Approaching footsteps.
As she moved to turn, he caught her shoulder, stopping her from exposing her nude front. “Get dressed.”
Her clothes landed near her head.
He rose and stepped over her, his tension palpable. “What’s wrong?”
Blindly reaching for her underwear, she stole a glance over her shoulder and locked onto Tomas’ golden eyes.
Face pale, posture stiff, he looked like he’d seen a ghost.
“I need to talk to you,” he said to Luke, his fingers clenching around the phone he held tight to his stomach. “Privately.”CHAPTER 23Unease trickled through Luke as he took note of Tomas’ stark expression. “Start talking.”
“This requires…” Tomas glanced at Vera while white-knuckling the phone in his hands. “Discretion.”
“Speak freely in front of her. We had a breakthrough. Didn’t we, Vera?” he called over his shoulder, watching Tomas’ eyes bulge.
“Sure, Luke.” Her clothing rustled behind him as she dressed. “If by breakthrough, you mean we had a come to Jesus, where you underwent the difficult but amazing realization that the reason you’re here is for me, and therefore, I’m in charge from this point forward.”
“We’re still working on her listening skills,” he said to Tomas. “Obedience training takes time.”
She made a sound of exasperation. “I don’t know what fantasy world you live in but—”
“If you don’t cover your ass in two-point-five seconds,” he said, stabbing a finger toward her naked lower half. “I’ll blister it red.”
“Fifteen seconds.”
“Five.” Slightly irritated and overly amused, he turned back to Tomas and nodded at the phone. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“Okay, just… Hang on.” Tomas scrubbed a hand over his head, his gaze fixed on Vera. “I’m still processing. She is Vera?”
“Eyes up here while you process.” Luke shifted, blocking Tomas’ view of her getting dressed.
“I have something to tell you.” Growing agitated, Tomas looked away. “But first, you’re going to fill me in on what I missed.”
Luke spoke quickly, hitting on the critical details about Vera’s identity until she interrupted, expanding on his bullet points and overtaking the briefing. She zipped up her jeans and pulled on her shoes as she finished talking.
Tomas looked at Luke for confirmation.
“That about sums it up.” His chest swelled as he regarded her, unable to hide the untenable adoration he felt for this woman. “Hector’s sons suspect that Tula Gomez is protected by Matias. They’re expecting a rescue party to come for Vera.”
“So Silvia assumed Vera’s identity and is waiting around for the rescuer to reveal himself.” Tomas scratched his jaw. “It’s smart. I mean, Silvia and Vera look a lot alike.”
“That so?” Vera’s eyes turned to threatening slits.
“You’re prettier.” Tomas shrugged.
She flexed her hands, temper fuming through her hot little figure.
“Calm down.” Luke hooked an arm around her, pulling her against his chest. “Tomas, has that phone left your possession?”
“Not once since we arrived. The microphone is disabled. Physically disconnected. There’s no way the cartel can hear us.”
“All right. What’s going on?”
“I fucked up.” Tomas’ expression emptied as he looked at the device in his hand. “In light of Vera being on our side, it makes it a little easier to say this… We need to leave. As soon as possible.”
Dread curled in Luke’s stomach. “I’m listening.”
With a glance at the empty field behind him, Tomas began to pace, dragging a hand through his hair, fidgeting and restless. His uncharacteristic behavior put Luke on edge.
“When I was boy…” Tomas stopped and stared off at nothing, his eyes clouding over. “I fell in love.”
Stunned, Luke jerked his head back. That was the last thing he expected to hear from Tomas Dine. His friend had never brought a woman home for longer than a few hours. In fact, Luke had never heard a romantic word pass Tomas’ lips.
“She died.” Tomas bent at the waist as if overpowered by sudden, excruciating pain, and his voice took on a harrowing tone, making Luke’s blood run cold. “She fucking died.”
Vera reached for Luke’s hand, her silence as heavy and bewildered as his.
“I was three years older than her.” Tomas straightened, composing himself. “Her parents forbade her to see me. So I created an email account for her, wrote the address and password on a piece of paper, and gave it to her at school. She never had a chance to use it. That night, she and her entire family died in a car accident.”
A hot ember formed in Luke’s throat, and he swallowed, grasping for words.
“I’m so sorry, Tomas.” Vera stepped forward.
Tomas held up a hand, warding her off. “I started emailing her. I just…couldn’t let go. I know she wasn’t receiving the messages, but I needed to talk to her. Fuck, I needed her. She was my best friend. My girl. My whole fucking world. So I wrote to her through email. For years.”
“The email account…” Luke cleared his voice, uncertain why Tomas chose this moment to tell him this. “It eventually exceeded its size limit, right?”