1. Daniela

Rescue workers, along with several of Antonio’s soldiers who were securing the pier, rush past me toward the river.

Thiago, Antonio’s driver, grabs my arm before I get more than a few yards down the ramp. “Senhora, please don’t go to the river. If you do, you’ll take men away from the rescue. They’ll need to protect you from whatever danger is down there.”

I freeze. He’s right. As much as I want to go to the riverbank, I don’t want to take anyone’s attention from the rescue. I need them to get to Valentina. And Alexis. And Antonio—and everyone else who’s down there. I’d never forgive myself if anyone died because men were protecting me.

Thiago turns to Alvarez, who’s scowling beside me. “Leave two men with me, another at the top of the ramp, and take everyone else to the river. I’ll stay with her.”

Alvarez’s glare is stony, but he obeys without argument.

“I can’t leave,” I plead, peering into Thiago’s eyes. “Everyone I love is down there.” I’m not leaving without them. I won’t.

“We’ll stay put for now,” he assures me. “There’s too much chaos between here and the car, and it’s impossible to know what’s happening on the river.” Thiago pulls me to the railing, at the edge of the ramp farthest from the river, with a high stone barrier behind us. “This is the safest place for you right now.”

Safety is the least of my concerns.

I cup my elbows, and bounce on tiptoe, trying to ward off the helplessness and despair as I search the river for any sign of life. The dense smoke makes it impossible to see anything.

The girls must be terrified.

“Antonio, where are you? Come back to me, dammit, and bring the girls with you. Please. Please,” I beg, softly, over and over, while the emotion twists inside my heavy chest.

“He wrestled a far more dangerous river with a clear head,” Thiago murmurs, with a hand on my shoulder. “He’ll survive this, too, and he won’t let anything happen to Valentina. You need to keep the faith.”

Thiago was with him in the swollen river that day. Antonio’s quick thinking saved both of their lives. I’m sure he wants to be down at the river searching for his boss right now, instead of guarding me. I want him to be there, too.

“Thiago,” I grab his arm, “go to him. I’ll be fine with the men who are here.”

“No,” he says adamantly, without considering it for a single second. “I’m exactly where he’d want me. If anything happens to you, he’ll never be the same.”

His voice drifts away, but I hear the words, although I don’t process them—not then.

My energy is focused on the river, trying to locate the boat through the smoke. I still can’t see it. “It’s gone. The boat’s gone,” I sob. They’re gone.

“No,” he says gently, wiping the tears from my face with the edge of his sleeve. “The sails are gone, and the boat—at least part of it—is there.” He points to an area off the bank.

I stare for a long while before I can make out the outline through the thinning smoke. One side of the boat appears to be submerged. But it’s there.

A sense of hope surges inside, tamping down the despair. Maybe. Just maybe.

The blast didn’t seem to have been as powerful as the one at Santa Ana’s—not as loud, anyway. Still, no one survives an explosion. I’ve been down this road before.

Not unless they made it into the water.

I imagine Valentina gulping dirty water and gasping for breath while the river drags her to its muddy bottom. The thought consumes me, eviscerating the hope I had a moment before.

As the panic rises, my chest tightens until I’m having difficulty breathing. “Valentina can’t swim.” Drowning is such an awful death. And terrifying.

“She’s not alone,” Thiago replies calmly. “Antonio, Lucas, Santi, Mia—they’re all strong swimmers. Lucas will protect Antonio above all else, but Santi and Mia are there strictly for Valentina.” He clears his throat. “Antonio will protect her with his life. I’m certain of it.”

I’m certain, too. “If he can get to her. It’s a big if, Thiago. And it’s not enough. I want them both back.” I’m not trading one person I love for another.

“Faith, senhora. Even if you don’t have faith in the Almighty, have faith in your husband. He’s the man you’d want in the river with you.”

