Cryptic Curse, page 19
“And can you identify them?” Judge Matthews asks, her eyes kind yet stern.
“Yes.” My voice is barely audible now. The faces of those men, always lurking in the shadows of my past, come rushing forth.
“Do you have their names?” Vinnie asks.
“I remember some but not all.” Nausea sweeps over me as I recall the leering faces, the hateful eyes. Each name is like a knife lodged deep in my body. Diego Vega, Declan McAllister, Derek Wolfe, Marco Ramirez, Dietrich Klein, among others.
And the very first.
Hernando Reyes.
“That’s enough for now, Daniela,” the judge says gently. “We won’t force you to recount everything today. It is clear you have suffered greatly.”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
Vinnie reaches out and squeezes my hand beneath the table.
Judge Matthews turns her attention back to Vinnie, her eyes hardening once more. “I trust you understand the gravity of these allegations. If these men can be identified and are indeed residing in the United States, they need to be brought to justice.”
Vinnie nods, his jaw set in grim determination. “I understand, Bernadette. These men are still in Colombia as far as we know.”
“Very well,” she says with a nod. “We will proceed with the annulment, and Daniela will remain in the country under a temporary protective status pending further investigation. Daniela, I advise finding a counselor or therapist you trust to help you navigate your trauma. As for you, Vinnie, I suggest you work closely with the authorities on this case.”
“That’s more than fair,” Vinnie says, his voice gruff.
Judge Matthews stands. “I will issue the order for the annulment immediately.” Then she sweeps out of her chambers in a flurry of black robes.
Vinnie and I are left alone in the chambers. My legs feel weak as I slowly stand. The reality of everything that just occurred begins to sink in.
I’m free.
Free of my past.
Free of my marriage.
Free to be with Hawk, if he’ll have me.
“You okay?” Vinnie asks me gently.
“More than okay.” I kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you for being such a great husband.”
He laughs. “Some great husband. I’ve spent our entire marriage sleeping with another woman.”
I smile and punch him playfully on the shoulder. “You know what I mean. You saved me from a horrible future, and I’ll never forget that. Then you brought me here, gave me a life I only dreamed of. I have you, Raven, and I have Belinda, who I adore. Not to mention culinary school.”
And Hawk…but Vinnie doesn’t know about him yet.
He squeezes my shoulder. “Let’s get you home.”
“You know what?” I crane my neck to meet his gaze. “I think I’ll stay in town for a bit and do some shopping. I’ll catch an Uber home.”
“Okay.” He checks his watch. “I have to get to work anyway. No school today?”
“Nope. Classes resume next week.”
“Great. I’ll see you at home then.”
I nod and smile. We leave the chambers and walk together out of the courthouse, where Vinnie leaves me to find his car.
Once he’s gone, I pull out my phone. I couldn’t tell Vinnie this, but the real reason I wanted to take an Uber is because I want to go straight to Hawk’s place.
I couldn’t ask Vinnie to drive me there, and I can’t wait another second.
I’m no longer married.
And I want to make love with Hawk.
Real love. Not just his words spurring me to an orgasm.
I pull up the Uber app, and—
“Daniela Agudelo?”
I turn back toward the courthouse. A clerk dressed in a navy suit and blue tie stands on the steps.
“Yes? Does Judge Matthews need something else?”
“No, ma’am. Somehow we missed you. A gift was dropped off for you at the courthouse earlier today.”
I walk forward. “A gift?”
“Yeah, it happens all the time. Usually for people getting married.”
“I didn’t get married,” I say. “I got an annulment.”
“That is odd.” He shrugs. “But not wholly unheard of. Sometimes people celebrate divorce, too.” He hands me a teddy bear.
My blood runs cold.
There’s a note attached. I unfasten it and turn it over.
You’re no longer married to him, and my heart is exploding with joy.
I gulp.
I look up to the clerk, but he has disappeared back into the courthouse.
I dart my gaze around, looking for the nearest trash can.
I walk toward it as I examine the teddy bear. It looks like the back has been ripped open and pinned back together.
That’s strange.
I unpin it.
And I drop my jaw.
35
HAWK
Daniela calls me again.
“Hey,” I say into the phone. “Are you a free woman?”
“Oh, my God, Hawk.” Her voice is breathless.
My heart starts pounding. “What’s the matter? Where are you?”
“I’m still at the courthouse.” She chokes back a sob. “I got another gift. A teddy bear, and Hawk…”
“What? What happened, honey?”
“Inside it. There’s… I think it’s a grenade.”
My blood runs cold. “Is it live?”
“I don’t know. How would I know that?”
“Okay, Daniela, listen to me very carefully,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady despite the panic bubbling inside me. “You need to put it down gently, move away from it, and call the police. Do you understand?”
“Yes… Yes, okay,” she replies.
I can hear her shuffling movements over the line, the fear in her breaths.
“And Daniela?” I add hurriedly before she hangs up.
“Yes?”
“I’m on my way.”
The drive to the courthouse is a blur of traffic lights and honking horns. I cut off a lot of angry drivers as I weave in and out of the lanes, trying to get downtown as quickly as physically possible. Thank God no cops are out today.
