Casey closed her eyes, took a deep breath and slowly stiffened her spine, stacking it until she was sitting as straight as she possibly could. When she opened her eyes, she fixed them on the wall between Miguel, who stared at the floor between his feet in utter dejection, and the other doctor. She wondered if Miguel was regretting his decision to hang with the other doctors. His intentions had been good. He'd get to learn some new techniques, share some professional expertise and help in the decision-making process when it ultimately came to the best interests of his patient. Now he didn't seem so keen on the idea. He looked ready to bolt. They all looked ready to bolt."Please," Casey said in the same tone of voice Reyes had used. Chilly and commanding. "Tell us what you found."The doctor gave her a clipped nod and pulled up one the plastic chairs so he was sitting opposite of her when he spoke. Casey respected him a little more when he pulled that move, considering her sentinels
"Impossible!" Casey snapped after a moment of silence. "I was in a car wreck. It killed my entire family!"No one moved. No one said anything. They simply waited, statues in a still room as denial crashed over her. She felt hot. Prickles of heat penetrating all down her skin as some kind of truth tried to sweep over her. She shook her head and then she pushed her shoulders up, shrugging Alejandro's hand away. He knew. He knew just as much as Reyes had known. They'd all known. But they were wrong.Her family had died on a highway. She slammed her eyes shut and buried her hands in her hair, gripping the pale blond strands in tight fists as she forced herself to conjure a memory that wouldn't come. Had never come. A memory of a happy family driving, screeching brakes, twisting metal, the smell of fire, people screaming, ambulance sirens. Nothing. There was nothing. There had never been any memories of the accident.Ignacio and his doctor had assured her the trauma was too great and t
"Casey, ven aqui ahora!"The thunder in Reyes' voice was enough to send the birds in the bushes fleeing for the skies. Casey stiffened but didn't turn to look at the man emerging from the house to shout at her back. When she didn't immediately respond to his demand, she felt the snapping anger in his demeanor reach out for her across the expansive yard. Then she heard him stalk toward her as he moved with the lethal grace of a jungle cat. She could tell from the edginess of the nearby guards that he was making his way toward her. She stiffened her posture, but maintained her position next to the fountain at the back of their colossal mansion.She'd been avoiding him for more than a week, since their arrival back from Brazil. She had murmured that she'd needed space and even lied to him, telling him she'd had a vicious headache. When he'd questioned her, she'd assured him it wasn't a full-blown migraine, but that it was bad enough for her to require her own room so she couldn't be dis
Casey shivered helplessly, whimpers of fear erupting from her throat. She managed to bring herself under control enough to ask, "A-are you going to k-kill me?" her voice sounded unnaturally high-pitched as it echoed through the room.She tried to crane her head back to she could see him where he stood behind her, but it put too much strain on her shoulders and she was forced to lay with her cheek against the cool metal staring at her right wrist chained above the bench. She jumped and cried out as his palm landed harshly across first one of her ass cheeks and then the other."Now why, after I have gone through all this trouble to acquire you and assure your health, would I simply dispose of you, nena?" he asked, his voice cool and dark.He was right. She'd asked a stupid question. Of course, he wasn't going to kill her. He'd waited months to get his hands on her. He'd killed and tortured for her. He'd provided for her, flown a doctor in for her and taken her to one of the best clinics
He slapped her ass again then slapped her pussy before moving his fingers to her ass and sliding them deep into the forbidden hole. Her moan turned into a scream as the pressure increased. She continued to squirm, moan and cry out hoarsely, her voice cracking as her raw throat gave out while he pumped his fingers in and out of her, preparing her ass to take his cock. He massaged and stretched her, forcing her body to take the width of first two fingers and then three until the painful burn of invasion began to give way to a gradual tingle of pleasure. Unwillingly she started to move her hips in a way that increased that pleasure until she was asking for more.Finally, after several minutes of preparation and more lubrication he removed his fingers. Casey cried out hoarsely in disappointment and tried seeking his leg out with hers. Then she heard the jingle of his belt and the tell-tale thunk of his pants hitting the floor. She froze, knowing what was coming and huddled her hips as muc
