Twisted Desire (32 page)

I started to shake my head when I thought I heard a hitch of breath come from Tag.

“Querida.”

Chapter 31

Querida.

I could hear her, but she sounded far away.

Where was she?

“I have your next assignment, Reynolds,”
my boss told me as he pulled me into his office. “It’s a big one—think you can handle it?”

I rolled my eyes at his attempt to bust my chops. “You know I can, Rick,”
was all I said.

“Every heard of Roman Vitale?”

For the first time while getting a new assignment, I felt a powerful surge in my body hearing the name. Of course I’d heard of Roman Vitale. He was a notorious drug cartel leader.

“Uh, yeah, he’s pretty well known around here.”

Rick sat down on his chair behind his desk. “Well, welcome to your next job, my friend.”

Memories were slamming into me as I struggled to hear her voice.
 

“Tag,”
Roman called to me from behind his desk. “One more thing.”

I turned around, waiting to hear what he had to say.

“You’ve shown great pride and loyalty in your work. I’m impressed with you. Keep doing it, and you’ll move up quickly. I have another mission for you now.”
He set a picture down on his desk. I looked at it and saw an obese man smoking a cigar at an outdoor cafe.

“I need you to get rid of him,”
Roman told me in his deep voice.

Penny’s voice broke through my thoughts, making my heart accelerate. Why couldn’t I see her? I fought the fogginess in my head, trying so hard to break through. All I wanted was her.
 

Dammit!

“Mama?”
I called as I ran out of my room, holding my play police badge.
 

“Yes, baby?”

I found her at the kitchen sink, washing our breakfast dishes. “When I grow up, I’m gonna be a policeman and put all the bad guys in jail!”
I exclaimed, holding out the badge for her to see.

She smiled as she wiped her hands on her apron. She took a few steps toward me and bent over to press a kiss to my cheek. “I know you are, Tag, and you’re going to be the best policeman in the whole world.”

There was a beeping sound, and it was loud. It kept going faster and faster.
 

Then it hit me.

Roman. His gun. His shooting me. Twice.

I was in the hospital, and the beeping was the sound of my heart monitor.

I moaned, the memories flooding over me. I was supposed to be on a plane back to New York, with Penny. I was supposed to be taking her home.
 

I failed.

I failed her.

I felt my head turn to the side, making me moan again. Light was flashing everywhere, the fog finally lifting. My eyes were so heavy, I couldn’t make them open.
 

“Tag?”
her voice sounded through. “Baby? Are you waking up? Come back to me, baby, I’m here.”

She sounded so sad but excited too. I needed to hold her.
 

Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.

“Excuse me, Ms. Santoro,”
an unfamiliar male voice suddenly sounded. Who the hell was that?

I felt faint poking and prodding, making me turn my head again. “He’s definitely waking up—this is wonderful,”
the same voice said.

That voice needed to shut the hell up and let me hear my girl. Hers was the only voice I was interested in hearing. Not some dumbass’s.

The weight holding my eyes closed finally started to lift, and I felt them flutter a few times. Damn, the light was bright; where were we, the sun?

“Tag? Wake up, baby, I’m here, I’m here,”
I heard her say. She sounded like she was crying. I needed to get to her.

A whirring sound filled my head, along with the damn beeping. Everything started to come into focus as I squinted my eyes. They felt so damn dry.

Suddenly she came into my vision.

Penny.

Querida.

Her stunningly beautiful face was what I was seeing, and I swore she was an angel.
 

“Querida,”
I whispered, sounding more like a choke.

Her eyes were full of tears, and they were streaming down her cheeks, but she had the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen on her face. I never wanted to forget it.
 

I tried to speak again, but she covered my mouth with her finger. “Shh,”
she told me quietly. “You’re awake.”

I shook my head, running my tongue along the seam of my lips. “I’m sorry,”
I whispered, still struggling to talk.

Her eyes changed to confusion. “What? Why would you say that?”

“Sorry…I didn’t get…get you home…”

Her eyes widened like she was surprised, and she started to cry some more. “Oh, baby, no,”
she told me as she put her palm against my face. “Don’t you ever say that again. You came back to me. That’s all that matters. I love you so, so much. You are my everything, Tag Reynolds.”

