Domina was so certain Trev and Austin wouldn’t judge me for what I did. But I can’t take that risk. Not until she’s safe.
“Until what?” Trevor asks.
I shrug. “Until I stopped drinking. But the memories were just too much. I thought I could start over here. Alone. Then I met Domina.” I turn to him, desperate to fix whatever I broke between us. “She’s everything I never knew I needed. I can’t protect her without you, Trev.”
He meets my gaze, and where I expect to find pity, there’s only understanding. “You don’t have to. You’re not alone, Leo. You never were.”
* * *
Domina rollsa small suitcase behind her when she and Austin return, then disappears into my bedroom. I shoot Austin a questioning look, but he grins and shakes his head. “I’ll tell you what I told Griff when I sent him to protect a model in Zurich last year. Three days into the assignment, he knew Sloane was it for him. They’ve been together ever since, and I’ve never seen him happier.”
Three days?
I’m shocked, until I realize I’ve only known Domina for six.
“What we do, the stress we’re under, the danger we’re in every day when we’re on mission? It cuts through all the bullshit you’d find in anormalrelationship. Helps you see what really matters.”
“She matters. She’s all that matters.” Before Austin can give me shit for falling so fast and hard, it makes my head spin, I stagger into the kitchen for a can of club soda and a protein bar. We still need to call Cortez—or try to—and I’m fading fast. Five hours of sleep after what those assholes did to me isn’t nearly enough.
At the table, Austin plugs his phone into his laptop. “We’ll try Cortez first. If he won’t take my call, it’s back to President Garcia.”
“Back? What the fuck happened while I was…gone?”
Domina trails her hand down my arm, and I stifle my flinch. She’s on my right side, and I didn’t see—or hear—her come into the room. “Austin threatened to tell the press that Garcia bribed his opponent in the last presidential race. Five million dollars.”
Sadness laces her tone, and I turn so I can see her eyes. “You liked Garcia.”
With a sigh, she nods. “He has been good for Panama. Under his administration, we rose from 75thin the world for education to 53rd. He championed prison reform, better healthcare, lower cost prescription drugs… So much has changed, and Manuel has pledged to continue his work—and do even more.” Domina slides her arm around my waist and curls into me. “No politician is perfect. Not even Cortez. But I thought…”
“I read people for a living, Domina. Or…I used to. You’re right. Every politician on the planet has…issues. But Cortez is a good man. I’d bet my left eye he wasn’t the one to fire you. And once he finds out who did…Rafaelis going to be looking for a new job by morning.”
The look she gives me? Gratitude and respect with maybe…a hint of love. I don’t deserve it, but I’ll take it for as long as she’s willing to stay with me.
“We ready?” Austin asks. “I’m putting the call on speaker.”
I pop the top on the club soda. With my arm around Domina’s shoulders, we make our way to the table and sit side-by-side, close enough I can hold her hand.
“Are you certain he’ll even take our call?” Domina asks. “It’s almost 9:00 p.m.”
“Perfect time to catch him unawares.” Austin dials, and after the first ring, levels us with a stern gaze. “Leo, don’t go off on him.”
“No guarantees. He had to know what happened to me. And Domina.”
“Vice President Cortez’s office,” a man says in lightly accented Spanish. “How can I help you?”
“This is Major General Austin Pritchard, formerly with the United States Joint Special Operations Command. I need to speak to the Vice President immediately. It’s a matter of National Security.”
After a pause, the man clears his throat. “The Vice President asked not to be disturbed, sir. If you’d like to leave a message—”
“Did you listen to a word I said, son?” Austin’s voice gets deeper, full of the authority that only comes from leading the entire military infrastructure of the United States, and his Spanish is flawless. “I oversaw SEAL Team 6. Delta Force. And I’m telling you that Cortez is in danger and he’s going to want to take my call. Or did you forget that he was nearly assassinated less than twenty-four hours ago? I can have my president call yours, but that’s just going to end badly for you.”
“Please…please hold, sir. One moment.” The aide sounds terrified now, and when Austin jabs the mute button, I chuckle.
“You practice that speech in the mirror or something?” I ask.
I don’t think I saw the man smile once in Venezuela, but now, it comes easy to him. “When you go from one of the top military commanders in the country to a civvie, you gotta get shit done somehow.”
“Sir?” the aide says. “I am transferring you now.”