No one knows this better than Thiago.Listen to him. I try. But it’s hard to put my faith in God at times like this. He’s let me down before. And regardless of what anyone believes, Antonio is human. Blood flows through his veins. His heart beats. I felt the steady flutter against my cheek, just last night, as I fell asleep on his chest. He’s not invincible.

“Do you see them?” I ask, in a voice that sounds frightened and faithless. “Do you see anyone?”

He doesn’t reply, but his gaze, like mine, is glued to the river.

Out of the corner of my eye, Ispot two motor boats zipping through the water, and a third following. They’re moving at such a high rate of speed the bows are out of the water. “Are those rescue boats?”

“That’s the safety patrol, and the Huntsman support boat that’s used during races in case there’s an issue on the water.”

Thank God.But what are they doing? They’re going in the wrong direction. “Why are they headed away from the explosion?”

“Look over there,” he says, pointing to the area where two of the boats have stopped.

There appear to be several heads bopping above the water, but they’re so far away, I can’t make out anyone. If only I had the binoculars. They’re in the tote bag, with my phone.

I quickly scan the ramp for my bag. It’s not here. I must have left it on the pier.Unlike my family, everything in it is replaceable. I’ll worry about it later—when they’re safe. Please God, let them all be safe.

“They’re pulling people out of the water,” Thiago says with the first sound of real optimism I’ve heard.

My heart leaps.

“Can you see who’s out there?”

He shakes his head.

As the first boat pulls away, Thiago’s phone rings. “Yes?”

The muscles in his face soften. “She’s standing right here beside me. Not a hair on her head was harmed.” Thiago’s voice is thick. “The upper ramp. Certainly.” He hands me the phone and nods with a gentle smile.

“I have her, Princesa. She’s safe. Alexis, too.”

At the sound of Antonio’s raspy voice, the tears that have been threatening trickle down my cheeks. “And you?”

“It takes a lot to put down the devil.”

I bring my hand to my mouth. “Is she hurt? What about you? Where’s Rafael? Is everyone accounted for?” He already told me the girls are safe. And he’s winded, but otherwise, he sounds okay, too. But I need to hear him say it again. And again—until I can see them with my own eyes.

“Valentina swallowed some water, but she’s fine. Rafael is with the girls, Santi, and Mia in the support boat. They’re on their way to Huntsman Lodge.”

My heart stops. “You’re not with them?”

“Not without you.”

“Antonio—”

“You have my word that they’re in good hands and that no harm will come to them.”

I nod, although he can’t see it. He wouldn’t take a risk with the girls. Or Rafael. I know he wouldn’t.

“Let me speak to Thiago,” he says, brusquely.

I have so many more questions, but they’ll have to wait. I reluctantly hand back the phone and watch carefully while Thiago speaks with Antonio. His expression is serious. Almost grim. “Yes,” he replies. “Of course. You have my word.”

As Thiago ends the call, Alvarez approaches from the lower ramp. He barely spares me a glance.

“Why don’t you get the car,” he tells Thiago. “I’ll stay with her.”

“No,” Thiago replies gruffly, pulling out a gun. He doesn’t point it at Alvarez—or at anyone. He just holds it near his thigh. “I have orders to stay with Senhora Daniela. The boss is on his way.”

Alvarez nods, his eyes shifting from Thiago to me, then back. “It seems I’m not needed here. I’ll go see where I can help.” Despite what Alvarez says, he doesn’t go toward the river. He jogs up the ramp to the pier.

I always assumed Thiago carried a weapon, but I’ve never seen him pull it out. I’ve also never seen him pull rank before, although he’s well within his right. He has more seniority and clout than Alvarez. Before he became Antonio’s driver, Thiago was his personal guard—a highly capable soldier. I glance at the white streaks peppering his dark hair. But he’s not so young anymore.

Something happened with Alvarez. It could be just that Antonio’s angry that he didn’t stay with me on the ramp. He is my personal guard. But it feels like something more. “What’s going on?” I ask Thiago.

“Antonio will be here shortly.”

He doesn’t say another word.