The man looked as though he'd seen a ghost, yet Casey was positive she'd never seen him before. He stared and stared at her as though unable to drag his eyes away from her. She knew she was a good-looking woman. She knew her beauty lured men to her, powerful men like Ignacio and Reyes. But, somehow, she didn't think it was her uncanny resemblance to Marilyn Monroe that was making Sotza, the Venezuelan boss, look at her like she had two heads.She was about to ask if they had met before when he abruptly turned to Reyes and snapped in a clipped British accent, "Who is this? I refuse to negotiate business in front of a newcomer. Send your little girlfriend away if you expect to talk."Casey felt the thick, palpable tension in the air, winding like a serpent, getting ready to strike for daring to insult the Bolivian's woman. Casey side-eyed Reyes. Yup. Though he looked at ease, standing in his superbly cut dark suit, his arms crossed over his broad chest, waves of fury were rolling off of
Casey was starting to panic. This was not good."Get the men off my fucking plane," Reyes snapped at Alejandro, his hand tight on hers as he dragged Casey across the tarmac toward the private jet. She nearly had to run to keep up with his rapid strides despite her long legs. She was cursing her choice of spiked high heels. Had she known she would be marathon walking she'd have chosen flats."What about the pilot?" Alejandro asked, confused.Reyes didn't bother to respond, just walked faster until Casey was actually running to keep up."Right," Alejandro said. He shot Casey a pitying look and jogged toward the plane to empty it before Reyes and Casey arrived.Reyes hadn't said a single word almost the entire time they were at Sotza's. He'd watched her interactions intently and listened as she'd negotiated each minute detail with the tough Venezuelan businessman, but he'd never once stepped in. Had she overstepped? Promised too much in her quest for vengeance? Had she given away too
Reyes picked up her hand, brought it to his mouth and kissed the fingertips, all while looking at his host, Benito Alvarez, Mexican cartel boss. Benito sat at the head of a massive table, surrounded by his men, while Reyes sat a few seats down the left side. He listened with barely concealed patience to Benito's words of long-winded congratulations toward his Bolivian counterpart, mixed with liberal amounts of self-praise. Reyes forced himself to maintain his hold on the cool, pale blonde's hand, though he didn't so much as glance at her as she played her part to perfection. He felt her shift slightly in her seat as she reached for her wine goblet and took a small swallow of the rich, red wine, the sleeve of her burgundy dress falling away from her arm. He should have warned her not to wear that colour."I must admit, Se?or Reyes, I had expected your… companion to be somewhat different," Benito said with a disappointed sigh.Reyes felt her stiffen next to him, but, as discussed, she
Alejandro resented being put on babysitting duty. The woman had been on her own for years. There was no reason she couldn't board an airplane and make her own way to the meeting point with her cousin. But Casey hadn't wanted Angelina to fly alone. She'd wanted her cousin to feel taken care of, special. So, as the most trusted person on Reyes' payroll he'd been appointed her official escort.He stepped off the airplane and into the cool, sunny day. He brought a hand up to shade his eyes, looking around. He saw a car and assumed it must be her ride since it was the only one on the tarmac. He strode toward the vehicle just as the back door opened and a long, curvy leg slid out, then the rest of her. She gripped the edge of the door and stood, looking around uncertainly.If he hadn't had years of combat and military training he might have stumbled. Angelina Giancarro was perfection. From the top of her flyaway blond hair to the bottom of her heeled sandals. She clung to the car door as i
Alejandro flung her into another room. She'd been marched through the sterile halls of the prison building in such a hurry that she couldn't tell at all where she was until she got a good look around. His office. There was a large desk, impeccably tidy with an ashtray for his cigars. She smiled fondly, tilting her head so her hair covered her expression. He didn't need to see the peace on her face while he was in such a towering rage. Actually, worry was probably a more accurate emotion to describe her love. Only he didn't know how to do worry, so anger was the next best thing, as evidenced by his next words and actions. First, he used his hand to wipe her all around her mouth, though she knew there was nothing there. Then he gripped her arms in a hard hold and snarled, "The poison, Gina. What kind?""Cyanide," she told him right away and cringed when he slammed his fist into the desk next to her hip. She placed a shaking hand against his chest and said quietly, "I'll be fine. He di
"No," Alejandro said coldly. "Get back in the jeep, turn around and wait for me at home."Gina stared up at her formidable husband in dismay. He was wearing his military-style fatigues and his face looked as though it was carved from stone, there was no softness for his wife. She hadn't anticipated this barrier to see the prisoner once she had permission from his boss. Of course, the prisoner and prison fell under Alejandro's jurisdiction, so he could stop her from having this visit if he wanted."Please, Alejandro," she begged him. "I need to see him.""No," Alejandro said coldly, steel threading his voice, "you don't. I've been back for two days and you haven't come to see me.""That isn't fair!" she cried. "I thought you were avoiding me. I didn't want to push myself on you if you didn't want to see me. I was trying to be…""What?" he demanded, pushing himself against her and backing her into a concrete wall. She clutched the muffin tin against her chest and lifted her chin.
