“Call your sister.”
She smirked, even rolling her eyes. “Alright.” She stared at her phone, blinking quickly.
“What is it?”
“My father called. Twice.”
“Did he leave a message?”
“No. He never calls me.” Now her brow was furrowed. “Maybe he read the article.”
“Maybe so. Make the call to your sister.”
As she dialed, I noticed she was as tense as before. Could I blame her? Of course not.
“Hey, Kat. How are you?” Her face instantly lit up when her sister answered. “I know. I’m sorry I didn’t call earlier. I’ve been busy.” She glanced toward me, almost as if looking to see if I approved. “No, I don’t really have time for a Facetime call with my little man.”
I knew differently. Valencia was her own woman and how she handled herself was something she didn’t take lightly. I remained in the doorway, longing for certain aspects of what we’d shared to be different.
“Don’t worry. I’m having a great time. I went to a wedding. That’s why I took a couple extra days.” While she laughed after making the statement, I heard the edge in her voice.
After I took a step closer, she offered me a dirty look. I was clearly invading her space.
“Will you be able to take care of Magnum for a couple more days?” She bit her lower lip, lowering her feet to the floor. Her entire body was tense. “Oh, thank you. I’ll make it up to you. I’ll bring back something from Greece.”
Now I tensed. She was sending a message, although one not likely to be deciphered.
“Yes, it’s a long story,” she continued. “I’ll tell you when I get home. Just know I’m fine. Just dandy.”
I took a step closer. She narrowed her eyes.
“I love you too, sis. Talk soon.” Her abrupt end to the call piqued my curiosity.
“Be careful, Valencia. Any knowledge of our whereabouts could be quite dangerous.”
“So you tell me. My sister doesn’t take kindly to only being given a few details.”
“Maybe so, but I’m just looking out for both of you. Hand me your phone.”
“Why?” Her demanding voice should irritate me, but it did just the opposite. Damn if I wasn’t turned on once again.
“Because I commanded you to do so. You’ll get it back. Don’t worry.”
“You don’t trust me.”
“And you don’t trust me.”
She hesitated before rising to her feet. When he shifted her arm forward, I took a deep breath before approaching her. “I don’t know what to think, Christos. Maybe you can understand why I’m not certain of anything.”
“I do,” I told her as I took the phone from her hand. “We’ll talk. I want you comfortable.”
“Really? Then accept I have a life outside of yours.”
The change in her demeanor was abrupt, even more so than normal. What was the feisty vixen up to?
There was no sense in returning to the earlier discussion. “I’ll be back in less than two hours. Try and relax.”
“I’ll try. I can’t promise anything just like you can’t.”