Desire & Deception (Entangled Ignite) (20 page)

“That sounds good.” Her tone was a little tight, but at least she was trying.

“Let me jump in the shower and I’ll be right over.”

The house went silent again.

Kris logged into his laptop and clicked the least-used icon on the desktop. The social network log-in page filled the screen. He seldom used the site, popping in to catch up with Monica and the family when he was restless.

He went directly to her friends list. T-t-t-t…He frowned. No Tessa. Maybe she went by an alias or nickname, like him. Angel, his middle name and the codename used by Ida, was set up like it belonged to a female, complete with movie trailers for random chick-flicks and posts from non-existing people. Flipping down Moni’s extensive friend’s list was fruitless. He tapped his index finger on the computer.

Monica’s home page went blank after Sunday afternoon’s check-in at
Caridad
. The lunch date Tessa had never made. The previous post showed graduation pictures from family members. So many people looked different from the last time he’d seen them. So many family members he hadn’t spoken to in years …even one or two he didn’t particularly miss.

Monica had blossomed into the family’s social butterfly. She kept up with everyone, sharing every new event they posted. Every picture in the private album she’d shared had detailed comments about the people she’d captured. A small part of him wondered if she did it for him. Providing an anchor to keep him from drifting too far away from the people that had once been his whole life.

A few entries later, he reached the pictures she’d posted throughout the fateful weekend. Friends, family, meals, the club, and Tessa. His favorite picture had the girls sitting together, arms wrapped around each other, cheesy grins in place for the camera. They were a study in “opposites attract”. Tessa was a light-skinned, curvy, redheaded American, and Monica a caramel-skinned, slender, Latina with straight, black hair. The single-word caption said more than any of the other pictures he’d seen. “Sisters”.

A sad smile curved his lips. God, he was such an idiot. Did he think he could live out the rest of his life alone? Like that would be possible now that he’d known what is was like to share part of himself with someone like Tessa.

He hardened his heart. She deserved the best after everything she’d lived through and tried to sacrifice for his family. If that meant living without her, then so be it.

Tessa’s chair finally squeaked then the door to her office closed. A moment later, she switched on the stereo in the living room. The music flipped from station to station and finally stopped.

Kris’s heartbeat kicked up as he listened to the first few notes of the popular love song start up–in Spanish.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Tessa peered through the peephole before opening the door.

Monica grinned, holding up beer and pizza. “Sorry I’m late. I had an unexpected phone call.”

Tessa’s face dropped. “Don’t tell me, reporter?” She moved aside to let Monica in, then glanced around for anyone still camping out or hiding in the bushes.

The answering machine was blinking incessantly, and she was sick and tired of having a pop up announcing yet another email coming in. Well-meaning friends and coworkers kept calling, along with news centers from across the country. Everyone wanted her story—“Kidnapped in Mexico, the Tessa Marshal Story” or what was the other one? “Terror in Paradise, A Vacation Story Gone Wrong.”

One publisher offered to buy the rights without the benefit of an interview.

Tessa had declined, of course, and suggested they contact Heather. Her former roommate had been on several morning talk shows. She’d cried before America, going on about how she’d feared for their lives every minute of their abduction. Then she got arrested, along with Leroy, and the press had crucified her.

“No, my cousin Angel.” Monica closed the door and scrutinized her. “You’re looking better.”

“Yeah, most of the bruises have all but faded away.” She rubbed her forearm, pulling it up to show Monica. “I haven’t had a headache in over a week.”

They sat, cross-legged, on the couch with the pizza on the coffee table beside them.

Monica paused, the bottle of Shinerbock halfway to her lips. Her gaze shot to the new entertainment center. Mexican music poured out of the speakers at a low volume.

A secretive smile danced along Tessa’s lips. She flashed the Steven King book she began in Monterrey. “You can take the girl out of Mexico…”

Monica held out the bottle for a toast.

Tessa settled against the armrest so they faced each other as they ate. A habit they’d developed years ago.

“Seriously, how are you doing?”

Tessa pasted on a smile. “I’m fine. Really. All patched up and settled in.”

“Are you?”

The boxers and tank top were her usual stay-at-home uniform. The underlying sadness wasn’t. Try as she might, she couldn’t muster the joy she should have at being in her new home.

“Your kidnapping was a traumatic event. I think you’d be justified in having a bit of an emotional breakdown, maybe even going off the deep end.”

“I’m a little lost, but nowhere near going off the deep end.” Tessa fell quiet, guilt gnawing at her over her friend’s concern. Monica hadn’t pushed for details of what happened during the week she was...away. Instead, she’d postponed her residency to help with the move.

