“Give me the ring,” he said.
And my world came crashing down.
Prince Walker
Give me Space
“It’s done,” Andy said when I picked up the phone the next afternoon. I heaved a sigh of relief and rubbed my eyes. “You realize you took a five-bar knock on this thing, right? That baby was worth twenty-five million. If you’d waited a day, I could have got you double,” he added.
“It doesn’t matter,” I responded. It didn’t. The funds were ready to be wired, and that’s all I cared about. “Have you done the rest?”
Andy was silent a moment and then replied, “Yes. My contact at the agency has called in some ‘freelance’ associates. They handle this sort of thing all the time.” I mulled over his words for a second. Andy never ceased to amaze me with his circle of “friends” in high – and often low – places.
When I’d called him that morning to tell him what had happened, he’d gone through the roof. And then he’d pulled himself together, and we’d sat down and figured out how to resolve the problem.
The pink stone in the engagement ring I’d given Sasha when we’d publicly announced our engagement had been hotly bid over on auction. I knew there were buyers waiting in the wings. Andy was right. I could have gotten more if I’d waited just a few more hours. They were hours Sasha’s brother didn’t have. The deal was to go down this afternoon.
“They’ll be heading over the border by noon,” he said. “The funds will be wired, they’ll make the exchange, and your boy will be free.”
Thank God.
“And if there are problems?” I asked. I could imagine that a man like Gutierrez was the type to have some tricks up his sleeve.
“They’re ready for every scenario,” Andy said. “These guys are good, Prince. They just handled a retrieval in Mozambique – and there, the guys hadn’t even planned on letting their girls go. They’ll do the job, buddy.”
I remembered the event Andy was talking about. An extremist group had snatched dozens of young girls and held them captive. The global sigh of relief at their safe return was still making headlines. If we had their rescuers on our side, Emilio Ramirez probably had a fighting chance of getting out alive. Which would give me a chance to get my hands on him myself and kill the little fucker for what he’d done to Sasha. Fucking idiot.
“So, how do we get in touch with these guys to confirm it’s all gone down?” I ask Andy.
“We don’t,” he answered. “They’ll go in and do their jobs. We’ll be sent word. After that, they disappear. The less you know, the better. Plausible deniability and all that crap. You know what I mean.” His words were terse and to the point. I knew he was still pissed about this situation. I couldn’t blame him. This little episode had the potential to blow our deal out of the water.
A movement in the doorway to my workspace caught my eye. Sasha was hovering at the threshold uncertainly. I ended the call with Andy and looked over at her.
“May I come in?” she asked hesitantly. I gave a nod. She was dressed to go out. She had a show scheduled, which she’d wanted to get out of, but Andy had been adamant that we maintain a façade of life as usual.
“It’s been arranged,” I told her when she reached the side of my desk. “We’ll be sent word when he’s released.”
She sagged with relief. “Thank you, ” she said softly. I tried to unclench my jaw but couldn’t seem to relax enough to do it. “I have to go now,” she continued. “Horatio’s taking me through to Ardmore for the new product launch.” I nodded curtly, and she put her hand on my arm. Once again, I couldn’t bring myself to soften. When I looked down at her fingers, she lifted them away.
Maybe I was being an ass right now, but it was just too hard to look past this betrayal. After she’d given me the ring last night, we hadn’t said another word. Though it had been clear to me that she was shaken when she thought I was asking for my grandmother’s engagement ring back. That wasn’t my intention, but I’d been too angry to discuss the matter further. Maybe she needed a few hours to stew about what she’d done. I knew I definitely needed time to think things through.
When she’d told me she’d be sleeping in her own room – the room that had been hers those first days – that had suited me. The space gave me room to breathe. Being around her clouded my judgment. In the face of this latest disaster, that was obviously the case. I’d let her distract me.
“I’ve moved my things back to my room,” she said now. “It’s probably better…that I stay there now?”
I shrugged. “Suit yourself,” I said, feeling myself grow colder.Fine. Pack your fucking things while you’re at it.I kept my thoughts to myself. I was upset, but I didn’t mean that.
“Alec, I…” Her words trailed off. What was there to say, anyway? She’d already done enough.
“What, Sasha?” I snapped. She shook her head.
“Nothing. I was just…” She stopped again. “Well, I’ll see you later at the show?”
“I have work to do,” I muttered, ignoring the question and turning my back on her. “I’d prefer it if you didn’t bother me in my office anymore. We already discussed this when you arrived. My space is off-limits.” I heard her suck in a breath, but I didn’t care. Probably another of her little acts to draw on my sympathies. I’d spent my life being a money pit for women just like her. Losing my heart to one of them was the worst mistake of my life.
Sasha Ramirez
Girls like You
