Page 49 of Dangerous Rhythm

twenty-one

Unknown location

Curtis paced the floor of the room he’d slept in. His socks didn’t make a sound as he created a deep tread on the fluffy Turkish carpet. He didn’t really know if the carpet was Turkish, but it looked like what he thought a Turkish carpet might.

What the hell does it matter where the carpet is from?his brain shouted.Because it distracted you from wondering where Lina is.

Last night, or whatever the fuck the time had been, they’d landed on another private airstrip. Raul had pulled out a Jeep from a sketchy looking building and drove them to this house.

It was actually a nice, enormous house, with wooded property surrounding it. Now that it was daylight, he could see nothing but trees outside. Raul just told them they were outside of Madrid. Or maybe that was just what he’d told Curtis. He’d probably been more specific with Lina.

Lina.Where the hell is she?

Curtis hadn’t seen her since she’d walked him to his room, told him to get some sleep and that she’d checked on him in the morning. He hadn’t asked her where she would sleep. He had too much pride to ask her to stay with him.

Did she go to Raul last night?

Curtis shook the unwanted images from his mind.

His stomach growled. He hadn’t had any appetite when Raul had offered food after they’d arrived at the house. But now he was both anxious and hangry.

Quickly, Curtis pulled on his sneakers and a sweatshirt over his T-shirt. He opened the heavy wood door and checked the quiet hallway. He made his way down the stairs and tried to remember where the kitchen was. Several hallways led to different parts of the house. It was like a maze.

They’d entered from the back, then they’d stopped at the gigantic kitchen. Curtis eyed the hallway directly opposite from the front door and decided that must lead to the rear of the house. He was heading that way when he heard grunting and panting from somewhere in the hallway to his right.

He tensed as he listened to more echoing grunting and recognized who it came from.

“Son of a bitch!” Curtis cursed under his breath.

Turning abruptly to the right hallway, he followed the sound without thinking. The only thing that governed him at that second was anger. At who? Lina? Or himself for being stupid, thinking she actually cared for him?

A double door stood ajar between him and the room where Lina and Raul were. He didn’t stop to think what he’d do when he found them together. He stormed in. And stopped dead.

In the middle of the humongous room, Lina, gleaming in sweat, stood facing the equally sweaty Raul, who watched her with a predator-like grin on his face.

“Come on, Lina. You gonna come and get me, or what?” Raul gestured in invitation.

“You talk too much, Raul.” She slid to her right. “Girls prefer the silent type.”

Mirroring Lina’s movement, Raul laughed. “Like your boy upstairs? He didn’t seem your type.”

“Stop calling him that.” Her eyes never wavered from the big man. Then suddenly, her eyes went past Raul’s shoulder straight at Curtis and widened as if in alarm.

Raul, who was watching Lina’s body language, reacted immediately. “What?” he said as he turned toward Curtis.

At that second, Curtis witnessed the most beautiful takedown of an almost three-hundred pound pure-muscle of a man by a woman. Lina had taken advantage of Raul’s distraction to run to him, stepped on his trunk-like leg to push her off into a leap. She locked her legs around Raul’s thick neck, threw her upper body in the opposite direction and used the momentum and her body weight to bring the big guy down. Once Raul was caught by gravity, he couldn’t fight it.

Raul hit the bouncy floor with a terrific thud, while Lina flew away from him and landed in a low lunge position. A satisfied smirk was on her face as she watched Raul curse in Spanish.

“You cheat!” Raul spat as he got up.

Lina laughed as she straightened out. “You use whatever advantage you have.”

Curtis finally found his legs again and approached the ring in the middle of what looked like a ballroom. There were punchingbags hanging on one side, several weight machines, free weights, and other gym equipment.

Curtis’ hands itched to do some punching himself.

Raul turned to Curtis as he grabbed a towel to wipe off his sweat. He threw one to Lina, who caught it deftly.

---