Page 14 of Beautiful Dangerous

“When did you stop seeing me as a threat?” I ask, picking up another rasher of crispy bacon and biting into it.

Lucca frowns. “I never saw you as a threat.”

“You did.” I sit back in my seat and curl my legs up underneath me. “I came into Javier’s life, and I changed it. Within a matter of weeks. And you didn’t like that.”

He leans forward, crossing his arms in front of him on the table. “I never saw you as a threat, Olivia.”

“You and Javier, though. You were close. You were very close.”

“Of course we were close, he was like a brother to me.”

I keep my eyes fixed on his, holding his gaze, mine doesn’t waver. His does. Just slightly.

“I cared about him. I loved him, he was my family. I just didn’t want him to get hurt.”

I raise an eyebrow. “You thought I’d hurt him?”

He sits back and drags a hand through his hair. “I didn’t know you, Olivia.”

“Bullshit!”

He narrows those bright blue eyes, although, they’re a little darker now.

“You found out everything you could about me the second Javier made contact. The moment he opened that door for me, in the hotel that first night, you were looking into me. Before I’d even got back to my room you probably knew my name, you definitely knew my room number. The flowers, the champagne, I had no idea how they got there at the time. I know now.”

His face breaks into another slow smile. “We can’t afford to just let anyone in, Liv. You know that.” He’s right. I do. “Soyouwere never a threat.”

I lean forward, keeping my gaze fixed firmly on his. “Did you want me for yourself, huh? Is that it? Did I make you hard; put you in an uncomfortable position, is that the kind of threat I was?”

He shakes his head and laughs. “You’re so full of shit sometimes.”

I smile, pick up my fork, and pop another piece of pancake into my mouth. “Thank you. For this.”

“It was a pleasure.”

I push my plate away and get up from the table. “Just one thing, though – those pancakes?” I shake my head. “Nowhere near as good as Celine’s.”

“Fucking bitch,” he laughs, as I lean over and ruffle his hair.

“I’m going to get ready. I’ll meet you outside in half an hour.”

To become that bitch everyone knows I am, I need to put that mask on. I need to transform into the Olivia Delgado the people I do business with expect to see. A woman who’s respected, loathed, loved, and hated, but above all, I’m just a woman with a job to do…

Lucca

She’s right, and although I wouldn’t have put it in quite as crude a way as she did, from the second I set eyes on Olivia Hammond – as she was back then – I wanted her. And that should’ve been something I killed dead from the get-go, but instead I allowed her to get inside my head, she fucking messed with it, big time. But I never let that show. It was more than my life was worth to let that happen.

She was Javier’s. She could neverbemine, so yeah, I was indifferent to her, for a long time, as a way of dealing with the feelings she’d stirred up in me. Feelings that scared me, because I’d never let myself go there before, emotions made you weak. So I kept mine battered down, I had to. I had no other choice. But watching them together…

They made a beautiful, powerful couple, Javier and Olivia. And I was there beside them, every step of the way, watching as they became a team, putting on the perfect show whenever they were out in public together. They were the kind of power couple envied by many, their performances were always flawless. Effortless. Believable. They became supporters of local charities both sides of the border, donating vast sums of money to help the less fortunate, leaving people in no doubt that the Delgado’s cared about others. And they did, to some extent. Javier would never hurt those who were innocent. Ordinary people had nothing to fear from him, or any of the Delgado cartel, but those who crossed him – us – they paid. They always did. Always will. And that perfect image he and Olivia gave off? That’s exactly what it was, in reality. Very close to perfect, anyway. Olivia learnt fast, and she wasn’t afraid of the shit she was finding out. She knew her role, and she played it well, but the one thing that neither her nor Javier could hide was how much they loved each other. She knew the kind of man he was; what he did, what he was capable of, and despite all of that she still loved him. The kind of unconditional love that can sometimes be hard to give in this world. But she was there for him, by his side, his partner in every sense of the word. And Javier worshipped her. Together they were a force to be reckoned with. And for me, watching their relationship develop, it was hard. Painful. A lesson in dealing with shit far worse than the crap we lived through on a daily basis.

Theirs was a deeply passionate relationship, bordering on the obsessive at times. It was intense. Wild. Fucked up. Something I’d never seen before, it was like they’d been put on this earth to be together, despite coming from two very different backgrounds. The ease at which Olivia slipped into Javier’s world was unreal. I think that’s what fascinated him more than anything, that this ordinary girl could somehow be his queen. But that’s exactly what she became. His queen. His entire fucking world, and she in turn adored that man. So losing him, it could’ve destroyed her, but it didn’t. Instead, it made her stronger. Fueled her, almost. Her need to keep Javier’s legacy going is what fires her up. Avenging his death is what gets her up in the morning, she’s a woman I have nothing but admiration for. A woman I’ve grown closer to since Javier’s death. Has she grown closer to me? I don’t know. It’s hard to tell. She’s as capable of hiding her emotions just as much as I am. And the fact it’s been almost two years since she lost Javier, and we haven’t yet taken down the bastards who put a bullet in him, I know that’s frustrating her. But we have to be careful. We couldn’t just go in there all guns blazing, we’re talking about a rival cartel almost as powerful as we are. A cartel we’ve been at war with for a long, long time. They were expecting an instant retaliation, so when it didn’t come that put them on the back foot, and that’s where we need them to stay, to give us the advantage of succeeding when that chance to strike finally shows itself. And it’s close now. It’s coming…

I throw a quick glance in Olivia’s direction as we drive toward our meeting with the bikers, but she’s staring out of the window, her eyes covered by dark glasses. Her perfume – white musk – it’s a strong scent, and one I’ve grown familiar with. It’s her. Who she is. Who shewas, even though she still looks like that same girl who walked into Javier’s life fifteen years ago; still beautiful and wild and so fucking smart. But, at the same time, she’s very different now. She’s colder. She doesn’t trust easily, and that’s understandable, given what she’s been through; what she’s seen; the circles she mixes in. The people she deals with. That’s why I’m always with her. Why I need to stay close. I’m following Javier’s instructions – never leave her side; protect her, no matter what, in this world we can’t afford even a moment of weakness. Javier taught her to always be on her guard, even allies can become enemies. Trust is a rare commodity, Javier taught her that, too. But I hope that she will always trust me.

We finally pull into the Devil’s Creed compound, the giant metal gates closing behind us, and I park the black Jaguar alongside the rows of bikes all lined up outside. I get out and walk around the car to open Olivia’s door, and the moment she steps outside the atmosphere changes. I can feel it in the air. Those bikers that are hanging around the compound, they stop what they’re doing and they watch her, because her presence is nothing short of breathtaking. But these men, they know that touching her could get them killed. No question. No hesitation. She’s beautiful, but she’s off-limits. And that order, that one comes from me.

“Olivia!”

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