Page 30 of Thorns of Desire
She’d never been this open to discussing things she’d previously kept from me. And still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there were more secrets she was keeping from me.
After my morning walk through Seville and a light breakfast at the local pastry shop with my standard Spanish treat ofcafé con leche, I made my way back to the hotel.
I had a few more hours with Mom before catching my flight back to Paris.
Parked in front of the hotel was a dark, official-looking sedan with two stone-faced andverywell-dressed men standing next to it.
I flicked a curious look their way as I approached. One had an off-putting, dark aura, but the other one was striking. My eyes locked on him, his muscled body wrapped in a sleek, three-piecesuit. An easy smile played on his lips, his green eyes shining like he’d just heard a joke. As I let my eyes rake down his body, my attention was captured by a tattoo I hadn’t seen in a very long time.
I stumbled, horrified as I began to topple over, heading face-first into the pavement. Time seemed to slow as the cobblestones inched closer and closer, until I felt strong arms catch me and set me on steady ground.
“Are you okay?” A set of green eyes eyed me warily, and my eyes fell to the tattoo again. A black symbol etched into the open mouth of a skull. The last time I’d seen a similar one, I was sprawled over my mother, crying and praying we’d live to see the sun rise.
“Yes, yes,” I muttered, lost in my thoughts as I shook his hands off of me. Worried that my coffee would resurface, I bolted inside to safety. I had to get upstairs—had to get to my mom. After all these years, had they finally decided to come for us again? Why? How did they track us down?
Steeling my spine, I rushed through the lobby. Once inside the elevator, I frantically pressed the button for our floor, and as the door slowly closed, the last face I saw could’ve belonged to the devil himself. I brought a hand to my mouth and closed my eyes, shaking away the image of sunken cheekbones, green eyes, and dark, slanted brows.
It felt like an unstoppable ride to a certain death as I watched the floor number change, taking me higher and higher.Come on,come on, I thought as I curled my palms into fists and braced myself for the bell to ding and the doors to slide open.
Whatever happened, I wouldn’t cower, I wouldn’t beg.
Ding.
I swallowed and stepped out into the suite. It was empty.
Sighing, I kept my steps silent as I moved around the living room. It was then that voices registered, coming out of my mother’s bedroom.
My palms sweating, I reached for the glass vase on the shelf and raised it, dread brewing in my belly.
“Atticus is looking for you.” The voice was familiar, yet my brain refused to catalog it. “And so are the Triads. You need to tell me what you took, Alexandra.”
“I have no clue what you’re implying,” my mother said, her voice tight and raspy. “You’re looking good, Marchetti.” I stiffened, recognition immediately sinking in. The voice was familiar because it belonged toManuel. “I dare say even better than the last time I saw you.”
“Cut the shit.” Manuel sounded mad. Did he figure out who I was and use me to track down my mother? What the fuck was happening? “Your charms didn’t work on me a decade ago, and they won’t work on me today.”
I sucked in a breath, careful to remain quiet as I tucked myself into a shadowy alcove.
She took a step closer to him, trailing her bright red painted fingernail over his impeccable suit. She was touchinghim. I looked away for a moment, fighting off the urge to tell my mother to get her paws off him.
“Don’t be like that, Manuel,” she purred in her seductive voice, her eyes sparkling with worship. The fact that she was touching him made my blood heat. “We could give this another go.”
Manuel regarded her with indifference, his lip curling in distaste, and I fought a grin.
“Thank you, but I’ll pass,” he stated coldly.
“Your loss.” The saltiness in her voice was unmistakable, clearly indicating my mother felt slighted. She flashed him asickly-sweet smile, batting her cat-like eyes. “You should give in to your wants, Manuel. It’s a lot more fun than being uptight.”
“I want answers,” he demanded. “You have no idea the shit you’ve landed yourself in…”
“How did you find me anyhow? Cassidy Tech led by Nico Morrelli assured me they could hide my footprint on the web and hide my identity.”
Manuel’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “And how can you afford such a luxury?”
“None of your business.” Mom reached into her bra and, to my surprise, pulled out a cigarette. Since when did she smoke?
Manuel was unfazed. “You should demand a refund, because information on you is readily available.”
She stiffened. “Just on me?”
