Arturo stood in the front room. When Tiago gave him a nod, he soundlessly headed down the hall in the direction Tiago just came from.
With their backs to the doorway, Kate and Boones didn’t notice the change of guard.
“Who is she?” She leaned over a crinkled photograph in Boones’ hand, the one he always carried in his pocket.
Boones stroked the black-and-white image of the gorgeous Eritrean woman. “Her name was Semira.”
On a stunned exhale, Kate whispered, “Tiago’s wife.” Another gasp. “She was your daughter?”
“My only child.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss.”
In the doorway behind them, Tiago stared at his feet as a mace of memories formed in his stomach, all sharp, pointy spikes, piercing and heavy.
Semira wore a traditional Tigrinya dress and gold head jewelry in that picture. Tiago had been behind the camera, capturing the snapshot of the mischievous smile she’d so often thrown at him. As beautiful as she was strong, she’d ripped his heart out of his chest the first time he’d seen her.
“He told you about her?” Boones clutched her arm, his toothy smile glimmering with hope.
“He shared some of the painful highlights but was rather stingy with the details. I’d love to hear more.” She entwined her fingers with his. “How did he meet your daughter?”
Tiago silently shifted back into the hallway and let his head rest against the wall. He trusted Boones to share only the parts that were safe to speak out loud. Her question was one Tiago would’ve answered himself. But she hated him too much to ask him directly.
“Tiago met my daughter when his family moved to my country,” Boones said. “His father originated in Venezuela as a pharmacist, and that’s where Tiago was raised. When Tiago finished school and took a job in America, his father moved his mother and younger brother out of Venezuela. His father’s expertise in medicinal botany brought him to…” He coughed. “My village.”
“Why is the location of your home such a big secret?”
“Tiago has enemies from his old life, as well as this one. Now that my brothers have returned home, he can’t keep them as safe as he would like. He doesn’t want anyone to know where to look for them.”
“Wait. Your brothers? They’re the other doctors on your medical team?”
“Yes. Semira, her uncles, and me. All doctors.”
“So Tiago was raised in Venezuela? And when he returned, you and your brothers followed him back here?”
“Of course.” A sad smile sifted through his voice. “We’re his only family.”
“That’s why he’s so protective of you.” Realization softened her tone. “His parents…? They’re not alive?”
Tiago ran a tense hand through his hair, fighting the impulse to make his presence known and end the conversation.
“They died,” Boones said. “His father was my dearest friend. We worked together for years, while Tiago was off traveling the world, immersed in his career. But Tiago visited my village often, mostly to court my daughter. He loved her.”
“He said she didn’t love him back.”
Boones sat quietly for a long moment. Tiago didn’t need to see his father-in-law’s scarred face to read the troubled thoughts in his head.
“She fell in love with his looks and the safety he could provide,” Boones finally said. “He has a big presence, powerful and handsome, but you already know that.”
His military background in America was what drew Semira to him. The political climate in Eritrea wasn’t good, hadn’t been good for decades. Repression ran rife throughout the country. Citizens lived in constant fear, unable to speak out against the government. News outlets were closely controlled. Everything was locked down.
For Semira, Tiago had represented freedom. A way for her and her family to escape the repression.
He’d been in the process of moving them out of the country when she was attacked. How ironic that instead of keeping her safe, he was the one who got her killed.
“She never loved him the way he loved her.” Boones’ voice carried years of regret. “We fought about it, she and I.”
“Because you love him,” Kate said.
“Like a son.”
Tiago closed his eyes. The best thing that came out of Eritrea was that stubborn old man. Boones had stuck by his side through the worst, brought him back to life multiple times, watched him do things no one should ever have to witness, and not once did Boones give up on him.
“You have to understand,” Boones said. “Tiago didn’t just lose his wife that day. He lost his father, mother, and little brother. His entire family was slaughtered in front of him.”
Her gasp cleaved through Tiago, but it was Boones’ next words that twisted the knife of shame.
“He needs a woman’s love.”
Enough of this.
Tiago charged into the kitchen, circled the table, and stood on the other side to glare down at Boones, then Kate.
He braced himself for the pity she wouldn’t be able to hide in her honest eyes, but when he peered closely, he didn’t find it.