Chapter Fifteen
A Beethoven symphony cut through the silence. Satyanna rocked back from the leather reclining chair across from her bed, and stomped her feet on the floor. The soothing sound was the ringtone from Leonardo’s cell phone. She’d gotten used to listening to it lately, with his assistant constantly calling him about rescheduling meetings. He must have forgotten it in her room when he came to check on the baby. She looked at Lyanna sound asleep and sighed.
Ever since that hike a few days ago, he’d raised the wall between them again. He had asked her to sign the contract the next day, and she was sure it wasn’t just a symbolic gesture. In the rainforest, he’d lost control and obviously wanted it back again. She picked up the iPhone and searched for the ID. Unknown Caller. It could be a telemarketing company. Ugh. She hated those.
As the ring continued, she swallowed. Her intuition hinted this was not someone trying to sell him shit. Sucking in a breath, she slid her finger on the phone and accepted the call.
“Alô,” she said.
“Hello, my darling,” Harry’s musical, elegant drawl sounded on the other end. “Good to know you’re in control again.”
Anxiety knotted inside her. She clenched the cell phone hard so her sweaty palm wouldn’t let go of the device. There was no way she’d miss this conversation. Her heart thumped. Harry. “Did you kill Maria?” she asked, enunciating every word. Why did she have to ask? Because I wanna hear it from the horse’s mouth. So there would be no doubts, no wondering. No believing.
“That lovely woman was a casualty. I spared her from a life of getting old working for the tedious Brazilian one-percenter.”
Nausea rose in her throat, and she clamped her lips for a second trying to control all the anger bolting through her. Why would he kill just to make a point? “You’re a monster.”
He chuckled as if she had told him a freaking joke. “I suppose no one is perfect. The fact of the matter is I’m not going to let Leonardo steal both of you from me.”
“You stole my child. Do you have any idea how I felt? If I hadn’t been arrested and called him, we would never have discovered she was still alive.”
A sigh came from the other side.
She could picture him shifting on his seat slightly, or getting ready to light a cigarette. “When you had eclampsia and fell into the coma I had to make a decision. You weren’t in any condition to raise a child. Calling that awful man was out of the question. He would throw us both in jail. So I decided to keep the baby until you got better. As far as paperwork went, it was easier to have declared her dead. I was already on the run from the US and in Brazil. But you betrayed me, and ran from me yet again…when you woke up, before I even got to the hospital you took off.”
Why was he on the run in the US? Sure, he’d had a handful of fake IDs, but what could he have possibly done wrong to avoid going back? She cleared her throat. This wasn’t the time to deviate from the subject. “How altruistic of you.”
“See? I knew we could bury the hatchet.”
“Stay away, Harry. From me and from my daughter.”
“Now, why are you going backward? Leonardo Duarte will never marry you. We can travel the world together, Satyanna. All three of us.”
She balled her fingers into a fist. “No. This isn’t going to happen.”
He breathed into the phone. A cough. Yep, he was smoking. “Leonardo’s sister-in-law…what’s her name? Addie. Such a pretty woman. And an activist, isn’t she? One wonders how brave she must be, visiting those tribes and talking to authorities.”
Her nerves tensed immediately. She gritted her teeth. There was no way in hell she’d allow him to think of—or to even talk about—hurting Addie. “Leave her out of this. Do you hear me?”
“Let’s meet in person, Satyanna. Just you and me. If I see anyone else, I bolt. And I’ll find a way to hurt someone else. Trust me.”
Game on. She couldn’t pass up on the opportunity of meeting him. If she had to be the bait to get Harry arrested, so be it. “Where?”
“I’ll call you tomorrow at one.”
“I’ll be waiting. Remember. You come alone,” she said before he hung up.
The dull sound echoed against her ear. She glanced at the phone, her fingers caressing it to make sure that conversation just happened. It felt warm against her skin.
“Waiting for what?” Leonardo asked behind her.
She jumped. Crap. Just her luck she would have no time to process the conversation or find a way to tell him. She set his phone on the nightstand and twisted her hands together. “What are you doing here?”
“I took a shower and realized I left my phone in here. I didn’t want to be away from it in case Clemonte called.” Leonardo’s jaw clenched. “It was him, wasn’t it?”
