Page 53 of Brazilian Revenge

Chapter Sixteen

“Thanks for taking care of her for me,” Satyanna whispered to Addie. Satyanna clamped her lips together. Her throat burned with apprehension and fear.

Addie held the baby in her arms. The little girl cooed and shook her arms and legs, excited, announcing she was happy with the exchange. Good. At least someone was happy. “Where are you going? Does Leonardo know?”

“Yes, he’s coming with me. We may have a lead as to where Harry has been hiding, and we want to check it out,” she said, trying to sound as calm as possible.

Addie frowned. “Why are you going? This doesn’t sound safe.”

“Addie…”

“There’s something you aren’t telling me.”

That if we don’t nail things today, you may die.Satyanna bit her inner cheek. Crap. If she leaked any piece of information now, Addie would either try to convince her not to go, or tell Bruno, or worse, probably want to come with her. The three possibilities were equally counterproductive.

She glanced at the round clock hanging in the kitchen. In five minutes, Harry would be calling her. She’d need to be next to Leonardo, who waited in the office. Since last night they hadn’t exchanged but a handful of words.

“I’m telling you everything I can. You’re going to have to trust me.” Tears burned her lids, but she blinked them back. Now was not the time to think about herself. She’d cried for hours the night before, sad about the reality that dawned on her—trying to be the woman Leonardo idealized was useless. She’d never be it, and it was best to stop lying to herself now rather than later. Besides, didn’t she deserve better? Someone who loved her despite her flaws instead of not loving her because of them?

“I trust you.”

“Good. At least someone in this family does,” she said, and tried hard to inject some energy into her voice to keep it from breaking.

Planting a kiss on the top of her daughter’s head, she inhaled to push in the comforting baby scent. “I’ll see you soon, baby girl,” she whispered. “I love you.”

Addie nodded, and Satyanna’s heart shrank to the size of an olive. Don’t overthink it now. Go forward. She walked in the direction of the home office; with each step, one more current stirred inside her, charging her with trepidation. Was her own body convincing her not to do this? No. She leaned down and smacked her kneecaps, as if they were two entities pulling her back.

If she wanted to have some peace of mind and protect her daughter forever, she needed to do this. After all, Leonardo she had already lost. Who cared what he thought?

She opened the door and found him waiting for her. Dressed smart with dark jeans, a crisp, white shirt, and a charcoal jacket, he looked as devilish as ever. Her sex clenched, signaling that no matter how painful and clever her decision to end any silly hopes about him, the desire lurked. Alive and vibrant.

“We’ll take you to wherever he suggests, and keep within a safe distance,” Leonardo said, then pointed at the two security guards next to the wall, who nodded at her in acknowledgment. Unlike the other days, the two strong men gave the all-black uniform a break and donned cargo shorts and white shirts to blend in. “Nothing will happen to you,” he said, then produced a small, polished handgun that looked like the slickest of its kind.

She blinked. “You’re armed?”

He slid it inside his pocket. “I’m not taking any chances.”

The air was suddenly in short supply. Leonardo glared at her, and she wondered if he was challenging her to change her mind. She stared back, ignoring the other guys in the room.

The Beethoven ringtone made her follow its sound and look at the cell phone sitting in the middle of the desk. Sucking in a breath, she didn’t wait for anybody’s command. She grabbed it and accepted the call. “Hello.”

“The Fashion Mall, in thirty minutes,” Harry said, his voice clipped.

She recognized the name of the upscale mall. Why did he want such a public place? Was he scared that they’d ambush him? “I’ll be there.”

“Alone,” he demanded, his tone cold.

“Count on it,” she said without hesitation.

“Good. I requested a taxi driver to pick you up. Go to the front of the house in five minutes.”

She clenched the phone and avoided looking at Leonardo. She could feel his gaze on her, but if she strayed him a glance, she’d falter. And that she couldn’t afford. “And be at your mercy? No.”

“You’re not going with Leonardo, if you want Addie to live. And what’s the difference between using a taxi service I called versus doing the same? You certainly don’t want to drive in Rio.”

“Okay. I’ll take the cab.”

She hung up, and noticed the tips of her fingers trembling. She had to count on some detouring, hadn’t she? “I need to go in the car he’s sending. He said Fashion Mall, but knowing Harry…” She sighed.

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