“I need the kid back here where I can protect her.”
“And you want, what? Smith to smuggle a twelve-year-old out of the country?”
I’m losing my patience quickly, but I rein it in. Sinclair is our best hope to get Valentina back without compromising Daniela’s safety, and Gray has appointed himself the gatekeeper. “She’s in the US alone. What part of ‘someone might abduct her’ don’t you understand?”
“That’s all fine and dandy, but you expect me to traffic a child?”
“I don’t expect you to do anything. I’m hoping to hire Sinclair.”
“I trust you, man. But you’ve said it yourself: your world is different than mine. I need some assurances that we’re reuniting a mother and child. I want to talk to Daniela. I need to hear it from her mouth.”
This is not going as expected. If anything, I thought the issues would arise with Sinclair.
Gray isn’t the bastard I am, but he won’t handle Daniela with kid gloves either—not with so much at stake. Not unless he has a heads-up.
“She’s been through a lot—especially in the last twenty-four hours. She was very close to the woman who was killed. And if you consult Google, you’ll find that a room in the church, the room where Daniela was supposed to be waiting, exploded right before we took our vows. There were no survivors. I’m trying to save her from any more heartache.”
“Jesus.”
He doesn’t say anything else for a moment, but I’m already on my way to find Daniela, because I doubt he’ll change his mind about speaking to her. I would want the same assurances if I were him. But at least he’s aware of her state of mind.
“I get it,” he says, finally, with some conviction, “but I’m not lifting a finger to help without more information—from her.”
“Hold on a second. I’m on my way to give her the phone.” As I go to the bedroom, I pass the table where I took her hard last night.I’ve made her whole damn life hard.“Go easy, Gray. She just finished with one asshole demanding answers.”
“Put it on video. I want to see for myself that this isn’t a hostage situation.”
“Your confidence in me is heartwarming.”
“I’ve been burned before.”
“Never by me.”
“I’ll give you that.”
7
ANTONIO
When I get to the bedroom, Daniela’s dressed in leggings and a tunic that falls mid-thigh. With her hair braided, she looks like a teenager.
“Any news on Valentina?” she asks, eyes wide and wary.
I shake my head. “I have a friend in the US on the phone. He might be able to help us get Valentina back safely. He’d like to talk to you.”
She nods.
“I trust him. You can trust him too.” I switch to a video call and hand the phone to Daniela.
“Hi,” she says softly.
“This is Gray Wilder. Who am I speaking with?”
“Daniela D’Sousa. Huntsman,” she adds quickly.
Daniela D’Sousa Huntsman. I wonder if she threw up a little in her mouth when she gave him her name.The same name my father, Abel, and Tomas share.
“Daniela, I have a friend with me who is a former federal agent. She works for a private security firm now, and happens to be highly experienced in human extractions. If what Antonio told me checks out, today’s your lucky day. But first I have some questions.”