The city of Pirata was located just east of Fortaleza, Brazil. It was a chic beachside town that very much resembled a scaled-down Miami to Karena.
The de Carrieros’ villa was like an oasis. Tall, swaying palm trees, grass that looked as if millions of tiny emeralds had been tossed onto the ground, and a large crystalline-blue pond anchored the land the main house occupied. The main house was bright and cheerful, painted a delightful shade of coral and accented with beautiful dark brickwork. White doors, windows and railings gave it a tropical air, while the surrounding acres of property resonated royalty.
Around the main house were smaller homes, similar to the one she stayed at when she’d met with Eduardo.
It hadn’t escaped her that the villa she’d visited him at was probably only miles away from this one. She remembered the Pirata Cathedral and the handicraft markets as they’d driven into town from the airport just a few short weeks ago.
Beside her in the Hummer, Sam sat perfectly still. He was wearing cream-colored linen slacks and matching shirt and was ten times as sexy as Phillip Michael Thomas as Tubbs in Miami Vice.
On the flight over she’d told him all about Eduardo and the orphanage, to which he’d been just as surprised as she was. When she thought he’d still want to recover the money she’d paid Eduardo, he’d immediately understood her need to see the orphanage personally. It wasn’t actually said, but they both knew she wouldn’t ask for the money back and there would be no prosecution of Eduardo.
His easy understanding was just one more tally in the pro column for Sam Desdune—a fact she wasn’t entirely pleased with. Exactly when this thing between them had become more than lust, Karena wasn’t sure. What she was sure of was the guidelines she’d given for their involvement. Of course, they hadn’t spoken about it on the flight, but she knew the subject would arise. It was, after all, why he’d followed her here. But this time, Karena was determined to make Sam understand.
After sharing a late lunch on the blue-and-white-tiled balcony just off the main dinning room, Izabel, Sam and Karena had once again piled into the Hummer for their trek to the orphanage.
Karena kept her gaze out the window as they drove through the small town of Pirata. She was again looking for the villa where she had first met Eduardo, but instead the Hummer came to a stop near what looked like a warehouse, about the length of three row houses put together.
The building was a sickly green color, chipping paint from the bottom that rested on browning grass to the roof that looked as if it would collapse at any moment. The rusted door at the front opened and out ran two boys, maybe between the ages of ten and fifteen. They were thin, their clothes clean but too small. Surrounding the house was a wooden gate that was missing more than a few planks.
It took a second before Karena realized Sam was calling her name, waiting for her to exit the vehicle. When she did, he extended his hand to her and she readily took it, returning her gaze to the two children who now walked to the edge of the gate.
“Olà! Està Eduardo aqui?” Izabel said, reaching over the gate to rub the head of the shortest boy.
He must have immediately recognized the insignia on the Hummer and then again on the small brooch Izabel wore on the sheer scarf at her neck, because he instantly bowed in a curtsy so deep Karena thought his head would touch the ground.
“No. Por favor. Isso não é necessário. De pé,” she said in a soft voice.
Beside Karena, Sam bent to whisper in her ear. “She’s telling him it’s not necessary to bow to her and she’s asking to see Eduardo.”
Stunned, she looked up at him. “You speak Portuguese?”
Sam nodded. “I have this thing about foreign languages. Bree says its weird, but I speak about eight different languages.”
Karena never would have guessed. While she knew a little Portuguese, enough to get her from the airport to the villa where she’d met Eduardo to be exact, she was in no way fluent in the language. In her travels for the gallery, she’d picked up bits and pieces of different languages as well as customs of different countries, but she’d never had the time to truly dedicate herself to completely learning a language.
The two boys were stepping aside, letting Izabel, who looked back to beckon Sam and Karena, into the building. Once inside, Karena sucked in a breath.
“There is much work that needs to be done,” Izabel said immediately. “Very little money is allotted to urban areas here. That is something that Felipe and I are working to change.”
“Sounds just like the United States,” Karena said.
“Yeah, even in our major cities, urban areas are suffering while the rich keep getting richer,” Sam added.
“We want to work with Eduardo to make the living better for the children.”
Moving through a long hall, Karena peeked into several open doors. One room was clearly a bedroom where twin-size cots were lined along the walls. In the center were two six-foot tables that held books with yellowed and tattered pages.
Another room held more tables, but these had benches. Probably the cafeteria. The next room held smaller tables and smaller chairs and a chalkboard. There were toys scattered about the floor, old, broken and overused toys.
Then out of one of the closed doors came a man. The same man Karena had met with weeks ago. Eduardo.
Their eyes met, and for a minute she thought he would run. Instead he squared his shoulders, bowing slightly at Izabel’s approach.
“Princess, you have returned.”
Izabel smiled as Eduardo reached for her hand and kissed its back. “I promised I would,” she said in a regal tone. “This time I have brought Ms. Lakefield and Mr. Desdune to see your facility.”
Eduardo released Izabel’s hand and nodded toward Sam and Karena.
“Why didn’t you just tell me about the children?” Karena asked instantly.
“Would you have given me half a million dollars to take care of them?” he asked with barely masked hostility. “You are rich, and rich people do not help poor people. Not if they know that is what they are doing.”
His words took Karena aback and she flinched slightly. Sam was there, wrapping an arm around her waist.
“That’s an unfair assumption, don’t you think?” Sam asked. “Maybe if you’d tried being honest you would get more help.”
Eduardo gave a dry chuckle. “It does not work that way here, sir.”
Sam didn’t respond because he knew it didn’t work that way all over the world. Brazil was not alone in its treatment of the more unfortunate.
Late afternoon turned into evening as Eduardo led them through the facility, giving brief histories of some of the children as well as what he planned to do with the new funds he’d received from Karena. His partner, Elisabete, whom Karena suspected was also his girlfriend, was away picking up two unwanted babies from a family in Rio de Janeiro. Eduardo explained that they had been getting lots of calls from parents without money to care for their children, who did not want them to fall into the streets. Eduardo readily took them in, although he scarcely had the money to take care of them himself.
The entire setup had left Karena feeling melancholy and completely exhausted.
It had also given her an idea. One she’d have to wait until she got back to the States to implement.