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I KNEW I WAS TIRED, but I had no idea how tired. The minute I laid my head down on the luxurious bed, I fell asleep. I wanted to review my day, think about what happened, how I felt about it, and why the hell we’re flying to Mexico. But none of that happened. Instead, I dreamt of my mom. We were at Disney World wandering from one ride to the next, laughing. I miss her so much.
“This is your captain speaking. We’re approaching our destination. It’s time to wake up. I wish I could kiss you awake, but someone’s got to land this thing.” Owen’s voice comes over the speakers in the room's ceiling. He makes me smile.
Once I’m up and out of bed, I go back to the cockpit to find him sitting there fiddling with all the buttons. It’s still dark, but I suppose it’s because we’re heading west. It’s still the middle of the night here. “Good Morning.”
He turns to look at me and instantly smiles. “You look like you feel better. Did you sleep well?”
I nod as I climb into the co-pilot’s chair. “Better than I expected. Although I could use another twelve more hours.”
“Don’t worry. That’s first on the list when we get to my place.”
I balk at him. “Your place? You have another place? How many places do you have?”
“Well, the condo, my home, the house we’re heading to, one in New York, and one in Nashville. But to be fair, my brothers and I all own the Mexican, New York, and Nashville homes. So, technically, I own five, but personally, I own three.”
“Must be nice. I don’t even have one.” I mumble under my breath, but he hears me.
“You do. Anywhere I’m at is yours.”
I just give him a sardonic look. Yeah, right. I don’t even own the clothes I’m wearing, but it’s fine. When this is all over, I will figure it out. I always do.
I decide to change the subject. “So, are you going to tell me what happened back there that made you decide we had to go to Mexico?”
I watch Owen’s face become serious, quickly. “I am, but I need you to know that no one was hurt and everyone is safe. Okay?”
I don’t like where this is going, but it’s obviously bad. We’re on our way to Mexico. So I nod.
“Gabriel, Matt, and our security teams found a bomb at our headquarters and at the condo. They’re searching the houses now. We don’t know if this has anything to do with Fusco or the gem heist, but to be safe, I’m taking you to Playa de Carmen. We use it as a safe house sometimes. Right now, only my brothers and Erick know where we are.”
I can feel the blood drain from my face. First Edie and Ralph, and now Owen and his family. I can’t be responsible for any more people getting hurt.
“Mallory. Look at me. Are you okay?”
I take a deep breath and nod. “Yes, but when we land, I want you to take me to a hotel, and then I want you to go home. You’ve done more than enough for me. I’ll be fine.”
“Absolutely not!”
“Owen, don’t fight me on this. It’s not up for discussion. I will not have Patrick hurt any more people because of me. I’ll lie low while the FBI work to find him. Once he’s safely behind bars, then I’ll figure out what my next step will be. But no matter what, I want you and your family out of it.”
Owen says nothing. I think he’s pissed, but that’s fine. As long as he’s pissed, he’s alive, and that’s all that matters to me. I don’t know anything about bombs, but I’ve heard Patrick talk about explosives before. I’m afraid this is all his handy work. And now that there are bombs involved, I’m sure the FBI and any other alphabet agency around are involved and that means he’ll be arrested sooner rather than later. I just need to hold out a little longer.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Owen pushing buttons and moving levers, and I can feel my ears start to pop again. We must be coming close to the airport. “Fasten your seatbelt.” He says over the microphone.
I do as he says and I’m watching out the front windshield, but not really seeing anything. I’m thinking; planning. I’m trying to plan what I’m going to do for the next few weeks. I’m sure I can get a job waiting tables some place. That’ll give me money. And I’m sure I can find a room to rent somewhere or a hostel to stay at.
Okay, so I have food, work, and a place to stay. I should be fine. Maybe Owen will loan me a hundred dollars to get me through until I find a job. I can pay him back once I’m on my feet. I can make a hundred dollars stretch to five hundred if I play my cards right. Things will be tight, but at least Owen and his family will be alive.
I start nodding to myself. I’ve got a plan and I’m almost confident I can pull this off. Patrick will have no idea that I’m in Mexico. He’d never even think to look for me there. He still thinks I’m in Florida. This is good. I’m good. Okay, I’ve got this.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking over there nodding to yourself, Mallory, but you’re not leaving my sight. I’m not dropping you off at a hotel, and you’re right. It’s not up for discussion.”
Well, crap.
~~~
Owen successfully landed the plane on an airfield made of grass. There were no towers, hangers, or other planes. Just a remote location with no trees in the way. Then we both climbed into a black SUV that was suspiciously waiting for us. Owen hasn’t introduced me to the driver, but that’s okay. I don’t speak the language here. Owen does, though, and has been talking to the driver the entire way.
“We’re almost there.” He tells me as he sits next to me in the backseat.
