Chapter 39 Àlvaro's Pov.
I reached for the package on top of my desk, I paused, questioning if this was a good decision. My fingers hovered over the brand new phone. I've had it for quite a while now but I knew I needed to do something for her. I needed to reward her for how she handled Leonardo.
I grabbed it and walked back to where she sat at the dining table. This was against every rule I'd ever made. But maybe it would ease something inside of her.
She looked up when I entered, brows furrowed as her eyes dropped to the device in my hand.
“Is that a phone?” She asked slowly as if unsure if it was real.
“You said you wanted one, didn't you?” I muttered, setting it down on the table beside her.
Her eyes widened and I saw the happiness in them but she didn't move right away. She was trying to decide if this was a trick.
“It's not tapped and yes you can call whoever you want to. I'll give you space.”
My sources over in Spain had gotten back to me about her background. Her mother and brother posed no threats at all and her two remaining useless friends here in Miami were all too happy to remain quiet with a fat sum of money. Those were literally the only people she knew in case she decided to call any one of them.
She swallowed hard. “Why did you change your mind? Are you doing this because you feel guilty asking me to shoot Leonardo?"
She was right in a way but I didn't answer. I just turned and walked to the far end of the living room, pretending to check my watch, pretending that I wasn't listening even though all the muscle in my body was tuned to her.
She opened the package with shaky hands and picked up the phone.
She immediately dialed a number and held it to her ear.
“Mamá? Mamá, soy yo.” She choked out, her voice trembling. (Mum? mum, it's me)
I closed my eyes.
There was a long pause then the sobs came. Not loud, but soft like she was trying to hold herself together but failing woefully.
“Mum, I'm okay. No, no, don't cry. I'm okay I promise. I just lost my phone.” She lied blatantly while still controlling her sobs.
That twist in my chest tightened.
And then she chuckled slightly. “Estoy viva, mamá. Please tell Hector I love him. I miss you both so much.”
(I'm alive, mama)
Hector. That should be her brother.
Her voice broke again. “I don't know when I'll be visiting next. But I'm alive. That's all that matters now.”
I turned my back to her. I couldn't watch. It made something inside me ache in a way that I wasn't prepared for.
After a few minutes of catching up, she soon hung up and when I turned around, her eyes were red but grateful. Her voice was soft when she said, “Thank you.”
I didn't answer right away. I just nodded.
I had taken her, stolen her from her world and yet somehow, with that single look, that single thank you, she was the one who had the power now.
And I was stuck figuring out how to take it back.
I walked over to her to sit on the chair opposite her. I knew my face was etched in worry but I couldn't help it.
"Listen, Camilla, I took you away from everything you know and is used to but from now on, I don't want you to ever feel like a prisoner here."
Camilla’s Pov.
I glanced up at him. He had on some piercings. A shiny stud was placed in his right ear and another above his left eyebrow. He looked exactly like the gangster he was.
I flushed at his words. I didn't know how to respond to that. I looked away from him, glancing down at the mafia tattoo on my wrist. I rubbed it with my index finger.
He might say whatever he wanted but this tattoo had a cruel way of reminding me that I belonged to him. I was forever his prisoner.
“I have a few things to check on. I'll be back as soon as I can.” He said as he suddenly stood up. "I only came by to give that to you." He said, pointing at the phone still in my hand.
“Where are you going?”
This was the first I was seeing him in almost a week and I was beginning to get tired of being kept out of the loop of whatever was going on.
He subconsciously raised a pierced brow but quickly smoothed it. He obviously wasn't used to people questioning him.
“The warehouse.”
“Can I come with you?”
He straightened out his jacket and ran his fingers through his hair. I had been so engrossed in my own personal emotions that having to speak with my mum after so long brought about that I didn't see the turmoil going on with him. He looked distressed.
“The warehouse is no place for you right now, Camilla and the less you know, the better.”
I was sick and tired of everyone telling me that.
“What the fuck is going on?”
He hesitated as if he didn't want to tell me but then he spoke.
“I got information back from Alessandro, my new IT guy since you know we lost Damien during the Russian attack. He told me about the possible source of the mole we've been trying to track down. He was able to configure the IP address to a specific network along with the usage of our Wi-Fi. Then through the process of elimination, he drew it down to two people.”
“Who?” I asked curiously, drinking up the fact that he was actually talking to me about this.
“Santiago or Trey.”
My brows pinched together. I didn't know who Trey was but Santiago?
“Santiago wouldn't do that. Would he?”
“In this industry, who knows?”
I knew that Santiago wouldn't betray him like that. They were literally like brothers! It had to be Trey or whoever that is.
“Why would you think that he would ever do something like that?”
“I don't want to believe he has anything to do with this but I also can't let our friendship and loyalty to each other stand in the way of my investigation.”
I found myself blinking because it all sounded crazy to me. The Santiago I knew would never turn his back on Àlvaro.
“So what's your game plan, now?”
“Like I said, the less you know, the better.”
Asshole!
And just like that, he turned and left the dining room.