Page 28 of Unleash You

Her breath hitched as she shot a glance toward Rebecca and Zack. “Why?”

“Do I need a reason?” I chuckled, running the pad of my thumb over the bow of her lips. Her tongue touched the edge of her mouth, and my slacks got tighter. Thank God for my tuxedo jacket. “Bells,” I whispered. “I haven’t stopped thinking about our kiss from before. It’s been a long while since I felt anything. Don’t be mad at me.” Christ, I wanted her.

“I’m not mad at you.” She glanced heavenward. “I don’t know what I am.” Her hand landed lightly on my chest right over my heart.

I cradled her neck and leaned in. The red on her cheeks and her chest rising and falling in anticipation were such a turn-on. She wasn’t in her low-cut dress anymore, but the feel of her smooth skin was branded on my fingers.

Steps against gravel brought me back to reality. Anabelle and I were not alone, and Rebecca needed me. When I turned, Rebecca headed toward the house. In two strides, I closed the space between us and blocked her. Her body jerked, and a spark of fear showed in her eyes, as if I were about to assault her.

I needed to remember to be gentler with her. “Please don’t go.”

She nodded, peering at my hand on her upper arm. I let her go and turned to Anabelle to apologize, but she had already left. Damnit. I fought the urge to go after her. No doubt she thought I’d chosen Rebecca. In a way, I supposed I had. Rebecca was the mission. None of us would have peace until she was safe from her cartel boss.

Zack glared at me. “I’ll make sure she’s all right. But then you and I are going to have a long talk, brother.”

I watched him disappear behind the gardenia hedges to go after Anabelle. Why did he get to spend time with her like that? A pang of jealousy surged at the pit of my stomach, and I had to remind myself that Zack was my brother and he knew exactly how I felt about her.

“Oh good, you found him.” Tyler strolled in with a bottle of champagne and one flute and turned to me. “Where the hell were you? I’ve been calling and texting.”

“I’m sorry. I was dealing with something else. I’m here now.”

“So we found Rebecca.” He offered the glass to Rebecca and poured when she held it out for him.

“I can see that. What happened?” I asked Rebecca. She exchanged a glance with Tyler. Instead of answering my question, she decided to take a long swig.

“Marcel found her. Apparently, he wants her back in Venezuela. He snatched her in New York. She escaped and followed us here.”

Rebecca let out a breath. “I can’t go back there. Wesley, you promised.”

“Technically, Charlie promised, but don’t worry. We’re going to help you.” I rubbed the creases on my forehead. “Why the hell is Marcel here? Did his dad send him? That can’t be. Smith is dead. Charlie saw to that.”

“I just spoke with Derek. He’s cool with you staying for as long as you need to.”

Rebecca sat on the garden bench and wiped her cheek. “Thank you.”

“You’ll be safe here. This place is a fortress. We’re going to figure this out.” I turned to Tyler, hoping to hear some good news from his end. “Is the FBI getting involved? This shit is happening on American soil now.”

“No. I gave them everything I had, and they shut me down. They say there’s not enough to open an investigation. We can’t go after the New York faction for something they haven’t done. But I just got a text from my director.” He showed me the screen. “Long story short, they put me on leave, but now they want me back. It’s not over. If I’m in New York, I might be able to follow Rossi and see what shakes up. We’ll get those assholes.”

“Rossi?” As it turned out, the ugly monster Rebecca uncovered had many heads—Smith, Marcel, and now this Rossi.

“When Rebecca was in New York, she identified Jac Rossi as the man who visited Smith in Venezuela. We think he’s their contact in New York.” He shook his head, a smirk of disgust pulling at his lips. “He’s their dealer and distributor.”

“Oh fuck, Tyler. Now we’re dealing with the Mafia? What the hell?”

“I know, but we can’t stand idle while innocent people are traded like cattle.” His gaze turned dark with anger. This had been the same reaction Matt, Charlie, and I had when Rebecca first told us about Smith’s plans.

“I hope Charlie has some good news on his end.” He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his tuxedo suit. “I mean his chances are low, but not zero. He’s very resourceful.”

“I wouldn’t count on that. He could’ve come home months ago, and he didn’t.”

Rebecca’s head snapped up. I could swear I saw a flash of terror in her eyes again. “You said he was dead.”

I sat next to her. According to Charlie, he and Rebecca had a sort of history. At some point, I think he wanted to marry her and help her start a new life. “I know you two were going to get married.”

She touched a hand to her forehead. “Yeah, he wanted that. So you think he might be alive? How’s that possible? Or how do you know?”

“After I walked you to Tyler’s plane, I went back to look for him.” I glanced down at my hands. No matter how much I tried to forget, the gory scene still haunted me. “Your brother and Charlie were gone.”

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