Ramon was hugging both of them, letting his wife cry against his chest while his daughter whimpered. “I love you.” He kissed each one on the head. “Both of you.” Despite the barbaric thing he had done, he was still a man…someone with feelings and a breaking heart.
It was almost too hard to watch.
The daughter came out first, followed by the mother a moment later. Both had tears streaming down their faces, knowing this was the last time they would ever see him.
I started to shut the door again.
Ramon pressed his palm against the wood, keeping it steady.
I tensed, afraid I’d just fallen into his trap. He was much bigger than I was, a thousand times stronger.
“Thank you…” He held my gaze before he dropped his hand and allowed the door to close.
I locked it and put the key back on the hook.
“Now what?” The mother had her arm around her daughter, her eyes puffy with tears.
“I’m gonna put you in the trunk of my car and drive you out of here. Then you can keep the car and drive wherever you want to go.”
She stared at me in disbelief, as if she couldn’t believe a stranger would do such a thing. “Why are you doing this?”
My answer was simple. “Because it’s the right thing to do.”
I woke up late that morning since I’d snuck out of the house in the middle of the night. I didn’t get back into bed until nearly five. By the time I woke up, it was way past breakfast time. I made my downstairs and hoped I could get any early lunch.
Flashbacks of the previous night came back to me, of driving out of the gate while security watched me strangely. When I made it to the road, I popped the trunk and handed over the keys. Both women hugged me because they were so grateful.
Then I’d walked back to the gate and returned to the house.
When I entered the dining room, Maverick was still there. Normally, he’d be at work right now, but he sat in front of his mug of coffee like he’d been there for hours. Dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans, he looked casual, his plans for the day unclear.
I lowered myself into the chair and filled my mug with coffee.
Maverick’s eyes were still directed out the window, the espresso color of his gaze matching the contents of his cup. His jawline was smooth from a morning shave, but a hint of a shadow was still visible because his hair grew back the second he swiped his razor over the area. It was a beautiful summer day, and the brightness outside reflected in his cold eyes. He didn’t turn to look at me, either ignoring me or so focused that he didn’t notice I had joined him.
There was some leftover toast, so I smeared the jam across the cold piece of bread. The coffee was barely warm too, but since I was so late, I didn’t complain. After the long night I’d had, I was hungrier than usual. Running around all night caused me to work up an appetite.
Minutes later, he finally turned his gaze back to me.
With the subtlest expression, he could show his rage so well. His chest rose and fell at a slightly rapid rate because he was livid. His eyes broadcast his fury because he hadn’t blinked once since I’d joined him. Now he looked at me like I wasn’t a friend, a lover, or his wife. He looked at me like he’d just marked me as the enemy. “You let them go, didn’t you?”
I knew security would notify him when I returned to the estate on foot in the middle of the night. The car was gone, and I had no explanation for what happened to it. Foolishly, I thought there was a chance I’d gotten away with it when he didn’t break down my bedroom door to choke me.
He continued to stare at me as if he was expecting an answer.
That look was so terrifying that I broke eye contact and looked into my cup.
His gaze was still searing hot. “You gave them your car and let them get away.”
I drank from my mug, feeling like a child who was avoiding the terrifying expression of a parent. I was too scared to look up, too scared to face whatever punishment he would give me. He’d never laid a hand on me or made me feel unsafe, but he’d never used that tone of voice with me either.
“Look. At. Me.”
I lowered my mug then finally lifted my gaze to meet his.
Now, he was even more livid. “You told me we were allies. Allies don’t stab each other in the back like this.”
“I didn’t stab you—”
“Shut your mouth. I’m talking—you’re listening.”
The only reason I listened was because I felt so guilty about what I’d done.