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Every muscle in my body is tight. I slam a clenched fist against the quartz counter when she talks about how foggy and confused she was when he drugged her. I don’t give a damn what she thinks. He could have killed her. Maybe not by overdose, but she could have fallen down the stairs, or in the shower, or even off her horse.
“With your help,” I say when she’s through, “we can end this quickly.”
“Will he go to trial in Portugal?” she asks.
Venom rushes through me. “There will be no trial, sweetheart.”
“I want a trial,” she demands in a way that suggests there will be no negotiation. “Marco is bitter about how his family was wrongly shamed and shunned all over Europe because of what his great-grandfather did. I want him shamed again. Death would be too good for him.”
Not the kind of death I have in mind, but I don’t utter a peep.
“And,” she continues, “I want an opportunity to confront him after he’s captured.”
As long as he’s in our custody, we can make it happen safely. Although I’d prefer she never shares the same air with him again. But I’m not dying on that hill. “It can be arranged.”
“I don’t need time to think about it. I’ll do whatever you need to bring him down.”
Whatever concerns Lexie had about Valentina, or about me outing her, seem to evaporate when Valentina agrees to get on board with my plan. A tear escapes from the corner of my Angel’s eye, and she swipes it away, but not before I feel it in my chest.
“What about you? Are you up for a little sting operation?”
She nods. “I’m not sure anyone could possibly want those bastards more than me.”
No one’s more invested, that’s for sure. “Okay.” I slap my hands on the counter and stand. “Tamar will be coordinating your piece of the operation. When we have a better sense of exactly how this is going to work, she’ll be in touch. I expect it will be sometime later today.”
They nod in unison.
“I need to get back to work.” I turn to Lexie. A ghost of a smile plays on her lips, and I want nothing more than to coax it out so I can bask in it forever. “Walk me to the elevator?”
She gives me a reluctant smile. “Sure.”
I embrace Valentina for a long time before letting go of her. Once this is over, I hope that our relationship can be what it was—maybe stronger.
“It’s not the plan you had for your life, and I’m so sorry, sweetheart. But you’re strong, and there are lots of people who love you, and we’ll be right by your side as you get through this. And you will.”
“I know,” she murmurs, standing on tiptoe to kiss my cheek. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”
“That’s never going to happen.”
I turn to Lexie. “Ready?”
67
RAFAEL
“Thank you,” Lexie says as we make the short trip to the elevator. “I know it wasn’t easy for you to involve Valentina.”
I take her hand as we walk. “Once you shoved the bit about Russo in my face and called me out for not being a modern leader, seeing the light was easier than you might think.”
“Somebody had to do it,” she quips with that sassy smile that makes me want to rip her clothes off.
I squeeze her hand.
When we get to the alcove where the elevator is located, I send the guard away and back Lexie into a corner, caging her with my body. “I love you.” The words emerge raw and unapologetic. And they scare me more than women who chase traffickers and slip security. But I love her. It’s the bottom line.
Her eyes sparkle while she traces the contour of my face with her fingertips. “You’re as full of surprises as I am, Huntsman.”
She snakes her arms around my neck and owns my mouth like she owns my heart.
