Page 80 of Unspoken Promises

Anguish carves a deep line between my brother’s thick eyebrows. Rio and I are fruit from the same vine.

The server comes by to top up our glasses with water. “Can I get you some drinks?”

Rio can’t even speak. He just shakes his head.

But I think better of it. “Bring us two Don Julios straight, please.” We both need a drink.

Rio is still speechless.

“I’m thinking those hacks you just told me about… whoever was keeping her has to want her back. Who keeps a child in captivity that long unless they’re a complete psychopath?” I shudder at the thought, and my fists clench thinking of what I’d do if I ever came face to face with this man. “Last night at the fair, she got a text while we were together and tore off, distressed. It’s possible whoever was poking around with other employees was looking for her.”

My gut wrenches for a second time. I hate to think she lied to me. Why would she when she told me everything else?

Even before Rio shared this news, I woke up, instincts still flaring, so I checked her call history. It was deactivated at administrator level only a few days after I gave her the phone. She’s the best hacker I have ever seen, and it’s sad to know in part it’s because she never had anything else in her life. Because she was forced to spend her time cracking.

It didn’t sit right with me that she’s permanently deleting things. But then, who could blame her for wanting to live without a trace right now? And maybe even that was the smartest thing to do, given her past. Also, it is possible she was telling the truth.

Rio exhales like he’s just come up from a long stint underwater. “This is heavy. You can’t let her go about her business unguarded.”

“Santi is watching out today, and I don’t think she’ll leave the ranch anyway. She was shaken up last night.”

“Did you tell her not to leave? You should put a guard on her door.” He’s riled up. “You need to get her cell…”

Rio’s instruction comes from the same place my need to protect her does.

“It’s not that simple. She didn’ttellme she was hacked.”

“The fuck it isn’t that simple. Get her phone, or we need to track her somehow. She needs to be safe. We need to figure out who fucking did that to her.” He tilts his head. “Tell me you’re not thinking the same thing. You know that’s what needs to be done, and the phone belongs to us anyway.”

The last thing I want to do is manipulate Ava’s choices, not now that I know how few she’s ever been allowed to make in her life.

“She spent fourteen years in captivity, Rio. I don’t want her welcome to the real world to be me invading her privacy and manipulating her.”

“Problem is, you’re letting your feelings get in the way of what needs to be done.” He shakes his head. The shots arrive, and he lifts his. “Love makes you lose your mind.” He downs his shot. “That’s your quote, not mine.”

He’s right. I am losing my mind. But me wanting Ava to tell me for herself what was in that text isn’t just for hersake. It’s for mine, too. Does she even trust me? Will she tell me the whole truth? Am I the only one feeling more here?

I down the shot because I need it. Rio enlightening me of the cell hacks is a disaster with or without Ava being one of them.

Maybe she didn’t lie. My intuition tells me that’s the least likely answer, but my heart yearns to believe it. Rio is right, my feelings are well and truly getting in the way of protocol.

After years of not getting close to a woman because it got in the way of my life’s work and purpose, I end up craving a woman who shoves me into the world’s highest trust fall.

25

It wastorture trying to fall asleep last night.

Enzo knows about my past.

I crossed the line with my boss.

I lied to Enzo big time.

So much for being careful.

When I wake up the next morning, Enzo is gone, and it doesn’t escape me that he’s trusted me in his home. Enzo doesn’t do anything without thinking about it first. Him leaving me here is a message, and it’s one I really need. He’s telling me he trusts me.

Many people would have seen me keeping my identity secret as a lie. It’s as if Enzo is inside my head,knowing how and why I do what I do. He accepts me, my journey for what it is. As much as I’m sure it was hard for him to see I was keeping things, he’s able to empathetically step into my shoes and know it was the right thing to do. I did the best with what I had.

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