Chapter Thirteen
“Thank you for coming,” Andre Souza said, squeezing Emanuel’s shoulder.
The funeral had been a small affair, with only friends and family of Raul’s attending. Per the family’s request, Emanuel had ensured the media would stay out of it by hiring a team of security guards to keep photographers away.
Emanuel simply nodded. A part of him was numb, while the rest throbbed with an anxiety he had yet to understand. It was like he had lost a limb ever since she walked out of his life days ago. Life without her required getting used to. He’d secretly hoped to hear from her in some way. It was within his right to contact her and request her help since she had so readily offered it before their last discussion. But he wanted to wait and see if she’d contact him, if she’d honor her word. That’s how he knew he was screwed—he’d put his own plan to bring down her father on hold because he, like an infatuated schoolboy, held out to see if she’d meet him halfway.
“Emanuel,” Jussara called him. He offered her a hug, murmured condolences while she wiped away tears from her blotchy skin. This couldn’t have been easy. “My father told me you’re paying for my and my sister’s education. And he mentioned the job you offered him at your organization.”
“The very least I could do,” he said.
Jussara glanced at the stone ground, then folded her arms and faced him again. “Silas Lancaster offered us a settlement, but I don’t think we should take it. The life of our Raul doesn’t have a price. If he didn’t accept any bribes, why should we?” she said, and he wished he could agree. The Souzas were a rare breed. They’d raised their son to be an honest, decent human being, and how had life rewarded him? By having him work for Silas Lancaster.
Emanuel bit his tongue, willing the bitterness away. “I’m not done with Silas. I’m sorry things took a different turn, but you know I’m never giving up. If we don’t catch him this time, we’ll catch him next,” he said. He omitted the part that his brother Bruno suggested they hire a hacker to get information on Stewart, the CFO of the Amelia Lancaster Foundation. Any traceable paperwork incriminating Silas would help. Sounds like I’m following Erika’s idea.
“Thank you. My brother, wherever he is, must appreciate your efforts. And so do we.”
Emanuel glanced at his phone, his eyes caressing it while he entertained the daring idea. Call her. It had been three weeks since he’d last seen Erika in the Amazon. Sitting on the oversize leather chair of his office in Rio, he should be busy enough not to think about her.
Wouldn’t that be nice? Several times a day his fingers glided over his phone, a certain nervousness shooting through him like he was about to ask her to marry him or something. Then, just as he did now, he slid his hand off the phone and returned to drumming the glass and metal desk. And ignoring the emails on his computer, and barely listening to what his assistant said. I’ll survive you, she had said. Damn it, she’d been right.
“Mr. Duarte, your brother is here to see you.” The clipped voice of his assistant filtered through the intercom, which was a mere formality. Within two seconds, Bruno strode into his office.
“I’ve got news for you, meu irmão.”
He ran his hand down his face. Trusting his brother had been the right thing to do—Bruno had vowed to use his expertise to help him get account information from the CFO. Anything that could compromise Silas would count. “Anything good?”
Bruno waved the file folder in his hand. “All you need to start a case on Lancaster is there.”
Emanuel stood up and took the file. Opening it, he glanced at statements of Swiss bank accounts, a transcript from phone conversations between Silas and the CFO, and more. There was no way a hacker alone could do all those things—from the looks of it, someone from the inside had helped. And possibly recorded their phone conversations, too. “How did you get it?”
Bruno shrugged and sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. “Does it matter?”
Emanuel clenched the folder in his hands, his heart flipping in his chest like a damn Olympic gymnast. He plopped on the chair opposite his brother, his shoulders sagging with the frustration of a team who lost a soccer match. A lump lodged in his throat, so strong and hard not even a good gulp of scotch would push it down.
“Aren’t you going to call a lawyer and get the process started? See what happens next? Since he’s in the U.S. and we’re here, you may need good counsel on it.”
“I asked Leonardo for help, and he’s getting a team together to make sure we’re all covered,” Emanuel said.
Bruno nodded. “Why wait? I’ll call Leonardo now and tell him you have the paperwork needed. That’s the beauty of having a lawyer in the family,” he said, grabbing his phone from inside his suit.
