Page 31 of Brazilian Revenge

The pain was nothing compared to the despair of losing her daughter again—and this time it would have been her fault. She had believed Jacinta wanted to go to the bathroom and not try to run away. There was no way Leonardo would let her off the hook.

Jacinta led her through the woods located at the back of the community—where there were no cameras, no light, and no security. Leaves crunched under their feet and mosquitos gathered around her bleeding wound.

What can I do to get out of here?Maybe she could spot a rock and hit her.

Jacinta jerked her away. “I’m done with you. And if you want some advice, get away from here as fast as you can. When Harry comes back and discovers you want to take his daughter from him, shit’s gonna hit the fan,” she said, and vanished into the night.

…

Leonardo ran his hand down his face. How long since she’d been gone? Ten, twenty minutes? He stared at the door handle. Unlike the cheap one from Jacinta’s house, this one was heavy stainless steel. His shoulder ached from having slammed against the sturdy door several times.

What’s next?His heart flipped in his chest. What if Satyanna took off with his daughter? As far as he was concerned, there was no need for her to come get him. This was her ticket out of his life. Forever.

No. She didn’t have Harry’s patronage—according to her—and she didn’t have any money. Hell, she couldn’t even leave the country. She needed him and his resources. She’d come back. When he’d seen Jacinta point the knife at her neck, adrenaline had pumped in his body. And fear. Fear of losing Satyanna. Why was that?

The door swung open and she appeared in front of him. He walked to her. Sweat gleamed on her pale face; there was blood on her side, and she held a piece of paper towel against her neck. “I just checked on Lyanna. She’s still sleeping.”

Relief poured over him. His shoulders dropped a notch, and for a moment he almost relaxed. Almost. “Good. Where did she go?”

“She took off. I tried to catch her, but she ran too fast into the back woods, and I didn’t know my way around.”

He realized patches of blood covered her shirt. Shit. “Come with me. Let me take care of you first.”

She drew back, and cocked her head to the side. Take care of her. Well, he meant in a way he would do for anyone in the same position. He put his arm around her non-injured hip, leading her to the master bathroom.

He opened the contents of the drawers, searching for any first-aid items he could use. A man like Clemonte had plenty of enemies wanting to smash his face, therefore he should have all kinds of emergency aids.

Leonardo washed his hands then turned to her. “Take off your shirt.”

She pulled it over her head and put it on the stool next to her. He made an effort not to pay attention to the white lacy bra that cupped her breasts. Sliding his gaze down, he studied the wound.

Grabbing a clean towel from the linen closet, he dabbed it with some warm water and soap and started to clean the wound. She shivered and swore under her breath.

“Does it hurt?”

She chewed on her lower lip, as if trying to stifle a moan. “A little bit.”

A strange wave of admiration coursed through him. She was trying to mask her discomfort. He caught himself smiling, and wondered if his grin looked as silly as it felt. “You can say it hurts a lot.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Why?”

“Because I want you to fix this damn thing and leave this place. I want to leave. Now that Jacinta is on the loose, she can call him and let him know. He already stole Lyanna from us once. What’s to say he’s not going to do it again?” she said, and he couldn’t ignore the despair dangling from her voice.

Against his better judgment, he slid his index finger down her warm cheek. “I’m not going to let that happen.”

She lifted her chin. Resolve shimmered in the shimmery depths of her eyes. Moisture evaporated from his throat. Damn. “Yes, because you will take us out of here. Now.”

He cut some gauze and placed it on her flesh. She took a long inhale. When he cut the tape to put it over the gauze, he noticed a trail of goose bumps on her arms. Was she that aware of his touch, even if non-sexual? Well, it didn’t matter. Of course. Sleeping with her again would only complicate things, and that both of them could do without. What they needed was a plan, a deal, a bargain. Yes. He was good at that.

A light bulb flicked on in his brain. How come he hadn’t thought of that, yet? When they arrived back in Rio, he’d draw up a contract establishing parental rights. Custodial rights. He’d worked too hard in life to take people for their word, especially whenever dangerous, impulsive emotions were concerned.

“Let me see your neck,” he said, his voice dropping an octave. She threw her head back, elongating her graceful neck to him. He ran his dark olive finger along the pale flesh, and the vein of her neck pulsed under his touch. “Thankfully it’s just a superficial cut. It could have been a lot worse.”

“Yes. It could have.”

He grabbed another towel and dabbed some water on it.

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