“Sophia.”
She turned back. “I understand.”
They held one another’s gazes, and then he pushed the phone closer to her.
“Show me you know how to use it. Start it up.”
He made her feel like a child. She could see that he had some years on her. Okay, maybe ten or so, but his condescending tone was not received nicely. She decided it was better to not argue and just give the man what he wanted. For now that was, until she could build up her physical and mental strength. She was still very down on herself and being negative.
She picked up the phone, opened up the phone keypad, and then looked at the list.
“I’m number one. You’re to try me first because more often than not I’ll be close by. Gideon is number 2. He will be working less hours for the marine patrol then Andreas, who is number three and Cerdic, who is number 4 on the auto dial. Got it?”
She nodded, and he raised both eyebrows at her. She understood he wanted her to test it. She pressed one and hit the button for speaker. Immediately the phone on his hip rang.
“Good. Press number 2.”
“Now?”
He nodded, and she left it on speaker then hit number two. The moment the deep, intense voice answered, she couldn’t speak. “Hello? Hello, Sophia?”
“We’re testing the line. All is good. Later.”
“Yes, sir.”
She couldn’t believe her body’s reaction to the tone of voice of bodyguard number two, Gideon. Holy crap. He sounded like a man with a thick beard, who smoked cigars and set off bombs. It was deep, scrappy, and hard.
“Well?” Lew pushed, and she went on to test number 3 and then number four. After hearing each of their voices, she now was curious as to whether they looked like she thought they might because of their voices.
“You’ll get to meet each of them in the next several days. Every couple of days we’ll drop off a schedule of where we’ll be and what may be going on so you’ll know who your first contact should be if you need anything.”
“Why don’t you just text it to me?” she asked, already feeling on edge and very unsure about how this was going to work. They would constantly be around her, and she wasn’t sure she wanted that. She was trying to pull her shit together and get stronger, and she didn’t think being around strange men who looked like giants would be helpful.
“Sophia, we’re here to protect you, and in doing so, we will be doing a house check and, at night, a perimeter check. We’ll even do a beach check so you feel safe and secure. You’ll get used to us being around, and you’ll feel more comfortable. I promise.”
She wondered if she would actually get comfortable or if their size and their attitudes would do the opposite and put her on edge. She truly wasn’t sure, but it appeared she had no choice and was about to find out.
“We’ll see,” she said, and he crossed his arms in front of his chest. She stepped away from him farther.
“If there’s nothing more, I’m pretty tired.”
He stared at her.
“That’s it for now. Just remember that phone goes everywhere with you. We’ll talk later. Oh, and there are some basic things in the refrigerator and the cupboards to eat. We weren’t sure what you liked, but until we get a list from you and get to the store tomorrow, it will help you for tonight.”
She didn’t argue and tell him she planned on ordering and having the groceries delivered. Earlier he hadn’t seemed too keen on that.
He nodded and then headed out the door from the kitchen to the deck and down the pathway. She locked the door and then went through the entire house, making sure every window and door was locked. She felt sad because the air was beautiful, and a gentle breeze felt good filtering through the house. But feeling safe was more important, and she just didn’t know if such a place existed, never mind if she would ever feel safe again.
Chapter 3
“I don’t know what I was expecting but not for her to look like this. Not after the file we got from Jeremy prior to her arrival,” Lew told his team as he passed around her picture.
Andreas whistled low. “My God, she’s gorgeous. What the fuck was she doing with this asshole?” Andreas stared at her picture and then passed it to Cerdic.
“Damn,” Cerdic replied and then passed it to Gideon.
“It’s hard to believe, but however they got involved, it turned ugly fast,” Lew said. “As you all could see going over the file, this guy Mateo is bad news with lots of connections and resources he is currently tapping in on. It’s been months since Jeremy blew his cover and got her out of there. No sign of the prick or his partner, Deavan Hoyt. Although our part in this case is strictly to be bodyguards and protect Sophia, Jeremy has given us some access to some of the details surrounding the case and Sophia’s part. As you all could see, the narcissistic bastard went as far as branding his employees and men that were loyal to his business organization. Jeremy has the mark on his upper arm.”
“That’s sick, never mind fucking painful. This guy Mateo is into other masochistic shit?” Gideon asked.
“From what I’ve read, he has some fetish with fire, burning people who have not exactly succeeded in pulling off his requested missions and deals. They have also connected him with a series of five missing people, all professional people from lawyers to a doctor. Somehow there’s a connection between them and Mateo’s business dealings. Not our problem, but it gives us an image of the kind of environment Sophia was forced to remain in. Jeremy said she had no idea until recently that this guy was cheating on her, committing criminal acts, and when she found out, she demanded to leave. It didn’t happen.”
“What did he do to her, Lew?” Andreas asked.
“Not a clue and Jeremy didn’t specify. He just said what she went through was traumatic and that she was going to need time to heal.”
“So what’s the next step?” Gideon asked, taking her picture into his hand and staring at it.
“Introducing yourselves and making her feel safe. She won’t engage in much conversation. She’ll try to blow off any need for help. Just give her the time she needs. Our job is safety and security. I think we can handle that.”
* * * *
“What’s the obsession about? We just barely got you out of the fucking country on that cargo plane, Mateo. Do you want to end up in prison for life, or do you want to live and never look back?” Castella Moya asked Mateo as Mateo declined another offer of a blowjob by some goddess of a whore Castella had walking around his estate. The man was a millionaire with connections across the globe.
Mateo looked at Deavan, who was smiling wide and caressing the ass of a woman who wore a purple string bikini. They were all sitting by the outdoor pool, the music played softly in the background, and Mateo and Castella were in the cabana. This place, Castella’s home, was like something out of a movie. It was paradise. He was so glad that he’d started doing some business with him last year and that they had gotten close. Mateo got some of Castella’s men out of prison quickly. He also hooked them up with drugs, booze, and women during the time they spent in jail waiting to be released.
Mateo didn’t answer Castella. His thoughts were on Sophia and, of course, Jeremy. Castella had gotten copies of the surveillance videos at the hotel suite in Chicago. He saw how Jeremy got Sophia out of there and into an SUV with federal agents. It killed Mateo to think Jeremy was an agent working undercover and privy to so much information, information that could send Mateo to prison for life, but he worried more about what Sophia knew and what he’d sworn her to secrecy about. If she dared tell the feds about the safety deposit box and then bank accounts in Europe, his funds would be seized and he would be broke. In that safety deposit box was a key to another safe and documents, thumb drives, files with evidence of hits he’d done, fires he’d started, and people he’d killed to prove he was legit and could handle anything.
His actions had gained him respect and business deals. He was fucked if she told the feds about the security boxes. But then again, he wasn’t certain she knew of them or even recalled him talking to Deavan about them that night he branded her and they played with her body. God, he missed her body, the feel of her large breasts and firm, round ass. Even the way she filled out her clothing from dresses to those short skirts and sexy bras and panties. Fuck, I can’t live without her. I can’t.
“Jesus, Mateo. This woman is that important to you? That fucking special you’re willing to risk your location? I won’t be part of this. I won’t risk my estate, all I’ve fought for and worked so hard for here in Venezuela. You want to hire men to find her and bring her to you, then you do it away from here.”
Mateo looked at Castella.
“This was only temporary, Castella. You know as well as I do that I would never place you in danger. I need a few more weeks. I need men to locate Sophia before I can make plans to get her delivered to me.”
Castella took a puff from his cigar and exhaled. The smoke twirled around and then into the warm air.
“Then you need a place that will be too difficult to get to you. A place filled with dangers for any federal agents wanting to rescue her. Perhaps Cordoba?”