Page 41 of Shattered Queens: Veronica
Miles
Chapter 21
I don’t know whyI’m smiling. There isn’t anything to smile about, but I just can’t help it. Princesa has been giving me the cold shoulder at every turn, so seeing her flip me off via the security feed is surprisingly comical. I pull up the camera that’s in her living room. I knew any boundaries that remained were blurred the moment I made her come with my fingers. I contemplated putting a camera in her bedroom, but I resisted.
I dropped the ball when she was with her friend; I’d never done that. The only reason she got away with it is that I knew the women were being protected. Her friend has caught the attention of Sebastian Valdez, and that’s something I’d rather not get involved in. I know he keeps Berenice protected without her realizing.
Will is innocent enough, but I did consider firing him a couple of days ago when he came to check on her. I wasn’t so nice to him. I’m notjealous of the kid. He’s known her for a couple of months and already has a budding friendship, whereas I’ve known her for years and she hates both versions of me. That thought stings more than it should. I remind myself that she’s a job, for fuck’s sake. But she isn’t just any job. After Tomas examined her and she passed out, I went into her apartment and carried her to bed. I watched her sleep restlessly for hours like a creep.
As much as she wants to avoid me, she can’t. She’s tied to both Miles and Cam. I pull up the picture of the envelope and the photograph she sent me. She looks so much like that night when I took her to her room. I’ve known who the photographer is—Tony. The man she spent over a year of her life with. The question is, how did they get on the black market? And who sent it to her? The answer isn’t as obvious as I’d like it to be.
I pay Gabe a visit at his home. Unlike his brother and cousins, my best friend lives right outside the city. I pull up to the gate and check in with the guard. The modern farmhouse is surrounded by a large expanse of green land, with an opening to a nearby quiet wooded area. In the distance, I hear the gentle sound of the ocean. I still can't believe he chose to live here. I remember looking at this land years ago, trying to talk him out of buying it, but he didn't listen. The house was built quickly. He designed every single space of it, just for her. My friend is an old soul and a hopeless romantic. Again, love makes people do stupid things.
I exit my car and walk to his front door, but he opens it before I have a chance to knock. Gabe looks exhausted. I haven’t told him the details of Veronica’s attack, not yet anyway, so seeing the state he’s in, I know I made the right choice.
“Damn, you look like shit,” I tell him. “Seriously, you may want to take a shower too.”
He scowls. “Fuck off, Miles.” He walks toward the living room.
“I brought beer.” I hold up a six-pack.
“You don’t drink beer.”
“True, but you do.” I hand the beer to Gabe. He doesn’t hesitate, twisting the cap off and taking a long drink.
“So are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
He sets the beer down and runs both his hands through his hair. “It’s her.”
I should have known. It’s always about her. “What about her?” I ask.
He looks up, and I see the chaotic look in his eyes. It’s the look he gives me when he’s about to ask me to do something outrageous.
“What do you need from me?” I ask, and he tells me.
He’s usually the epitome of composure. One thing about Gabe Kayde is that he can be smiling at you and planning your demise at the same time. To think that Ian is considered the monster. The devil wears many faces. Gabe has weaknesses, and they are the women he loves—his sister, his mother, and her.
He has been my best friend since my family moved to Veridian Bay. His grandfather and mine were best friends. His helped my grandfather fulfill his dream. A dream that I want no part of because it was never mine. If it were me, I’d sell it, but I can’t because my mother wouldn’t want me to. Like my grandfather, she also wanted to keep the business in the family.
Gabe and I became inseparable until I moved back to Colombia permanently. My father tried to separate my mother and me from anything and anyone who reminded him of the failure he was as a man and a husband. Something that he couldn’t do until my grandfather passed away. Throughout all that, Gabe and I remained friends. When I needed him, I knew he would show up for me without a doubt, and he has, just like I have for him and will continue to. I have secrets that I’vebeen keeping from him. I don’t know how he’ll react. I like to think that he won’t put a bullet in my head or castrate me. If not him, Ian, or the cousins.
“Any update on the photograph situation?” he asks, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“None,” I lie.
He takes a sip of his beer. “We need to solve this. I’ve been talking with Ian. And she’s right.”
“What do you mean? And who?” I look in the direction of the woods, but I see him through my peripheral vision.
“Veronica, she’s right.” He grabs the back of his neck. “She’s a woman now, and she needs to live her own life without being constantly watched.”
“I don’t watch her; I protect her!”
He sighs. “You won’t always be.”
I turn my whole body in his direction. He’s watching me. My reaction.
“Miles, you won’t always be there.” He takes a deep breath. “I want her to find someone who will love her and take care of her. To be there with her. She deserves it. And…well, you need to move on with your life too. So, finish this.” He turns and walks back into the house.
