Page 158 of Plunge into Obsession

“What—”

Elena’s voice was cut off. Gabriel must have shot her a look, and he didn’t pause in his steps.

He kept going until we made it back to our room.

He quickly pulled off our swim clothes and dried us off before lying down on the bed with me on top of him.

I clung a little tighter to him. I didn’t know how to let him go. I couldn’t.

My tears wet his skin as my entire body shook.

“Baby, it’s okay,” he said to me, along with a string of sentences in Spanish I didn’t understand, but I drew comfort in that. I snuggled closer to him.

He pulled the covers over us when I started to shake from the cold.

I didn’t know how long we lay there or how long I cried, but eventually, I was all cried out, and still so sad, my heart hurt.

Could Gabriel figure out what happened to Lucinda?

And did I want to know?

I pulled back and looked at him. My eyes hurt.

He cupped my cheek. “What’s this about? Tell me, baby, and I’ll fix it for you.”

I shook my head. This wasn’t something he could fix for me. All he could do was give me answers, but I—

I took a deep breath.

“I had a friend,” I said, my voice soft.

“Had?”

“I don’t… I don’t think she’s alive anymore.”

It was the first time I had ever said those words out loud.

I didn’t think Lucinda had survived whatever it was that was done to her.

“Baby—”

I shook my head, needing to get the words out. “I was with her the night she disappeared.”

“When was this?”

“Five years ago. We were going out to the club so I could meet her new boyfriend, Luis.”

Gabriel stilled.

I looked down at his chest. “I was in the bathroom when I heard some girls talking about Luis. They said he was the head of the cartel. I didn’t… I thought it might be a coincidence that the person I was meeting was named Luis. I didn’t… I couldn’t believe it. But by the time I got out, Lucinda was… gone. There wasn’t a trace of her anywhere. And going to the police led to a dead end. It was as if they were afraid to investigate. And when I heard about you—that you had ties with the cartels…” I shook my head. “I wanted to work at the club because I hoped Luis might show up. And maybe… that Lucinda might be with him.”

He frowned. “What would you have done if that were the case?”

“Tried to help her escape.”

“Baby.”

“I know that sounds naïve. I’m not stupid, but she was my friend, and she’s…”

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