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He brings his hands up and laces them at his mouth to hide a smile—or maybe it’s a smirk.
“What happened after you spotted your little friend?”
Why I’m in Porto isn’t something I plan to share with him. He’ll blow an aneurysm. But I can tell him everything that happened once I arrived.
“I went over to say hello. Francesca introduced me to Misha and invited me to have lunch with them. Sometime before our salads came, Francesca told me they were going to Club Azul, and she invited me to come along. Her boyfriend, Paolo, was supposed to meet her in Porto, but he missed his flight and couldn’t get here until the next day.”
“What made you decide to go out with them?”
Ten minutes with Misha, and I knew she wasn’t who she claimed to be. “Misha gave off a weird vibe. I was worried about Francesca. Women getting abducted from clubs all over Europe isn’t exactly a secret.”
He cocks his head. “What kind of weird vibe?”
“I don’t know.” I try to recall the moment when I decided she was a liar. “She pretended to be someone who came from money, but the things she said didn’t add up. I don’t care how much money her clothes cost or what kind of vacations her family takes—people lie all the time about money. But there was something off about her. I didn’t trust her.”
“The idea that she might have something to do with a trafficking ring occurred to you, but yet you agreed to meet up with her friends.”
Initially, I felt like I won the damn lottery—until a healthy fear of being sold at auction took hold.
“It occurred to me, because like most other young European women, the traffickers are always in the back of my mind when I’m out. But Misha could have simply been a thief or a social climber. Either way, Francesca was adamant about going with them. She was bummed Paolo didn’t show up, and she wanted to blow off some steam. I wasn’t taking any chances.”
“Why didn’t you contact the police, or your father, or your security?”
“You said we’d talk about my father after we finished with this. Not calling security is tied to that—besides, they were in London.”
“And the police?”
“The police? Really? You’re asking me why I didn’t call the police? That’s rich. Do you call the police when there’s a problem? Because my family doesn’t. My father takes care of all problems in-house.”
“Fair enough,” he says, and for a few seconds, I relax.
“Why did you want to go to Sirena, instead of Club Azul?”
Because I knew you’d be there and wouldn’t let anything bad happen. It sounds like the kind of foolishness children cling to, and I’d never say it out loud, but I believed it with all my heart.
“I’ve been to Sirena many times with Valentina.” Hoping you’d come out of your office and join us. “The security is tight, and dozens of people are watching the floor from the command center.”
“You took an unfathomable risk. Things could have so easily gone bad. They almost did. Why didn’t you call me?”
He seems put out. Almost hurt. I want to shake him.
Why? You can’t possibly be that dense. “I think you made it pretty clear after we shared a few kisses that you didn’t want to have anything to do with me.” I’m careful to keep my tone controlled so that I don’t sound pathetic.
His expression falls, and I see regret in his eyes, but the mask is back in place before I take a single breath.
“When it seemed clear that all three of them were bad news, I tried to get Francesca to come to the bathroom with me, but she wouldn’t. No one at the club looked familiar. I didn’t see Zé or Xavier or even a waitress I recognized. By that time, I was certain they were part of the ring. But I didn’t know who I could trust.” My insides tremble as the details come crashing back.
“I went into the bathroom and activated the GPS in the bracelet I lent Francesca. Then I swallowed my pride and texted you.”
12
RAFAEL
Texted me?
I pull out my phone without letting on that I didn’t see the text. There are dozens of unread messages. I stopped reading them while we were in the command center, focused on what was happening on the club floor.
“Are you sure you don’t want something to drink?” I ask, getting another refill.
