Everything inside her had gone cold and still. "Kidnapped," she said numbly, eyes glued to the screen.
Mariano shoved a hand through his thick hair. "The access codes to the money are somewhere in a hard disk," he explains. "That's what your husband stole. The disk has a tracker which can only be activated once someone tries to access the information on it. I'm pretty sure he planned to wait till the dust settles before activating the codes. He didn't expect anyone to survive his rotten schemes. Their demands are simple. We return the disk, and you get your sister back."
"If we don't, she dies," she added, her mind beginning to work overtime. Gemma had been kidnapped. Her baby sister, her friend, and once again, Maximo was behind this. Maybe not directly this time around, but his greed had gotten her in this position again.
Tears pressed against the back of her eyes. She would not let them fall, not now. Not here, not in front of him. Aside his charm, grace, and generosity in bed, she knew little or nothing about Mariano Barrera. Yes, he had archives of information on the internet, but just like her husband, the media only knew what they're been fed. What they're been made to believe. He probably was like his old man. Greedy, deceptive, and ruthless. What was in it for him? Why was he sounding like he wants to help? He didn't care for his father nor her sister, so why was he doing this? Why had he brought her here?
"Aurora," he said, taking her arm.
She jerked away and hugged her arms tightly around her body, wondering when he'd stretched out his hand to her. "Leave me alone."
"I apologize if this news hurts you."
She speared him with a glare. A blurry glare, since her eyes were swimming in moisture. "If? My sister is in danger. Of course, the news hurts me. You don't care, so spare me your insincerity. Besides, how do I know this isn't all you?" she got to her feet. "Perhaps you are doing this for the money too."
He frowned, feeling insulted. "I'm a billionaire."
"When has that stopped anyone of your kind from making more money?" she retorts. "Didn't you say the missing money runs into trillions? That will double your net worth in a heartbeat."
He got to his feet, matching the intensity of her gaze. "While I honestly don't care what you think of me, I find the need to remind you of the man you're speaking with. I'm not the greedy old man you call, husband."
"No. You're not." her head shook. "You're just my son-in-law. A son-in-law who I fucked by the way."
He closed the distance between them quickly and slipped an arm around her waist. His gaze dropped to her lips. "Is it really necessary to rehash that trauma again?"
"Trauma?" she breathed. "Poor little Mariano. It was so traumatic, you wanted an entire affair."
With a tug, she was flush against him, hands against his chest. They were still as hard as she remembered. And his cologne, that scrumptious scent she'd sniffed all through their lovemaking that night, assailed her senses again.
Stop it! She cautioned herself. How could she possibly find him sexy at a time like this?
"Let go of me." she attempted a shove. He didn't budge. "My sister has been kidnapped, and my husband is wounded. This isn't the time for this stupidity."
His fingers traced her jaw, slid into the hair at her nape. "The same thing I've been telling myself since we collided down that hill. This isn't the time, Mariano." His gaze dropped to her lips again. "Get over it, Mariano. She's nothing but a whore."
She knew she should pull away when his lips crashed into hers. She should pull away and strike him across the face for the insult, but it was physically impossible. Not because he held her too tightly, but because her body was zinging with sparks that she didn't want to end.
His tongue slipped into her mouth, and she met him stroke for stroke. He smelled so good, like spice and a cold winter night, yet he was as hot as a volcanic eruption. His skin sizzled into her where she touched him with her bare hands. She wanted to slip the jacket from his arms, wanted to rip off his shirt so she could glimpse at his bare chest again.
His hands slid into her hair, tugged her head back. His mouth left hers, forged a trail of fire along her jaw, the column of her throat. Her head fell to one side, giving him greater access. He made a sound of approval, and she opened her eyes—just for a moment—and found herself staring at the second most erotic scene she'd ever personally experienced. A mirror on the opposite wall caught their reflection and shone it back at her. It was like a scene out of one of those books she'd read. The gorgeous man holds the woman in his embrace, a woman whose dark hair flowed wildly over her shoulders, whose eyes sparkled with passion as the man's mouth moved across her skin.
It was exotic and beautiful.
And wrong. Very, very, wrong! What the hell was going on with her?! Her sister was missing! Gemma would be terrified, praying someone, anyone would save her. From the picture, it's clear she had a broken nose, she was bleeding and in a whole world of pain. But what was her older sister doing, instead of going in search of her? Committing the most abominable act yet!
"Let me go," she whispered. Mariano didn't catch the command. Her hands curled into fists against his hard chest. And then she pushed. "I said let me go!"
He took a step back, eyes hot, glittering as he straightened to his full height and glared down at her.
She took a step back and pointed a finger at him. "You're not allowed to touch me again. Not even by accident," she said with as much dignity as she could summon. "I'm going to find my sister."
Mariano shoved a hand through his hair again. "And where do you suppose she might be kept? Under a rock? You can't do this on your own, Aurora."
She turned to pick up his phone from the seat she'd vacated. "Who said I'll be doing this alone? I'm taking this to the cops. They'll help get my sister back. Hopefully, I won't have to see your face again after that."
His gaze sharpened. "That's a stupid idea and you know it. But clearly, you wish to keep up with the good girl act, so you choose to play stupid. I wonder who you are trying to fool."
Aurora stomped her foot. It was childish, she knew, but it was instinctive. She couldn't stop herself whenever she was angry or nervous—though anger was not the dominant emotion at the moment. "I'm not stupid! And I'm certainly not going to stick around with you, or your father! I'm going to do what I should've done the first time your father stole from me! I'm going to the cops! And don't you dare try to stop me!"
She turned, headed for the exit when he suddenly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back. "If you wish to gamble with the life of your sister, that's fine. But I won't let you drag Laura down with her," he warned.
"Laura?" she arched a brow. "Why Laura?"
He let go of her arm. "You wanted to know why I bothered, right? Why I got myself involved with a man I'll rather not be caught dead with? The answer is simple. The bastard got my kid sister involved in this mess too. They have Laura and were so sure you'll run off to do something stupid at the first chance you get. Should that happen, they hurt her. So I'm sorry but you won't be speaking with the cops."
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