But I allowed my need for answers to get the better of me.
I can’t imagine what I would have done if something happened to her.
“I understand.” She says that, but I can see the change in her.
Instead of kissing her lips, I kiss her forehead and leave her.
I head downstairs to the living room to grab a glass of whiskey, but I have a few before Eric arrives an hour later.
“The guy’s name is Davide Hernandez. He’s a small-time arms dealer but good at getting intel on people. Basically a snitch,” Eric says, sitting opposite me.
“So, he was keeping tabs on me?” I narrow my eyes.
“It looks that way.”
“He would have killed me,” I point out. It’s clear the motherfucker would have done just that. It would have been mission accomplished.
I slipped up in more ways than one tonight because I didn’t have any men with me. No backup or guards. No one. I just wanted a slice of normal and stopped being sensible.
“That’s not why he was there, though. It was clear when I saw him that he was watching. He only pulled that gun when I tackled him.”
“Tonight would have been a fluke if they got lucky,” he surmises. “But I think the goal wasn’t exactly to kill you. I also believe it couldn’t have been just the one person watching.”
I nod because that’s exactly what I thought, too.
“Someone would have seen me leave Equibras with Lucia and tracked me to the restaurant. I only went down the alleyway because Lucia was there.”
“Why was she down there?”
“She was on a call that upset her. I went out to check on her because I was worried.”
“I’ll do a scan of the area and see if my facial recognition bots can pick anything up. In the meantime, Alejandro, do take your guards with you when you’re out.”
I nod. That fucking goes without saying. “You bet I will. I just got carried away. Foolishly.”
His face softens, and I realize he knows I’ve grown attached to Lucia.
“How’s Lucia doing?”
I shake my head. “She’s shaken up. I should have been more careful, Eric. It’s not like I don’t know what’s going on.”
“There’s a lot of shit happening, Alejandro. You’re human. We slip up sometimes.”
“It can’t happen again.”
My phone rings on the table next to me. It’s Cristiano.
I reach for it and answer.
“What’s happening?” I ask.
He sighs. “It’s Carlos. He’s dead.”