Page 55 of Exposed
She had nothing to hide. As long as she kept that thought at the forefront of her mind, she’d be fine. Nothing to hide at all.
Except who she was, why she was with him, and the fact that the FBI was stationed directly across the hall and below their suite.
Carlos sat on the edge of the desk, his long legs stretched out in front of him and ending inches away from a vacant, high-backed leather chair.
“Sit.” He gestured, palm open, to the seat.
She smiled and dipped her eyebrows. “What’s this about?”
He rested his hands on his thighs and crossed his ankles as she sat against the cool material. Hector entered the room and she knotted her hands together on her lap to hide the tremor that racked over her. This wasn’t good. Carlos was a private man, even with his enforcers. If Hector was staying, it was because Carlos wanted the extra muscle.
Her tongue burned with the urge to ask Carlos to speak with him alone. She met Carlos’s gaze pointedly, and lifted her eyebrows to Hector. It wouldn’t serve her to be weak. If he knew she was scared, he’d know it was for good reason.
The corner of Carlos’s mouth tucked in, revealing a deep dimple. He waved his hand at Hector as if shooing away a pesky fly. “Don’t mind him. He brought something to my attention that I would like you to explain.” His tone was calm and indifferent, sending alarm bells off in her head. The pounding at her temples turned ferocious like the gushing of a dam breaking.
She sunk her teeth into the side of her tongue and kept her eyes on Carlos. “Sure, honey. What is it?”
He reached behind him, lifted the sleek laptop off the desk, and set it in front of her. Her throat closed and she pressed her clutch into her lap. On the screen was a still, grainy image taken at night. She squinted and leaned closer. The parking lot at the back of Carlos’s bar filled the screen. A woman with dark hair stood at a car with her back to the camera, her purse slung over her shoulder.
It was her.
Carlos’s eyes fastened on her. His pupils retracted when her eyes met his. “Look familiar?” One thick eyebrow rose at her.
A shiver skittered down her spine. She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. All she could do was stare at the screen, willing what was to come next to disappear.
“Hold on, there’s more.” He moved his finger to the mousepad and clicked the play button. The image moved into a video. She watched, her eyes burning with the need to blink. Tony stepped out of the shadows before she could slip into the safety of her car. In a flurry of movement, he had her up against the door, his face in hers.
Oh, God. Next, she’d kick Tony’s ass and leave him choking for breath in the gravel lot. Her brain worked like rapid-fire. She had to come up with something. Carlos would be pissed that she’d kept this from him, but more importantly, he’d know what she was capable of.
Out of the corner of her eye, Hector moved. His hand clenched into a tight fist, his gaze glued to the computer screen. The dark line of his jaw flexed and a vein throbbed at his temple. Her cheek burned under his glare but she wouldn’t look at him.
On the screen, Tony had his hands around her throat. Her stomach flipped over as she watched herself disengage his hold and land a blow to his face. If she hadn’t been awaiting death row, she would have been impressed watching herself.
Seconds later, Tony charged at her image and she landed the savage jab to his throat that dropped him to his knees. Carlos stopped the video and turned to her. The desk creaked under his weight. His cold, emerald eyes locked on her.
Her heart dropped to her stomach with the force of a bowling ball. He was going to kill her. If she didn’t think of something fast and get out of this…
Where was Nate? Was he listening in? Would he come bursting through the door any second? The thought of him risking the case to save her brought bile to the back of her throat.No. She’d worked too hard and come too far. She wouldn’t let it go to waste.
“Tell me honey, what the fuck did we just watch?” His thumb fidgeted with the gold ring on his middle finger.
She lifted a shoulder. “You watched me hand Tony’s ass to him after he sexually assaulted me.”
A muscle at the corner of his eye twitched.
Hector lurched forward. “You—”
Carlos raised his hand, stopping him in his tracks. “I told you, I will handle this.” His tone rose an octave and Hector vibrated on the spot. His fists curled at his sides and his breath came out hot and heavy through his nose.
Creep.
She returned her gaze to Carlos. His eyes moved down to her hands on her lap, and then back up to her face. He was assessing her. As a man who has put the fear into a lot of people, he knew very well how to discern if someone was lying.
“Why didn’t you tell me he attacked you?” His hand moved from his knee and dropped to the edge of the desk. He wasn’t a large man, but he was a lethal one.
She forced the muscles in her face to relax. This wasn’t a big deal, she had to act like it was nothing.
She nodded, letting her head drop a little. “I thought about telling you. It was really difficult being around him, but I didn’t want you to think I was trying to come between you two.” She shrugged and lowered her eyes. “We haven’t been together very long, and I figured you would side with Tony over me.”