My mind is filled with visions of Daniela alone and terrified, clutching a potential bomb in a teddy bear. Whoever is behind this is escalating their threats, and I vow silently to make them pay.
When I pull up outside the courthouse an hour later, police cars have already surrounded the area. The faint sound of sirens echoes in my ears as I sprint toward the entrance.
A uniformed officer stops me at the barricade. “Sir, you can’t go in there.”
“Daniela Agudelo. Is she okay? She’s the one who found the…the teddy bear,” I gasp out between heaving breaths.
His eyes soften slightly as he gives a curt nod. “She’s okay, sir. Bomb squad’s just arrived to secure the device. She’s with Detective Mills.”
A wave of relief washes over me at the news that Daniela is unharmed, but it battles with the rising tide of anger. Somebody wants to hurt Daniela, and every instinct in me screams to protect her.
I watch as men in heavy protective suits approach the teddy bear lying innocently on the steps of the courthouse. The rest of the world seems to fade into insignificance as I focus on that stuffed animal—a symbol of childhood turned into a weapon.
The door opens, and Daniela is ushered out by a tall man. Her face is pale, her eyes wide with fear, but she looks unharmed.
“Daniela!” I run toward her.
She turns at my voice, her face lighting up as she spots me.
“Hawk!” she cries, rushing into my arms.
I enfold her in a tight embrace, relief washing over me like a tidal wave.
“Are you okay?” I ask, pulling back to look into her eyes.
She nods. “I’m okay. Just shaken up.”
Detective Mills clears his throat and holds out his hand. “I’m Detective Mills. And you are…?”
I take his hand. “Hawk Bellamy. I’m a…friend of Daniela’s.”
“Bellamy? Of Bellamy Ranch?” Mills asks.
I shrug. “The one and only.”
“I see.” He turns back to Daniela. “I’d like to speak with you more about the incidents that have been happening. The squad has cleared the courthouse. We can do it inside.”
I glance at Daniela, and she gives me a small nod. We follow Detective Mills back into the courthouse and into a small office.
“Can you describe the man who gave you the bear?” he asks Daniela.
“I thought he was a clerk.” She closes her eyes. “He was wearing a navy suit and a blue tie.”
“We can have you look through the employees’ files and see if you recognize him.”
Daniela nods.
I grab her hand and squeeze it.
“The grenade would never have gotten through the X-ray machines and other security,” Mills says. “We’ve already looked through the security cams, and no one walked in with a teddy bear. It must have been planted outside and then given to you.”
“But why?” Daniela whispers, her voice barely audible. “What did I ever do to deserve this?”
“We’ll figure that out,” Detective Mills says, his expression grave. “We’ve seen an increase in such acts of violence recently, and they seem random at first glance, but there’s usually a motive hidden somewhere.”
Daniela nods. “Let me look at the people who work here.”
Mills nods and then gestures to a security guard.
The security guard pulls up a database on his computer.
“Here you go,” Mills says.
Daniela scrolls through the photos. “He’s not here,” she says.
“Good news for us,” the guard says. “Our people are clean. Bad news for you, Detective.”
“Yeah.” Mills nods. “But we’ll get to the bottom of this, Ms. Agudelo.”
“Can I go now?” Daniela asks.
“Yes. We’ll be in touch if we have any other questions or have any new information for you. Do you have a safe place to sleep tonight?”
“She does,” I say. “She’ll stay with me.”
36
DANIELA
I should be ecstatic, driving to Hawk’s place. This is where I was heading anyway. I’m free of my marriage to Vinnie. Free to be with Hawk.
Instead? All I can think of are the cryptic gifts and messages I’ve been receiving.
And this last one?
It could have killed me.
It could have killed the people around me.
Whoever is doing this means business.
But I have no idea who it could be. Those men who worked for my father are in Colombia. My father is dead. Diego Vega is dead.
And here in the States, no one even knows who I am.
“Did you call Vinnie?” Hawk asks out of the blue.
“What?”
“To let him know you won’t be home tonight.”
“Oh, God…” I shake my head. “You’d better take me home, Hawk. I can’t tell Vinnie I’m staying with you.”
He narrows his eyes. “You’re a grown woman, Daniela.”
“I know. But I haven’t told him about the other gifts.”
He raises an eyebrow. “You haven’t?”
“No. I didn’t want to worry him. I didn’t want to be more trouble for him, you know?”
Hawks nods. “I understand. I’ll call him.”
“Hawk, no.”
“I’ll just say I was in Austin, and I saw you at the courthouse, and… Fuck it all, Daniela. I’m a grown man too. I’m not going to lie to my sister’s fiancé.”
I nod. He’s right. I can’t put him in that position. “I’ll call him.”
I dread it as I dial Vinnie’s cell.
I get voicemail.
Crap.
“This is Vincent Gallo, Jr. I’m unavailable at the moment. Please leave a detailed message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. If you need immediate assistance, please contact my executive assistant, Bertie Levine.”
