Page 31 of High Stakes and Soulmates
My brother is watching me closely. “You said he’s a servant?”
“That’s what he said,” I answer.
Stefano shakes his head. “I don’t believe that Louis Florian has a single person working for him that he doesn’t own. You’d better watch yourself.”
I don’t know what to say, so I just give him a nod as I pull the saddle free. Because it’s a cool night, she isn’t sweaty, so I lead her to her stall where hay is waiting for her. Then I hurry back out to where Arturo waits for me. He smiles the instant hesees me, and while the others rush off for a drink, the two of us walk out into the night.
“You… work for this Louis Florian, right?”
“I do.”
“Of your own free will?” I ask.
He’s silent for a moment before glancing at me. “Supposedly.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means that I am a servant… but it also means that he’s going to find a way to guarantee that I never leave.”
“So you’re a slave?”
Arturo’s quiet and I hate the pained look on his face. I hate that I even bothered asking him. I just want us to both be free from all of this shit.
“I like to believe I’m not… but if I’m being honest, I don’t see Louis ever letting me go.”
“He can’t just…”
“He acquired me when I was merely a child starving to death on the streets. He knows that I would be dead if it weren’t for him. In a way, I owe him my life, so… he believes that life is owed to him.”
I stare at him, hating this. “He wouldn’t let you go? Even if you asked?”
“He’s never let anyone go,” he says.
“Is it money he wants?”
Arturo thinks about this before shaking his head. “I don’t think so. He has all the money he could ever want. He has everything he’s ever wanted, and yet… he never seems happy. I… don’t know if he’ll ever really find what makes him happy.”
“I’m over here always convinced my life is hell, and you’re…” I trail off, feeling horribly selfish.
Arturo smiles. “Don’t think that way. I might not adore every moment of my life, but it’s not a horrible life. He kept me alive so I got to meet you.”
“What happens when I have to leave?” Because I truly don’t know when I’ll have to do so. So far, the army has kept us stationed undercover in this place that was supposed to be temporary, because the port not far from here was noted to be one of the many locations where illegal contraband was being transported.
“Then maybe someday, you’ll come back here. He does travel a lot, so I’ll do everything I can to let you know where we end up. I would love to have you settle down in a place like this. A place where I can see you every day.”
“He wouldn’t care about that?”
“I hope not. So far he hasn’t,” he says. “He’s well aware I meet with you. He mentioned you a few days after we first met. He must have seen me out with you.”
“I’ve never even seen him.”
“He definitely doesn’t hang out reading books under trees,” he teases.
“True… the rest tend to believe there are much better things for me to be doing.”
“I don’t know about that,” he says as we reach the tree. He slips his fingers between mine and draws me up under the tree before kissing my lips again. “I really like doing things you enjoy doing.”
“Me too,” I respond, feeling almost breathless. “I was afraid you’d be disgusted by me.”
