Page 73 of Fractured
Carlos put his hand on my back.
“If it’s like I think, she will forgive you if her father dies. She knows a betrayal like this can’t be left unpunished. You can get her back, or try to.”
I take a sip of my ice watered down drink and stare out over the water. Carlos is right; I do like her; I’m very attracted to her. There’s something about her that just draws me to her. This whole thing is so fucking complicated. I never really craved a woman before, like I crave Isabella.
I never wanted a woman to smile at me the way she did with Sebastian. I enjoyed how she needed me, curved into my body as I protected her from the press. I liked that. I wanted that.
Now I have to watch and be careful to guard my every move. I had a feeling from the beginning that they sent her as a decoy to weaken us. It was those innocent green eyes and her charming smile. She seems too sheltered from the world to be real.
Carlos stands up, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“Let’s go get another drink, book some flights to California, and watch the fucken game. I’m wiped.”
I get up and look at her window; she’s gone. I know it. I rub my chest and follow Carlos.
~ ~ ~
It is Thursday morning, and I have avoided Isabella for the lasttwo days. My brain just can’t seem to get past this whole cloak and dagger move of Angelo’s. My father knows more than he’s saying, but until we get that information from the safe deposit box here, he won’t say shit.
I look at my watch; it’s 11:45. And Sasha should be bringing Isabella her lunch soon.
I left things as they were. As much as I don’t want it to, my trust is wavering. Every day, the tension I feel in the absence of answers makes me angrier, and she is the match to my gasoline, so I stayed away.
I open her camera feed. She’s in her studio, but she comes out wiping her hand on the towel on her shoulder. She smiles at Sasha and takes her tray to the coffee table, and like every day, she picks up those dumb dead flowers, which are basically sticks now, and puts them in that bowl and sits in her window to eat her lunch.
I zoom in. Even though she eats every day, she seems to have lost weight. I can see that her cheeks are a little more sunken in, and her t-shirt is loose around her shoulders. Despite the weight loss, she looks so pretty sitting there in her shorts and t-shirt covered in red paint. I bought that statue for her. Stupid, I know. But I wanted to give her something to look at out her window besides snow over the winter if she lives long enough to see it. My chest tightens again, and I rub it. I need to call the museum and see when it will arrive
My phone vibrates on my desk, and I look at the number. It’s Sebastian. What the hell?
“Brother? What can I do for you?”
He takes a shaky breath, “Get Carlos, I’ll be there in less than twenty minutes.” and hangs up.
Okay, that’s fucked up. I text Carlos.
Alex:My office, ASAP.
Carlos:I’m just pulling up. Be there in five.
I call Rose to bring some coffee and cups. This feels more like a whiskey kind of meeting, but I’ve drunk far too much the past couple of days and it’s affecting my stomach.
Carlos comes in, closes the door, and takes a seat.
“What’s going on?”
I lift my hand in the air.
“Fucked if I know. Sebastian called in a panic by the sounds of him, and said he’d be here in twenty minutes.”
Rose comes in with the coffee tray and sets it down on the table and leaves. I get up and grab a cup. I hold it up for Carlos, but he waves his hand no.
“So, you are ready to go?”
I pull my chair in and set my cup down. “Yeah. I’ve avoided her since Tuesday. I thought it best to just leave her as is.”
Carlos smirks. “That’s not what I asked, but good to know your heads in the game.”
“Fuck you.”
