Chapter Nine

Chapter NineEntering my closet the following evening, I made a beeline for a particular pair of shoes. I often wore the strappy high heels with the burgundy dress I was wearing—a dress that Danton requested I slip on tonight, since it was apparently one of his favorites.He would be here soon to pick me up so that we could together head to the Vault. For us, that would be new. In the past, we’d arrived there separately, just as we’d left the place separately. This evening, he intended to not only drive me there but take me to his apartment afterwards, wanting me to stay the night. Again.Like I’d argue.High heels in hand, I returned to my bedroom and sat down on my plush chair. Slipping on my shoes, I thought back to the phone call I’d received an hour ago and felt my mouth tighten. When I’d seen that the caller was withholding their number, I hadn’t been unnerved. I’d assumed that it was an author I regularly worked with. The privacy settings on her cell phone ensured that her number was always withheld.I’d assumed wrong.It had been Marcos calling on behalf of Jorge. I hadn’t learned any more than that, because I’d hung up fast. I’d expected him to try calling again. He hadn’t.Maybe he hadn’t bothered because he’d known I wouldn’t answer, or maybe it was because while Danton might overlook one attempt to contact me, he wouldn’t overlook several—he’d consider it something close to harassment. Like he’d said, Jorge was being mindful not to exacerbate the current situation.Danton was not going to be happy when I told him about the call. I doubt he’d be shocked, though. It was no secret that Jorge and Julian desperately wanted to speak with me.Standing, I took a long look at myself in the mirrored door of my wardrobe. Makeup done, hair slightly curled, clothes on, hooped earrings—My intercom buzzed.Perfect timing.I grabbed my small purse and overnight bag before making my way to the wall-mounted pad near my front door. A single peek at the small screen made me tense. Because it wasn’t Danton.It was my mother.She was alone. Or appeared to be. I doubted that either my father or brother were with her. If that had been the case, Duke would have called to warn me. He also would have urged them all to leave and told me to stay inside.Another buzz sounded.I set my purse and bag on the floor and then reluctantly pressed the button for the speaker. “Yes?”“Let me in, Catalina.” Teresa adjusted the position of her purse strap on her shoulder. “We need to talk.”She could have just called. It still stung that she was the only one who hadn’t. “About what?”“You know what.” A heavy exhale. “Give me five minutes. Please.”It was the shaky please that got me. She was obviously here on behalf of Jorge and knew that she’d suffer if she wasn’t successful at speaking to me. “Are you alone?”“Yes.”I sighed and unlocked the main door of the building with the press of a button.Hopefully she’d be gone before Danton arrived as I didn’t foresee a conversation between them going well. Though he sympathized with her situation and understood it was complicated, he still felt that she could have at least tried to protect me from Jorge’s machinations over the years, especially since I’d always done my best to protect her. And when he learned from Duke that she was here—which he would, since my guard was a total tattle-tale—he’d hasten to arrive.

No more than a minute later, she stood on the other side of my front door, her smile brittle. “Hello, Catalina.”I waved her inside the apartment. “Dad sent you, I’m guessing.”She nervously rubbed her hands together, heading straight for the living area. “You won’t speak to him or Julian, so …”At least she wasn’t denying it. Trailing behind her, I folded my arms. “And what is it they asked you to say to me?”She gingerly sat on the sofa, her posture as perfect as always, and placed her hands in her lap. “They want you to call them; to hear them out. They have both sworn to me that they played no part in what happened to you in the parking lot. I didn’t hear about it until I walked in on them discussing it yesterday. You didn’t tell me about it either.”Taking the armchair, I unfolded my arms and shrugged. “I figured you would have learned about it pretty much straight after it happened.” I wasn’t so convinced that she hadn’t. “In any case, I would not have called you as I couldn’t have trusted that you wouldn’t have relayed every word I said to Jorge.”She bristled, color rising in her cheeks. But then she let out a noisy breath, her shoulders drooping as the defensiveness leached from her body. Yes, she knew she would have blabbed to him if he’d put enough pressure on her.“Is that all they asked you to say to me?” I highly doubted it.Seeming to visibly gather herself, Teresa righted her posture and cleared her throat. “No. No, they wanted me to tell you that they believe Danton Quintero lied.”“Lied? About what?”“They feel certain that the man who tried to kidnap you never received a text message from anyone. Jorge is sure that Quintero made that up.”I felt my brow pinch. “Why would he do that?”“To make you distrust and turn against your family. To isolate you from us so that he can exert full control over you as a, in your father’s words, ‘fuck you’ to him.”