Lucius let the words hang in the humid air. The ghost of the man who’d taken my heart and left a black, twisted hulk in its place haunted us even in the bright daylight.
Don’t fall for it. Lucius was just manipulating me, the same as his brother. I let out a hitched breath as he drew even closer, his minty breath mingling with mine.
Three things? “What’s the third thing?”
He smiled, wickedness in every crease. “You’ll find out about that one soon enough.”
A shiver shot through me at his words.
He released my hand and I got to my feet, feeling exposed in my bathing suit while he was fully clothed in jeans and a white button down. Even so, he held my gaze, never darting his eyes down my body like I would have expected from him.
“Jefe?” A voice carried down to us from the upper terrace.
Javier, the man who’d driven us from the airfield, and who I’d learned was the head of the operation in Cuba when Lucius was gone, appeared over the railing. I suspected he had connections with the dictator, the only explanation for how the Vinemonts maintained their foothold in Cuba. He and Lucius spent most of their days away from the plantation, leaving early and coming back well after sundown. I was glad Lucius was preoccupied with the sugar business. I didn’t want to deal with anything—not the Acquisition, not Lucius, not Vinemont, not my father. For the first time in my life, I was steeped in uncertainty, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to be left alone.
“I’m coming.” Lucius ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it in the same way his brother did when he was frustrated.
My stomach fluttered at the familiar movement. I clamped my shades down over my eyes like some sort of shield from the onslaught of memories. I didn’t want to feel anything.
“Look, Stella, just give me a chance here, okay? I’m trying to get you through this, all of it. I don’t want to have to threaten you or keep you under lock and key. I will.” He smirked. “Don’t doubt that for a second. But it doesn’t have to be so black and white. I just want…”
“What?” I flicked my damp hair over one shoulder and put my hands on my hips. My heart was hammering, a mix of anger and indignation pumping through my veins. “What do you want from me?”
“Jefe!” Javier called again.
Lucius let out a string of invective in Spanish at the foreman before turning back to me and lowering his voice. “Everything.” His familiar, wolfish grin surfaced, eating me up bit by bit.
I knew it. “You’ll get nothing.”
“We’ll see, Stella.” He turned on his heel and ascended the curving staircase to the terrace, his broad back straining against his shirt. With one final look at me, he disappeared into the house with Javier.
I sank back down onto the chaise, my heart thundering in my chest, the beat in my ears, my temples. The first Acquisition trial was over, but we were still playing the game. I was still a pawn, a piece to be sacrificed so a Vinemont could rule the depraved cabal of moneyed southern families.
I eyed the pool again, the water still reflecting the perfect blue sky. Playing the fingertips of my left hand along the scar at my right wrist, the ridges reminded me of why I could never sink to the bottom of the water and stay there. I would survive. I would make it out of this nightmare, and I would never be the same weak fool again.
Gathering up my towel, I wrapped it around my body and climbed the stairs to the upper terrace. I peered in the back windows and, once assured Lucius was out of sight, I hurried across the palazzo floor and to the right.
My room was at the end of the hall. With its own private balcony and massive en suite, the luxury it entailed was far beyond the wildest dreams of the people who lived in the surrounding countryside. The Vinemonts turned the sugar cane into gold and kept the resulting wealth to themselves. It was as if they had a particular talent for injustice, no matter where they went or what they did.
I trudged to my bathroom, turned on the shower, and took off my top before shimmying my bottoms off.
A calloused hand clapped hard over my mouth and a wide, rusty blade grazed my neck. I was yanked back and an arm wrapped around my ribs, crushing the air out of me. My scream made it no further than the palm against my lips.
Chapter Two
Stella
“Not a word.” The voice in my ear was low and heavily accented. “Where is jefe? What room is his? This one?”
I shook my head. I hung lifeless in his arms lest I give him any reason to cut me.