Page 28 of Be Very Quiet

He held up his phone so she could see the picture. “Yep, same necklace.” Liliana dropped to her chair. “It really is Rader.”

As much as he wanted to shield her from the truth, that would do more harm than good. She needed to stay vigilant until Rader was caught. And he would be.

“It looks like it.”

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The Mortician would have loved to have seen Liliana’s face when she’d received his gifts. Had she appreciated them, or had they sparked terror in her? He bet it was the latter. His body twitched with excitement at the thought.

Was she scared? On edge? Did she know he was just getting started?

Chapter Nine

As fiercely independent as Liliana had become over the years, she was supremely relieved her actions hadn’t caused Luca to flee and not return. She wasn’t sure she could handle this by herself. Ted Rader was her Achilles heel, the one person sure to make her question her abilities and cause her convictions to waver. He was evil incarnate, and she’d promoted him to devil status long ago. He had the power to upend her carefully controlled life.

Luca was so calm and competent. He moved with an air of confidence that she’d found sexy a decade ago. He’d been young and cocky back then, but now he was steady and sure. If he said he’d protect her, she believed him. It was time to let go of her rigid control and hand part of it to him.

Her phone chimed with a text. She picked it up and read the screen. Shonda was dying to know why Luca had suddenly shown up after all these years. She wanted . . . no, demanded, all the details on the “super-hot sex machine,” as she’d called him. Liliana smiled at the description, but it was tinged with sadness. She’d kept the events of her dark past from everyone she’d met since her move south, including Shonda, who’d been her best friend from her first week in Miami. They’d shared almost everything, including Liliana’s fascination with Luca Russo. She didn’t blame Shonda for being persistent.

Shonda was the sister she’d always wanted. It didn’t matter that they were different races. They were two peas from the same pod. Shonda was the person she trusted most in life. So, how would she explain why she hadn’t shared her history? Shonda would no doubt be upset, and the last thing Liliana wanted to do was hurt her.

Spilling her guts to Shonda would have to wait. Right now, Liliana needed to process the fact that Ted Rader was alive and intended to keep his promise to return for her.

Before she could delve too deeply into her feelings, the work of running her studio engulfed her.

After a couple of hours, it was obvious her mind was elsewhere. Whenever she felt stressed, she worked out. She also kept up with her martial arts training to hone her skills. “I usually take one exercise class daily,” she told Luca. “Are you going to sit here and wait for me?”

“I’ll take it too if there’s room. I brought clothes with me.”

“There is. Today is rebounding.”

He looked excited. “You play basketball?”

She smiled. “No, it’s a HIIT workout on a mini trampoline.”

“Oh, well, it sounds fun.”

“You won’t be saying that when it’s over,” she warned. “It’s a killer session.”

When Liliana had designed the studio, she’d added a private bathroom to her office complete with a shower, washer, and dryer, so she didn’t have to use the locker room. She retreated inside to change into a tank top and spandex shorts. After she slid on her shoes, she stepped outside so Luca could change.

While she waited for him, she grabbed two bottles of water from the mini fridge and checked her email. When Luca walked out, Liliana stopped breathing. My gosh, he was incredible. The muscle definition in his arms made her drool. It was evident he kept in top shape.

When her eyes traveled to his, she found him watching her intently. There was heat in his gaze. Liliana’s entire body tingled. He’d held her last night. She wanted to be in his arms again.

The alarm she’d set on her watch beeped, letting her know it was time for the class. It also shook her out of her Luca-induced stupor. “Ready?”

“Yep.”

Liliana led the way to the room where Paige Sargent was setting up. She introduced the instructor to Luca.

Paige smiled seductively at him as she shook his hand. “Have you done rebounding before?”

“Only on a basketball court with four teammates around me.”

Paige tossed back her head and laughed as if Luca had said the funniest thing she’d ever heard. Then she grabbed his biceps. “Well, it’s obvious you are in shape.”

Irritation bubbled inside Liliana. “Need help pulling out the equipment?”

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