Page 24 of Reckless Woman

“Explain.”

“Look at the figures.” He taps his finger on the bottom line. “They may as well be stamped with Mickey Mouse logos, for all the sense they make. Exports costs are usually double,triple, what they’d agreed on. My guess is it was a tradeoff for something much bigger. Both Gomez Senior and Junior betrayed the Santiago cartel, which gets me thinking—”

My cell starts buzzing in my pocket. It’s my guy on the inside at Anna’s rehab.

“I need to take this.”

Roman nods. “Go ahead. I’ll wait.”

“Simon.”

“Did you get my messages?” He sounds rattled and pissed.

“What messages?” I demand.

“I left you about a dozen.”

Wrenching the iPhone away from my ear, I check the screen. There are hundreds of missed calls, emails and messages—

“There was a surprise arrival in the group session.”

“Who?”

“Viviana Santiago.”

My stomach drops. “What thefuck?”

“Bitch waltzed into a group session like she owned the place, which judging by the size of the bribe she made at the front desk, she more or less does. They’ve been inseparable all evening.”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Since Colombia I’ve been monitoring Anna’s calls. I’ve been trying to carve out some distance between her and Viviana.

I should have seen this coming.

If I wasn’t so drunk all the time trying to deal with my own shit, I might have.

She’s my priority. Not me.

“Where are they now?”

“In the cafeteria having dinner.”

“Don’t let them leave together under any circumstance. I’m flying back to Miami now.”

Hanging up, I kick the door open and stand there in the middle of Fifth Avenue, breathing fumes. It’s the height of summer in Manhattan—a melting pot of heat and humidity. This New York minute is saturated with it.

Viviana played me.

She fucking played me.

She slid right into the gap I left by Anna’s side like a bullet into a well-greased chamber.

Roman exits the car after me and leans against the side of the SUV with his hands in his suit pants’ pockets.Does he think I’m close to the edge too?I wouldn’t blame him if he did. I can’t stop pacing.

I spin around. “I need to get back to Miami.”

“So I gather.”