Page 23 of Bound By A Promise

“What if Dario already saw it?”

“He wouldn’t. It would be Giovanni, and if he did, I’ll swear him to secrecy.” I reached into my pocket. “You need to return the card before Contessa realizes it’s gone.” My pocket was empty. “Shit.”

Camila’s grin grew wider as she pulled the card from her pocket. “For a dangerous Mafia guy, you’re pretty easy to pickpocket.”

Damn—I was impressed.

I shook my head. “You little thief.”

“Better than being called a little girl.”

“How did you learn to do that?”

“You had me distracted,” she said. “I almost forgot to take it back.”

“Yeah, you had me distracted, too.”

“My brother showed me how when I was about fifteen. My parents used to keep the liquor cabinet locked, but our housekeeper, Lola, always had a key with her. One day, I caught Em with a bottle from the cabinet. He convinced me not to turn him in. In exchange, he’d teach me how to get the key and how to put it back.”

“Did Lola ever figure it out?”

Camila shook her head. “We were good. I don’t like liquor, but I’ve found that sometimes, it’s helpful to be able to take something without anyone knowing.”

I thought of a question. “Is Catalina a pickpocket too?”

“No, she doesn’t know. Catalina was always the perfect daughter—you know, the one who agreed to marry because she’d been told to? She might not have turned us in to our parents, but we never let her know.”

“To keep this secret” —I motioned between us— “when we see each other…”

Camila nodded. “I know. We can’t acknowledge what happened. I’ll keep my memory of tonight to myself. It was my choice, Dante. I have the feeling you’ll be a hard act to follow.”

I didn’t want anyone to even try. The idea made my jaw clench.

Camila flashed the card before the sensor and the elevator doors opened. “Good night.”

“Good night.”

For a moment, I stood watching the doors close. Once I figured she was up to the penthouse, I went to my tablet and accessed the security footage from the elevator. It only took me a few seconds and the evidence was gone.

Looking down at my shorts, I adjusted my still-erect cock and saw a dark spot of moisture.

Evidence of her essence and sweet cinnamon scent remained.

Chapter

Eight

Camila

Nearly five months later

Mama and I were back in San Diego. Our trip to Kansas City lasted a little less than two weeks. Thankfully, after the first week, our imprisonment by Dario’s decree was lifted. That didn’t mean that we women were free to go wherever and whenever we chose. It meant that as long as Miguel or one of Dario’s men were with us, we could leave the confines of the apartment. Even a luxurious home can second as a gilded cage.

Back at home, Papá and Em increased our security while we were gone. Doors and windows were monitored with alarms, and outside there were motion detectors, cameras, basically anything that money could buy.

Recently, I’d started my second year of college at SDSU. With Miguel ever present, I wasn’t having the same college experience as other women my age. Truthfully, when I looked at the guys in my classes, I saw boys. Growing up around the soldiersand guards of the cartel had shaped my view of what a man should be. There wasn’t anything wrong with a studious man who preferred sports to violence. For most women, they were probably a better choice.

My mind told me that men not armed to the teeth were also kinder, yet my experience told me another thing. I knew what my father, uncles, brother, and cousin did, and still, I knew they loved me. Papá wasn’t above corporal punishment. That never nullified his love for his children.