Page 4 of Barron

He dropped his hands. “Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing. You seem…out of sorts. Any other day, you would’ve handled the missing items more calmly. I can’t imagine your time in Miami was easy. How are your parents managing the situation?”

“The latest test results have given us hope. The cancer hasn’t metastasized, and the specialists believe Papá will go into remission at the end of radiation.”

“I’m sure that’s a relief for all of you. Will you move to Miami?”

“Me?” Yoanni straightened. “Why should I?”

“Makes sense. You’ll be closer to your parents and the rest of your family.”

“Hell, no. I love them dearly, but as you said, my entire family is down there. My parents don’t need me. They have my brother, and there’s privacy in distance.” She held up her hands. “Miami and I don’t get along. I’ve made a home here. I love my job, and besides…”

“Besides what? Finish the thought, Miss Sanz?”

Swallowing hard, Yoanni dropped her gaze to the pad. She’d nearly opened the door to a subject she didn’t want to discuss with the captain: her short-lived affair with drop-dead gorgeous Barron Priestley.

If only she could forget. Push him out of her mind.

But she couldn’t. Even after her long stay in Miami, where the sweltering heat and punishing sun could bleach and melt the strongest memories from one’s brain, images of that wild afternoon at the biker bar, the day she first saw Barron, were still vivid for her…

It all began with Emily’s insistence on proving herself a worthy detective, and Yoanni, being a good supportive friend, had gone along with her reckless scheme: they dressed up in their sexiest outfits and went to check out the scene at the Dirt Road Saloon, the bar where the outlaw Sons of Chaos MC hung out. The plan nearly turned into a disaster. But Cutter, who was attempting to infiltrate the Chaos at the saloon, came to the rescue after Nails slipped a roofie in Emily’s beer.

And with him came Barron, one of Cutter’s closest friends and a Spawn brother. As Cutter dispatched Nails, Barron stood by, guarding his friend’s back. Yoanni’s little heart was so impressed by his loyalty, she fell for the handsome biker. Not only did he have the prettiest blue eyes she’d ever seen, his smile brightened the dingy interior of the bar. And when he asked her for her phone number so sweetly, she gave it to him on the spot.

In spite of a few obstacles, Emily and Cutter’s relationship rocketed off, but Yoanni and Barron’s moved at a snail’s pace. Though Barron was a loyal member of the Spawn, their relationship developed away from the MC. Barron took her to Savannah for dinner a few times. They went to the movies and rode out to the shore on his bike, but he rarely brought her to the clubhouse to hang out with the rest of the brothers. The few times he did bring her, it was for a quick in-and-out stop.

Yoanni had often wondered if Barron’s purpose was to keep her and the club at separate ends. And with that, a deep-seated insecurity took hold of her. Maybe he’d guessed or, worse, discovered her secret. The one truth that only her close friend Emily knew because she was a Little as well. A truth an embarrassed Yoanni had hidden from her relatives. Life in bitter exile had taught her Cuban family, the same as the other exiled families, many things. Topping the list was the necessity to ingrain specific abilities in a young Cuban woman. The safety net of life in the island home was no longer available. To succeed in this alien environment, she was expected to be independent, strong, and mature enough to fend for herself—with a big emphasis on the last part.

Here was sweet Yoanni Sanz with a Little personality seeking a nurturing Daddy lover. A highly weird desire, bordering on abomination by her family’s standards, and one they’d never understand or condone.

Even though her friend Emily had sworn that most of the Devils’ Spawn brothers, Barron in particular, had strong Daddy proclivities and were seeking the right mate for their love lives, Yoanni, unconvinced, kept her personality and unique needs hidden from him.

Since puberty, she’d known she was a bit different. While her friends talked about boys and went to the mall to hang out andshop for clothes and makeup, she was happier at home playing with her toys and stuffies.

Years later, she didn’t have the guts to jump out of the Little closet and declare her true self to Barron.

Nope. No way.

He had to show an interest and take the time to discover her on his own.

But he didn’t, and matters continued to cool between her and Barron.

The end of her romance came after the highly publicized arrest of the Sons of Chaos at the Main Street Warehouse. Unbeknownst to her and other federal agencies, the Devils’ Spawn and Captain Weaver had made an agreement not many people knew about.

Blade, the president of the Spawn, wanted to change the club’s outlaw status and public perception to a legit and community-friendly MC, and Captain Weaver had offered to help. But with his help came duties. Spawn members were sent on covert missions to outlaw clubs in nearby states where no one, especially a policeman—Garden City’s vice department was nonexistent—could infiltrate and gain enough proof to insure an indictment.

And Barron, because of his clean-cut looks, juxtaposed with his friend Johnny Gun—the epitome of a rough-looking biker—made him and Johnny G the perfect pair to gain access to rival clubs and glean evidence of illicit operations.

One time, Barron was gone for an entire month. That was enough for Yoanni. She cut ties with him once and for all. Her tender and sensitive heart couldn’t take his growing coldness and the loneliness of separation. If she harbored the smallest hope he would resist the breakup or try to reawaken their love, Barron snuffed it out when he seemed relieved it was over. Then her father was diagnosed with the big C. Her mother asked for her help, and she put Barron andeverything else out of her mind. The time spent in Miami distracted her enough to forget. But when she opened the door to her Garden City apartment and walked inside, thoughts of Barron were like deadly projectiles, tearing and digging at her flimsy emotional walls.

The long months of separation hadn’t worked.

The ache to see him was as raw and fresh as that afternoon at the bar when she first saw him.

“Where were you, Miss Sanz? Besides what?”

The past dissolved under Captain Weaver’s insistent, deep voice. She lifted her shoulders in a casual shrug. “Sorry. I was evaluating your suggestion, and the answer is a definite no. I don’t want to move to Miami permanently.” Yoanni breathed out with relief. She’d escaped the thorny topic. Maybe. Had the captain accepted her evasion?

Nodding, he gave her a knowing grin. “Is Barron out of the picture?”

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