‘She is. All the same, I can’t help think that this decision is rather precipitate.’ There was clear suspicion in Benedicto’s voice now.
‘Trust me, it’s been very well thought through on my part. Tell me, Benedicto, has she left yet?’
‘Sim, against my wishes, she has left home,’ he replied, his voice taut with displeasure.
A wave of satisfaction swept through Theo. ‘Good. I’ll await her arrival.’
‘I hope this will not delay our meeting,’ the older man enquired.
‘Don’t worry. The moment I welcome your daughter into my home, I’ll head to your offices.’
An edgy silence greeted his answer and Theo could sense him weighing his words to perceive a possible threat. Finally, Benedicto answered, ‘We should celebrate our partnership once the documents are signed.’
Theo’s mouth twisted. Benedicto had already moved on from the subject of his daughter. And he noticed there had been no admonition to treat her well, or else…
But the knowledge that Benedicto had intensely disapproved of Inez’s intentions and had called him to air that disapproval was good enough for him.
‘Great idea. Unfortunately, I’ll be busy for the next few nights. Perhaps some time next week Inez and I will have you and Pietro over for dinner.’
The fiery exhalation that greeted his indelicate words made Theo’s grin widen.
‘Of course. I’ll look forward to it. Até a próxima,’ Benedicto said tightly.
Theo ended the call without responding. He absorbed the pulse of triumph rushing through his bloodstream for a pleasurable second before he exhaled.
His plan was far from being executed. But this was a brilliant start.
He looked out of the floor to ceiling window at the sparkling pool and the beach beyond and tried to push away the images that had visited him again last night and the single hoarse scream that had woken him.
A full body shudder raked his frame and he shoved a hand through his hair. Although he’d long ago accepted the nightmares as part of his existence, he loathed their presence and the helplessness he felt in those endless moments when he was caught in their grip.
The single therapy session he’d let Ari talk him into attending had mentioned triggers and the importance of anxiety-detectors.
He laughed under his breath. Putting himself within touching distance of the man responsible for those nightmares would be termed as foolhardy by most definitions.
Theo chose to believe that exacting excruciating revenge would heal him. An eye for an eye.
And if he had to suffer a few side-effects during the process, then so be it.
He tensed as his security intercom buzzed. Crossing the vast sun-dappled room, he picked up the handset.
‘Senhor, there’s a Senhorita da Costa here to see you.’
A throb of a different nature invaded his bloodstream. ‘Let her in,’ he instructed.
Replacing the handset, he found himself striding to the front door and out onto his driveway before he realised what he was doing.
Hands on his hips, he watched her tiny green sports car appear on his long driveway. The top was down and the wind was blowing through her loose thick hair. Stylish sunglasses shielded her eyes from him but he knew she was watching him just as he was studying her.
She brought the car to a smooth stop a few feet from him and turned off the ignition. For several seconds the only sound that impinged on the late morning air was the water cascading from the stone nymph’s urn into the fountain bowl. Then the sound of her seat belt retracting joined the tinkling.
‘You’re late,’ he breathed.
She pulled out her keys and opened her door. ‘It took a while to uproot myself from the only home I’ve ever known,’ she said waspishly.
A touch from a well-manicured finger and the boot popped open. He strolled forward, viewed its contents and his eyes narrowed.
‘And yet you only packed two suitcases for a three-month stay?’ he remarked darkly. ‘I hope you don’t think you can run back to Pai’s house each time you need a new toothbrush?’
She got out of the car.
From across the width of the open top, she glared at him. ‘I can afford to buy my own toothbrush, thanks,’ she retorted.