“No.”
“What do you mean? What difference does it make to wait a day or two?” Bruno asked, speed dialing their brother’s phone number. “Alô.”
Emanuel launched at his brother, the file opening and sheets falling to the floor. Emanuel grabbed the phone from Bruno’s hand and tossed it away. “I said no.”
Bruno pushed him. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Emanuel breathed heavily like he had done some strenuous exercise, and withdrew. He could take his brother anytime he wanted. Why would he? And why was he acting so irrationally when he had just received all he ever wanted? Maybe not all. “Stop,” he said to himself rather than to Bruno. Stop heart from beating. Stop jumbled thoughts from unraveling. Stop…loving her. “I can’t.”
“Why? And don’t give me any bullshit reason.”
“It’s not an easy decision. If this all comes out, I screw her. Her father’s career is over, but so is hers. Her foundation will go down, and what if she goes down with it, too, even if it’s not her fault? I couldn’t forgive myself.”
“I thought this was all common knowledge from the beginning?” Bruno asked with a trace of sarcasm in his voice.
Emanuel popped his knuckles. Merda. Of course he’d known it all along. Yet doing it now that he was able to seemed, no, was plain wrong. How could he ruin her life? That would make his own life even more miserable. “Things changed.”
“How so?” Bruno said.
The bastard was going to make him say it. “Go to hell.” Emanuel waved him off, cursing his brother for giving him no option but facing and verbalizing the obvious.
Bruno grinned, unfazed. “Still not a good answer. You know, I have all day. Addie and the kiddo are busy taking some mother-and-me class until later.”
Stubborn jerk. Why couldn’t he just let Emanuel drown in his sorrows and leave him the fuck alone? Either way, Erika probably hated him by now. The look in her eyes when she left was something that haunted Emanuel all the time. He hurt her. He hadn’t believed her. And worse, he’d made it clear he couldn’t give her more than what he had. I was an asshole, and if she has any common sense, she won’t forgive me.
“I care about Erika. If this comes out, her life will never be the same.”
Bruno gave him a slow clap. “It’s a start.”
“What do you mean?” Didn’t his brother find it strange that Emanuel cared for his former captive and daughter of his sworn enemy? The tall, dark-haired man in front of him didn’t even blink. “Listen, I’m an idiot. I promised the Souzas I would fight for their cause, and I never back down from a promise. But, shit, I love Erika and don’t want to destroy her. Just her father.”
He’d feared this moment would come, when he’d have to choose between exposing Erika’s father or protecting her by keeping the information secret. He’d worried, because he assumed he would hurt her by setting off a chain of events against her father and her charity—and now his only concern was how easy it’d been to choose her and not his previous goal. Because protecting her, loving her trumped anything else.
Bruno folded his arms, shifting in his chair. “So you’re not going forth with the accusation.”
“I can’t. I’m going to have to find another angle to bring justice to the Souzas and destroy Silas, one that’s not linked to the foundation.” His temples throbbed, a part of him hating himself for breaking that promise, but he couldn’t do this to her. Besides, people like Silas kept making mistakes. He was arrogant and self-absorbed.
Bruno curled his lips. “I’ve got good news for you. You may not have to expose him without her blessing, Emanuel. Erika was the one who gave me all this information.”
Emanuel jerked his head back, like someone just tried to clock him. “What?”
“She contacted me a few days ago and mailed me the package. She asked me to give it to you, so you can use it as you see fit. There’s also a tape of her conversation with her father.”
Emanuel swallowed hard. “So she wants me to use it?”
“Yes.”
“Wait. Why didn’t you tell me when you walked in?”
“Because I thought it was odd how she talked about you, and how you refused to tell me much about her. I talked it over with Addie, and we concluded you two must have feelings for each other.”
Emanuel ran his fingers through his hair. “Guess thanks to Addie you’re very perceptive nowadays.” And a pain in the ass. “I can’t believe she looked for you and not me.” Why wouldn’t she have contacted him personally? Because she’s mad at me and wants to prove a point.