She lifted her brow. The way he stood, with his towel hanging low on his waist and spine locked into place, told her this wasn’t going to be a fun chat. She motioned for him to get out of her room so they could chat in his next-door. Waking up the baby was out of the question. When she was inside his domain, she finally said, “He wants to see me.”
“No.”
She folded her arms and erased the distance between them. She narrowed her gaze at him, so close she could feel his minty breath. He must have just brushed his teeth. Slowly, she lifted her chin. “Yes.”
Leonardo drew back, his lips set into a thin, hard line. “Are you crazy?”
She uncrossed her arms. Was she? With Harry’s threat hanging over her head like a black cloud on a sunny day, she had no other choice. “Are the security guards you hired good? They seem good. They can watch us, and get him. They capture him and he’s arrested. End of story.”
He thrust his fingers into his hair, running them through it. “It’s not that easy. If someone fails, he gets you, and God knows what that man plans on doing with you.”
Ice spread through her stomach. “That won’t happen, Leonardo. You need to trust me.”
“I don’t trust him. What did he say?” he hissed.
“He’ll call tomorrow at one with instructions. I have to show up alone.” She massaged her temples to alleviate the tension. What was the point in hiding it? “He’ll hurt Addie if I don’t show up.”
Leonardo slammed his hand on the threshold, and the sound made her square her shoulders and gasp. That’s gotta hurt. Stifling a groan, he glanced at his hand and flexed his fingers. “If I tell Bruno this, he will kill him with his bare hands. Hell, that’s what I might do. Bastard.”
Should she get him some ice for his hand? She entertained the idea, but first, they needed to talk this through. Kissing it better was out of the question, too. Leonardo glowered at her like she’d just told him she’d joined a dog-fighting club or something that terrible. “See, I can’t just ignore what I heard.”
“No, you can’t. You are not going tomorrow. I will, and I’ll handle it.”
“The moment he sees you, he’ll bolt, and Addie will pay the consequences.” And that, she would not allow to happen. There could be no clean slate for her and her daughter, hell, for her and him, too—if she was still stupid enough to believe in one—if she didn’t act and something bad happened to Addie Duarte.
Leonardo prowled the room, watching her every so often. “No. It’ll never come to that. Worst case scenario, if he sees me, I’ll tell them and—”
Irritation worked its way up her spine, stiffening her neck. Why didn’t he stop to consider her idea for a second? Why did he just assume he knew better? Would it always be like that between them? “And what? You guys can lock her away in a castle? She loves what she does, Leonardo, and she’s pregnant. She’s independent. You can’t guarantee her safety. Just look at what happened to Maria.”
“Listen… Maria was a kind soul who didn’t deserve to die,” he said, his voice softening for a moment as he stared remotely at the beige wall. “I still can’t let you do that. I’ll go instead of you.”
She let a frustrated sound escape her lips. “What do you think will happen? He’ll take off. Leonardo…he’s hell-bent on recreating a relationship we had a decade ago. The man is out of his mind. You can’t predict what he’ll do.”
His eyes narrowed. “Exactly. Unless…you can.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, touching her racing heart. Bracing for what he was about to say—that didn’t look good. His facial features hardened, creating that wrinkle between his eyebrows. The trace of a mocking smile reminded her of the look he gave her when he’d met her again, weeks ago.
“If you go and meet him, and he kidnaps you and disappears with you and you’re never heard from again, that’d be the perfect crime. He doesn’t go to jail, you don’t have to worry about fake IDs ever again.”
“Asshole. You still think I’m that person you created in your head?”
“All I’m saying is I started to believe you could change, Satyanna, but you haven’t. You’re still reckless.”
She was reckless for believing he could change. Stupid, stupid. She gave herself a major mental slap. Her body seared with frustration, emotions swirling up and down like she was some sort of human blender. “Me? Reckless? I’m trying to do this the most sensible way. You know what? I’m the one who’s tired.” She raised her voice. “Ever since I walked back into your life, all I’ve done was prove myself to you. All the time. And why? You’re so stubborn, your mind is already set.”
“I’m only trying to do—”
“What’s convenient for you. You know what, Leonardo? This whole time I wanted you to love me. I hoped…one day you’d feel the same way. I even signed your stupid contract. Now… I no longer care how you feel for me. I’ll stay and raise my daughter properly. But as far as feelings go, I’m done with you. You’re not worth it,” she said, and sadness washed over her before she left his room and slammed the door. The worst part was, she meant every word.
