by J Q Anderson
“Sebastián…”
“Please,” he whispered. “Stay.”
God, I wanted him, but I needed to clear my head. I was quickly getting sucked into the dark Palacios web. But his soft, sensual lips molding to mine overrode my thoughts, flooding them with caresses, and love, and affection.
The tension from the night broke free inside me. I clutched his shirt at the back while his mouth ravaged my neck. You’re my angel. The words swirled in my mind. He held me in place while he kissed me, more gently now. His hand slipped under my dress, and he stilled, then smiled against my mouth.
“Where’s your underwear, babe?”
I blushed furiously. I had forgotten all about that, an impulse as I was getting dressed. Now it seemed stupid. “Um…I wanted to surprise you. I thought it would be…sexy.”
“I’m very pleasantly surprised.” He grinned, squeezing me into his arms. His mouth covered mine, devouring me once again while his cock rubbed against me through the fabric of his pants. I moaned and he exhaled against my mouth. “God, you’re going to kill me.”
I gasped, my hands clutching his hair, and I pulled hard as every muscle in his carved body hardened against mine. I arched my head back to give him better access to my neck. That glorious mouth…I wanted it everywhere. We were a tangle of hands, legs, and tongues. I was glad the house was asleep because I was sure we were putting on quite a show. My hand moved to his belt and the zipper, and I quickly undid them, pulling his pants down with his boxers. Before I could breathe, he was inside me, pounding, filling me completely as I held on to his biceps. I felt powerful, letting him possess me like this, knowing he was as lost to the force that pulled us together as I was. My blood was on fire, and I climbed, my muscles singing as they clenched in ecstasy. I moaned my release and we climaxed together. Spent, he held me against the cool glass.
“Let’s go to bed,” he said, his voice husky. I groaned, coming back to the now. He picked me up in his arms, and we headed inside.
Soft kisses trailing down my back woke me. I blinked through a fog of sleep, wrapped in the luxury of the softest Egyptian cotton.
Sebastián pressed a soft kiss on my bare shoulder and I turned around. He was sitting on the bed beside me, fully dressed and his hair was wet. I frowned.
“What time is it?”
“Early. I didn’t want you to wake up alone and worry. I need to deliver some soccer uniforms to a new school. I’ll be back soon.”
“Oh…” I yawned and sat up on the bed. “You do that yourself?” I looked out the window. “It’s still dark outside.”
“My staff usually handles the deliveries. But I need to meet with someone today.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“No, baby. Go back to sleep. It’s just a quick run. You can come another time and meet the kids.” He pressed another soft kiss on my lips. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
I slipped back under the covers but lay wide awake as an avalanche of thoughts flooded my head. Through the massive window, I watched the moon cast shadows on the forest outside. The willows swayed to the early morning wind. I thought of Sergei and what might have happened to him after he left with Rafa. The desperation in his purple-rimmed eyes haunted me. What would happen when I went back to my apartment? Not my apartment. Sebastián was right, it was theirs. Nata had gone behind my back to help Sergei with his plan. My chest tightened at the thought. I would’ve helped them if she had just asked.
I tossed and turned until the sun finally rose to a decent enough hour to go on the hunt for coffee.
Keys turned in the front door. Sebastián walked in, followed by Rafa and Tano. I sipped Marcél’s heavenly coffee at the breakfast bar.
“Good morning,” Sebastián said, wrapping his arms around me from behind and giving me a sensual kiss. I blushed, knowing we had an audience. He turned to his bodyguards. “We’ll stay around here today. You two can take it easy.”
“I’ll take the car back to Julián’s and have Tano drive me back.” Rafa then nodded at me. “Morning, Camila.”
Tano winked a hello and followed Rafa.
“What do you want to do today?” Sebastián poured himself a cup of coffee.
I looked silently at him until our eyes met.
“What?”
“I want to talk about what happened at the party.”
He growled. “Camila.”
