They arrived in San Carlos de Rio Negro around dinner time and immediately sought out a restaurant where they stuffed themselves with skirt steak and boiled yucca before catching an air taxi to Caraccas. After a long and turbulent flight, they flew into Venezuela’s capital under the blanket of night. The city could have past for LA or any other major coastal metropolis, but according to their chatty pilot, the darkness disguised the neglect, the shanty town sprawling across the eastern hills, and the crumbling unfinished sky scraper that had become the world’s tallest slum before the government stepped in and relocated the nearly 5000 squatters who had taken over the place. April was too exhausted to pay close attention the history lesson and dozed lightly for most of the flight while Jonas slept.
Jonas didn’t say much about where the local cab was taking them, so she was relieved when they pulled up in front of a very clean, modern boutique hotel.
“This place looks expensive, Jonas. I’m fine with motel.”
“No, you’re not.” He paused with his hand on the brass knob. “Besides, this is where I stay when I’m in South America. I keep a room here.”
She never imagined he had an apartment somewhere, especially in a sketchy South American city like Caracas. “Do you come here a lot?”
He opened the door and motioned her to go before him. “I’ve been overseas for the past four years but dropped by a few months ago when I was making my way back to the States.”
April took in the sleek marble reception desk and chic black and white décor. An artful monochrome photograph of a nude woman was the only decoration that adored the pristine white walls.
Covered in jungle grunge and stinky day-old clothes, April suddenly felt self-conscious. Jonas didn’t look much better. Thick stubble covered his jaw and dried mud caked his boots and pants up to his thighs. With his buzz cut and the knives strapped to his chest, he looked like a soldier returning from battle.
“Are you sure they’ll let us in here?”
“I’m sure.” Jonas walked past her and pushed a button that was built into desktop. A bell chimed in the room beyond the closed double doors.
When April listened closely, she could hear the sound of muted voices and the soft tinkle of feminine laughter.
An inexplicable felling of unease rolled through her. “We should go.”
“It’s fine.”
One of the pocket doors rolled open and an exotic-looking brunette smiled at Jonas with recognition. “Mi querido, I did not expect you back so soon,” she said in Spanish.
“I didn’t expect to be back for a while,” Jonas replied in her language before switching to English. “This is April Linus. April, this is Carmen Montesino, an old friend. She owns the place.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” April’s smiled faded when the woman eyed her with distaste.
Carmen Montesino was maybe 5’1” in heels. She wore a black wrap dress that showed off her lithe curves to their best advantage. Her face had a sharpness to it that came with age and fine lines creased the corners of her chocolate brown eyes, but she was still a very beautiful woman.
In Spanish, Carmen said to Jonas, “Are you bringing this puta to me as a gift? With a bosom like hers she will be popular with my customers.”
Before Jonas could reply, April interrupted him. “No soy una puta. Sus clients…” She paused, thinking of the right words and went with what she knew. “No tienen suficiente dinero para esto!” I’m not a whore. Your customers don’t have enough money for this. Her vocabulary was limited, but she knew she got her point across when Carmen scrunched her nose and gave April a disinterested once over.
“Come,” Carmen crooked a finger and switched to heavily accented English as she headed back through the open pocket door. “Your brother is here making the chicas muy locas.”
Anders might be a world-renowned country music superstar, but Jimmy Panama with his staggering sex appeal and laid-back charm had a fan base all his own. April once had an enormous crush on Jimmy despite their fifteen-year age difference, but now she thought of him as a big brother. Well, maybe more like a really hot older step-brother.
The contemporary décor carried over from the foyer, except this room included black leather benches, couches, and chaises. Several women in skimpy cocktail dresses sat on a long bench off to the side near the entryway.
Jimmy lounged cross-ankled on one of the chaises wearing his customary cargo shorts and a loose blue button-down shirt dotted with palm trees. He held a frosty Corona in his left hand and one of Carmen’s chicas in his right. Three more knelt on the chaise fawning over him. April could hardly blame them. At six foot four, the blond haired, blue eyed former Navy SEAL was broad-shouldered and long limbed with just the perfect amount of meat on his bones. Any female that didn’t turn their head when Jimmy walked by was lacking a pulse.
But he was a very happily married man now with a child.
“Look what crawled out of the jungle,” Jimmy said when they entered the parlor. “You smell like a water buffalo’s ass. Not you, Sunshine, him.” He added a wink.
April broke away from Jonas’ side and went to the foot of the chaise. “What are you doing, Jimmy?”
“I’m doing fine.” Jimmy grinned and took a swig of his beer.
April sputtered. “I mean what are you doing with those women. What would Sophie say?”
“Why don’t you ask her yourself.” He gestured toward his wife who’d reentered the room from another doorway.
Tall, refined, and beautiful, Sophie Panama was as out of place in the Venezuelan whore house as the Queen of England would be in a dive bar. It had nothing to do with Sophie being British either. She was just far too regal for a place like this.
“Hello, April,” Sophie said with a polite smile that transformed into a sneer when she turned toward her husband. “What did I say, ladies? Nick off!”
