Page 60 of Under His Sheets
“I don’t…I’m not sure. Someone gave my identity to Vidal and I’m worried it was my team leader. They didn’t just see my picture on the wall at the winery. They went there to confront my father, to tell him his son was a traitor. They threatened him. Then I was taken off of the assignment, and my family was left with no protection.”
“Alonso, I’m so sorry. You should be with your family?—”
“Not without you.” He glanced at me. “I have taken care of them for now.”
I leaned closer to him, placing a hand on his arm. He glanced down at me and then touched my hair with such a gentle gesture, I nearly melted.
“Baby,” I breathed.
“I know. Let me get you to Felip’s. I need to hold you.”
I wanted the same.
But when we arrived, he parked and sat.
“What’s wrong?”
He flicked his chin, and I peered over the dashboard. There were two uniformed Guardia Civil standing on the street outside Felip’s building.
“Maybe it’s nothing, but I don’t like it.” He put the car in gear and pulled out onto the street, pulling his cap down. “Can you hang on a little longer? I will take you to my uncle’s. He lives in California but keeps a flat here for when he and his wife come to visit, though they usually stay at the guesthouse at the winery.”
“Do you have a key?”
He huffed out a laugh. “I handle security for all of my family. Including Fermín’s properties, which is why I knew where all of his cameras were.”
Alonso drove away from the city center and out toward the Mediterranean, going north instead of South, which was the way we’d come. I saw signs for Park Besós before he pulled into an underground parking garage. He found a visitor’s spot and parked the car, muttering that he was going to have to leave his car behind in the garage, that it was too conspicuous.
I knew that literally none of this was my fault, but I couldn’t help but feel guilty that Alonso was trying to take care of me in the middle of this chaos. His eyes were bloodshot with dark circles beneath them, and he hadn’t shaved.
He got out of the car and came around to open my door. He held out a hand to help me from the car and I took it even though I was plenty capable. He pulled me into his arms and held me tight, burying his face in my neck.
“I promise I will sort this out,” he said close to my ear. “Let’s get some sleep and I promise in the morning, I will feed you.”
“Hey,” I said, putting a hand on his cheek. “Promise meyouwill rest? I’m not going to break, I swear. I’m worried about you.”
He buried his face in my hair, and for a split second I worried about the great sweating event of earlier this evening.
“It’s been ages since anyone other than my family has worried for me.”
I relaxed for the first time that evening, and gave him a genuine smile. “Then I have to make up for lost time.”
He took my hand, kissed the back of it, and then led me to the elevators. As the doors closed, I thought…I believe him. I will operate on the assumption that he feels as he says—the same as I do—and I will take care of him this time. Because acting or not, he’d helped me through a difficult time. More than once.
We took an elevator up to the eighth floor of the building. Alonso hadn’t told me much about the place, but once we got off the elevator and I saw the gorgeous art deco light fixtures, the deep gold carpet, I had a feeling it was quite upscale.
When we got to the door of the apartment, Alonso tapped in a code on the keypad and the door opened to a slice of paradise.
“This is a…second home?”
Alonso laughed. “Sí. My uncle is quite eccentric. He may have been a hippie back in the day, but his wife came from a wealthy family and they had some good investments on top of his earnings from the winery.” He held out a hand. “There is a restroom in the bedroom. I don’t know if there are clothes, but you’re welcome to whatever you can find. My uncle usually keeps some things here.”
He headed to the kitchen and was pouring us glasses of water as I slipped into the bedroom.
This place wasswankswank. In any other situation, I would have been in heaven to spend a night here with Alonso. I still would be once I could settle in. I desperately wanted a shower, but instead I kicked off my shoes and stripped down to my undershirt—grateful that my antiperspirant hadn’t failed me—left my pants on, washed my hands and face before returning to the great room.
“I found some food,” he said, turning to me with a tray of salami and cheese and crackers. “Are you hungry? I decided we needed a snack.” He set it down on the bar and we each took astool. All I thought I could tolerate was the crackers, so I took a couple. The water did a lot to help perk me up and after eating in silence for a few moments, Alonso cleared his throat.
“When I got back from the hospital, I called my commanding officer and he simply said, ‘You’ve been relieved of your duties on this assignment.’ He saidhiscommander would review my actions on the case and determine my future in the Army reserves.” He shook his head. “I was ready to leave after this op, but this is not how I wanted to do it.”
