Page 77 of Drawn Blue Lines

He hitched an eyebrow. “Carlos?”

I waved my hand. “Freelance Colombian distributor. This Ignacio has made a habit out of intercepting my Chicago shipments. Carlos gets a little cagey when his product disappears.”

Before he could respond, the wall behind us opened up, and a different man with arms the size of tree trunks appeared out of nowhere. Adriana and I exchanged glances as he whispered into Cristiano’s ear. Whatever he said wasn’t good because his eyes darkened, revealing the ruthless killer I suspected him to be.

He cleared his throat and tugged on an impeccably straight jacket. “I’m going to have to cut this meeting short. It seems there’s a problem that needs my attention. Drinks are on the house, of course. Please, enjoy yourselves.” Adriana stiffened as he approached her, and my fists shook from the force of holding them back when he touched her. “Mari…” He paused, offering a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Forgive me. Old habits die hard. Adriana, don’t make me wait so long next time, or I might have to come find you instead.”

The hell he would.

Giving her one last squeeze, he turned toward me, but I wasn’t feeling as benevolent. I’d had enough, and the minute I stepped in front of him, my silent stare said more than any threat ever could.

Cristiano nodded. “Harcourt.”

“Vergara.”

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he leaned in making sure he was out of Adriana’s earshot. “I know who you are and what you did to her. Keep her safe.”

I smirked and tossed his threat back in his face. “Or what? You’ll come find me too?”

His lips pulled into a slow, sadistic smile. “I wouldn’t have to. I’ve always known where you were.” Brushing past my shoulder, he dropped his final bomb before turning around. “I would’ve never let her stay in that piece of shit barn house in Morelia.”

Fuck.

My mind spun in fifty different directions. I didn’t give a shit what Val had to say. I just added a second name to our intel mission. Every man had a story, and every story had a villain. Cristiano’s role in Adriana’s seemed to be a mystery, but one thing was for sure—I planned to find out.

He made his way over to Adriana and crooked a finger under her chin. “Hasta la próxima, mi amor.” Until next time, my love.

Before she could answer, he joined the man waiting at the opening in the back wall. Within seconds, two doors slid in from the side, and the minute they sealed, they were gone, leaving no trace of them ever being there in the first place.

My gaze shifted to Adriana. She stood in a daze, her fingers pressed against the place on her chin where Cristiano touched her before running inside his wall like a fucking rat.

“Screw this,” I muttered, turning around and stomping out of the office.

“Brody!” she yelled, her high heels clacking against the floor as she ran to catch up with me. “Brody! Jesus, would you slow down?”

I didn’t slow down, and she didn’t catch up until we reached the elevator. Dropping her head, she pressed her hand against the wall, her breath coming hard and fast. “I said to let me handle this.”

“And I said you had ten minutes,” I snapped, punching my fist against the call button. “Seems like neither of us listened.”

She tilted her chin toward me and glared. “You know this whole sit-there-and-look-pretty while-the-men-talk-bullshit is getting old, Harcourt.”

“That man is dangerous, Carrera.”

Adriana rolled her eyes just as a loud ding announced the elevator’s arrival. “Here we go again,” she muttered, stepping inside the opened doors.

Her ignorance fueled an already lit fire raging out of control. My knuckles were white from clenching my fists too hard, and I gritted my teeth in a futile attempt to remain silent. But I followed behind her, caging my anger until the doors closed. Once I knew we were alone, I snapped, grabbing her around the waist and pushing her against the wall. “He knew the exact stash house we stayed at in Morelia. If you don’t think he’s balls deep in this, you’re kidding yourself.”

Her face paled. “You’re wrong about him.”

“Jesus Christ, Adriana! How can you be so ruthless and so blind at the same time? He’s giving you just enough information for you to hang yourself.”

The tension inside the tiny metal box was so thick I could barely breathe. She didn’t answer me, and I didn’t give a shit. I was mad, but not for the reason I should be.

She’d given me nothing but trouble. She’d threatened me and blackmailed me into lying to the one man I should never lie to. She’d made my life a living hell and would probably get me killed. She insulted me, berated me, disobeyed every order I gave her. But what pissed me off the most was that despite all of it, I wanted her. I wanted every goddamn inch of her. I wanted to wrap her legs around my waist and drive into her so hard, she’d forget how to speak.

The most pathetic thing was I wanted her to want me too. I wanted her to willingly give herself to me. And yes, fuck it, I wanted her to kiss me.

But I didn’t want her to do it with that damn wig on.

---