“I think you have a lot to say to each other, like that you’re madly in love.”
“Ha. Not a chance. I assure you that Navarro Delgado doesn’t fawn over anyone.” The first question she’d asked while on the plane was who the handsome man was who’d rescued her. I’d tried to argue I was the person responsible, but she hadn’t bought it. It had been the first moment I’d truly believed she was going to be alright.
After that, the questions had continued on and off when she wasn’t sleeping.
I’d been careful in what I’d told her, yet she’d deserved to know the truth. I’d been shocked she hadn’t fallen apart. I would have. Nope. My baby sister had turned into a warrior when I wasn’t looking.
The Alcarez members had said nothing to her, merely tossing her into the prison cell after her arrival in Mexico. At least she’d been given food and water along with her medication until it had run out.
She jerked on her pillows and I immediately rushed to her side. “Stop fussing, Fallon. I’m fine. I’m just tired of lying in bed.”
“Doctor’s orders. Deal with it.” I’d been in a fog since being escorted onto the man’s private jet, stunned at the turn of events and the understanding I’d gained. She’d markedly improved and was eating fairly well. We’d had a few conversations over the last couple of days.
“Come on, sis. Confess. Tell me more about dream man because it’s obvious you like him too. You two have this electric connection only created in fairytales.”
“Dream man? Fairytale? Not a chance.”
“Uh-huh. I know you too well, remember? Besides, he is hunky and that accent is to die for. I can’t believe you went after him determined to kill him.”
“Anything for my baby sister.”
“Including almost getting yourself killed.” She glanced around the room. “So this is home now, right?” Her smile and taunts brought heat to my face. “Maybe for an extended future?”
“Not a chance.”
“More than a chance. I sense he doesn’t want to let you go.”
The fact she could joke about the situation meant she was doing much better. As angry as I’d been with Navarro, he’d done everything in his power to ensure my sister had everything she needed. A doctor had visited every day since arriving. There’d been a woman preparing delicious meals, although I hadn’t been hungry. He’d checked on the two of us since I’d insisted on camping out in the bedroom he’d provided for her recovery.
At least I was able to laugh.
“Don’t read too much into what you think you see. Maybe there’s an attraction, but we’re like oil and water,” I admitted. In the limited hours of sleep I’d allowed myself to get, I hadn’t been able to get him off my mind. His image was firmly implanted in my brain, enough so that I was torn between my feelings of lust and hate. Or maybe the feelings were growing stronger. “There are so many things that have happened since you were taken. I don’t know where to begin. All that really matters is that you are safe.”
How in the world could I possibly tell my sister that our father had betrayed us, or potentially sold us out to the highest bidder?
“It’s okay, Fallon. You’ve told me enough I feel safe being here.” When she hesitated, I knew she had something on her mind.
“What? Just say it.”
“You’re walking on eggshells around me, sis. I’m a big girl. You’re in the home of the commander of a powerful Spanish Cartel, someone who thinks the sun rises and sets on you. Yes, I’ve overheard conversations.”
“Now you’re a relationship expert.”
She laughed when she noticed the shock on my face. “Maybe that’s what you need. I’m more observant than you give me credit for. I’m also aware our father wasn’t who he tried to pretend he was. In fact, he was second in command of another cartel long ago that doesn’t exist any longer. He brought us to America to give us a new life.”
A cough rushed up from my throat.
“My God. What the… What are you talking about?” I was shocked, but it was obvious she wasn’t. She rolled her eyes at my attempt to pass off what she was telling me as a fable.
“I was about to call you when my door burst in and masked men entered. Maybe you didn’t know this, but Daddy came to see me two days before I was taken. He said there were some things about the past he needed to tell me.”
“He did what?”
She nodded as she reached for the bottle of water on the nightstand. “He told me that we were originally from Spain and that our family had once been powerful. He also mentioned the reason our mother was dead was because of a vendetta placed against the family. I was surprised, but not shocked. He’s always been secretive, sis. You know that. I figured he was running from something or someone just by how overprotective he was.”
“I can’t believe he told you the story. Why would he do that?”
“You seem to forget that Daddy and I were closer that you were. I used to ask him all the time about Mama.”
