Chapter 2 The Man from the Torrez Family
2057 Words
Kyle Andrew Torrez hated wasting time.
He hated unnecessary meetings.
He hated people who talked too much.
And, above all, he hated being told what to do.
Unfortunately, being the eldest son of the Torrez family meant that people had spent his entire life telling him what to do.
“Mr. Torrez, your father wants you at the dinner tonight.”
“No.”
“Your mother specifically asked—”
“No.”
“Your grandmother will be disappointed.”
Kyle didn’t even look up from his tablet.
“She’ll survive.”
The man standing across his office sighed.
“Your family has been trying to arrange a meeting with the Javier representatives for weeks.”
That finally made Kyle look up.
His dark eyes hardened.
“The Javiers?”
“Yes.”
Kyle leaned back in his chair.
The name alone was enough to change the atmosphere.
The Torrez and Javier families had been rivals for years.
Real estate.
Hotels.
Investments.
Construction.
Finance.
Their businesses crossed paths often enough that even a small disagreement could become a war.
Kyle tapped his fingers against the desk.
“What do they want?”
“They haven’t said.”
“Then I don’t care.”
“Sir—”
“I said I don’t care.”
The man nodded reluctantly.
“Understood.”
He turned toward the door.
“Kyle.”
The voice came from behind him.
Kyle’s younger sister, Ivy, stood in the doorway.
The employee immediately excused himself.
When they were alone, Ivy crossed her arms.
“You know, most people say good morning before terrifying their employees.”
Kyle returned his attention to the tablet.
“Good morning.”
Ivy smiled.
“That sounded painful.”
“It was.”
She walked into the office.
“You’ve been working since five.”
“And?”
“And you’re going to California.”
Kyle finally looked at her.
“How do you know?”
“Dad told me.”
“Then Dad should have told me.”
“He did.”
Kyle frowned.
“When?”
“This morning.”
“I don’t remember.”
“Because you were on a conference call.”
Kyle sighed.
He pushed his tablet aside.
“How long?”
“Three days.”
“I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“You’re impossible.”
“I’ve been told.”
Ivy laughed.
Then she became serious.
“Be careful.”
Kyle raised an eyebrow.
“Of what?”
“I don’t know.”
She shrugged.
“Something just feels strange.”
Kyle studied her face.
Ivy wasn’t usually nervous.
“Did something happen?”
“No.”
“Then don’t worry.”
“You always say that.”
“Because worrying doesn’t solve anything.”
Ivy looked at him for a moment.
“You know what your problem is?”
Kyle stood.
“I have several.”
“You think nothing can happen to you.”
He smiled faintly.
“Nothing usually does.”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
By noon, Kyle was on his private plane.
He sat beside the window, his jacket folded neatly beside him.
His laptop was open.
His security company had three new contracts waiting for approval.
One was for a multinational corporation.
Another involved a high-profile government client.
The third was overseas.
Kyle reviewed each document with the same calm focus he brought to everything.
He had always been that way.
Focused.
Disciplined.
Controlled.
His military training had taught him to remain calm when everyone else panicked.
His education at MIT had taught him to analyze problems from every possible angle.
And his family’s wealth had given him access to almost anything he wanted.
But Kyle had never depended entirely on the Torrez fortune.
He had built his own company.
His own reputation.
His own empire.
Security technology.
Cybersecurity.
Private protection.
Surveillance systems.
His company had grown faster than anyone expected.
People called him brilliant.
Some called him ruthless.
Women called him charming.
Kyle didn’t care what they called him.
He had no interest in serious relationships.
Relationships came with complications.
Expectations.
Promises.
Responsibilities.
He preferred simple arrangements.
No promises.
No forever.
No heartbreak.
At least, that was what he believed.
For now.
California greeted him with warm sunlight.
Kyle stepped off the plane and immediately checked his phone.
Three missed calls.
One from his father.
Two from Ivy.
He ignored them.
“Mr. Torrez.”
Kyle looked up.
Three men approached.
His security team.
Marcus, Daniel, and Ethan.
All three had worked with him long enough to understand that Kyle didn’t like unnecessary conversation.
Marcus handed him a folder.
“Everything is prepared.”
Kyle opened it.
“How long to the property?”
“About two hours.”
Kyle nodded.
“Let’s go.”
The drive was quiet.
The city gradually disappeared behind them.
Buildings became trees.
Traffic became empty roads.
The property Kyle was visiting was far from the center of California.
It was private.
Secluded.
Surrounded by thick forest.
The Torrez family had used the place for years.
Kyle had visited several times as a child.
He remembered running through the gardens with Ivy.
His mother shouting at them to slow down.
His father sitting on the terrace with a glass of whiskey.
Those memories felt distant now.
Kyle looked through the window.
Something about the road made him uneasy.
“How much longer?”
“Forty minutes.”
Kyle nodded.
Marcus glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
“Everything okay?”
“Fine.”
“You’ve been quiet.”
“I’m always quiet.”
“Not like this.”
Kyle looked at him.
Marcus immediately focused on the road.
“Never mind.”
Kyle almost smiled.
Then his phone vibrated.
A message from his father.
Don’t go to the property alone. There have been reports of suspicious activity in the area.
Kyle stared at the message.
He typed a reply.
I’m already on the way.
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Another message came.
Kyle, I’m serious.
Kyle locked his phone.
He didn’t tell the others.
There was no reason to alarm them.
His team was trained.
He was trained.
They could handle whatever happened.
At least, that’s what he thought.
Two hours later, the SUV turned onto a narrow road.
The property appeared in the distance.
