Simon slowed the car, and the warehouse came into sight. On the drive from Sydney, they had stopped at this deserted stretch of rolling hills, with no other buildings in sight. The day before the place was unremarkable, but today, the still quiet of the property was more sinister than serene. The sun blazed down on the long, dusty driveway, leading the way to the hulking metal building. No cars parked in front, no signs of life.
“The place looks deserted,” she said. “It’s hard to believe drug trafficking or anything illegal would go through here.”
“That’s probably the idea.” He turned down the driveway.
They followed the dirt tracks around the side of the quiet building, passing enormous doors, bare, closed.
As they circled to the back, more cars became visible. As promised, two men stood in front of an unmarked metal door, smoking cigarettes in the shade of the building. Simon pulled up next to the place and turned off the engine. She reached for the door handle but Simon stopped her, resting his hand on her leg. He took off his sunglasses.
“I don’t want anything to happen to you, Mari,” he said, his hard voice clashing with the comfort of the slow stroke of his thumb on her thigh. “No risks. If I say we leave, we go. I need you to promise me that.”
She swallowed. “Okay. Yes.”
He held her gaze for an extra beat, then put on his sunglasses and opened his car door.
The heat of the day flooded in, the summer sun heavy and oppressive in the dusty parking lot. She climbed out of the car. The hot ground radiated through her shoes. Simon waited for her in front of the car, his expression blank.
Today she was taking control of her life. She was putting herself at risk in exchange for the possibility of uncovering a lie her father’s business or maybe even her whole life was built on. Little would surprise her about William at this point, but was she ready to uncover another, darker side to her father? Probably not. She probably never would be. But that wasn’t a good enough excuse to run from the truth.
Marianna took a calming breath and started forward. Simon followed close behind, his big body hovering just out of sight. But she felt him there, on high alert. He had been watchful back at the hotel, but that wasn’t even close to the presence she felt right now. Thank God one of them was ready for this.
The men at the door watched their approach, sizing both of them up. One was clearly in charge, as tall as Simon and bigger around. He was dressed in a T-shirt, jeans and something like a cowboy hat that probably had another name here in Australia. Though his posture was relaxed, his gaze held enoughI’m not fucking aroundto suggest otherwise. When they came close, he flicked his cigarette onto the ground and put it out with a big black boot. He pushed off the building and faced them.
“G’day,” he said, nodding. His gaze traveled up and down both of them, cool, assessing. He folded his arms. “What can I do for ya?”
He gave her another appraising glance and lifted his eyebrow. Simon moved a little closer to her, his own brand ofI’m not fucking aroundradiating from him. Better to get this moving before it devolved.
“I’m Marianna Ruiz,” she said, her voice steady. “I have a meeting with Joseph Goodwin today, but I got the time mixed up. Can you check if he’ll see me now?”
The guy nodded and took her in one more time, slowly. A low grumble came from Simon’s direction, but he didn’t move. Finally, the guy pulled a phone out of his back pocket and dialed.
“Marianna Ruiz... One more, a bodyguard...” He glanced at Simon, and the corners of his mouth twitched. “...Got it.”
He shoved his phone back into his pocket.
“I’m going to pat you both down.”
The leader watched as two guys frisked Simon, then her. They nodded to the leader, and the guy gestured to the metal door. “Goodwin’s office is at the end of the hall. Walk right in.”
With a last pointed look at the guard, Simon pulled open the door, and Marianna stepped into the warehouse. She took a couple strides as Simon followed her in and then stopped. Though there were no windows, the place was brightly lit with skylights and sectioned off into a couple glass conference rooms with modern furniture. Not the usual dimly illuminated hallway and concrete floor of a warehouse.
This was it. Her best opportunity to find out what William was up to. To understand what Ruiz Imports was really about. To see if she had anything left to hang on to.
“Not your typical warehouse office,” she whispered, her voice quivering a little.
“Nope.” Simon took a step closer. The warmth of his body behind hers brought her shoulders down a notch. She could do this.
“They have money.”
“Yep.” Simon’s voice was close, soft and low in her ear and his hand brushed the arch of her back. “We need to keep moving, Mari. We want to get out of here as soon as possible. Before the shipment gets close.”
He was right. Marianna straightened up and smoothed her suit, then started forward, her footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. She had sat across the table from presidential candidates and A-list actors and had never felt this mix of nervous dread. She had never once doubted her role, that what she was doing was good. But if this was the world of illegal trade, Marianna was so out of her element. Her heart hammered in her chest.
She could do this. She was raised to put on a good show. Except the stakes were higher now. Her own safety could rest on this performance. And Simon’s. While she could trust Goodwin’s loyalty to her, she wasn’t sure it would extend to Simon.
Oh, God. Simon, who thought her plan was half-baked and far too risky, was still standing beside her. The weight of what she had asked from him crashed down on her.
Put yourself in danger for me.
