Page 37 of Game of Revenge

Alejandro grabbed Juan by his collar while two of the men were doing their best to hold him back but failing to control him.

“Si te atreves a estar aunque sea a diez metros de ella, te juro que te mato.”

Sheer terror crossed Juan’s face. Alejandro had promised to kill him if he ever got remotely close to me again. When Juan was out of sight, Alejandro turned to me. I was holding the stair rail for support, my knuckles pale, feeling like I was about to collapse. Alejandro ran up the stairs in a couple seconds and grabbed me.

“You’re okay. Come here.”

He gently lifted me in his arms. I rested my face on his chest and closed my eyes, trying to stop the spinning. Alejandro put me down in his bed with some pillows behind my back so I could stay in a sitting position. He went to get a glass of water and brought it to me.

“Drink it slowly.”

I took a few sips and gave him the glass back.

Alejandro sat next to me on the bed. He tenderly caressed my face. I closed my eyes, enjoying the heat emanating from his touch.

“Better?”

“Yes, better.”

“I am so sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“For not believing you.” He paused. “If Juan had hurt you, I don’t…I don’t know what I would do.”

I searched his eyes for humor or sarcasm, but none of that was there.

Alejandro moved closer, grabbed my face with his other hand, and bent my head toward his. He leaned down and opened my lips with his. I felt his need as his tongue took and sucked, wanting to possess me. My body came alive. I pulled him closer to me, burying my hand in his hair. He groaned and intensified his kiss.

“Hmm, mi niña, you can’t,” he grunted. “You can’t exert yourself too much,” he muttered against my lips.

But lips still parted, I was struggling to calm down and lower my heart rate. He was right. I was enjoying the rush, but my head was still spinning.

“But I so want to,” I whispered.

Alejandro groaned and grabbed my lips again passionately, aggressively, melting every inch of my body into his.

“Fuck,” he said, pulling away, jaw tight, trying to exercise control, both of us panting.

I wanted to pull him to me again, but he was right. I had to close my eyes not to faint. Alejandro kissed my forehead.

“I do feel a little lightheaded,” I admitted.

I snuggled my head into his neck to try to calm down and get back to a steady breathing rhythm. Alejandro ran his hand up and down my back in tender strokes. I was enjoying the warmth from his touch, the strength of his arms, focusing on that feeling of comfort. Eventually, I started to fall asleep. Alejandro slowly fixed the pillows and laid me down. Eyes half open, I held his hand and faintly smiled at him. How was I ever to fall asleep again without the feeling of him by my side?

Chapter 17

The nap had served its purpose. When Dolores woke me up, I felt better than I had in days. She brought me a light sandwich and a side of fruit. Alejandro was no longer in the room. I felt at peace, replaying that kiss in my head over and over again. Alejandro had made me feel wanted and cared for.

I was trying to focus on that, on how he made me feel, but I couldn’t stop the picture of the dead man from coming to my memory every now and then. I didn’t think Alejandro had killed him, but I had no way of really knowing.

Perhaps if I found out the identity of that man, I could try to find out how he died. Why would Alejandro keep a picture of someone that he killed? Also, whose diamonds were those? I had forgotten about the picture of the diamonds! I was sure I had seen that bag before. But where would I have seen something like that?

“Richard!” Richard had had that bag on his table in his office one time. I felt my heart drop to my stomach at the realization. Richard had that bag!

I had asked him about it, and he had told me that it was a watch! It was the same bag with the letters MFG on it. It couldn’t be a coincidence. I had watched Richard put the bag in the safe he hid behind his movable bookshelf. That wasn’t the only safe he had in his office, and certainly not the most secret one, but it was where he kept his jewelry, so I didn’t think anything of it. I hadn’t even asked to see the watch, having no interest in Richard's affairs. I had just assumed it was from his watch collection and gave it no thought back then.

A few days later, as I was perusing the library, unbeknownst to him, I saw him move a few items from the safe behind the bookshelf to the one hidden low in the wall, behind a big faux plant. I didn’t think much of that either—Richard was always suspicious of the help, after all. Assuming I was right, Alejandro must have found out about those diamonds and kidnapped me for Richard to give them to him.