Tessa twisted her finger around the leg of her boxers. “Moni,” she took a fortifying breath, “what I went through those days isn’t what you’d think.” Monica sipped her drink while she listened. “There’s nothing for me to be traumatized over.”

“Angel says that sometimes when a person is put in a situation like yours, they can start exhibiting signs of—”

“I don’t have Stockholm Syndrome.”

Her best friend deserved the truth after getting tangled up in a lie. Kris had asked her not to tell anyone about him, but she’d like to think he would have understood. She needed to talk about him, to set the story straight and purge the ache in her heart. Monica would keep her secret.

Tessa wrung her hands as she related the parts of her story she’d previously left out. “A man looked after me. He kept me from being assaulted.” Her throat closed when Monica made a sign of the cross. “But the only thing I suffered from was boredom.” She didn’t need to know about Felipe creeping her out. That sort of information wouldn’t do anyone any good.

“Are you sure?” Concern and doubt grooved her forehead. “You seem so sad and lost.”

Tessa shrugged at a loss as to how to continue. “That night, at the club… He was there.” Her lips spread into a sad smile as emotion welled up in her chest. She could picture his beautiful blue eyes and the smug smile he gave her. “I doubt I was breathing the whole time he looked at me.”

“Really?” Monica cocked her head with an interested grin.

“In the middle of all that, he kept me safe and made me feel normal, even… special.” She took another deep breath as her cheeks burned. “I learned to trust him.” It wasn’t until much later that she’d realized he called Moni by name. He’d known, yet he must have kept her secret because they were both safe.

“Wow. I never would have expected it.” Monica looked at her with wonder.

Relief spread through her. Moni wasn’t upset. “You don’t have to tell me it’s insane to be going on like this over a guy I barely got to know. But he was good, kind, thoughtful, scary, sexy, and flat out overwhelming.” Sadness squeezed at her chest. “But he didn’t…” Tears welled up in her eyes and the pain in her chest made it hard to breathe. “God, Moni. He was the last person that deserved to die.” The sentence stuck a chord inside her. She’d been mourning and hadn’t realized it. Mourning for the loss of a loved one and, maybe, for something that would never be.

Monica tapped on the bottleneck, her lips pursed to say something. “Tessa.” Her features relaxed into the pleasant doctor-who-is-going-to-give-bad-news expression they’d practiced. “I have something to tell you.”

Tessa closed her eyes a moment, gathering her resolve.

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing.” Moni smiled. “My cousin, the one I…”

“The Guardian Angel.” She gave a pathetically weak chuckle, swiping the corner of her eye.

“Yes.” The doorbell rang, cutting her off. Monica exhaled. “That’s Angel. Sorry, I told him to come over. You two really need to talk, clear up a few things.” She smiled the way she always did when she talked about her favorite cousin—the brother she almost lost because of the cartel. “He—”

Tessa unfolded her legs, pushing herself off the couch. “Oh, hell. Give me a minute to change.” She sniffed.

“Wait!” Moni put a hand out, stopping her. Her cousin wasn’t anywhere near being an altar boy.

Tessa grinned inwardly. She’d never imagined inviting someone with a dark and dangerous background into her home. Though, after everything she’d been through, she should be able to handle him just fine.

“Angel’s your guy,” Moni said softly. “The man you were just telling me about.”

Tessa froze, the words hanging in the air between them.
Oh God
. Her arm gave way, dropping her onto an overstuffed pillow. Angel had provided direction that led to nationwide attention on their disappearance and ultimately, their safe return. All while having her locked away in that room. What was he playing at?

The doorbell rang again, but she didn’t move.

“I’d hoped to ease you into this a little better, but…” Moni set her beer next to the pizza box. “Tessa, just remember, it was never easy for him.” She stepped away to open the door. Seconds went by and Moni reached out, pulling on a gray sleeve. “Come in.” Her voice was strained.

Kris stepped into the room. Torn between happiness and confusion, Tessa drank in the sight of him. The breadth of his shoulders, his head barely clearing the entrance hallway, and rich brown locks with the array of highlights that any woman would sacrifice a limb to have. She felt that same loss of breath she had the first time she’d seen him.

“My cousin, Special Agent Kristopher Angel Harmon Allende.”

Kris studied her, his eyes wary. The big, bad, cartel boss was holding onto Monica’s hand like a lifeline. No, not cartel. She’d said Special Agent. For a moment, Tessa’s body went weak and her extremities were chilled enough she couldn’t feel her fingertips. She folded her arms, tucking her hands against her body. “Kristopher, not Kristobal?” She asked in Spanish.

“Kristobal’s life ended so I could come home.” English rolled off his tongue with ease.

