She opened the door. He reached around her waist and blocked her path. “I’m in love with you.”
She froze. She might have stopped breathing.
“I haven’t acted like it. I haven’t shown it. I can’t even show it now. I want to drag you closer, but instead, I push you away. But whether I’m pulling you one way or another, I still love you.”
The room was spinning. Her heart, racing. He loved her?
“Paige, I…I can’t live without you now that I’ve had you in my life. I’m not the kind of man any woman would want for keeps. And I’m not suggesting a long-term relationship. I can’t do that, but what I’m saying is, I love you, and if your life will be better without me, then I will go.”
Just when she thought things couldn’t possibly get any worse, he further complicated things.
“Paige, look at me.”
She wasn’t sure she could.
When she turned her back, she walked away from the man destined to break her heart. After his profession of love, she wasn’t sure she could walk out on him, even though he deserved her cool departure.
“Paige, please.”
“I need some time.”
“Fine. Take some. Take all the time you need. Like I said, I’m not promising any kind of future. I’m telling you how I feel, and if that’s not worth something, and maybe it’s not, then I don’t have a clue what I’m supposed to do.”
“You’re supposed to be man enough to let me go.”
His jaw twitched, and he backed away. “Then I’ll go. If that’s what you want. I’ll be out of here before sunrise.”
“Good,” she whispered through dry lips. Realizing if he went, if he walked out, he would never come back.
“I’m man enough to do what you ask of me, Paige. Question is, are you woman enough to watch me?”
She wondered. God, how she wondered. There was only one way to find out. She opened the door and walked out on the only man she’d ever really loved.
* * * *
“Paige?” Adam entered her bedroom cautiously. “Are you still awake?”
“I’d like to sleep, but there’s too much noise.”
“We’re trying to get everything back in order downstairs.”
“Thank you.”
“I need to talk to you,” he said, turning on the overhead light.
She cupped her hand over her brow, and with one eye opened, she tried to focus on the leader of this dysfunctional operation. “You want to talk about Jeff.”
“Yes.”
“You’re wasting your breath.”
“I have several to spare.”
“So talk. Then maybe I can sleep.”
“Jeff is in love with you.”
“So he says.”
“But he is leaving.”
“I won’t stand in his way,” she said, staring at the ceiling.
“Why are you doing this to yourself? Don’t you believe you deserve the chance to be happy?”
“I can’t be happy with a man who still blames me for the death of his family members.”
“Blames you? Is that what he told you?”
“He didn’t have to.”
Adam touched her hand. “Jeff doesn’t blame you for their deaths. He doesn’t understand why you lived with Ramone after what you witnessed, and I don’t think he comprehends the fact you were overpowered because he views you as a strong woman, perhaps even his equal.”
“I doubt that.”
“It’s true,” Adam said softly.
The suffocating feeling returned, the one she’d had when Ramone and Ramona had informed her that she wouldn’t leave Cairo unless she left in a body bag. “I didn’t want to be there, but I couldn’t escape. I don’t expect you to understand, so why bother trying to explain my reasons?”
“I’d like to hear them,” Adam said.
She left the bed and strolled toward her walk-in closet, stepping over the various bloodstains on the carpet. She was aware of the transparent gown she wore and the fact she’d discarded her undergarments prior to getting ready for bed. Oh, well, it wasn’t like she had one shred of modesty left anyway.
Retrieving a silk robe, she stuck her arms in the holes and shrugged the soft material over her shoulders. “You want me to tell you my story? Will that make it easier for all of you to leave?”
“My team isn’t finished here. We’re not leaving. Jeff will go in the morning, but he’s waiting on another assignment. He can’t depart until our handler clears his next mission.”
“I’ve asked you to leave.”
Adam shrugged. “It’s not happening. But I want to hear about your life.”
“Why?”
“Because I care about you. We all do.”
Paige sat on the end of her bed, staring at the large piece of plastic hanging as a replacement where double terrace doors once existed. Her house was in ruins. Her life was in shambles.
Did she want to tell Adam about her past? Could she share the bitter memories with a man who’d obviously sided with Jeff and believed she had some twisted ulterior motive for staying with Ramone Carpasia?
“My father was connected to Ramone Carpasia. I was on my way here to spend some time with him after spending a summer in Italy. After the murders, Ramone and Ramona questioned me. That’s when they told me they knew my father.”
“Who was your father?”
She balked at the question. “I told you. He had business connections to Ramone. Who or what he was doesn’t matter. What matters is that I loved him very much, and I believe he betrayed that love because he didn’t have a choice.”
“Fair enough,” Adam said. “Go on.”
“He cut a deal with Ramone. He told Ramone I would live with him, and he would manage his business dealings in the States so long as he made sure I was well provided for and happy. Every week, I called him. Whenever we spoke, Ramona coached me, and soon, I was permitted to talk with him daily, which assured me he was alive and safe.”
“Your father wanted you to marry a killer?”
