Page 15 of Exposed

Nothing. Thank god.

She didn’t have another fight in her. She weaved her way to the small kitchen and opened the fridge. Her stomach grumbled at the salad and eggs that stared back at her. That wouldn’t cut it. But ordering take out would take too long. She went to the cupboard, pulled out a bag of popcorn, and popped it in the microwave. The machine hummed as she poured herself a glass of water. She’d eat first, then shower and crash.

Bring, bring! Bring, bring!

She frowned and pulled her cellphone from her purse on the kitchen counter. Who the hell would be calling her at nearly two a.m.? She read the caller I.D.

Carlos.

Her senses prickled to life. Had Tony called him? She swallowed and swiped her finger across the screen.

“Hi, honey.” She sang into the phone. Her voice pitched and she cleared her throat to strengthen it.

“Where are you?” It wasn’t a demand, but his voice rang with question.

Carlos was a very possessive man.

She bit her tongue to prevent saying anything she’d regret later. She needed to play the part and do as he expected of her until this was over.

A soft pop started in the microwave, followed by dozens more and the bag quickly inflated.

“I just got home from work a few minutes ago. You’re calling late.” Her pulse tapped against her throat. Being at ease with Carlos was like doing your nails in the lion’s den. The microwave dinged and she opened the door and pulled out the bag.

The soft clink of a glass sounded over the phone. “It’s eleven here, and I miss you like crazy.” His rough voice dropped lower. “I’m still mad about what happened on the yacht.”

Her skin crawled. By some stroke of luck, Carlos had come down with a sudden stomach bug on Saturday. She’d been prepared to sleep with him and make the sacrifice to get closer… and then he’d run to the bathroom puking. Thankfully, he’d been too sick to notice her relief.

“I was so disappointed, but only a couple more days until you’re home.”

He groaned in her ear. “Sorry, honey. Something came up and I won’t be home until Monday.”

Her heart dropped to her stomach. No. He couldn’t change plans. Not now… not when Nate had his team lined up and stationed on the ship. Had Tony called him? Was he suspicious of her and calling off the exchange?

“We’re not going on the cruise?”

“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” His tone was placating and gentle. If he weren’t such a scumbag, she’dalmost be fooled by his charm. “I’m going straight to the boat as soon as my plane lands, so I’ll have to meet you aboard. Hector will pick you up at nine a.m. and take you there. He and Ricardo will be staying a few doors down from us.”

Maddie squeezed her eyes tight and pinched the bridge of her nose. God, she hadn’t even thought to find out if they were coming. But of course, they would be there. Carlos didn’t go anywhere without those bozos. “Oh, I thought it would just be the two of us.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of alone time… I’ll make sure of it. But I have business to do in San Juan, so I need them around.”

She sighed. “All right. I guess I’ll catch some sun while you work,” she laughed, the sound brittle to her ears. “I can’t wait to see you,” she purred.

She tore open the bag of popcorn and dumped it into the bowl, and then sprinkled some pink salt over it.

“Me too, honey. Have a good sleep and I’ll see you in a few days.”

“Good night.” She made a kiss noise into the phone, hung up, and dropped it to the counter. Any change in plans was a bad sign at this stage of the game. He could very well be telling the truth, after all, and it wasn’t as if he’d cancelled the whole trip. That would be a big red flag.

Dammit. Now she had to call Nate and let him know Carlos had changed the plans. She pulled the encrypted phone from her cleavage and her fingers moved quickly over the screen.

Change of plans. I’ll be picked up and taken to the ship on Monday morning. He will meet me there before departure.

She scooped up the bowl, crossed the kitchen to the living room, and dropped on the couch. Her phone dinged.

Christ. Did anything happen? Why would he change?

Her teeth bit down on a handful of popcorn. Shit. If she told him about Tony’s advance on her, he’d lose his shit. But she couldn’t keep that from him. If Tony was on to her, it was for everyone’s safety that he knew about it.

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