“It’s honestly insulting that Jorge thinks I’m so gullible as to believe that.” I studied her expression. “What about you? Are you naïve enough to believe it?”Teresa looked down at her hands. “I want to believe it. I can’t bear to think that Jorge and Julian would do what Danton accused them of.” She returned her gaze to mine. “You’re their blood, even if they see no real value in you. But …” She trailed off, as if not wanting to voice the rest.“But?” I prodded after a few moments.She closed her eyes. “Your father’s only true loyalty is to himself. There is very little he isn’t capable of. And he raised my son to be the same way. Julian rarely stands up to him. So I simply don’t know.”It was hard for her to admit that, I knew. She found it easier to ignore those facts. Teresa had always enjoyed the bliss of ignorance. Always glossed over things she saw or heard that she didn’t wish to confront.Opening her eyes, she went on, “Which is why I won’t do as they wish and insist you come with me. I will tell them that I couldn’t get you to agree to leave. Much as it pains me to say it, you are likely far safer with Danton Quintero than you are with your own father.”Downright floored that she’d in any way defy Jorge—even if he wouldn’t be aware that she’d actually defied him—I could only stare at her. Suspiciousness rose up inside me. I honestly wasn’t sure she cared for me enough to put me first. But I couldn’t see what angle she might have.“Is he good to you?” she asked me. “Danton, I mean. Is he a man who would be loyal to you? Who would never cause you harm?”I cleared my throat. “Yes.”She gave me a hard look. “Be sure, Catalina. You do not want to live my life, and you do not want to have children who will live yours.”“I’m sure. He’s nothing like Jorge.”Teresa gave a slow nod. “I would imagine he wishes you to cut Jorge and Julian out of your life regardless of whether or not they had any hand in what happened to you.”“Danton would support me in whatever I want. The truth is … I don’t want my father or brother in my life. They’ve never been a positive contribution to it, and that will never change. Look at what they’re doing. Despite having no interest in me, they’ll destroy what I have with Danton just so he can’t have me. That they sent you here is further proof of that, isn’t it? They hoped you’d turn me against Danton. To them, I’m an object that belongs in their hands—nothing more.”She sighed. “You are right, sadly. I heard them rage about it last night. I learned a few things. I don’t know if you are aware of this, but a week before Jorge called you to our home, he’d heard that you were sleeping with Danton. He wasn’t sure how long it had been going on, only that it was supposedly a casual and shallow arrangement of some sort.”The fuck? Why hadn’t he said anything? Why hadn’t he … I cursed as realization rapidly dawned on me. “There wasn’t really a man who Jorge suspected of being an undercover cop. He wanted to see how Danton would react to the possibility of me dating another man.”“Yes. He didn’t initially mind the idea that you might be sleeping with Danton. Jorge believed it would mean that he had a hold over him; that Danton wouldn’t dare wrong or refuse to do business with him for fear that Jorge would remove you from his life. The last thing he expected was for Danton to stroll into his study and lay things out the way he did.”I’ll bet. “I didn’t consider that he might have found out about me and Danton. I should have. I know that he pries into my life every now and then.”If Jorge had known, then Julian had also known. Once upon a time, my brother had given me a heads-up when our father delved into my private business. Those days had passed. Now his loyalty lay squarely with Jorge.“I do not blame you for choosing to sever all contact with your father. Or even for not wanting a relationship with Julian.” Teresa squirmed slightly. “I hope, however, that you will still have some room for me in your life. I know that I haven’t been a very good mother. It’s not that I feel no love for my children, it’s that … he used it against me, Catalina. He used it to control and hurt me.”“And you wanted to take that power from him,” I understood.“I didn’t realize that I’d pulled away from you and Julian at first. It hit me one day out of nowhere. I hate that I let it happen.” She licked her lips. “If you wish me to stay away, I will do that. I will understand and respect your decision.”I stared at her, my chest squeezing at the loneliness that cloaked her. She’d emotionally isolated herself as a self-protective measure, but she’d pushed past that when it counted. She’d placed my safety before her own. She’d told me things about Jorge, aware that I’d relay it to Danton, even though it was drummed into us to never speak of what went on in that house.“I can’t be in contact with you if you’ll be passing on messages from Jorge and Julian,” I told her.She absently twiddled her fingers. “I cannot promise that they will not ask it of me, but I can promise that you will never hear whatever it is they might wish me to relay.”That was a fair enough deal. “Okay, we can try it and see how things go.”She briefly closed her eyes in what appeared to be a gesture of relief. “Thank you. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you had turned me down, but I am glad you didn’t.”“Please don’t make me regret it,” I said.