“She mentioned you didn’t like her idea,” Bruno said.
“I wasn’t sure she meant it at the time.”
“Why wouldn’t she?”
“Because if she did, she would be good for me,” he said out loud, dragging every word out of the depths of his lungs. “And I didn’t want her to be the girl who came into my life and messed it all up. So it was easier to believe she wasn’t that person.” His heart tightened at the realization.
“At least you’re being honest.”
You are fucking scared. You use this risk-taker rogue approach to life when it benefits you, but when it doesn’t, you balk. We could have been your biggest risk. Her words rang in his ears. “No wonder she hates me now.”
“Are you sure?”
Wouldn’t anyone in her position? He had doubted her, left her, and not made one attempt to talk to her again. Hell, he’d tried to go behind her back and get evidence against her father on his own—which, he knew now, he probably wouldn’t use if he did manage to gather it. “I’m not used to letting people help me. To sharing the load.”
When they were together, she had been his partner. Whether they meant to or not, they depended on each other. They talked to each other, waited together, searched for common ground. Though in the last minute, they didn’t find it, but hell, they tried. And what was he doing now to prove his love for her? Not a damn thing. Nada.
“Fuck. I’ve been a coward and an idiot.”
Bruno surged to his feet, offering him a look of compassion. At least his brother wasn’t disagreeing with him, probably because he’d made his share of mistakes before marrying the one for him. “It’s all in the past. What will you do about the future?”
Emanuel sighed. Was it too late? For a future with the only woman he’d like to share it with?
…
Erika added another coat of red lipstick to her lips, then grabbed a tissue and kissed it gently to remove some of it. She glanced in the mirror. She supposed she could have gotten ready in the same hotel as the press conference would take place, but she preferred to do it in her own NYC apartment.
Her cell phone buzzed so much that when it went silent she found it odd. She took a long, deep breath and smiled at her reflection—beige blouse and a black pencil skirt with minimum jewelry had to do it. Even though someone had advised her to put her hair up, she preferred to leave it down, the smooth waves cascading past her shoulders. She didn’t need to put on a show just to convince people she was right.
Her lawyer had guaranteed he’d be there by her side. She had spoken with the police the day before and prepared her statement about her father’s affairs and all she knew about them. This press conference would be to make it public and to give her foundation donors a response.
She heard a knock on her bedroom door. Who could it be?
She fixed her hair again, tossing it to the side as she headed to her bedroom door. She didn’t expect anyone at this time and hadn’t hired any security to escort her to the hotel. A town car would arrive in half an hour or so to drive her, as arranged, but the concierge would call her to let her know. Certainly the driver wouldn’t pick her up at her apartment, much less go inside without an invitation and knock at her bedroom.
By the time she opened the door, she didn’t find anyone. Hmmm. Strange. She lifted her hand to her stomach. “Who’s there?” she asked, walking carefully to her living area. “Claudia, is that you?” she said, calling the cleaning lady who’d worked for her the past three years. Every so often, Claudia mistook dates and arrived on the wrong day of the week.
“It’s me,” said the undeniable voice belonging to the gorgeous man who stood in her living room.
Her jaw dropped. The guy who’d occupied her mind for the past weeks was in her house, offering her a tight smile and a look so powerful she felt like a hammer just slammed her knees. There was something different about him, and it wasn’t just the cool, smart clothes he wore. The tan coat and the plaid designer shirt paired with faded jeans enhanced his powerful frame, sure, but something else caught her attention.
There were a couple of dark spots under his eyes. Had he been worried about something?
“I like your place. It’s very you,” he said, his fingers pointing at the fur rugs and the set of white leather sofas and hardwood floor. “Warm and classy.”
“I’ll let my designer know,” she said dryly. Her body reacted passionately to his return, and she had to guard herself in case he’d come to hurt her again. A hot pulse spread through her, and every cell vibrated in his presence. “I’m sure you didn’t come all the way from Brazil to check out my place.” She folded her arms, in a vain attempt to calm herself down and slow her heart rate. Thankfully, she managed to keep her shoulders squared and voice steady.
