Impossible Odds

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“Nothing is derailed. She will have the same bargaining power as one of her cousins, and you know it. You have a problem with her for some other reason. Why? You’ve never cared who I had in my bed before.” I was treading on dangerously thin ice, but I couldn’t hold back my words. I was already upset with Naz about my mother, which made it even harder to ignore his meddling in my affairs with Giada. “I may not have cared before, but that was because you’ve never tried to f*****g play house with the enemy before. Whatever has passed between you two has been too convincing to be a simple ruse. That woman is far too independent to have followed you here on a whim. You’ve developed feelings for her, and that has compromised you.” He glared at me with the condemning black gaze of a man who survived entirely on suspicion and manipulation. “You’re wrong,” I stated flatly, attempting to keep my tone devoid of any emotion. A fevered reaction would only support his argument. “I feel nothing for her. It was an entertaining challenge to see if I could get her here of her own accord, but that’s the end of it. Now, I’ll have to up security to keep her in line.” Naz eyed me, dissecting my every word and movement like a CSI detective. “That had better be the case. I have a meeting Wednesday with the Gulf suppliers. I’d like you to come by tomorrow so that we can discuss matters beforehand. Ten a.m., don’t be late.” With those parting words, he spun around and left, the black cloud he brought upon his arrival still lingering over me. Sometimes I considered my relationship with Naz in terms of a foster father, but he’d always been more of a boss than a father. Requiring my education and training me were strategic maneuvers rather than guidance from a place of love. I’d always excused his harsh tactics because the results had benefitted me. I assumed he was doing the best he could and had cared for me, though his methods didn’t always show it. Why else would he invest so much time and money into my development? What I’d learned from his brother shook that foundation. I was questioning everything about our relationship, and that uncertainty made overlooking his shortcomings far more challenging. I’d spent ten years being raised by a devoted mother. I knew what it was to care for someone. To love and sacrifice. When I thought Naz was trying to achieve that in his own way, I excused a lot. Now, I was seeing him differently. More critically. His controlling behavior looked far more abusive than misguided. And when his predatory gaze had trailed Giada’s departure, I wanted to rip his lecherous eyes from their sockets. A colossal storm was brewing. If I couldn’t reconcile what I’d learned and continue to see Naz as an ally, our relationship would hit a breaking point, and that could have deadly consequences. Leaving his employment wasn’t an option, and overthrowing him could mean war. I may have been an important part of his organization, but I was by no means the only player. I would have to decide quickly what I could live with and where I had to draw a line. Taking a stand against Naz would be the greatest challenge I’d ever faced, and I wouldn’t dare entertain it without thorough provocation. OceanofPDF.com Chapter 15 Giada What a f*****g s**t show. I went out on a limb defying my family for him, and it was all just a goddamn ploy to get me out of the country. I barely managed to keep my tears at bay until I was out of their sights. Scalding, angry tears stained my cheeks with shame and heartbreak as I hurried up the stairs to my room. I had to give him props. He’d played the long con better than anyone I’d ever come across. Who knew how long he’d been scouting my family, planning to snatch one of us. Back in Vegas, when I’d caught him ogling the other girls, he hadn’t been scheming how to get some action, he’d been plotting our kidnapping. Not ours. Hers. Alessia was the only cousin with me. She was who he had his sights set on all along. I slammed my door shut and leaned against it as a shuddering sob had me clutching my chest. I’d always been a decent judge of character—how could I have been so wrong? I could understand my body lusting after a man who was pretty but toxic. Physical lust was chemical and rarely logical. But how could my heart yearn for someone who saw me as nothing more than a pawn? I’d never been so horribly wrong in my life. I had started to believe Primo might actually have wanted me despite my flaws. That he had seen my imperfections and hadn’t needed to change me —that he desired me exactly as I was. But it was a lie. As much as I hated to admit my terrible error in judgment, I had to get ahold of my family and tell them I was in trouble. Making the admission would hurt like a sonofabitch, but I had to do it. I needed someone to help get me out of Mexico. My wounded pride would heal. I wasn’t sure I’d survive an attack from Naz or his guards. He was terrifying. My shock and anger had helped keep my fear in check, but I could tell the man was two Froot Loops shy of a full bowl. I half expected his eye to start twitching like a cartoon villain when he demanded answers to why his orders hadn’t been carried out. A child throwing a tantrum, except this child was a grown man with adult weapons at his disposal. I hurried to the bed and dropped to my knees, frantically lifting the bed skirt to resume my search for my missing phone. I felt around in the sheets, peeked behind my nightstand, and then emptied every article from my suitcase until the room was littered with clothes. That was when it hit me— I wasn’t going to find my phone. I was being held hostage; my phone had been taken.