Page 51 of Brazilian Revenge

She folded her arms and erased the distance between them. She narrowed her gaze at him, so close she could feel his minty breath. He must have just brushed his teeth. Slowly, she lifted her chin. “Yes.”

Leonardo drew back, his lips set into a thin, hard line. “Are you crazy?”

She uncrossed her arms. Was she? With Harry’s threat hanging over her head like a black cloud on a sunny day, she had no other choice. “Are the security guards you hired good? They seem good. They can watch us, and get him. They capture him and he’s arrested. End of story.”

He thrust his fingers into his hair, running them through it. “It’s not that easy. If someone fails, he gets you, and God knows what that man plans on doing with you.”

Ice spread through her stomach. “That won’t happen, Leonardo. You need to trust me.”

“I don’t trust him. What did he say?” he hissed.

“He’ll call tomorrow at one with instructions. I have to show up alone.” She massaged her temples to alleviate the tension. What was the point in hiding it? “He’ll hurt Addie if I don’t show up.”

Leonardo slammed his hand on the threshold, and the sound made her square her shoulders and gasp. That’s gotta hurt. Stifling a groan, he glanced at his hand and flexed his fingers. “If I tell Bruno this, he will kill him with his bare hands. Hell, that’s what I might do. Bastard.”

Should she get him some ice for his hand? She entertained the idea, but first, they needed to talk this through. Kissing it better was out of the question, too. Leonardo glowered at her like she’d just told him she’d joined a dog-fighting club or something that terrible. “See, I can’t just ignore what I heard.”

“No, you can’t. You are not going tomorrow. I will, and I’ll handle it.”

“The moment he sees you, he’ll bolt, and Addie will pay the consequences.” And that, she would not allow to happen. There could be no clean slate for her and her daughter, hell, for her and him, too—if she was still stupid enough to believe in one—if she didn’t act and something bad happened to Addie Duarte.

Leonardo prowled the room, watching her every so often. “No. It’ll never come to that. Worst case scenario, if he sees me, I’ll tell them and—”

Irritation worked its way up her spine, stiffening her neck. Why didn’t he stop to consider her idea for a second? Why did he just assume he knew better? Would it always be like that between them? “And what? You guys can lock her away in a castle? She loves what she does, Leonardo, and she’s pregnant. She’s independent. You can’t guarantee her safety. Just look at what happened to Maria.”

“Listen… Maria was a kind soul who didn’t deserve to die,” he said, his voice softening for a moment as he stared remotely at the beige wall. “I still can’t let you do that. I’ll go instead of you.”

She let a frustrated sound escape her lips. “What do you think will happen? He’ll take off. Leonardo…he’s hell-bent on recreating a relationship we had a decade ago. The man is out of his mind. You can’t predict what he’ll do.”

His eyes narrowed. “Exactly. Unless…you can.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, touching her racing heart. Bracing for what he was about to say—that didn’t look good. His facial features hardened, creating that wrinkle between his eyebrows. The trace of a mocking smile reminded her of the look he gave her when he’d met her again, weeks ago.

“If you go and meet him, and he kidnaps you and disappears with you and you’re never heard from again, that’d be the perfect crime. He doesn’t go to jail, you don’t have to worry about fake IDs ever again.”

“Asshole. You still think I’m that person you created in your head?”

“All I’m saying is I started to believe you could change, Satyanna, but you haven’t. You’re still reckless.”

She was reckless for believing he could change. Stupid, stupid. She gave herself a major mental slap. Her body seared with frustration, emotions swirling up and down like she was some sort of human blender. “Me? Reckless? I’m trying to do this the most sensible way. You know what? I’m the one who’s tired.” She raised her voice. “Ever since I walked back into your life, all I’ve done was prove myself to you. All the time. And why? You’re so stubborn, your mind is already set.”

“I’m only trying to do—”

“What’s convenient for you. You know what, Leonardo? This whole time I wanted you to love me. I hoped…one day you’d feel the same way. I even signed your stupid contract. Now… I no longer care how you feel for me. I’ll stay and raise my daughter properly. But as far as feelings go, I’m done with you. You’re not worth it,” she said, and sadness washed over her before she left his room and slammed the door. The worst part was, she meant every word.

…

I’m done with you.Leonardo downed another shot of whisky. Her voice had been steady and emotionless. Determined. He leaned against the buttery leather swivel-chair. He should be relieved, that’s what he should be.

He didn’t have the time to worry about Satyanna’s emotional expectations. Life wasn’t a fairy tale, like the One Thousand and One Nights story that came to his mind. Life was real, and he needed more than emotions to keep a relationship afloat. Sacrifices, character, the ability to overcome struggles. These things mattered—sexual chemistry just wasn’t enough.

He shifted on the chair, restless. Was that all there was? In fact, was there anything sexual about the way she took care of their baby? Or the way she had come back for him, after the nanny took off? She could have simply gone along with Jacinta, and they could all have called Clemonte together and laughed at his expense—well, everyone minus the nanny.

Someone knocked twice on the door of the home office.

“Come in,” he said, gesturing with his hand.

Bruno entered the space with bags under his eyes. He couldn’t forget how attached his brother and Addie got to Maria, even talked about stealing her from Camila so she could help with the baby. He’d talked to his brother about Maria’s death quickly, as they had made the arrangements for the heartfelt funeral.

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