I gulp. “Hey, Vinnie, it’s me. Daniela. I’m on my way to Summer Creek. Hawk and I… Well, we… Oh, just call me. I’m fine.”
Then I end the call.
“Voicemail?” he says.
“Yeah. I guess I should call Raven.” I squeeze my eyes shut, rub at my temples. “Someone ought to know what’s going on, and I didn’t want to say it in a message. That’s the kind of information you need to hear in person.”
Hawk simply nods.
I dial Raven.
“Hello,” she says.
“Raven, it’s Daniela.”
“Oh! I didn’t even look.” She pauses. “Where are you? I thought you’d be home by now.”
“I told Vinnie I’d stay in Austin and do some shopping.”
“Did you find anything good?”
“What?”
“Shopping. Did you find anything good?”
“Oh. No, I didn’t. I’m on my way to…” Fuck, Daniela. Just say it. “I’m on my way to Summer Creek with Hawk.”
Another pause. “Hawk? What’s going on?”
“Nothing. I mean…”
“Can I talk to Hawk?”
“Uh…yeah. Sure.” I hand him my phone. “She wants to talk to you.”
“Hey, sis,” he says into the phone.
Pause.
“She called me.”
Pause.
“Yeah, she’s fine. Just a little overwhelmed. She’s going to spend the night at my place.”
Pause.
“So what if we are?”
Pause.
“Why would I do that? I happen to like her.”
Pause.
“I’m well aware of how old she is and how old I am. Listen, Ray—”
Pause.
“Of course.” He hands the phone back to me. “She wants to talk to you.”
“Hi, Raven.”
“What’s going on, Daniela?”
“Like your brother told you. I’m going to his place.”
“Are you and he…?”
I look over at Hawk, lower my voice. “I…don’t know yet.”
“Are you sure you’re ready for this? I mean, Hawk is a great guy. He’s my brother. I should know. But you…”
“I know, Raven. I’ll be careful. I just… I feel safe with him.”
“You’re safe with us.”
“I know that. But this is…different. Will you kiss Belinda goodnight for me?”
“Of course. Just be careful, Dani. Vinnie and I, and Belinda, we all love you so much.”
“I love you guys too. Trust me. I do. And I’ll never forget everything you’ve done for me.”
“Goodness, Dani, you’re not going off to war. We know you appreciate everything.”
“Look on the bright side,” I say. “Your fiancé is no longer married.”
She laughs at that. “True enough. You call me if you need anything. I mean anything.”
“I will. Bye, Ray.”
I end the call.
“What a mess,” I say to Hawk.
He reaches over, rubs my shoulder gently. “It doesn’t have to be a mess, honey.”
“I’m afraid if I tell Vinnie what’s been going on, he’ll level the state of Texas trying to protect me.”
He glances at me, his eyes burning. “You think I’m not going to do that?”
I sigh. “I just don’t want to be any trouble for anyone.”
“You’re not trouble to people who love you,” he says.
My eyes widen. Did he just say he loves me?
No, he was talking about Raven and Vinnie. About Belinda.
Then he clears his throat. “So… three notes.”
“Yes. Each with cryptic messages. And the chocolates were probably poisoned—at least one of them was, according to the note.”
“And then that teddy bear,” Hawk says, “which could’ve blown up the entire block. Each gift increasingly dangerous.” He strokes his chin. “But where could they have come from?”
I shake my head. “I honestly don’t know. Maybe one of the men I entertained in Colombia? But none of them were obsessed with me. They threatened me sometimes, but my father would never have…”
Hawk’s hands are tense on the steering wheel. “None of them were obsessed?”
“Well, one was, but he’s dead.”
“Did any others show a particular interest in you? A particular fondness for you?”
I don’t answer right away.
Instead I close my eyes. I don’t like to think about them. Some of them were nice-looking enough, but they were always cruel.
And some of them…
Bloated stomachs, hairy backs, coarse tongues that they forced into my mouth, and in other places. One of them had long salt-and-pepper pubic hair, which was really gross.
But the only one who was really taken with me was Diego Vega. He was the one who insisted that I be promised to him.
I remember my father was shocked when he told me. He couldn’t believe Vega would want someone as used up as I was.
“Only one,” I finally say.
“He must’ve been really pissed when your father let Vinnie take you.”
“He may have been,” I say. “But the gifts can’t be coming from him because Vinnie had him killed. Along with my father, and Belinda’s as well.”
“And you’re sure they’re all dead?”
“I assume so. Vinnie told me they were all gone and would never bother me again.”
Hawk pauses a moment, his eyes straight ahead on the road.
Is it my imagination? Or is his jaw tensing a bit more?
“All right,” he finally says. “I don’t want you worrying about this. I’m going to take care of you tonight, Daniela.”
I squirm.
He wants to have sex with me.
And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want that too. That’s the reason I didn’t go home with Vinnie, after all. But if I change my mind, already I know that he won’t force me.
He clears his throat. “I just heard in my head how that must’ve sounded to you.” He runs his hands through his hair. “I… I don’t have any expectations. But I will take care of you. I’ll make you some good old-fashioned comfort food and make sure you feel safe tonight.”