“No, he didn’t want Ramone to marry me. That wasn’t part of the plan. See, after the murders in North Carolina, Dad knew Ramone couldn’t return to the States right away. Ramone had to have someone in charge of his affairs. Many in the cartel didn’t trust him, which explained why Ramone laundered money for terrorist activity. His time with the cartel was running out.
“My father had a way with people, and the business relationship was a win-win situation. I told my father Ramone treated me like a princess, and he earned more money than he’d ever spend in his lifetime.
“Later, I believe he knew the truth, but I never had a chance to confront him. I believe he sold me out from the very beginning, but he was still my father, and I loved him. I learned to accept what I believe is the truth. My father loved me, but he loved the money more than he could ever love his own child.”
“Many in Ramone’s cartel enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, from what I understand.”
“Ramone lived like a king.”
“So I’m told.”
“He assured my father he treated me well and I, too, would never want for anything.”
“Your father believed him?”
“I guess we’ll never know.”
Adam took her hands in his. “Was Ramone ever good to you?”
She shook her head.
“Can you tell me about it?”
“Ramone and Ramona enjoyed sex together, but Ramona had a twisted need to watch Ramone with other women. She would coach me for hours on what she wanted to see me do with Ramone, and then I would…” Her voice broke and she shook her head.
“It’s okay,” Adam reassured her. “You don’t have to say anything else. I get the picture.”
“Because of what happened when Ramone and I were alone, I wasn’t sure I could ever go behind closed doors with a man again. That’s changed now, but I’m not sure it would’ve without Jeff’s patience and understanding.”
“That�
�s something for you to think about,” Adam pointed out.
“When Ramona watched Ramone with me, Ramone was kind, almost loving. Whenever she wasn’t around, he would sneak into my bedroom and do whatever he wanted, for as long as his stamina allowed.”
Adam cupped her cheek. “Paige, no one here would ever hurt you. If you never believe anything else I tell you. Trust in that.”
“I want to,” she said hesitantly.
“What if we start over?” he suggested, tilting his head to the side in an apparent effort to see through the strands of hair falling in her face.
“How do we start over from here? We already have a distorted history.”
“Yes, but keep in mind, when we arrived here, we had no idea who you were or what our job entailed. We didn’t realize your oceanfront establishment was previously owned by a mob boss or that you, our hostess, had been married to the King of Hearts.”
“About that marriage…it was a farce.”
“Come again?”
“I never legally married Ramone. Ramona made sure of that to protect her financial interests.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive. Ramone trusted Ramona completely. She hired a bum off the street to marry us when we visited New York. She falsified everything from my birth certificate to our marriage license. She wanted to ensure she was the only legal wife of Ramone Carpasia.”
“That’s too bad,” Adam said, grinning. “You would’ve stood to inherit a lot of money.”
“I have all I’ll ever need. All of what I have was blood money anyway, and it’s been hard to overcome. Sometimes it’s hard to stay here, knowing that what I have was purchased at the expense of someone else.”
“Then why do you stay?”
“I lost years off my life when I was with Ramone. I came back here without a job history, without an education, without any family, with nothing. When you have nothing, in this world, you are nothing. I couldn’t go through life without trying to make something out of myself.”
“Where’s the money your father left you?”
Paige stared at him blankly. She didn’t trust him enough. She’d keep her secrets. They were hers to guard.
“Paige, you know the Queen of Hearts is still considered ‘at large’ and ‘armed and dangerous,’ don’t you?” He sighed. “And there’s only one way we can keep you alive.”
She frowned. “How?”
“You’d have to return to Tennessee with us. You’ll have to stay on the ranch. Other operatives will come for you if you don’t. You’re still a high-profile target.”
“I thought my card was removed from the deck.”
Adam pursed his lips.
“Your handler still expects you to take me out, doesn’t he?”
“They considered you a hole card, one they wanted us to remove temporarily from the deck, at least until they gained more information.”
“And when they did?”
He shook and bowed his head.
“I see,” she said quietly. “Then perhaps you should do your job and take care of me.”
He kissed her cheek. “That’s precisely what I plan to do, if you’ll let me.”
“I meant—”
“I know what you meant,” Adam said, strolling toward the door. “See, I have a few things to sort out, too. Jeff isn’t the only one who’s crazy about you.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“She’s still our problem,” Trony said, looking over the documents Teeter handed him. “She’s listed as his next of kin. With Ramone’s real estate holdings in the States, she can holler common-law wife.”
“I don’t think she’s interested in being publicly connected to Ramone.”
“When she finds out how much money is on the line, she may become a grieving widow,” Trony grumbled.
Teeter rubbed his jaw. “Let’s deal with her if she comes looking for us. Let’s not rock the waters when we don’t have waves to cross yet.”
“Paige Lambert is her father’s daughter. She liked the finer things in life, and Ramone made sure she had the best. How long do you think it will be before she runs out of cash?”
