  I instantly bristled. The bastard had called himself Daddy to my son? In the conversation before last, the asshole had suggested in not a nice way that he was likely not the father. That was right after he’d called me a worthless whore.

  Did I mourn the man’s death? If he was dead.

  No.

  Did that make me a bad person?

  The jury was still out.

  “We are on an adventure, little man. We get to see new places and experience all kinds of fun things.” That remained to be seen. I had no idea what was happening. We’d been taken to a plane, a luxurious private jet no less, the nine-hour flight and time difference meaning we’d touched down late morning. Hours later and still with little sleep, the sun was dipping in the sky.

  There’d been no custom agents, no interrogations about who we were or what we were doing in Spain.

  We’d simply moved from the plane to one of three SUVs, several men taking our things and loading them into a second. The third had led the way through a mostly rural area, although I’d seen glimpses of the city itself during the ride. Kruz had encouraged me to sleep on the plane while he’d made a few phone calls and worked on his laptop.

  Yet we’d barely spoken.

  There’d been delicious food and an assortment of drinks on the plane, even cookies, which had made Maverick happy. Thankfully, he’d slept for several hours after I’d read him a story. I’d been wide awake, watching everything Kruz had done.

  He’d been distraught the entire flight, constantly staring out the window next to him. But I’d caught him looking at me a dozen times if not more. He was obviously trying to figure out why he’d brought me with him and what he was going to do with me.

  “Will we see Superman?” Maverick’s question was presented with a giggle. The little monster was making a joke.

  “You never know.” Although I doubted Kruz was interested in doing anything with my son. He’d been so standoffish; he’d been kind, but had certainly kept his distance.

  But I would forever be grateful he’d brought my son back to me.

  We’d been stuck inside a house that I assumed was Kruz’s home. He’d whisked us through a gated entrance, the driver of the SUV meandering down a long, curved driveway to a house nestled in dozens of large trees. The home itself was deceiving; the beautifully accented Mediterranean exterior appearing quaint, but inside, the expansive floorplan and the fact the home was nestled against a hillside allowed for several thousand square feet.

  While there was a beautifully maintained lawn surrounding the main house, a pathway through the trees allowed for an incredible view of the ocean. So far, my favorite aspect of the house was the incredible stone arches surrounding an open-air porch covering the entire length of the back. I’d ventured outside long enough to drink in the salty air. Everything was so peaceful, completely unlike Miami.

  I’d been inside amazing luxury homes in Miami, but every one of them had been austere, showroom quality while completely devoid of comfort. Not Kruz’s home. However, there was no sign of life.

  There wasn’t a single plant on the inside, although there were several unique shrubs and palm trees surrounding the pool. There were no books lying around or magazines or mail left on the kitchen counter.

  The only instruction Kruz had left before stating he was leaving for a meeting was to stay inside the house until he returned. He’d mentioned a housekeeper, but the two times I’d seen her, or she’d caught me watching her, she’d scurried away without saying anything.

  I wasn’t certain about the entertainment system either. I’d been forced to become creative in trying to entertain my little man. While my singing skills were subpar, we’d gone through every Disney movie theme song I knew any of the words to. I’d made some up when I’d had no clue.

  Thank God, I’d brought crayons and coloring books with me. That had kept him from being bored for two hours. But now, he was getting hungry.

  Where the hell was Kruz?

  I was getting angry. No, he didn’t need to entertain me all the time, but I did need to learn a few things. Like where were we sleeping? Maverick had napped on the couch and I’d been able to toss a throw positioned across the back of one of several couches, but that wasn’t good enough.

  Wasn’t there some code book for kidnappers that they had to supply necessities?

  There’s one problem with your theory. You went willingly with him.

  Oh, there was that.

  I’d agreed during a time of weakness. Nothing more.

  I’d allowed my sweet boy to take over the coffee table in the living room. Crayons of every color were spread over the glass surface, four coloring books with half-finished pictures just waiting for Maverick’s splash of creativity.