- "When you're ready to talk seriously, we'll talk," and with that, she walked out of the restaurant.Banks remained motionless, sitting alone with his glass of wine in his hands. A part of his brain, perhaps the part attracted to Blair, ordered him to go after her. Ethan didn't like to see her walking away.The man poured the rest of the liquid into his mouth and drank it all in one gulp. After a few seconds, he smiled to himself. What that redhead was doing to his mind was diabolical.Ethan shook his head, knowing that six months ago he would have been incapable of pursuing a woman. But as always, it was different with Blair. He left a few notes on the table, including the tip the waiter didn’t deserve, and began to walk calmly out of the restaurant.Because whether that attitude was typical of him or not didn't matter anymore.*"The building was broken down, abandoned for years, old and full of rodents. Rats ran across the dirty floor of the reception area. The only sounds were ma
The woman picked up the first frame. It was a picture of Ethan with his mother in the winter, dressed in clothes appropriate for the freezing temperatures. The smiles on both their faces were a joy. She turned the frame over and found the date on the photo, which had been taken seven years ago in the Aspen Mountains.Blair looked at the photograph again. Banks seemed like someone different, from another time or another life. His wide smile showed happiness with his mother. His blue eyes held no malice. He was just a man growing up and discovering himself, like any other person. But something after that, after that photo and after those happy moments, made Ethan change.Blair remembered Michele's instructions perfectly. If it was true, then the safe's password would be in the second photo. It was a picture of a yellow race car on a large racetrack, and the redhead assumed it was from Ethan's racing days.She picked up and turned the picture frame over slowly, caught between her loyalty
The day dawned beautifully. The sea was calm, the waves breaking subtly and producing relaxing sounds. The sun was rising in full splendor, illuminating the entire island. The coconut trees and palm trees swayed as the slow wind blew.Early that morning, Ethan was in the master bathroom. The room was spacious, larger than most homes would need. There was a glass wall that allowed people to shower while enjoying the Malibu ocean view. The bathroom was open to the bedroom, with no division between the rooms. The floor was white, satin-finish, so bright that it reflected the sunlight.Ethan stood in front of the marble countertop of the sink. In his hand was a razor with which he shaved his foaming jaw. The man wore only a towel wrapped around his waist after his shower. One hand was resting on the marble while the other, masterfully, guided the razor.He was focused on his work when Blair appeared in the suite. And since there was no division between the bathroom and the bedroom, Ethan
And in the face of the tension caused by the proximity, Blair tightened her legs around his waist, pressing her calves against his legs and pulling him towards her.Banks, in turn, smiled, then looked away from the mirror and looked at the redhead. By now, he knew Blair's intentions well. He squeezed her thighs in his large hands, appreciating the smooth, soft skin.They came closer, and the kiss happened when their lips met with urgency. Ethan kissed the woman slowly and deeply, feeling her taste and her surrender, giving himself in the most intense way he knew how. Their tongues glided easily. He tasted like mint and she like coffee, which, for them, was perfect. There was nothing like that feeling. No protocol, no time to end and no reason. It was a fire that burned without precedent, capable of taking them to climax, to heaven or to hell.The man's after-shower scent was almost intoxicating, a fine line between strong and mild. Blair, on the other hand, smelled sweet.The woman re
- "Yes. But I got busy at the office, so I got used to reading spreadsheets and reports," he replied nonchalantly.- "Are you using your time with me to take a vacation?"Deep down, Blair was pleased by the confirmation of that question. Knowing that Ethan had her as his comfort zone was hopeful. Because in the end, even if they couldn't be together, she would always have in mind that she had been good to him.- "You make me feel at peace," he finally replied, and the sparkle that appeared in the woman's eyes made up for half of his life.Ethan could see his relationship with Blair as an analogy. She was the angel sent to save him from his demons. He was a soul with no hope of redemption. And when their lives met, it was like the union of heaven and earth. The sinner struggling to earn grace, and an angel trying not to lose himself while saving someone else. But that was a thought he would never share.- "Read it to me," Blair asked.- "Don't exaggerate," Ethan replied with a sarcasti
- "No. He's good at hiding the evidence."- "Anyway, I don't think I'm the ideal person to find the evidence you want."Hearing those words, Spencer narrowed his eyes. He didn't want to believe that Blair was on the other side of the game, but he was beginning to suspect that she was more involved than she would admit. The man thought about saying something, but the door to his office opened before he could.- "Spencer, I..." Susan began, but stopped when she saw the redhead.- "We have an illustrious visitor," she said ironically, and then walked to the inspector's desk, leaving a folder on it.Susan turned to Blair and analyzed the redhead's sad posture. She couldn't say what was going on, but she had some suspicions. Susan turned to Spencer and began to say what she thought about the situation, because she knew her word had credibility:- "I see you have faith, Spencer. But don't be fooled by cellar rats who pretend to be on your side."- "Susan!" the inspector scolded.- "I know y
- "I begged them to take me off the case, but I was the closest person to what happened. So I stepped up and did everything I could to end the ordeal. I even investigated the stores Mrs. Banks frequented," Spencer said melancholy, looking ahead as if he were reliving the moment.- "Why are you telling me this?" Blair gathered the strength to ask.- "Because you're not the first infiltrator. You're the third in five years. The others..." the older man didn't need to continue.Colton was surprised, feeling betrayed by the most honest person he had ever met. He didn't know half of that information, but he knew there was more that Spencer wouldn't reveal.- "Ethan Banks discovered the disguise before he even invited them to dinner," the inspector muttered.Spencer wasn't proud, much less remorseful. He was just a man telling the truth about his past. It wasn't about the investigation, his brother's death, or his duty to the state; it was about a friend revealing a part of himself before i
Alex, in turn, was efficient in opening his jacket and taking an envelope from the inside pocket. He placed it on his boss's desk, then began to speak:- "Since you were approached in the elevator, I've been thinking about possible connections between you and Volkov."- "And what did you discover?" Ethan asked, never showing emotion in his tone of voice.- "Before moving to Las Vegas, Blair Collins worked as an assistant to Inspector Valardes in the New York Police Department"Banks tore the seal off the envelope and opened it. By now his patience was at an end, not that he had much left after Carter. Ethan pulled out a few photographs, all of them of Blair. Blair at lunch with her old boss. Blair at the police department. Other pictures were of Blair on Malibu Island, in Ethan's office.- "That's not in her records," he rambled.- "It was purposely deleted"And as Ethan analyzed the photos one by one, he didn't even wonder how Alex had access to them. Because sometimes, not knowing w