“No, don’t Camila me.” I shook my head. “I meant it when I said this won’t work if you keep me in the dark. I’m in the middle of all this now. I need to know.”
Letting out a heavy sigh, he slid onto a barstool, then picked up his coffee. “Okay, I’m not promising anything. What do you want to know?”
“First, I want to know about the Russian girls.”
“Out of the question. And you understand you can’t even mention that topic to anyone. Especially not to Nata and Sergei.”
“Of course I understand that. But those people are after you.”
“I’ll be fine. We were careful. And you and I can’t talk about this either. You never know who’s listening.”
“Sebastián—”
“Next question.”
“Fine. Sergei took a huge risk by coming to the party. What’s going on between them and your family?”
Sebastián rubbed the fatigue off his eyes. “Most of the Zchestakovas’ business are imports that enter the country through our ports. The relationship between them and my family has always been strained, to say the least, because they can’t be trusted. They’re always trying to slip in contraband, avoid the customs fees.”
“Contraband?”
He shrugged. “Yeah. Electronics, alcohol, cosmetics, you name it. They’ve done it all. But that’s not what last night was about. We deal with contraband on a regular basis.”
“Then what?”
Anger crossed his face and he looked away, taking a sip of coffee. “Last month, one of Sergei’s morons shot Julián’s best customs agent and six others when they embargoed a shipment the Zchestakovas were bringing in through Mendoza. Six hundred kilos of ephedrine smuggled inside fertilizer pallets.”
“What?”
He nodded. “Till then we had managed to keep things civil. The Zchestakovas have always stayed away from drugs. I don’t know what triggered the change. They must’ve been desperate, who the fuck cares.”
“That can’t be. I mean, I know the Zchestakovas. I admit, they’re odd, but they would never…” I shook my head, searching for words. They had shot six people? Drugs? No. Nata’s family couldn’t be involved with any of that. I knew my friend. Or did I...“What happened to Julián’s man and the others?”
“Most of the crew were shot dead, and Julián’s man was badly injured. They beat him up good, though, put two bullets in his shoulder, and left him there like a dog, among a half dozen corpses.” Anger blazed in his pale eyes.
“Christ. That just sounds insane. What happened after?”
“Julián shut down the borders to them, indefinitely. All their cargoes are on hold at the docks for inspection.” He took my hand and interlaced our fingers. “Look, whatever you hear or learn about my family, there’s one thing you need to know. First, we take care of our own. No matter what. Second, we don’t go near drugs. Ever. We are vehemently against them. My father’s been accused of a lot of things, but he’s always protected his family. And he’s never dealt with drugs.”
I nodded, trying to process. “What about the guns?”
“We use them for our own protection. We have to. But we don’t move them in or out.”
I sighed. I was in way over my head... I felt like one of those hostages in Netflix’s Money Heist, the one who fell in love with one of the robbers. Would I end up like her and join the guys with the guns? “So, what happens now?”
“I don’t know. The Russians are screwed. Julián’s pissed, and I don’t blame him. The guy they shot, José, was Julián’s right arm. With him out of commission, Juli�
�n’s been at the docks almost full-time. He doesn’t trust anyone else. It’s affecting the studio.”
“How?”
“Julián personally manages the business end of our most important accounts. I handle the main designs, and even with the help we’ve got, my plate’s more than full.”
“So what’s gonna happen then? It seems like this isn’t good for anyone. Especially Nata’s family. Is it true they’ll have to leave? Can they survive without any imports?”
“I imagine it would be hard. But that’s not your concern.”
“She’s my best friend. Look, I’m not condoning the drugs, or the shootings—Jesus, I still can’t believe that. There’s got to be an explanation, and there’s got to be a way to work this out. Is there anything you can do?”
“Me? No. They fucking made this personal when they went after José. He’s like family. Plus now he’s got permanent hearing loss in one ear. Fuck them.”
I racked my brain for words.
“Look, babe. Just stay out of this,” he said.
