Page 23 of Fighting for Ella

This had soundeda whole lot easier to do in theory than it turned out to be in practice.

Ella had assumed the dinner with Raul would be a relatively brief affair. She’d wear the dress he chose for her, something a whole lot more revealing than she was used to but she hadn't made a fuss, just put it on and tried not to think about how it barely covered her backside and was low enough cut that part of her breasts were on display for all to see. She’d sit with him at the table in the grand dining room and eat a meal, doing her best not to worry with each bite that she was being poisoned.

Then that would be that.

He’d send her back up to her room until morning, or perhaps take her straight to a lab and make her get right to work.

Either of those options she could have coped with.

Barely, but knowing she wasn’t alone anymore would have given her the strength to do what she needed to do.

Only that wasn’t what had happened.

Dinner turned out to be a big affair with a dozen other guests and was still going hours later.

The worst part was that Miguel was nowhere in sight.

She knew he was out there somewhere, watching over her as best he could while still maintaining his cover as one of Raul’s guards. Ella hadn't asked how he’d made it onto the estate or how he got the guard’s outfit. She didn't want to know the details, and besides, her mind could easily imagine the answer. He’d killed one of them because he’d been following her and wondered if she was going to lead him right to the weapons trafficker.

And she had.

Just not in the way he probably thought she would.

It didn't bother her that he’d killed another man, he was a SEAL, it was part of his job, and besides, the two men he’d killed first had been about to rape her, and whoever he killed to steal their spot on the team was going to wind up saving not just her life but her family’s, too.

Ella was glad he was there she just wished he was right beside her instead of off somewhere else.

Maybe if Miguel was right by her side, Raul would stop giving her those heated gazes that made her blood turn to ice. He kept using every excuse to touch her as well and it took all her mental willpower to keep from shying away each time his hand came toward her.

The dealer’s touch made her nauseous, but earlier, in the bedroom upstairs, when Miguel had touched her, held her, and gently cleaned the blisters on her feet, it had soothed her racing heartbeat and filled her with calm and confidence.

Now she needed another hit of that secure feeling only Miguel could bring her.

Too bad he wasn’t there to give it to her.

Heat flushed her cheeks as she thought about what else she’d love for Miguel to give her. He’d been the star of more than one fantasy over the last several weeks, and if her life hadn't so drastically fallen apart, she might have seen if he could turn all those dreams into reality.

But right now, it was hard enough holding onto some semblance of sanity. She had no leftover energy to imagine sharing a bed with a man like Miguel.

“Ella, darling,” Raul drawled, and she couldn’t help a small shiver at the way he said her name. There was beginning to be a hint of possessiveness to it, and she had a sinking feeling that she knew what his plans were for her once she gave him the formula he wanted, and it wasn’t killing her.

It was something worse.

Because being kept as a toy for a notorious weapons trafficker was a fate worse than death.

“Would you like to dance?” Raul asked.

A no almost came bursting out before she could stop it. Somehow, she managed to keep control of her mouth because turning down a man like Raul at what seemed to be some sort of dinner party even though she had no idea who any of the guests were, was a recipe for disaster. All she needed to do was play the game for a little longer until whoever the new team was who was coming in there to capture Raul arrived.

She could do that.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

Had to.

This wasn’t just about her, other people were counting on her. Not just her family, and not just her team, but lots of innocent people would be hurt if Raul continued to stay free, continued dealing in weapons, and selling them to people he knew were going to use them to kill thousands.

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