Page 55 of Hard Limits

“To Lisbon.”

“On his own?”

“No.” She practically howled the word, then broke down in tears. “With Beatriz.”

“Who the hell is Beatriz?”

“A girl he met in the bar. I went there last night and saw him kissing her, and we had a massive fight, and this morning, he packed his suitcase and they left.”

That bastard. If I ever saw him again, I’d cut his balls off with a scalpel. Actually, no, a scalpel was too good for that asshole. A rusty bone saw would be better.

“My grandpa was right,” Meera wailed. “Alfie is a good-for-nothing scrote.”

A scrote? What was a scrote? Some British thing? Like a scrotum?

“What are you going to do?” A prickle of fear ran through me. I had a new life now, and I wanted to keep it. “Are you coming home?”

“Do you think I should?”

In my heart of hearts, I did. She needed my support, and her family’s. Even if they were angry at first, they’d forgive her deception. Unlike my parents, Meera’s Mom and Pop were good people with her best interests at heart, although they could be overbearing at times.

“I think that maybe—” I started.

“You know what? Screw Alfie. If I leave Portugal, he wins. This is my dream, not his, and there are still so many trees to plant.”

Relief surged through me. “So you’re staying?”

“I’ll have to find a cheaper place to live. The rent’s due this week, and I can’t afford it on my own.”

“Do you need money? I can send you money.”

“What if someone traces it?”

“I could wire it through one of those transfer places.”

“Let me talk to a few people first. Pedro’s brother rents rooms.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

A pause, and then a sniffle. “No?”

“I’m so sorry Alfie did that to you.”

“I thought he was The One, you know? He said he loved me.”

Well, he sure didn’t show it. “At least you saw his true colours before you married him. Can you sell your engagement ring?”

“No, I threw it at him. There were bushes. I don’t even know where it went.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mr. Vale hang up the phone and look around for me. Shit. He wasn’t happy either.

“Call me later, okay. Let me know how things go.”

“I will. At least I don’t have to feel guilty about spending so much time on the project now.”

“Put yourself first. Make yourself happy. I have to catch a plane, but I’ll be back in LA this afternoon.”

“Love you, twinny.”

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