“Stay out of it? What do you think is going to happen when I go back to my apartment?”
“You don’t have to go back. You can stay here.”
My eyebrows shot up in astonishment. Sebastián reached for my hand and tugged me into his arms. “Come here. It’s going to be okay.”
“How, exactly?” I closed my eyes. What a goddamn nightmare.
“I want you to be safe. I can drive you to work in the mornings. Stay here. In fact, you can just move in with me.”
I pulled away so I could look at him. “You’re not serious.”
“I am.”
I searched his face for a trace of…what, humor? But he looked sincere.
“I can’t, Sebastián.”
“Why?”
“Because I already have a place to live.”
“It’s not safe for you to be there. Those fuckers are unpredictable. They’ll use you to get to us again.”
I was about to say Nata would never do that. But she already had. She’d written the note, baiting me to Sebastián. “Don’t call them fuckers,” I murmured. “They’re my friends.” I looked up at him, trying to decide what to do. “I think I’ll stay at my parents’ for now.”
He threw his head back. “For fuck’s sake. Stay with me. I’ll make sure you get to work on time every day. Will you please stop arguing with me?”
“Let’s just see what happens. I have no clothes here anyway. I need to go back home.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“No, let me do this alone.”
“I’ll wait downstairs if you want, but I’m not sending you there unprotected.”
“Sebastián—”
“Camila.”
“Fine.” I rolled my eyes. “I’ll go get my things. Let’s get this over with.”
Chapter 25
When I walked into my apartment, Nata and Sergei were sitting on the edge of the couch. Nata stood, her face etched with fatigue from what I knew had been a long night of worrying. My eyes met hers, and her expression fell. I clutched the strap of my bag and swallowed the lump in my throat. Sebastián was waiting downstairs. I needed to be quick if I didn’t want him to come storming in.
“Camila…” Nata said, her tone laced with guilt.
“I came to get a few things.” I looked away and set off for my room, but she intercepted me.
“Wait. We need to talk.”
“Now you want to talk?”
“Please,” she said.
“I don’t want any part of it. Whatever it is.”
“I’m sorry about the note last night but—”
“Yeah, that was a bit ironic because you were the first one to tell me not to get involved with Sebastián’s family. And I don’t want to get involved, but you two dragged me right to the middle. And you didn’t even ask. You baited me.”
“Bah,” Sergei said. “Don’t be so dramatic. Nata was only helping me.”
I gave him a dirty look and turned back to Nata, shaking my head in frustration as she slowly lowered herself onto the couch. Dropping my bag at my feet, I sat on the only other armchair we owned.
“I’m sorry,” Nata said. “I am. I know there’s no excuse for any of this. You have every right to be angry. But you were the only way we could get Sebastián alone.”
“I am angry. You went behind my back. I would’ve helped you if you had just asked.”
“You’re right,” Nata said. “I’m sorry, I’m a hypocrite. And after everything I’ve said to you against Sebastián and his family, I was afraid you’d say no. I couldn’t blame you if you had. But we’re desperate.” Her hand reached for mine and I flinched.
“You’re like my sister, Nata.”
She withdrew her hand and rubbed the fatigue from her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“Drop it, already,” Sergei said. “I made her do it.” He paced by the balcony door like a caged tiger, then he suddenly stopped, shaking his head in irritation. “Last night you said you’d help us. You have to talk to them.” His sunken blue eyes glinted in the morning sun. He winced, scowling at the glare like a vampire breaking out of a coffin.
“I only just met Julián last night, and it was pretty clear he didn’t want to be BFFs with me.”
“Talk to Sebastián, then,” Sergei said. “As Don Martín’s son, he has all the power.”
“He’s really not involved in his father’s business.”
“Ha!” he said. “Don’t be naïve. Camila, you’re our only hope. You have to do this.”
“Hey.” I frowned. “I don’t have to do anything. You’re the ones shooting people and dealing drugs. This is your mess, not mine.”