Kyle noticed something immediately.
The gates were open.
He frowned.
“Stop.”
Marcus stepped on the brakes.
The SUV came to a halt.
Kyle opened the door.
“Stay here.”
Marcus followed him.
“Sir?”
Kyle stared at the gate.
There were no guards.
No vehicles.
No lights.
Nothing.
“Something’s wrong.”
Daniel and Ethan exited the SUV.
All four men moved carefully toward the entrance.
Kyle’s instincts sharpened.
He scanned the area.
Nothing.
Then—
A sound.
Footsteps.
Fast.
Someone was running toward them.
Marcus immediately reached for his weapon.
Kyle raised a hand.
“Wait.”
A man appeared between the trees.
He was disheveled.
His clothes were covered in dirt.
His face was pale.
He nearly stumbled as he reached them.
“Help me!”
Kyle stepped forward.
“Who are you?”
The man looked behind him.
“They’re coming.”
“Who?”
“The men inside.”
Kyle’s eyes narrowed.
“What men?”
The stranger grabbed Kyle’s arm.
“There is a woman.”
Kyle pulled his arm free.
“What woman?”
“She’s trapped.”
“Where?”
The man’s breathing became heavier.
“In the house.”
Kyle looked toward the property.
“Which house?”
The man pointed.
“That one.”
Kyle’s eyes followed his finger.
Smoke was rising above the trees.
Then he saw it.
Flames.
The house was burning.
Marcus immediately looked at Kyle.
“Sir—”
Kyle was already moving.
“Get the fire equipment.”
“There’s no fire department this far out.”
“Then we’ll do it ourselves.”
Marcus grabbed his shoulder.
“Sir, wait.”
Kyle turned.
“She’s still inside.”
“Could be a trap.”
Kyle stared at him.
“Then we find out.”
He turned toward the burning house.
Behind him, the stranger suddenly stepped backward.
Kyle noticed.
“Hey.”
The man froze.
Kyle narrowed his eyes.
“You said there were men inside.”
The stranger nodded.
“How many?”
“I don’t know.”
“Who are they?”
“I don’t know.”
Kyle took one step toward him.
“Then how do you know there’s a woman inside?”
The man’s face changed.
For one second, fear flashed across his eyes.
Then he looked toward the burning house.
“Because I saw her.”
Kyle studied him.
Something wasn’t right.
But there wasn’t time to investigate.
The flames were spreading.
Kyle looked at Marcus.
“Stay here.”
“Sir—”
“Find out who this man is.”
Then Kyle ran.
The closer he got, the hotter the air became.
Smoke filled his lungs.
Kyle pulled his shirt over his nose and moved toward the entrance.
The front door was partially destroyed.
He kicked it open.
“Hello!”
No answer.
He stepped inside.
The house was burning around him.
Wood cracked overhead.
Glass shattered somewhere upstairs.
Kyle moved through the hallway.
“Can you hear me?”
Nothing.
Then—
A faint sound.
A cough.
Kyle stopped.
He turned toward the living room.
There.
Someone was lying on the floor.
A woman.
She was unconscious.
Blood stained the side of her head.
Kyle rushed toward her.
“Hey.”
He knelt beside her.
“Can you hear me?”
Nothing.
He checked her pulse.
Weak.
But there.
Alive.
Kyle carefully lifted her into his arms.
“You’re going to be okay.”
He didn’t know why he said it.
She couldn’t hear him.
But he said it anyway.
As he stood, something crashed behind him.
Kyle turned.
A wooden beam fell across the hallway.
The exit was blocked.
He looked at the flames.
Then at the unconscious woman in his arms.
“Of course.”
He tightened his grip around her.
“You’re going to make this difficult.”
He stepped backward.
The fire grew louder.
Smoke surrounded them.
Kyle lowered his body, protecting the woman against his chest.
Then he ran.
Outside, Marcus looked toward the burning house.
“Where is he?”
Daniel raised his weapon.
“Sir!”
Kyle emerged through the flames.
He stumbled forward and dropped to one knee.
Marcus rushed toward him.
“Sir!”
Kyle ignored him.
“She’s alive.”
The three men immediately surrounded the unconscious woman.
Marcus checked her pulse.
“She’s breathing.”
Kyle looked toward the house.
“Get the vehicle.”
Then he looked around.
The stranger was gone.
His expression changed.
“Where’s the man?”
Daniel turned.
He was right.
The man who had warned them was nowhere to be seen.
Not near the gate.
Not on the road.
Not among the trees.
Gone.
Kyle slowly stood.
His eyes narrowed.
“Find him.”
Marcus nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
Kyle looked down at the woman.
Her face was partly covered with soot.
A small cut ran across her forehead.
She looked strangely peaceful despite everything around her.
Kyle didn’t know her name.
Didn’t know why she had been inside the house.
Didn’t know who had attacked her.
But he knew one thing.
Someone had wanted her dead.
And whoever that person was—
They had just made the biggest mistake of their life.
Because now Kyle Andrew Torrez was involved.
He lifted the unconscious woman into his arms again.
“Let’s go.”
As the men hurried toward the SUV, Kyle glanced back at the burning property.
For a brief moment, he thought he saw someone standing between the trees.
Watching them.
Kyle’s eyes narrowed.
He blinked.
The figure was gone.
He looked down at the woman in his arms.
He still didn’t know her name.
He didn’t know that she was the daughter of his family’s greatest business rival.
And he certainly didn’t know that saving her would change everything.
Because before the night was over, Kyle would uncover a secret that would tie their families together—
and put a target on both their backs.
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