Page 80 of The Capo

I’d also overheard him barking with the EMTs as if they weren’t taking good enough care of me. My pulse continued to race, the beautiful sunset doing nothing more than reminding me I’d almost lost my life not once but twice.

When I sensed his approach a minute or so later, excitement tore through me. He moved to within inches away, his heated breath cascading across my shoulders. The moment he brushedhis fingertips over my shoulder, taking his time rubbing down the length of my arm, I closed my eyes.

He hadn’t offered words of comfort or tried to lie about the fact I was safe here. We’d both thought we’d be safe in New Orleans since the man had had soldiers guarding the house and us. Yet his people had been murdered easily. That much I’d learned from Raven. She’d been wonderful, jabbering away about the family and how special her relationship was with Francois’ older brother.

I’d never known he had a sister, although I’d learned all about her wedding and the fact she was pregnant with her first child. The conversation had been almost normal, which had added to the surrealness of the situation.

Now I stood in the middle of a picturesque paradise, the driver who’d picked us up at the airport following Francois’ orders to drive us down Duval Street. I’d known what he was trying to do, put a smile on my face.

He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me against him. The move wasn’t sexual, just comforting. “I took the liberty of having a few things picked up for you.”

What I’d lost in the fire was nothing in comparison to his losses, but for some reason the kind gesture brought tears to my eyes. When I issued a single sob, he kissed the top of my head.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said so softly I had to strain to hear him.

“Are you so certain about that?”

“As certain as I can be.”

“Why do the police want to talk to you?”

“Because they found drugs on a shipment of items coming in from South America and Cuba. The ship had been detained, which is damaging for our business as well as our reputation.”

I pulled away from him, turning around. “I thought your family wasn’t into drugs.”

“We aren’t.”

“You were framed.”

“Yes, and sadly, I’m not a hundred percent certain which country the drugs were smuggled from, let alone able to point a finger at who’s responsible.”

“When are you talking with the police?”

“In the morning. I have a meeting with my attorney first thing then the authorities after that.”

I inched closer, placing my hand on his chest. “Is there any chance you’ll be arrested?”

“My attorney doesn’t seem to think so.”

“But you’re not certain.”

He chuckled and brushed his hand down the side of my face, adjusting my hair as if the long strands were out of place. I’d never seen such exhaustion on his face before, the dark circles under his eyes unnerving. “Let’s just say I’m being cautious about everything. Have you spoken with your father?”

He’d handed me a new cellphone on the plane, issuing no rules regarding its usage. I’d had no desire to talk to anyone, my mind far too foggy to go into any detail about what had occurred over the last week and a half of my life. “No. I’m not certain I want to tell him.”

“Then I’ll need to.”

“Don’t. Not yet. I just… I need to forget for a little while.”

“That much I do understand. I had the items dropped in your room. Why don’t you take some time and change. Then we’ll go to dinner. After that, I’m taking you somewhere special.”

“Somewhere special, huh? Dancing?”

He cocked his head, allowing his hand to trail down my arm a second time, his heated gaze following his hand as he eased it to my hip, sliding a single finger back and forth. “I have something more seductive in mind.”

“Than the dancing we did? I don’t know about you, but I thought it was very seductive.”

“Yes, it was, but what I have in mind is more indulgent.”

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