Sergei’s eyes narrowed. A warning. “We don’t smuggle drugs.”
“No? Where did the ephedrine in fertilizer tanks come from?”
“Another clan. A guy named García conned us. Everyone knows the Palacios family doesn’t deal with drugs. We’re not that stupid.”
“Cami,” Nata said, “we wouldn’t risk our business with the Palacioses. You have to believe us.”
I let my head drop against the backrest. “I don’t know what to believe.”
“Us. What we are telling you. We’re like your family, Camila.” Nata’s hand reached for my arm. “I’m so sorry we’ve put you in this position. It’s not fair to ask any of this of you. But we’re desperate. If they don’t release those shipments soon, my family’s business will collapse. We’ll be left with nothing. I’ll have to”—her voice broke—“go back to Russia.” I turned to her just as her hand quickly wiped her eyes. My insides twisted in a knot. I had never seen Nata cry before.
“I don’t know why you think Sebastián will listen to me,” I said with resignation. “He didn’t want to discuss any of this. He says the less I know, the better.”
“And he’s right.” Nata nodded with regret in her eyes. “Sergei tells me only the most important things for that same reason.”
“Natascha,” Sergei snapped and blurted something in Russian. “We need this.”
She gave him a defiant glare and he groaned in irritation.
I scowled at him. “Julián is pissed because your people shot his crew. All except one were murdered. What the fuck. Or that wasn’t you guys either?”
“That was not us, I told you. Enough!”
I turned to Nata. “Is this why you’ve always been so vague about your family? Is Sebastián right when he says you guys are…dangerous?”
Nata shook her head. “It’s not that simple.”
“I can’t believe how naïve I’ve been.” I let out a humorless chuckle. “I thought Sergei was part of some gang. But this is like real mafia shit.”
“It’s not like that,” Nata said. “First of all, that wasn’t us. We’re not murderers. Sergei’s telling you the truth. Second of all, things in Russia work differently, and we’re very exposed here. We need protection. The world my family and Sebastián’s family exist in has a different s
et of rules than the rest. It’s…complicated.”
“Jesus, Nata. Drugs? Guns? Who are you guys?”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I told you my family doesn’t go near drugs. Julián knows it was García, even if he doesn’t admit it. His people are dead and that cargo was linked to us. Someone has to pay.”
“Sebastián said your guys try to push contraband regularly.”
Sergei rolled his eyes. “Oh, please. Spare me. They count on the contraband. That’s how they make most of their money. Undeclared imports, cargoes in transit that vanish. They call them midnight shipments because they come in late at night. No paperwork. If the seller doesn’t pay Don Martín’s fees, the cargoes are embargoed at the docks. Indefinitely. Like they did with ours. The Palacioses control everything.”
“Camila,” Nata said, “my family wants to make things right. Sergei won’t let anything like that happen again.” She looked up at him, and his jaw tensed.
“I shouldn’t have trusted Dimitri. He was the one who helped García, then sold us out with De La Viña. But he isn’t part of our business anymore, or any business.” He mumbled the last part under his breath. “I’ll personally handle the shipments from now on. That’s what I wanted to tell Don Martín.”
I pressed my forehead to my knees. This was way too much to process. Nothing was black and white. Everyone seemed to have an angle.
“Look,” said Nata, “let’s just all take a step back. Camila and I’ve got a very busy week coming up. We need to focus on that.” She placed her hand on my shoulder. Her eyes were red rimmed with fatigue, and I wondered if she had slept at all. “I’m sorry about all this, Camila. If you can do anything to help us, then that’s more than we can expect. I know it’s really for us to resolve. And most likely, Sebastián won’t like the idea of you being in the middle.”
“Yeah. He wants me to move in with him. He doesn’t think I’m safe here.”
She exchanged a look with Sergei, then turned to me. “Nobody here will ever hurt you. You need to know that. Do you believe me?”
