“That’s too bad.” I paused. “You know this isn’t going to work out well for either of you.”
“What can I say? We can both be stubborn at times.”
“You should walk away from this while you still can.”
“Are you saying if I left, you wouldn’t come after me?”
“I’m saying there are limits to my jurisdiction.”
“You don’t strike me as the type of man who lets limits get in his way. There is a part of me that would be a little disappointed if you didn't continue to chase me. I might feel like I was unimportant.”
I laughed. "I think you will always be important.”
Catalina smirked.
"Why did you come here?”
"Isn't it obvious? I'm a fan of Wild Fury." Then she added, "And I wanted to see you."
We stared into each other's eyes for a long moment.
I broke my gaze to look around and check my surroundings again, ever on high alert.
"Relax, nobody's going to try anything here. Theoretically, the closer we are, the less likely an assassin's bullet will find you. Nobody's foolish enough to take the risk.”
"What if you get on your father's bad side?”
She laughed. "You’re talking about blood. As far as my father's concerned, nothing’s thicker."
"This isn’t a game.”
"Yes, it is. And we both like playing.”
She had a point. We were both adrenaline junkies and liked to push the limit. We liked to live on the edge.
"You shouldn’t have come,” I said.
"It's a free country. And don't lie, you’re happy to see me," she said with a sparkle in her eyes.
"No, I'm not," I lied.
Catalina laughed again, knowing better. "You know we could escape.”
"Escape?”
"Find a remote tropical island. Nothing but sun, sand, and surf. And perhaps a lot of something else that starts with S. Or, if you're a winter person, we could disappear into the mountains. The cool, crisp air. Fresh powder. Hot chocolate by a roaring fire. A bearskin rug. That could be equally fun.”
"It's a fantasy."
"Everybody should have one. I'm quite fond of fantasies. Besides, reality is overrated.”
"At some point, we all have to face the truth."
"There is no truth. Only subjective interpretations of reality.”
I gave her a look.
"Oh, live a little. Loosen up. Have fun.”
