Page 25 of Brazilian Revenge

Chapter Eight

The sedan came to a stop across the street from the gated community. There was a visitor’s entrance where a uniformed doorman greeted the guests. And she also noticed the resident’s entrance where they had to punch a special code to gain access and enter.

“Any luck?” she said, pointing at the wrought-iron gates.

“As soon as a resident pulls up, we’re tailing them and going in,” he said, stretching his legs inside.

She did the same and kneaded the back of her neck to alleviate some kinks. “God, I feel like I need intravenous Tylenol. I’ve seen wood boards more flexible than my body.”

He stifled a laugh.

“What? It’s true.” She shrugged. “The last few nights I slept on the ground, then last night I was a train wreck. And now my heart is about to slip from my mouth.”

“I never knew you were so emotional.”

“I…have my moments.” She had worked on hiding her emotions to avoid disappointment. Somehow around him that was a challenge. He stirred an array of sentiments inside her, and stole from her any way of controlling them for a long period of time.

She clamped her lips shut to keep her thoughts to herself. The previous day she’d convinced him to hug her back, and later in the day to screw her. Have you no pride, woman?

“Here.” Without taking his eyes off the community’s entrance, he stretched his hand and put it on the back of her neck. A wave of awareness surged through her, as if glacial water had just splashed her. As he started to knead the pulsating knot in her neck, the effect was the opposite of cold. Warm strands of recognition swept through her, and she closed her eyes.

“If you ever want to moonlight as a masseuse, you may have a shot at it,” she heard herself saying.

His hearty chuckle reverberated through her. “You never know.”

God. Was this real? His fingers pressed her flesh, making deep circles and easing her discomfort at the same time his touch provoked a much different type of ache. Her nipples strained against her bra and her blood thickened, pounding in her veins like it carried an urgent message.

She took a deep breath, hoping the meditation technique would bring her clarity. A low moan flew from her lips. Shit.

“There’s a car pulling in the resident line,” he said, and withdrew his hand.

She opened her eyes with a start and recomposed herself, pulling at the hem of her shirt. “Great,” she said, blinking herself out of that senseless haze.

He rotated the steering wheel, and within seconds they followed a Mercedes into the exclusive residential retreat. She chewed her lower lip. “What’s our plan?” she asked when the car came to a halt in front of the opulent, all-white house.

“We go in and get some answers.”

She sucked in a breath and wished she had some kind of weapon for their protection. You’ve got your karate moves. Let’s put them to good use. Fear tightened her midsection. She would find out what had happened to her daughter. The possibilities were endless, and none of them easy to swallow.

“This is it,” she said, her voice carried by emotion. She’d lost her daughter once…losing her again wasn’t part of the equation. Couldn’t be.

He gave her shoulder a light squeeze, and then cleared his throat. “It’ll be okay, Satyanna.”

She bit back a smile. “Thanks.”

He knocked on the door, and a woman with reddish shoulder-length hair and prescription glasses opened.

Jacinta.

A chilly wave flooded her veins, and Satyanna gasped. The woman must have recognized her, too, for she tried to slam the door on their faces. Thankfully, Leonardo shoved his foot at the door and opened it. She spun on her heels to run, but he gripped her elbow and pulled her against the wall, pinning her down. The gasp from the nurse’s mouth cut the air. Satyanna had never seen him like this. So…primeval.

“What do you want?” Jacinta asked. Her voice was steady, but fear flickered in her brown eyes.

“I want to know what happened to our daughter,” Satyanna asked.

Jacinta tried to move, but Leonardo kept her under his command. “No running. You’re going to tell us everything, and if you cooperate maybe I won’t ask for the maximum sentence when I throw you in jail.” He clenched his jaw.

The nurse’s eyes widened, and Satyanna noticed the pulse throbbing in her neck. “O-okay.”

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