Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
I nod while lifting a hand to rub the back of my neck where tension is building. “Yeah. We’re good.”
We end the video call, and needing to do some serious damage control, I head back into Ciara’s room.
Chapter 14
CIARA
My body is shivering uncontrollably, and my heart thunders against my ribs.
The lid on the trunk lifts. “I’m sorry, Ciara. I didn’t want to upset you.”
My mind keeps jumping all over the place, my emotions a turbulent mess. I wrap my arms tighter around myself and squeeze my eyes tightly shut.
I don’t want Grace anywhere near this…whatever this is. I want her far away from me, where she’s safe.
I don’t want her to see me like this. I’ve changed too much, and it will break her heart. Just thinking about how horrified Grace will be makes a whimper escape.
It takes a while for my mind to quiet down, and only then am I able to wonder how Santiago knows Grace.
I turn my head slightly and see him sitting with his back leaning against the trunk. His hair is ruffled, and he looks tired.
Because of me.
My eyebrows narrow when I think about the fact that he hasn’t done anything to hurt me. Not once has he been aggressive.
My curiosity gets the better of me, and I climb out of the trunk. When I sit down beside him, I wrap my arms around my shins.
My fingers brush over the rough scars around my ankles, and it reminds me I haven’t been restrained since I’ve been here.
Everything Santiago does is the opposite of Nolan.
When I glance at him, he turns his head and meets my gaze.
“Do you feel better, mi pequeño sol?”
I nod, my tongue darting out to wet my dry lips. I hesitate a little longer before gathering the courage to ask, “How do you know about Grace?”
My attention is drawn to the ring on his pointer finger. The diamond is massive, and I watch as he twirls it around. He’s done it often, and I wonder why he has a ring meant for a woman.
“I’m in an alliance with Dominik Varga.”
Confused, my eyes lift to his face again.
“Your brother-in-law.”
It takes a moment before I realize who he’s talking about.
The arms dealer Grace married.
Santiago watches me closely. “Why did you get so upset when I mentioned Grace?”
I turn my face away from him and rest my chin on my arm. He waits patiently while I struggle to organize my thoughts. “I don’t want her in any danger because of me.” My bottom lip quivers, and I can’t stop the tears from falling. “I don’t want to hurt her.”
“None of that will happen,” he whispers, his tone reassuring. “But I want you to be ready before you see her again. I’ll never force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
My eyebrows pull together again, and desperately needing to believe him, I turn my head to meet his hazel gaze that’s becoming more and more intense as the days pass.
I give him a pleading look. “Promise?”
“I promise, Ciara.” There’s an affectionate expression on his face, then he asks, “Would you like to see a photo of Grace?”
My eyes widen, and I quickly move onto my knees as hope trickles into my chest.
I don’t care what price I’ll have to pay Santiago for showing me the photo. If he wants to masturbate on me, I’ll endure it for Grace.
“You don’t have to kneel, mi sol.” He climbs to his feet. “But the floor is hard. Let’s move to the window seat.”
Bracing myself for whatever he’ll demand of me, I get up. I walk closer to where he’s waiting on the seat and leave a small space between us before sitting down.
My gaze lowers to his hands, and I watch as he presses his thumb to the screen to unlock it with his fingerprint. He opens the gallery, and I see photos of a baby.
He scrolls down and taps on the screen. The next second, I’m staring at Grace. Her hair is all over the place, and she looks exhausted, but there’s a happy smile on her face. She’s holding a baby.
I’m bombarded with emotions, and they rip the air from my lungs.
Grace has a baby?
I stare at her eyes, seeing happiness sparkling in them. I’m filled with relief, but at the same time, the loneliest feeling I’ve ever had wraps heavy around me.
I don’t fit into her life. Where she’s happy, I’m a shell.
The longer I stare at her, the more I notice little things. Her face is plumper, but that’s probably because she was pregnant. She’s wearing a wedding ring, and her nails are manicured into a short, neat style.
Even though it’s clear from the photo that she just gave birth, she looks really good.
Grace has a baby.
I have a niece or nephew.
I keep looking at the photo, drinking in Grace’s beautiful face for as long as Santiago will allow me.