I leaned my face into her palm and closed my eyes. I was so tired. But I was also content, something I hadn’t felt in years.

 
As long as my querida was with me, I’d always be content.

Two weeks later, I was sitting on the rooftop of Mr. Santoro’s penthouse with my sweet girl. We’d gotten back to New York the night before, and I couldn’t be happier. My wounds were still healing, the one in my leg actually more painful than the one in my chest. It caused me to limp, and the doctors said it was too early to tell if it was permanent. That didn’t matter because while it frustrated the hell out of me, I knew I would walk normally again one day.

The dark sky was full of stars, making it the perfect night. My arm was around her shoulders, and I pulled her close. “What are you thinking about, querida?”
I whispered into her ear, grinning when I felt her shiver.

She rested her head against my shoulder, snuggling closer. “Nothing, everything,”
she replied. “I still can’t believe I’m home and that you’re here. How are you? Do you need anything?”
she suddenly asked, raising her head to look at me.

I chuckled as I gently pressed her head back down to my shoulder. “I’m fine, sweet girl, don’t worry about me. You just gave me my pain pill, so I’m good.”

Penny had been overdoing it taking care of me. Ever since I was released from the hospital, she hadn’t left my side. I knew better than to tell her to stop, though, plus I was a selfish bastard. I didn’t want her to. I always felt better when she was next to me.

“What are you going to do now, Tag?”

My eyes squinted at her question, not quite sure what she was getting at. “What do you mean?”

She didn’t answer right away. I could feel her pulse beating fast against me and knew she was trying to figure out how to word what she’d say next. I didn’t push.

She finally took a breath and started to tell me. “I just meant…what do you think you’ll do…”

I put my finger under her chin and tilted her face to look at me. “Penny, it’s me, just tell me.”

She closed her eyes for a second, then opened them and looked straight at me. “Are you going to go back and work as an agent?”

Ah, so that’s what was bothering her. She’d been acting off for a few days, and now I knew why. She was worried about me.
 

“Well, now,”
I started, placing her head back on my shoulder and rubbing circles along her arm. “I wanted to talk to you about that. I’ve been thinking.”
I stopped then, for dramatic affect. I couldn’t help but tease this girl in my arms.

“What about?”
she whispered as she started to squirm.

I pulled her tighter against me to stop the squirming and kissed the top of her head. “About what I want to do. I’ve loved being an agent for the DEA, and it’s something I’ll always look back on positively, but,”
I stopped again, not able to resist making her squirm a little more.

“Tag,”
she whined, making me laugh.

“Okay, okay,”
I gave in. “I think it’s time for me to pursue something else, something that hit me a little while ago.”

She finally succeeded in scooting out of my hold, turned her body to face me, and folded her arms. “What is it? You’re killing me here, baby.”

I reached out and ran a finger along the side of her face. “I want to be a private investigator,”
I told her. “I want to help others with their problems, help them heal, so to speak. I want to still catch the bad guy but be able to come home to you every night, if you’ll still have me, that is,”
I finished, quirking a brow.

Without saying a word, she threw herself at me, causing me to fall back against the sofa cushions. My arms immediately wrapped around her, and I started laughing.
 

“I’ll take that as a yes?”
I asked, turning my head to look at her.

“YES, YES ,YES!”
she exclaimed, pressing kisses all over my face. Her dark hair fell between us, and the scent of her strawberry lip gloss was all over me as she rained her kisses everywhere. I framed her face between my hands, pulling her back so she could see me when I spoke to her.

“I love you, Penelope Santoro,”
I told her, looking straight into her beautiful hazel eyes. “I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you in that cold, dark room. I’ve loved you since you told me to go to hell; I’ve loved you since I first held you in my arms. I have no idea what I did to deserve you, but I’m never taking you for granted. You’re an angel from heaven sent just for me, and I’m never letting you go, no matter what. You’re mine, always.”

She leaned over and pressed her lips against mine, flicking her tongue against the seam. “I love you more, Tag Reynolds,”
she replied against my mouth, her hand going around to the back of my neck. “You’re it for me. There’s no one else. You’re my forever.”

I liked the sound of that.