Page 82 of Till Death Do Us Part
Josefina looked in my direction and smiled. Her attention went to my husband. “Then spend every day showing her why she should have.”
He nodded. “Maybe in a few months, you andPadrecan come visit and see the house.”
“Sí,” she said excitedly, “I can’t wait to see how you decorate it, Mia. Make it more than a house. Make it a home.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“It’s all that can be asked.”
We all turned as a long shiny silver boat pulled up beside a floating ramp. Two men from Bella’s staff hurried to moor the boat with the mooring lines. Aléjandro took my hand and helped me down to the platform and into the speed boat.
Once we were seated and our suitcases were aboard, the men in white untied the mooring lines. The waves took us away from Bella before the driver pressed the throttle and the engines roared to life.
Aléjandro reached for my hand as the speed boat soared over the ocean. Even through my sunglasses, the sunshine on the water was nearly blinding, thousands of points of light glittering over the blue waters. The boat pounded up and down until land came into view. The city of San Diego grew larger and taller as we approached the marina.
The two guards, Diego and Felipe, who had searched our house were waiting with a large SUV. I sat beside my husband as we were driven north along the coast and through the city. Before reaching our destination, Diego turned from the front seat and handed me a small bag.
“Señora.” His gaze went to Aléjandro and back to me. “I was told to have this ready for you when you arrived back on the mainland.”
I peered between Diego and my husband as I took the bag and peeked inside. My cheeks rose as I saw the contents. “A new phone.”
“I told you,” Aléjandro said. “Our people have done some work on it. They made it impossible for anyone outside our organization to track your location. They’ve also transferred all your numbers and other information from your old phone.”
This was my lifeline. I hugged the bag to my chest. “Thank you.” I looked forward to Diego. “And thank you.”
“De nada.”
A few minutes later, Felipe pulled the SUV up to our house. He paused, and the gate opened.
“Is there a transmitter in the vehicle?”
Aléjandro nodded. “If a vehicle doesn’t have one, the gate can only be opened from within. Silas receives the alert. I didn’t want a keypad. Four-number random patterns aren’t that difficult to hack.”
“I can’t wait to meet Silas and Viviana.”
ChapterTwenty-Two
Mia
As soon as Diego opened the door between the garage and house, my stomach growled at the delicious aroma permeating the kitchen coming from a stock pot on the stovetop. The woman at the counter looked up and smiled. If I were to guess, she was older than Josefina. Her dark hair had gray highlights and was pulled back in a stark bun. Her trim figure was covered by a black dress and apron. Her eyes shone as she looked at Aléjandro.
“Bienvenida a casa,”she said.
“Thank you,” I replied. “Something smells divine.”
Aléjandro greeted her with a hug and returned his arm to my waist. “Viviana, this ismi esposa, Mia Roríguez. Mia, Viviana, the master of everything. I swear there’s nothing this woman can’t do.” He looked out over the living room.
My gaze went with his. We both chuckled, seeing the temporary furniture that had been set up since we were last here. Nothing said a multimillion-dollar home like lawn furniture in the living room. Before we could comment, an older gentleman in a black suit with a white shirt and an open collar entered from the direction of Aléjandro’s office. He wasn’t as tall as Aléjandro, but he had a distinguished air about him, much like Jorge with a bit more silver than black in his hair.
“SeñoraRoríguez.” He bowed. “A pleasure to meet you.”
Aléjandro had warned me about a language barrier. Maybe I’d gotten used to Josefina’s and Jorge’s thick accents. I had no trouble understanding either Silas or Viviana. I stepped forward offering my hand. “You must be Silas. I’ve heard all about your expertise.”
He took my hand, and we shook.
“Please, call me Mia.”
“Mia. A beautiful name.”