“I hope there never comes a time when you do.” She offered me a strained smile. “I like the dress, by the way,” she blurted out, as if desperate to discuss something harmless and mundane. For the first time, she really took in my appearance. “I take it you have plans.”“I do. Danton and I are going out for dinner.” Among other things. “He’s on his way here.”She stood. “Then I will come back to see you another time.”“All right.” I walked her to the front door and opened it for her.She gave me a tentative smile. “Take care of yourself, Catalina.” Then she was gone.Puffing out a breath, I closed the door. Well, that conversation had gone in a wholly different direction than I’d expected. A part of me worried that she’d played me, but my mother wasn’t good at such games. And I still couldn’t see what angle Jorge would have for recommending via her that I stay with Danton.I doubted that I’d ever feel I could rely on Teresa, or that I could count on her to always defy Jorge when it was necessary. But I could give her the chance to prove that she’d meant what she’d said. And if it went wrong, well, at least I’d tried.Danton soon arrived at my door—I’d given him the code to my building a week ago, so he didn’t need me to buzz him up. He stalked into my apartment in a shirt and slacks, his eyes raking over me in a very proprietary way … like someone appraising an object they proudly owned. “Stunning.” He flicked his gaze around, on alert. His brows dipped. “Duke said your mother was here.”See? The tattle-tale reported every little thing. “She left five or so minutes ago.”He settled his hands on my hips. “What did she want?”“Jorge sent her.”“Of course he did,” muttered Danton. “I’m surprised he didn’t do it sooner.”A snort popped out of me. “Jorge would only ever send a woman to do a man’s job if he felt that he had no other recourse. In his view, Teresa is useless. Just a pretty bauble. I think he’d have actually resented her if she’d managed to convince me to leave with her and speak to him. He first attempted to talk with me by having Marcos call me earlier on his behalf.”Danton tensed, and his grip on my hips tightened. “Marcos called you? And you answered?”“I didn’t know it was him. ‘Private Number’ came up on the screen. I thought it was an author I work with, so I answered. I hung up when I realized it was him.”“What exactly did he say?”“I can’t remember word for word. Something like, ‘Cat, don’t hang up, your father asked me to call you.’ But, of course, I hung up.”A muscle in Danton’s cheek flexed. “You should have told me.”“I just did.”“I should have learned of this the moment after you rang off.”“Why? What difference does it make if you learned of it now rather than earlier? The call lasted a few seconds. There were no threats or insults. No follow-up calls, texts, or voicemails. It was a pretty uneventful incident. And come on, it can’t have surprised you. You had to have known that Jorge would try reaching me via others.” I fingered one of his shirt buttons. “Would you like to know what my mother said?”“Go on,” he replied, a bite to his voice.“My father and Julian told her that they believe Cory didn’t receive any text message ordering him to target me; that you made that up to turn me against my family. They wanted her to ask me to leave with her, but she didn’t. She doesn’t feel able to trust that they’re as innocent as they claim to be. She feels I’m safer with you.”“She’s right,” said Danton, sliding a hand up my back.I splayed my hands on his chest. “She told me something else.”“What?”“Apparently, Jorge knew before you walked into his study and staked a claim on me that you and I had a casual arrangement. He hadn’t known how long it had been going on, or exactly how casual it was. So he tested the waters.”Danton’s eyes narrowed. “He told you to go on a date with another man to see what I’d do.”“Yes. He supposedly thought that it would put him in a position of power over you if it turned out that you wished to claim his daughter. Only you didn’t go to his home offering an olive branch, nor did you agree to become business chums with him. He’s therefore not prepared to let you keep something of his.”Dark, piercing eyes blazed down at me. “You’re mine to keep. Not his.”“But that’s not the way he sees it. Pride won’t let him back down.” I sighed. “He’s goddamn exhausting.”Danton stroked a hand down my hair. “How you’re you when you grew up in that fucking nest of vipers, I don’t know.”“Please tell me you’re not going to declare that you’re no longer in the mood to go to the Vault tonight.”Danton’s face softened. “He doesn’t have that kind of power over my emotions, baby. He’d have to do a lot worse than this to spoil our evening.” He dipped his head and took my mouth in a slow, lazy kiss that curled my toes. “Forget about him for tonight. Give him no headspace. That’s an order.”I lazily saluted him, saying, “One I’m happy to follow.”He gave a pleased grunt and ghosted a hand down my side to bunch up the skirt of my dress. “I want this off the moment we enter the private room I booked for us.” He brushed his mouth over mine. “Dolls look pretty in dresses, but mine looks better naked.”I felt my lips twitch. “Which room have you booked?”“One we haven’t used yet.”That made my brows shoot up. There weren’t many we hadn’t made use of. And there was a valid reason we hadn’t used them—they’d held no appeal. “Why would you book one that we’d vetoed?”He squeezed my hip. “You’ll see. Now let’s go.”