“No.” He gave her a sad, small smile, and she wrestled the need to erase the distance between them and give him a hug.
She stepped toward him, keeping a safe distance. Crossing her arms, she gestured for him to sit, but he did not. Neither did she. Sitting would be safer, giving her throbbing legs a rest. But if she stood, they’d be equals. “Then why are you here?”
“Bruno gave me the folder you provided. I can see why you did it. I was wrong. I didn’t believe you. I didn’t want to.” He peered at her and jammed his hands in his pockets. If she wasn’t so focused on hearing his every word, she’d enjoy how nervous he seemed for once in his life. He reached for a briefcase on the floor, grabbed the chunky folder from the inside, and set it on her coffee table. “I brought back the information you gave my brother, because I can’t ruin your life.”
“You’re not using it?” she asked, though she had already put the wheels in motion to speed up the process. Didn’t he know that? A shiver surged through her. “Why wouldn’t you use it? That evidence is all you need to make your dream come true.”
He scratched the back of his neck. “Well, dreams change. When I had the folder in my hands, I knew I could use it, but I didn’t want to anymore. I couldn’t hurt you and your charity.”
“Why?” she asked, heart pounding in her mouth.
“Because I love you, Erika. Convincing you we’re meant for each other is my new goal.”
She leaned on the chair for support so she wouldn’t fall on her ass. Balance was a tricky thing, especially when her system was about to combust. His eyes shimmered with amusement and hope, even though he took a couple of steps in her direction then stopped, probably anticipating her reaction but unwilling to rush her.
“You made me feel like I could do anything I wanted. Something so strong, so powerful, yet something I had to share with you because you gave me that energy. And I’m not good at sharing,” he said.
“You’re selling yourself short. You let me help you in the forest.”
“My point is, minha princesa, I want you for life. I’m sorry for all the pain I caused you. I know you could survive on your own. But I can’t, not without you by my side.”
She lifted her hand to her chest. “Emanuel.”
Emanuel closed the gap between them and brought her hands to his. A slight tremble moved his fingers, and a sense of empowerment moved through her. This was a big deal for him. He was taking a risk for her. Her pulse fluttered.
“I have to tell you something. I appreciate you putting me first. I sent those documents via Bruno to see if you’d make the first move or let me know either way. I couldn’t wait and got things started on this end. I talked to a lawyer, and we’re doing everything right. I’ve talked to the police already and told them what I know about my father. I’m actually on my way to a press conference.”
His brows furrowed. “You have? Are you sure about this?”
“Yes. I can’t head a foundation in my mom’s name that’s using people’s weakness for profit. She’ll understand and agree with me, wherever she is.”
He let go of her hand and reached into the briefcase again. This time he retrieved a long envelope. “I couldn’t be prouder of you. I want you for the rest of my life. As a wife, mother to my children, but more than anything as my woman and partner, which is why I’m asking you to give me a chance by giving you this.”
She opened the envelope. “What is this?”
“It’s paperwork that gives you equal rights to my foundation in Brazil.”
She peeked at the paperwork, all pages dutifully translated into English. His foundation helped minorities and troubled children and teenagers. “You can’t do this. That’s your life.”
“I’m sharing it with you if you’ll accept me, because from now on, you’re my life.” He lifted her chin, stroking her jaw as his eyes caressed her.
She leaned into his touch, that heady sensation overpowering her. “I love you, Emanuel.” So much it hurts.
“I’ve never been as happy as I am now.”
“Good. Because it’s only the beginning.”
He enveloped her in an embrace and captured her lips with his. She caressed his hair, wanting to touch every part of him, needing to lick and kiss him madly. Eventually they would have to come up for air, because she had a press conference to attend. But, for now, she gave herself to him, in the most erotic, honest, and vibrating kiss of her life. His tongue teased her, his teeth grazing her flesh. Her sex throbbed with life, longing, and desire.
An invisible needle burst a bubble of happiness inside her, spreading through her entire being. Sure, she could survive without him, but she didn’t want to. And that made a hell of a difference.