The chicas eyed each other.
Jimmy held his hands up in front of him demonstrating he wasn’t stopping any of them from leaving. “I told you before, Duchess, they don’t speak English.”
“They understand my meaning well enough. Off you go, now. Shoo!”
The chicas scrambled off the chaise and darted to the opposite side of the room where the wiser of the working girls had remained.
Sophie slid onto the chaise beside Jimmy and knuckled him in the ribs before turning a warm smile on April and Jonas. “Now then, it’s wonderful seeing you both alive and well despite being covered in muck.”
“What are you doing in Caracas?” April directed the question to Sophie, because she knew Jimmy was picking them up.
“The Duchess and I spent a few days in Cabo on our way here. We wanted to take a second honeymoon without the offspring.”
“Third honeymoon,” Sophie corrected. “Remember Belize?”
A wicked grin spread across Jimmy’s face as he stared into his wife’s eyes. “How could I forget Belize?”
He kissed her in such an intimate, seductive way, April felt awkward watching them.
“Get a room you two,” Jonas said, moving to April’s side. “Any word on Linus?”
They broke apart and Sophie covered her mouth hiding a sheepish expression.
Jimmy winked at his wife and took another swig of beer. “Last time I checked, he was still out of the country.”
“Who’s watching Charlie?” April asked. “Is she with Molly and Anders?” Charlie, short for Charlotte, was Sophie and Jimmy’s daughter. She was almost five.
“She’s with Sue and Oscar,” Sophie said.
“Oh.” April couldn’t hide her disappointment. “I was going to ask if you saw Archie.”
“Sorry, hun. Have you tried phoning Molly?”
“I tried calling from the satellite phone back in San Carlos, but there was no answer.”
“Perhaps she didn’t pick up because she didn’t recognize the number. Want to give it a go from my mobile?”
April glanced over at Carmen and Jonas, who had moved away to speak privately in the corner. Carmen touched his arm and laughed, and April suddenly felt hollow inside. He said they were friends, but their body language suggested they were more than that.
“April?”
“Huh?” Realizing she was staring, she pulled her gaze away from the intimate pair and plastered a smile on her face. “Yes, please.”
“Are you okay?” Sophie brow knitted with concern.
“Sorry. Yes. I’m fine.” She took the phone from her outstretched hand and fumbled with it before catching it inches from the white marble floor. April’s hands visibly trembled but not because she almost broke the expensive iPhone. “I’m so sorry!”
“It’s all right,” Jimmy said. “She’s been bugging me for a new one.”
“I have not.” Sophie elbowed him in the ribs.
“Uh!” He grunted then started chuckling. “No more self-defense classed for you. You’re using the moves I taught you for offense instead of defense.”
“I am not. Stop it,” she said when he started tickling her.
April smiled tightly, feeling like a fifth wheel with everyone paired up except for her. She didn’t count the chicas on the bench because they wouldn’t be alone for long when their customers started arriving. She dialed the number and tucked her shaking hand under her other arm as she waiting for Molly to pick up. The call went to voice mail almost immediately. “Hey, Molly, it’s April. I’m calling to check on Archie. I hope he’s being a good boy. We’re with Sophie and Jimmy now. I know it’s late, but if you could give me a call back on Sophie’s phone tomorrow morning, I’d love to talk to my little guy. Thanks. Bye.”
She glanced over at Jonas and Carmen, and a bomb exploded inside of her brain. The despicable woman hugged him and he hugged her back.
April gritted her teeth to keep from launching herself at them and shoved the phone at Sophie. “Here. Thank you. I left a message.”
“You’re trembling.” Sophie stood and a put a hand on April’s shoulder.
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. You can’t keep your eyes off of Jonas and that tart. Did something happen between the two of you?”
Where did she begin? “He’s Archie’s father.”
Jimmy, who had just taken another swig of beer, sprayed it all over the bold chica who was moving in on the spot Sophie vacated. “What?” he growled, scrambling to his feet.
“Darling, April is a grown woman—”
Jimmy wasn’t listening to his wife. Focused on his little brother, he made a beeline for Jonas. “Outside. Now.”
Carmen stepped back reluctantly.
Jonas’ cold gaze touched on April before he turned and exited the room with Jimmy hot on his heels.
April started after them, but Sophie grabbed her arm. “No. Let them go. Jimmy is very protective of the women he cares about, but he’s not unreasonable. Whatever he has to say to his brother, Jonas has it coming.”
“But Jonas might hurt him.”
“If you believe that, you don’t know Jimmy.” She rubbed April’s back. “I don’t suppose you want to tell me how it happened?”
“Not really.”
“Answer me one thing. Was it consensual?”
“Yes!” April whirled on her. “If you believe he’s capable of such a thing then you don’t know Jonas. He might be hard on the outside, but inside he’s kind and respectful and honorable. He would never hurt me or anyone else who didn’t deserve it.”
“Oh my god,” Sophie said. “You’re in love with him.”