Teeter shrugged. “If you’re so sure she’s going to run to you when she needs more change for her piggy bank, then maybe we watch for signs. If she sells that beach house in JekyllIsland or if she spends too much money on trips and cars, then we get worried, yes?”
“You don’t get it!” Trony yelled. “I don’t want to deal with her later on. While we know where she is and how to get to her, we need to take her out. And while we’re at it, we might as well get rid of those men she hired to guard her, too. Otherwise, we’ll meet them a few years down the road. No loose ends, Teeter. That’s what I say. No loose ends!”
One of Trony’s newly appointed advisors entered what used to be Ramone’s private study. “I’m glad I caught you, Trony. Those men you thought Paige Lambert hired?”
“What about them?” he snapped.
“They aren’t employees of a private security firm. They’re special ops assigned to territorial crimes focusing on the South. They have private funding. Several teams work throughout the States, and the one you encountered is thought to be the most dangerous.”
“How accurate is your information?” Trony asked, alarmed.
“I’d say one hundred percent.”
“Damn! Ramone and his women will haunt me from the grave!”
Teeter placed both hands on Trony’s desk. “Leave Jillian be, Trony. Let her go on with her life and become Paige Lambert or whoever else she may want to be. Let this go. I don’t think you’ll hear from her again if you’ll let her live her life in peace.”
Trony shook his head. “I don’t know if I can do that.”
“Try,” Teeter said. “At least wait a few years before you strike out. If she has special ops covering her, you’ll start an outright war if we go back for her.”
Trony twirled a pencil. “Maybe you’re right.”
“I know I am.”
“Maybe I give her time to get comfortable. Let those men go home. Then, we go for her, yes?”
Teeter nodded. “In the future, if that’s what you want and you can’t let this go, we’ll deal with her later.”
* * * *
Jeff walked down the hallway ahead of Adam. They entered Adam’s room, and Adam asked, “Satisfied?”
“She’s not in love with me. She resents me for not trusting in her more.”
“After what she’s been through, who could blame her if she didn’t have the capacity to love?”
“I can’t stay here, Adam. She asked me to go.”
“Knowing Paige, she regretted that request the second she made it.”
“What would you do if you were in my shoes?”
“You know what I’d do. I would march right in there and try again. You’re talking to a man who never gave up on his wife until she gave it up to every man within a thirty mile radius.”
Jeff snickered. It was good to see Adam teasing about Darla. His ex-wife had earned quite the reputation, and Adam deserved better.
“Jeff, have you ever been in love before? I mean even before we met. Have you cared for a woman like you care for Paige?”
“No.”
“Then, let me give you a few lessons. Men live on one planet, and women rule the rest of them. The only way to coax Paige into your terrestrial space is to make her feel special. Otherwise, she’s perfectly fine to stay where she is.
“Paige needs to be spoiled, cherished, and reassured. The only serious relationship she’s been in was one she never wanted. You can give her something she’s never had. We can give her everything she’ll ever need.”
“What do you mean ‘we’?” he asked, eyes fixated on the sheer curtains blowing back and forth.
Adam looked toward the sliding door. “Come on in here, guys.”
Callan, Connor, and Miles joined them. Jeff studied his fellow operatives, his brothers, his friends. They were smiling.
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“You can go ahead and leave,” Connor said. “But if you do, I swear I’ll badger you with the details of what you’re missing.”
“All of you want her?” Jeff asked, studying each of them independently, searching their eyes for any sign of an answer.
“I’m not leaving JekyllIsland without her,” Callan said. “Besides, she didn’t ask me to get out of here.”
“Me, either,” Connor said. “Then again, I don’t think Paige would ever ask me to leave.”
“Of course not,” Jeff grunted.
“I care about her, too,” Adam stated matter-of-factly.
“And he’s not the only one,” Callan said. “We all care deeply for her.”
A lump slid down Jeff’s throat. Talk about pressure. “You all are using your feelings for her to give me an ultimatum?”
“No,” Adam said. “We’re being honest with you. We’re a team. We go on missions together. We all care for Paige. Some of us, maybe, in different ways, but just because you’re a stubborn ass doesn’t mean we’re forfeiting what we want in order to save your feelings. Man up, Jeff. Tell her how you feel. If you don’t, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
Adam was right. It was time to man up. In more ways than one.
* * * *
“What don’t you people understand?” Paige complained. “I’m tired. I need to get some sleep. Morning is coming soon!” She tucked her head under a large pillow and groaned. “God, you guys are wrecking my life!”
“That’s too damn bad,” Jeff said, locking the door behind him but realizing if any of the guys wanted in there, they could slip behind the plastic and step through what used to be a fancy door with a lot of glass.
Paige tossed the coverlet away. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“If I’m leaving here in the morning, I’m sleeping with you tonight.”
“Like hell you are,” she said firmly, but not quite convincingly enough.
“You might as well get comfortable,” he said, smiling to himself as he stripped off his jeans, tugged his fitted T-shirt over his head, and stepped out of his shoes.
Blaine, Destiny - Breakfast by the Sea (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 21
