Chapter 13

Morning light filtered in through the thin shade covering Bella Cano’s bedroom window, casting an angelic glow on her husband’s face. Having risen before the sun, she had remained in bed, lying on her side with her head propped up in her hand, cherishing her sleeping husband’s face. She loved Manuel so much and missed what was now absent from their marriage. Their relationship. The intimacy. Money had always been tight, but they made do. All that had mattered was that they loved each other and had two wonderful children. But now there was a hurdle greater than money. One maybe insurmountable.

When Manuel slept, his face was the one she remembered. Longed to see again. When awake, it became hard and accusing. But now it was the loving face. A face that was a magnet to her hand. She brushed her fingertips across his cheek.

Her husband’s eyes popped open.

“Oh! I’m so sorry,” Bella said. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“What do you want?”

Bella cupped his cheek. Manuel jerked his head out from under her hand. She held back the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Bella laid the side of her face on his chest, over his heart, looking away from him so that he wouldn’t see her watery eyes. Cherishing his warmth and the touch of his body.

“I miss you,” Bella said.

“I’m right here.”

“Your body is here, but you’re not.”

“You’re talking stupid.”

Bella snaked a hand under the bedcover. Onto his belly. Her husband stiffened. She hesitated with her head resting on his chest, her eyes staring at the foot of the bed, and her breath caught in her throat. Her fingers twitched, and then she moved her hand lower, onto his boxers. On top of his dick.

Manuel bolted upright. His chin collided with the top of Bella’s head. The force of his body sent her rolling to the edge of the bed. Her hand flew to her open mouth.

“Stop it!” her husband shouted. “What are you doing?”

Bella’s bottom lip stuck out and her chin quivered. Her heart pounded in her chest. “We haven’t made love in a long time.”

“Don’t you get enough of that working for Marco Perez?”

It was like a knife thrust into her heart. The tears poured from her eyes.

“That’s not fair,” she said.

“What’s not fair is that my wife is spreading her legs for— Fuck! I don’t even know who. Or how many.”

“What I’m doing is not supposed to affect us. That monster told you—” The words caught in Bella’s throat. She chewed her bottom lip with lowered eyes.

“So now you’re threatening me? You’re going to tell that bastard that I don’t want to fuck you so he’ll kill me? What did he say? That he’ll skin me alive first.”

“No, no, of course not. I didn’t mean that. I love you.”

Bella placed a hand on her husband’s arm. He shucked it off and rolled onto his side facing away from her. She stared at the back of his head and then jumped from the bed and fled the room.

On the other side of the border, the same sun bathed over Lincoln Steele’s face as he slept in Elena’s bed. He opened his eyes and squinted into the light. His left arm was tucked under the back of Elena’s neck with her head nestled in the crook of his armpit. Both of them were nude. Hadn’t even showered after the great sex the night before. After Elena’s third climax, she had remained on her back, serene, beaming up at Steele’s face with a smile ear to ear, legs spread, and clasped fingers grasping the back of his neck while he pumped into her and deposited his second load of semen. Then he collapsed onto her before shifting to her side so that most of his weight was on the mattress. They had stayed like that in each other’s arms until falling asleep, with his right leg between hers and his dick squished against her thigh.

Steele wiggled the fingers on his left hand. They tingled. He started to ease his arm out from beneath Elena when she stirred and ground her face into his chest. He froze. When Elena stilled, Steele moved slowly and cupped the back of her head with his right hand and lifted it. He slid his left arm out from under her and gently laid her head back down. He turned to get out of bed. A hand grabbed his forearm.

“Going somewhere?” Elena said.

Steele turned around. She was smiling. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”

The smile broadened. “You can wake me anytime as long as you’re in bed with me.”

Steele leaned down and kissed her forehead. “So, no regrets about last night?”

Elena interlaced her fingers, stretched her arms over her head, and cracked her knuckles. Her breasts popped out from under the cover.

“Are you kidding?” she said. “Best night’s sleep I had in a long time.” She studied Steele’s face. “How about you?”

“I slept good.”

Elena’s lips formed a tight line. “But you regret it.”

Steele stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. “No regrets.”

Elena’s face softened and broke into a smile. “Why are you getting up so early?”

“It’s not early.”

Elena’s head whipped around to look at the clock on her end table. “Wow, I really did sleep well.” She turned back to Steele. “It’s Saturday. What are you doing today?”

“I have some questions for Buck.”

“Didn’t you already talk to him?”

“I know more now. I have more questions.”

“To prove Pete’s innocence.”

“To get more information.”

“To prove Pete’s innocence, right?”

“To find out what happened. That’s all I can promise right now.”

The sun glinted on the tears building in Elena’s eyes. “You think he did it.”

“Look, it’s like a jigsaw puzzle. There are a lot of pieces, but until you put them into the right places you don’t see the picture. Right now I don’t even have all the pieces. It takes time.”

Elena swiped away a tear that ran down her left cheek. “He couldn’t have done it. Not my Pete.”

“You said Pete didn’t own a gun.”

“Of course not. Why would he? How would he even get one?”

“Had he ever fired a pistol?”

“No. We don’t have a gun.”