“Maybe not at first,” he agreed, “but they took your purse and wallet.”
“They did.The men could’ve made the connection after seeing my name if they were familiar with my family.I’m not certain why it would matter given we were estranged.”
“Maybe you weren’t targeted by them, but once they discovered your identity, they could’ve used it to their advantage.Your father is a wealthy man.”
“Si.And they did handle me differently from the others.The first few weeks, I was recovering from a head wound.”Her gaze briefly landed on his own bandaged arm before she continued.“I thought perhaps that was why they left me alone in the bedroom.I’m no good to them injured or dead, no?I heard others crying or screaming—women who were raped in the home.They didn’t harm me in that way,” she said, clearly seeing the question in his eyes.“I was never assaulted, even though I feared it every day.Then the very last night, after the club—”
She got choked up, and Harrison reached across the table, putting his hand over her own.His hand covered hers completely.She didn’t appear frightened though, just sucked in a deep breath and swiped a tear away.“Sorry,” she said.
“You’re allowed to feel however you want to feel.There’s no need to apologize for it.”
She shifted, clutching onto his hand.It wasn’t a romantic gesture.He could tell she wanted support for what she was about to say.“A man almost attacked me on my last night there—well, one of the last nights.They made me dress up for the night club in a skimpy dress and heels.After we got back to the home, one of the men came into my bedroom.I had nowhere to hide or run.He closed the bedroom door and trapped me—he stripped me of all my clothes.He was going to hurt me.”
Harrison grew tense at her words, rage coursing through him.She noticed, and put her other hand atop his.How ironic that Luciana was now trying to soothe him instead.“Another man stopped it.I don’t know why,” she admitted.“If he hadn’t come in, I’m certain I would’ve been raped.”She pulled her hands free, clutching them together on the table, her eyes downcast.
He was silent, rage coursing through him.The helplessness he felt listening to her was surprising.She was safe here in his home, but knowing she’d been violated like that made him see red.“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice gruff.
“I don’t know what became of that man.I was with two different men the night on the outskirts of Panama City.There are multiple men out scouting the area—stealing women.They are bold and brash and fear no repercussions.”
“They didn’t expect us to show up,” Harrison said.
“Not at all.The night felt like any other until I awoke.Maybe I sensed something was about to happen.”
“You heard us outside?”
“Perhaps.I had been asleep and couldn’t figure out why I was awake.Usually, I’m awoken by my nightmares.Last night was different.I woke up, and then my entire life changed.”
Her admission hit him straight in the chest.Imagine if he hadn’t gone to her, and she’d still been a hostage in that house of horrors.All he knew was that he’d had an urgent need to get to her.It hadn’t made sense, logically, aside from finishing the mission.It could’ve cost him his career, but seeing her before him right now was worth everything.
“When I was growing up, I wasn’t allowed to know what was going on in my family’s home either.My home life wasn’t ever normal.Strange men would come and go at all hours.I’d hear my father yelling at them, and I’d hide in my room, too scared to leave my bed.”
“But you eventually left.”
“Si.When I was old enough to make my own way in life, I left and never looked back.I never knew exactly who the men in our home were, but I suspect now they were part of a cartel.”
“Your father’s in real estate,” Harrison said.
“Yes, publicly.Privately, I believe he’s involved in something far more sinister.”
Harrison cleared his throat.“After doing some background research, I discovered that your father owns a shadow company that’s involved in large quantities of real estate sales.It was an excessive amount.No normal investor would be having that number of yearly transactions.”
“I suppose that’s why he’d attempt to hide it,” Luciana said with a frown.
“Agreed.I’m under the impression he’s also attempting to hide other dealings he’s involved with—something other than real estate.”
“Drugs?”Luciana asked.“Women?If my father is involved with the cartels, which I have no proof of, perhaps the properties he buys involve them in some capacity.”
“That’s my suspicion.”
“I saw someone I recognized at the nightclub,” Luciana suddenly said.“It was one of my father’s men.I’m certain of it.We locked eyes for a moment, and then he disappeared into the crowd.It’s been years, but I swear I’d know his face anywhere.I have no idea what he was doing there.”
They were silent for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts.Harrison’s mind ran over various possibilities, none of which he wanted to broach at the moment.Luciana had been through hell, and he wanted her to get settled in tonight.His gaze ran over her as she looked out into his backyard.Luciana’s hair was drying in the warm air, and she absentmindedly ran her fingers through it.The scent of shampoo drifted across the table, and Harrison was reminded yet again how she’d used his.Maybe it made him a cave man, but he liked that she smelled like him.
In a different life, he could see himself chasing after a woman like her.She was gorgeous, no doubt, but smart and no-nonsense, too.She’d never take his bullshit, and if he’d ever settled down, he would’ve needed a strong woman like her.He could tell they’d have passion both in and out of the bedroom.They’d had a connection from the moment they met, that inexplicable chemistry you sometimes had with another person.He felt protective of her, but that hadn’t stopped his blood from heating anytime she was near.
“Sorry about the shampoo and soap situation,” he said.“I assume you don’t usually want to smell like pine.”
To his surprise, she blushed.“I do not mind it so much.When they took me to the nightclub, they made me apply lots of makeup and perfume.I couldn’t wait to scrub it all off and just be myself.Natural.”