Her eyes widened. How many times had she ranted in front of him? How many embarrassing comments had she made, thinking he didn’t understand? Shock and a tinge of embarrassment tightened her stomach.

“I’m sorry, Tessa.” He shook his head. “My job… I couldn’t—”

She’d been in hell since she got the news of the explosion. Now he was alive…and here…and related to Monica. “Did you know?” She questioned her friend through a clenched jaw. Was that why Moni had been acting weird these past few days? They’d been friends long enough for her to know when something was up.

Moni shook her head. “Not until today.”

Tessa turned her accusing gaze on Kris…or Angel, or whoever the hell he was today. How many hours had she spent dreading her future? She’d tortured herself with the thought of hurting Moni or her family. Her eyes watered, leaving a wet trail along her nose. Angry words bubbled up inside her, fighting to be heard. But try as she might, she couldn’t get more than a croak past the lump in her throat.

They both approached, but he was careful to stay on the other side of the couch. “I couldn’t know who you really were,” he explained.

“I thought you talked to Monica,” Tessa shot back.

“Yes.” The slight hesitation said he was choosing his words carefully. “Once I knew, there wasn’t much I could do.”

“Not much you could do?” She dug her nails into the cushion under her. “You could have let me go!” Her heart thundered in her chest.
Then we wouldn’t have shared those last couple of days together
. There’d been a moment when she’d been lost to circumstance, only caring about the man she was with. Maybe foolishly.

“No. I couldn’t,” he said in a low voice. “I spent years creating an image for that life. If I’d deviated, it would have raised suspicion. The first one to jump on that would have been Felipe.” True. Jealousy or hatred would have spurred him on. “The only way to get you out was to pay the ransom, just like everyone else.” The realization dampened some of the pain stabbing at her. “That’s why I pushed. I knew the folks were ready.” Monica nodded in the background. “Hundreds of people were involved in this assignment. I had no choice but to see things through.”

Tessa bobbed her head, then let her chin rest on her chest. Her shoulders drooped as the anger dissipated. He was doing a job, and she’d complicated his life. If she’d offered up the house when she had the opportunity, she might have avoided some of what had happened. She’d have had to start over, but the apartment hadn’t been bad; she’d just wanted something to call her own.

God, but she’d been foolish, both then and now. In her anger, she’d forgotten to be grateful he’d kept her alive. Even with hundreds of people counting on him, he’d still gotten her out when things got dangerous.

“Tessa?” Moni’s concerned voice got her attention.

She shook her head, pressing her fingers across her eyes. What about what had happened between them? Was that something else he just felt he had no choice but to see through to the end? Her throat constricted. No, he’d been the sweetest man…

“I’m sorry, Tessa, I shouldn’t have barged into your life again.”

What? She looked up to find his shoulders squared and his expression carefully neutral. He’d dropped behind the mask he’d worn to survive for so many years.

He turned to Moni and dropped her hand. “This was a mistake.”

Every nerve ending in Tessa’s body came alive in a panic. He was leaving? “You…came to apologize?”

His brows peaked. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Tessa.”

Why couldn’t he say more? A hint of what was in his heart. Had she read too much into what happened between them? That last morning had played in her mind over and over. The panic in his face when he reached her. The race to save her. The urgency of his kiss. Most of all, the sadness in his eyes when he sent her away. Of necessity, he hid all emotion when he became
that
Kris.

“I understand what you did and why.” She took a deep breath and held onto a shred of hope. “Did you
just
come to apologize?” She held her breath, every muscle tense and ready for a soul-crushing answer.

Those beautiful eyes read her anxiety. She recognized it in the sweep of his gaze. The way his gaze paused on the pulse at her throat, at her trembling fingers, and her curled toes. The stiffness left his body, and his mask fell away as he looked her in the eye. “No.”

She managed a jittery smile and pushed off the couch before he rushed forward.

“Tessa.” Strong arms picked her up, squeezing her until she couldn’t draw breath. His lips crushed hers while she held on tight, wrapping her legs around his midsection, unwilling to let him go. His tongue swept between her lips, taking her breath and sharing his.

It wasn’t until Monica cleared her throat that they came up for air. Tessa chuckled, leaning back in the safety of his arms.

“Weeeell, my job here is done,” Moni said, bowing at the doorway. “I guess I’ll head out to 6
th
Street alone,” she added with an exaggerated sigh.

“Moni,” Tessa ran her hand down Kris’s cheek. “Thank you.”

“I got your back, Tessy Bear.”

“Have fun.” Kris stopped trying to nibble on her chin long enough to toss in the farewell.

“I guess I won’t have to say the same.” Heat filled Tessa’s cheeks. “Remember there’s pizza. You’ll have to keep your strength up.” She winked as she closed the door behind her.