Page 57 of Caffeine & Chaos

“Nadia, wait,” Ryan grabbed her shaking hands and pulled her into him. “What I mean is, I need to know you are protected. Just let me protect you, please. I want you to travel with Armand in the jet, and I want you to stay at my penthouse suite. I’ll be with you in 3-4 days,” he urged.

Nadia’s head was spinning. The past two days had been more than enough stress, but now her apartment had been burglarized, and while she knew Ryan meant well, the pressure to stay at his home was too much.

“Ryan, I don’t want to go back to Miami to an empty and unfamiliar place. I only have the rest of this week off work anyways. I’ll stay with Mandy for a day or so while I get things with the apartment sorted out, and then I can get back to my regular routine,” Nadia calmly stated, trying to make the matter sound settled.

“For Christ’s sakes, you’re a difficult woman,” Ryan rubbed the stubble on his chin and sighed heavily, “at least let me assign a security detail to you.”

“Fine, but I don’t want them intruding on my life. I don’t want some goon in a suit, walking me around Miami,” Nadia stated as she continued to pack her suitcase.

“Goons. And you won’t even know they are there,” Ryan stated, spinning her around by the waist kissing her fiercely.

Nadia melted into him, immediately questioning her resolve to leave. She filled her nostrils with his scent and hugged him tightly, willing him to go with her, even though she knew he couldn’t.

15

Her.

Twelve hours later, Nadia found herself walking up Sixth Street in Miami, her cell phone clasped tightly in her hand. After spending the night at the ranch, she had flown out in the early morning hours with Armand. She had left her suitcase with him in the car, insisting that he drop her off on the street corner. Despite his protests, she had been persistent, assuring him that she could retrieve her belongings from Ryan later. Eventually, Armand relented, his gentlemanly nature prevailing.

As Nadia walked, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of relief wash over her at being back in Miami, despite the chaos awaiting her at her apartment. The warmth of the sun on her face, the familiar sounds of the city, and the enticing aroma of Cuban street food comforted her senses and reassured her mind. She was home.

Detective Aldana hadn’t answered her call, but Nadia was confident he would return it promptly upon hearing her voicemail. Uncertain if she could access her apartment due to the ongoing investigation, she opted to meet Mandy at the café instead.

The familiar chime of the doorbell greeted Nadia as she stepped into the café, accompanied by the tantalizing scent of freshly ground beans and brewing coffee. As expected, the café was nearly deserted, the morning rush having subsided.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes!” Mandy exclaimed, rushing over to envelop her friend in a tight hug.

“I’m so happy to be back in Miami,” Nadia replied, returning Mandy’s embrace.

“Where the hell have you been? You ask me to cover some shifts for you, and the next thing I know, the cops are looking for you! Did you go on a bank robbing spree or something?” Mandy teased.

Mandy had a flair for the dramatic, a trait that sometimes irked Nadia, but was also undeniably endearing.

“I was in Montana, with Ryan,” Nadia stated, waiting for Mandy’s eyebrows to blow clean off her forehead.

“Montana?” Mandy scoffed, “He is some kind of a cheapskate. He sends you daisies, and then sweeps you away to Montana?” Mandy shook her head in disbelief.

“Oh my God, there is so much we need to talk about. Ryan did not send me those daisies, I actually don’t know who did, and-”

“Ooh! Mystery admirer!” Mandy cut her off.

“Yeah, well I don’t think I want a mystery admirer. Come to think of it, I probably do know who sent them. That Travis guy sent me back the underwear I left in the hotel room a little while later and it was in the same wrapping paper,” Nadia said.

“Girl, your life is like a soap opera! I can’t even keep up with all this drama!” Mandy, said, practically salivating at the juiciness of it all.

“Okay, so we were in Montana because his mother had a stroke, and-”

“Oh, this episode is a bummer,” Mandy interjected, smiling cheekily at her.

“Mandy! She almost died, and seriously could you let me finish?” Although Nadia chided her, she had missed this light banter so much. “Anyways, as I was saying, his mother had a stroke and he asked me to go back to his hometown with him. Kind of soon to be meeting his family, but how was I supposed to say no? He was upset, and I think I might be falling for him,” Nadia rattled off the last bit quietly.

“The great player, Nadia Moore, is falling in love?” Mandy teased again, “has the sky fallen and the rivers turned to blood?”

Nadia rolled her eyes, “can you be serious for one moment? I like him and I’m a bit freaked out about it.”

Now it was Mandy’s turn to roll her eyes. “Only you could be freaked out about meeting a billionaire and falling in love with him. Most women would be elated. Hell, most women would step over their own mother’s corpse to get the attention of a man like him.”

Nadia sheepishly nodded. Mandy had a point; she was being foolish. Mandy might never understand how she could have conflicting feelings about Ryan. After all, she had struggled her whole life, her family barely scraping by. Nadia’s situation would be a dream come true for her.

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