"Drop it!" Gina yelped.She heaved a sigh of relief as the muffin hit the floor and bent over to scoop it up, tossing it in the trash. She placed a new chocolate chip raspberry muffin in Casey's palm and whirled around the side of her kitchen island to check on the batch still in the oven. They were rising beautifully, the tops baking to a lovely golden brown."You want to tell me what that was about?" Casey asked suspiciously, peeling the paper away from the base of her still warm muffin. She took a big bite, closing her eyes in what looked like ecstasy."Uh, nope," Gina mumbled, mixing another batch in a big metal bowl."My god," Casey moaned, licking her lips. "You suck at hand-to-hand combat, weapons and pretty much anything else self-defence related, but damn girl, you can bake! Can I take some up to the main house for Reyes and the housekeeping staff?" Gina laughed, covered her hand in an oven mitt and took the trays out of the oven, making room for her next batch. She chew
"Do you have arsenic?" Gina asked, leafing absently through a cookbook."What on Earth for?" Casey asked, stacking supplies on the counter. "What else do you need?"Gina leaned over and checked the muffin recipe. "Creamed butter and milk."Casey opened the stainless-steel door of her refrigerator and stuck her head inside. "Don't have creamed butter, just the regular kind, but here's the milk."Gina laughed and reached around her cousin for the butter. "The regular kind will work just fine. I can cream it myself. You really need to learn how to cook."Casey backed out of the fridge with a key lime pie held in her arms like a prize of war. She looked around for her housekeeper and danced toward the drawer for forks, handing one to Gina. "Haven't needed to cook for myself since… well, since I've been alive. Why learn now?"Gina frowned. Casey had a point. She tilted her head to the side and ate a bite of pie. "Well do you at least know how to use a can opener in case of a zombie ap
Gina moaned and tried to roll onto her side, but something stopped her. She reached out, sliding her hand across the silky bamboo sheets. Where had the fluffy blankets gone? Then something intensely pleasurable shifted her thoughts away from any other musings. She tried to sit up so she could see what was happening, but a huge hand reached out and palmed between her breasts, shoving her back down. She hit the pillows behind her while the sensation of a tongue working magic directly between her legs increased until she was moaning helplessly and reaching over her head to grasp hold of something, anything, as an orgasm built.Just as she thought she would shatter into a thousand pieces he shifted, changing his attack tempo and forcing her budding orgasm to calm. She whimpered in misery and reached out to grasp his hair, "No!" she yelled, tugging at the strands. "Almost there, don't stop!"He chuckled against her, vibrating her clitoris with his deep voice. He took her wrists in his han
The meal Casey had asked the chef to prepare was indeed a feast worthy of their wedding day and seeing the pleased look on Gina's face as they lifted their glasses to toast the bride and groom, Alejandro was glad that he hadn't just dragged her back to his home. She deserved every happiness possible, even if it meant he had to wait a little longer to bury himself in the woman he'd spent a year pining over. Hell, it had been a year since he'd touched any woman, period. It was like the moment he met Gina, his dick was no longer interested in anyone else. And Alejandro was old enough, experienced enough to get the message. Gina was forever material. The type of woman a man waited for. Did not take for granted by fucking around on. Even if she never knew the depth of his feelings until he was ready to declare himself.So, he lifted his glass, toasted, smiled and laughed alongside his bride and the rest of the family. He spent two hours accepting congratulations, talking, eating and listen
Alejandro wanted to tear La Paz apart stone by stone until he had the man responsible for his woman's abduction. Though he knew if Reyes was correct in his assumption that the person behind this mess was as much a heavy as themselves, then the likelihood of his being in Bolivia was slim. This was the reason he kept sending amateurs in. Which was why Alejandro kept getting lucky. If his enemy, whoever he was, got smarter, Alejandro might not continue this lucky streak. He needed to be more careful now that he had more than himself to think of."I can practically read your thoughts, amigo," Reyes said from beside him. They were travelling in the back of one of the armoured SUV's to the meeting point to pick up the women. "Your anger will make you reckless."Alejandro grunted and cracked his neck to the side to relieve some of the pressure. He'd had to make short work of killing the priest. It hadn't been nearly as satisfying as it would've been if he'd had the time to do a proper job.
Two men entered through the door, their street clothes and tattoos pronouncing them thugs. Gina shuddered and flinched back when one of them reached for her. She lifted her hand instinctively to fight him off, but Selena said sharply, "Don't fight back, girl." Gina caught her eye and read between the lines, fight later when we have an advantage. She immediately dropped her hands. It took every ounce of self-control to let the man drag her into his body, to allow him to grab her by the face, yank on her hair and leer down at her, all while licking his lips and rubbing himself on her."Luego," the other man said, snapping his fingers at the guy holding Gina. Awesome, she thought, vomit rising in her throat, he just gave the guy holding her permission to fuck her later. He tossed a stack of bills at the priest and dragged Selena toward the open door. Gina was pushed out the door too and into a car similar to the one that was used to attack her and Alejandro the night before.As she was