“Okay.” What else am I going to say? He’s held my hand since we climbed out of the plane as if I’m going to run or something. I have no clue where we are, but it feels extremely remote. We haven’t passed a car or a house in quite a while.
I watch as we pull up to a gate with a keypad, and I see the driver put his hand on the keypad. It scans it, and then scans his left eye. Only then does the gate open for us to drive in.
“Where are we?” I whisper to Owen.
“Home.”
We drive up a long driveway, and as it bends, the house comes into view. It’s mammoth, with giant palm trees with lights highlighting their height. The landscaping is immaculate. The house is a beautiful Spanish-style home. It’s two stories, white with red clay tiles on the roof. In the center court area is a three-tier water fountain, also lit up.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you. Come, let me show you around.” Owen takes my hand as we climb out of the SUV. He’s got both our go bags in the other hand.
I follow him through the front doors and see the giant staircase that goes up on both sides of the entryway.
“Mr. Hughes. I wasn’t expecting you until Raul told me he was leaving to pick you up.” A rotund Mexican man meets us at the base of the staircase.
“Manuel. Good to see you. Is everything okay?” They shake hands.
Smiling proudly, “Oh, yes, sir.”
“It always is with you in charge, Manuel. Come, meet my girlfriend, Mallory. Mallory, this is Manuel, our House Manager.”
“Nice to meet you.” I shake his hand.
“Welcome to Casa de Playa. Whatever you need, just pick up a phone and someone will be able to help you.” Manuel tells me as he shakes my hand while holding both our hands with his other one. He lets me go and grabs the bags from Owen. “I’ll bring these up to your room.”
“Thanks Manuel.”
“It was nice to meet you.” I call after him as he hurriedly climbs the stairs.
“Come. Let’s get something to eat and then go to bed.”
I follow him into the kitchen that would make any chef cry. It’s huge and shiny. Everything is beautiful. But what has caught my attention is the food on the island. Suddenly, I’m starving. Owen grabs both plates, and we sit at the dining room table.
I grab one of my tacos and take a large bite. “This is delicious.” I say through a mouth full of food.
He laughs. “I’m glad you like it. Manuel is also the chef. He and his wife run this place. They’ve been with us for years. I don’t know what we’d do without them.”
“How long have you guys had this place?”
“My father bought the land about thirty years ago. Gabriel and Matt built the house on it when my dad retired.”
I finish my first taco and start on my second. “I can’t wait to see it during the daylight. It looks beautiful. You said you guys use it as a safe house?”
He nods as he chews. “Yeah. Olivia had to stay here when she was being threatened. We’ve had clients stay here when they needed to be out of sight. And even Piper’s been here to recuperate after being stabbed.” He looks around. “This place is our safe haven.” He turns back to me, “Which is why you’re not going to a hotel and why I’m not leaving you here alone.”
I put the rest of my third taco down. “Look, Owen. We both know Patrick put those bombs...” I shudder, “at your office and condo, and he’s only fixated on you because of me. If I go my own way, then you and your family will be safe. I can’t live with any of you getting hurt. Not like Edie and Ralph.”
“Mallory. I love you. Where you go, I go. End of story. I’m not letting you out of my sight. Last time I let someone I care about out of my sight, I lost Alana. You want to blame yourself for Edie and Ralph. I blame myself for Alana.”
Well, crap. If he’s going to go making sense, this won’t work at all. I sigh and then try to suppress a yawn, unsuccessfully.
Owen picks up both plates and puts them in the sink, and then squats down next to my chair. “Look. We both want what’s best for the other one. I think what’s best is that we stay together. No matter what.” He stands up and pulls me with him. “Let’s go to bed. We’re both exhausted and will make better decisions after we get some rest.”
I follow him up the staircase and then to the left. He opens a door and both our bags are sitting on the king-size bed. I’m so glad to see them in the same room. I don’t want to sleep by myself. “Why don’t you grab a shower first? I want to check in with security.” He kisses me on my forehead. “I’ll be right back. Bathroom is through that door.” He points to the farthest door in the room. “I think you’ll be pleased.” He smiles and then leaves me on my own.
I’m curious to what the other doors lead to, so I open the first one. The closet is bigger than my apartment. I can only dream of a closet like this. It’s beautiful, like the rest of the house. There are drawers, a mirror, and even a bench to sit to put on your shoes. It’s fantastic, but curiosity has me going to the next door and opening it.
Of course, he has a sauna. Who doesn’t nowadays? A fucking sauna in the bedroom. Crazy.
Next is the door he pointed to as the bathroom. I open it up and in the center of the room is a giant, oval bathtub that is as tall as my waist. I could probably sit in there and be completely immersed in water. It’s been so long since I’ve taken a bath, but tonight’s not the night. I’m eyeing the large shower with rain shower heads. Three of them. I’m going to enjoy this immensely.