…
I’m done with you. Leonardo downed another shot of whisky. Her voice had been steady and emotionless. Determined. He leaned against the buttery leather swivel-chair. He should be relieved, that’s what he should be.
He didn’t have the time to worry about Satyanna’s emotional expectations. Life wasn’t a fairy tale, like the One Thousand and One Nights story that came to his mind. Life was real, and he needed more than emotions to keep a relationship afloat. Sacrifices, character, the ability to overcome struggles. These things mattered—sexual chemistry just wasn’t enough.
He shifted on the chair, restless. Was that all there was? In fact, was there anything sexual about the way she took care of their baby? Or the way she had come back for him, after the nanny took off? She could have simply gone along with Jacinta, and they could all have called Clemonte together and laughed at his expense—well, everyone minus the nanny.
Someone knocked twice on the door of the home office.
“Come in,” he said, gesturing with his hand.
Bruno entered the space with bags under his eyes. He couldn’t forget how attached his brother and Addie got to Maria, even talked about stealing her from Camila so she could help with the baby. He’d talked to his brother about Maria’s death quickly, as they had made the arrangements for the heartfelt funeral.
“How are you holding up?” he asked Bruno when he slumped down on the oversize chair in front of him.
Bruno raised the glass of whisky he had brought with him. “As good as it gets.”
Leonardo nodded. “I’m sorry. Listen, I don’t want to overwhelm you, but I promise I’ll get this guy.” Before he hurts anyone else. The idea of telling Bruno about Clemonte’s call and the next day’s meeting crossed his mind quicker than a bullet. As he observed Bruno passing his hand over his face, he realized it was better not to. What could his brother do? Offer to go along? That’d only bring more problems.
“Count on me for anything,” Bruno said before taking a swig of his drink. “You look like shit, too. What happened?”
Surging to his feet, he walked to the console and grabbed the square bottle. He clenched his fingers around it as he poured more of the amber contents into the tumbler.
“Is it Satyanna?” Bruno asked.
He took the glass to his lips. “I got a hold of Camila and told her about Maria. Have you talked to Emanuel?”
“Yes.” Bruno swiveled on his chair so his eyes followed his moves. “But I’m sure there is something else bothering you. Spill it.”
Something other than a death in the family and a psychopath at large who wanted to hurt them? “Satyanna.”
Bruno nodded. “I figured. What’s up?”
Leonardo took a big gulp, the burning alcohol rolling down his palate. Shaking his head, he decided sitting was a better option if he planned on getting drunk all night.
“I’m not getting into it. She doesn’t want to follow my advice on something when I obviously know better.” And I accused her of wanting to flee with Clemonte. How stupid had that been? He rubbed the back of his neck and stretched his legs. His body was still tense from that conversation. His head had spun the moment he caught her talking to Clemonte, and making all decisions without running it by him.
“That is?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
Bruno chuckled. “You never do. You think you know better and you always have. Watch out for that.”
Leonardo scratched his chin. He supposed his brother had a point. Although how could he be any different? From an early age, he had been in charge of an entire family. His mother fell sick, his older brother left, and his father—who until then had been working outside the home—started to care for his mother and get smaller jobs. Which meant Leonardo took care of his siblings and made decisions that affected them all. “Then she said she had hoped I’d love her one day. But not anymore.”
Bruno made a face while he glanced down at his drink, and then waved him off. “People say things like that when they’re pissed.”
Leonardo’s heart thrummed. “No. This is different… I lost her.”
“Did she change her mind on that contract you made her sign?”
His gut contracted. “No, but I can tell you. Romantically, we’re done,” he said, using that intuition that had won him many cases in court.
“Is that what you want?”
Leonardo drew in a breath. “What I want is complicated.”
“Then make it simple. Ask yourself…how do you feel about her? If you two didn’t have that gorgeous baby…would you want to be around her?”
“Of course I would. But marriage… I want to marry forever, like Mom and Dad. You took a chance with Addie, and it worked out for you,” he said, hinting at the marriage of convenience Bruno proposed to Addie before they actually fell in love with each other. “I can’t be that naive. Not everyone is so lucky.”
Bruno clapped his hands together, as if there was nothing more he could say, and stood on his feet. “You need to figure things out. I’ll leave you to it.”
When his brother touched the handle to open the door, Leonardo murmured, “Thanks.”
Great. He was now even more confused than before.