Chapter Thirteen
Miami
The flight from San Francisco is uneventful. It’s a long haul and running on little sleep made the minutes crawl. My position in the first-class area of the small craft afforded me the perfect vantage of the other passengers on the plane as they boarded.
No sign of the man I identified earlier in the airport. I’ve never had any doubts about whether I’ve been followed before. Of course, my brother has never fucked up this badly before now. It had always been my jobs that were risky, and I did those purely for my personal interest.
It makes me wonder if I’m growing soft. That the time away—with Nate—has caused me to take my head out of the game. It’s true that right now, my mind and my heart aren’t in this like they might have been previously. The adrenalin rush and high that used to make me feel larger than life is barely enough to motivate me to move from my seat at the moment. It’s as if something has shifted inside my chest and the excitement and rush that fed me are no longer sufficient for me to run on.
Unlike in Tahiti, I sailed through security at San Fran and hopped right back onto a flight for Miami. As I pull out my phone, I consider who I really want to be making contact with. Nate.
Of course, I have no way to do that. No last name, no further details other than the scraps we offered each other. All part of the deal I set in motion. And even if I knew how things with Nate would change, I question if I’d alter the rules we set in place.
You’re supposed to mourn your holiday romances, right? Feel like they could have lasted forever, been the greatest love of your life? It was never meant to be, though. Not for us. We made it that way, both of us careful about information, both of us keeping that distance. And with time, the fun and feelings will slip to memories alone, I’m sure.
Except that with every mile I move away, every plane I board, my heart suffers. The ache is more intense, reminding me that I can’t ignore my heart, no matter how much I know I should. It’s like it’s bleeding somehow. Like I’ve been left with a cavernous hole inside my chest, one he filled with his smile and laughter. And oh god, those hands. I feel lost without them reaching for me.
Alone again.
I move through the motions when we’re in the air. My lips offer a smile when I thank the stewardess for the bottle of water. I shake my head politely when asked if I’m in need of anything else. After all, she can’t help me. Nobody can. And right now, I’m going to choose to vent my pain and frustration at the one person in the world I can. My brother.
Landed. Will be with you soon.
Good. I’ll come to meet you.
No. I’ll come to you.
The anger bubbling in my stomach is new. I know it’s borne of resentment and frustration. I turned myself into a highly accomplished thief in an attempt to make myself visible to Andreas, and it worked for a short while. But the sacrifice I made set me on this path. His greed and lust for power have only grown over the years and have no sign of abating. I’ve aided him, fuelling his own personal fire for the power he seeks, and helped to mould him into the Andreas that has no real care for the people around him. Just his next deal.
Well, he’s not going to get away with that any longer.
* * *
I check into a mid-range chain hotel in the heart of the tourist sector in Miami. After all that time in the air, I refuse to go any further without a hot shower and something half decent to eat.
I order room service and specify the time for delivery, ensuring I have enough time to wash the last few days from my body. If only I could wash away the memory of Nate’s touch. My thighs still ache, and my pussy is still tender from the fierceness of his lovemaking.
The water does its job of washing away all the grime and tiredness from my skin, but it only gives me more time to think about Nate. He’ll be leaving tomorrow. Maybe he’s already found another woman to keep his bed warm after I left him. As the thought percolates, spears of pain attack my heart as my eyes sting with unshed tears. No matter how much of a bitch I am for leaving in the night with no word, I can’t believe that Nate would be so quick to forget everything we had.
With my mind pleading for good news, I towel off and slump on the bed, finally feeling the wave of exhaustion that I knew would hit.
“Room service,” a female voice calls, a knock on the door following.
My stomach rumbles in response, and I open the door after checking through the peep hole.
“Where would you like it, Ma’am?”
“On the counter is fine, thank you.”
The silver cloche hides my dinner, but I can smell the goodness already. A burger and French fries. Indulgent food that will give me the calories I need to make it through the meeting with my brother.
* * *
The taxi stops two blocks away from my brother’s warehouse. I pay in cash and make my way on foot. It’s a quiet area, next to a marina off the main Miami Port, but not close enough to cause suspicion. Too many dealers and crooks set up and get raided or tipped off from working too close. At least Andreas has had the sense to cover some of his business dealings.
With every step I take closer to him, I harden myself for what will happen next. If he thinks he’ll be the one to get us out of this mess, he’s wrong. It will be me. And I’m through with only knowing what he deems necessary. He might not like what I have to say, but he has no choice. It’s my way, or he won’t have the payment for Mortoni. Simple.
The two men smoking by a blue transit van take their time to notice my approach. Finally, they look up and clock me heading right to the entrance. My feet march right past them, only stopping long enough to rip open the front door and step inside.
