Rafael Page 3

  He seems like he’s done talking but I don’t want him to stop. I love the sound of his voice. “Your grandfather founded the company?”

  “Yes, he founded it in Mexico City until conditions became too corrupt. Once he emigrated into the States he moved the headquarters here to Dallas. He had other offices in Merida, Mexico as well as Nicaragua and Panama. Those were shut them down in order to move his money into Dallas.”

  Wow, I now get the huge building. “I had no idea. I probably should have looked deeper into your company. It didn’t even cross my mind.

  He shrugs. “My grandfather was content to remain in Texas. He opened an office in Austin. Then my father expanded into Houston, New Orleans, then over-extended the company going into Miami and Tampa. By the time I was graduating from high school my grandfather had to step in again. My father had taken the company to the edge of bankruptcy. I didn’t go onto university, I went straight to work, to help my grandfather. We worked day and night for three years before we were back in the black. Once the company was back on course my grandfather sent me onto university and during the summers I came back to Dallas and worked.”

  So he had worked hard, he wasn’t just handed his position. Maybe that’s where all the lines came from. “Where did you go to school?”

  “Stanford, I wanted to go to A&M. My grandfather wouldn’t allow it. It was important to him for me to make the connections a school like Stanford would bring. He was right. Those connections come into play often in our Los Angeles and Phoenix offices. Where am I going when I get into Fort Worth?”

  I give him directions. He recognizes the area. I’m not surprised when he says it. “That’s not the best area in Fort Worth.”

  “Yes, I didn’t know when I leased. I went during the day and it seemed decent, it changes at night.” I fight a sigh at scary it gets at night.

  “Hmm, do you have security at all?”

  I shrug, refusing to let him see my fear. “The locks are good.” He doesn’t say anything. I fight the urge to defend myself again. The question is out before I think about it. “Is your mother where you get your eyes from?”

  A small smile tugs at his lips, and I blush. Way to sound like a teenager with a crush, Carrie.

  “Yes, she has green eyes and my youngest brother and I both have hazel eyes. The twins look nothing like you. Do they take after their father or their mother?”

  “Their dad. I take after my mom with the blonde hair and blue eyes. Except she was really tall and thin and I’m short and...not thin.” Biting my tongue against the fat label my brothers have called me for years.

  I’m down more than twenty-five pounds from where I was at the same time last year. I don’t feel fat, like I used to. Although I’m a size sixteen. For years I dreamed of getting down to a size eight just to say I wasn’t a double digit anymore. Except my curves have gotten more pronounced the lower I went until I’m a little embarrassed by how curvy I am. Now I’m thinking this isn’t such a bad weight to stay at.

  “Do the twins have any interaction with their father at all?”

  “No and that’s how they want it. I have to admit I take the easy way out and don’t talk about him or our mom much. From some of the things they said, she wasn’t any nicer to the boys than she was to me. They remember her a little and him barely. Thankfully, they seemed to have repressed the memory of her death. She had locked them in their room. Apparently, it had happened before. They waited until she stopped crying. When she wouldn’t wake up, they called 911 the way she taught them.”

  “I guess it is a small mercy for them.”

  “Yes, it just makes me so angry with her. She knew he was dangerous. Yet again and again she took him back. Her death could have been prevented. Instead, she laid down and let it happen.”

  “From what I understand, a situation like that is hard to get out of. Also, from what you’ve said she seemed to thrive on the drama of it.”

  I’m surprised he isn’t more judgmental, condemning, the way most people were upon hearing about my mom. Nodding, I let my head fall back. “I learned from her how not to be. It was a scary but deeply embedded lesson.”

  “What did she teach you?”

  “Not to cling to a man or become dependent on them. If I’m ever mistreated by even being yelled at I’m out.” The words are out before I think of them. I wince as I worry how it makes me sound then shrug, he asked.

  “I take it then you have no man in your life?”

  It’s not really a question. I answer anyway. “I’ve been busy with the twins and even if I weren’t...” It’s embarrassing to say out loud how little I trusted men in general enough to enter a relationship. I’m aware people think being a virgin at my age is weird but I’d yet to meet a man who appealed in the slightest—until today

  3

  Rafael

  I fight not to curse as she confirms my suspicions. Carrie is likely an innocent, at the very least she has little experience. Not enough for me to consider a relationship with her. Fuck. Taking a deep breath, I consider the plan that had been forming. It shouldn’t make a difference, but it does.

  She deserved more, much more than she has endured. I could not imagine a single person in my acquittance who would have gone through what she had and not been a bitter bitch about it. Carrie wasn’t bitter, she was weary though. Her weariness is completely understandable. For far too long she has shouldered responsibilities exceeding her years—responsibilities that many women and men would have buckled under. The time had come for her load to be lightened. If I can do that for her then I feel I owe it to her to do so.

  Her cell phone rings. She frowns as she answers. “Hello?”

  I turn down the music, and I can hear the other person. It’s a guy. And why it sends my back up I have no fucking idea. “Carrie? Are you okay? I was worried because you hadn’t come in yet.”

  “I’m fine, Mario. I’m sorry you worried. I’m not going to be able to come in tonight after all. Is that a problem?”

  “No problem, we aren’t busy. Lupe will be happy you aren’t coming in. She just said she was relieved she’s had five tables so far. Call me if you need anything, okay?”

  “I will, thanks Mario.”

  “Your boss?” I barely manage to keep from growling the question.

  “Yeah, well, his son but he leaves it mainly to Mario to run. They’re so nice and easy to work with. Knowing Mario, he’ll probably bring over left-overs for the night when they close.”

  “Does he do that a lot, bring over food for you?” It isn’t easy to loosen my grip on the steering wheel. The guy has a thing for her, he had sounded a little too worried about her.

  “He does a lot, I guess. Normally, I try to take it home when I leave but usually it’s quite a bit. He doesn’t want me to worry about dropping it. It’s a family restaurant and they really are like family. Mario’s mom is always so sweet, inviting me and twins to family gatherings.”

  A frown appears on her forehead. She is far too young for lines to have formed as deep as they have there. “Saying it out loud...Mario also usually manages to hang around for a while when he comes by, even when it’s late. I thought he understood, I’m not interested in a relationship. He asked me out months ago and was sweet about me turning him down.”

  “Sounds like he’s biding his time, hoping you’ll change your mind.” Damn it, she is far too naïve. She really doesn’t get he’s after her. The guy wants her, anyone who got close to her would want her.

  Another frown, as she shakes her head. “He’s just being nice.”

  She says it as if she’s trying to reassure herself as well as me. Anger flares within me, at the way he’s taking advantage of her lack of experience and weaseling his way into her life. “How long have you worked there?”

  “Two months, it took a while to get settled here. I didn’t realize I would be driving all over the metroplex. I had to ask to be limited to a handful of properties and it cut down on my hours. It wasn’t long before I
figured out I needed a second job. At least the restaurant isn’t far from me. I can’t believe I just thought about you. How are you going to get home? I shouldn’t have let you drive me home.”

  “Do not worry about it. I have a car I can send for, it’s not a problem. Have you thought of trying to find something different from what you were doing before?”

  “Of course, but I’ve done it for so long and I’m good at it. I also don’t know of many things that would pay as well without a degree that I would enjoy as much. The property I worked at in Austin, I’d been there for eight years. I practically managed it on my own for the last three years. The manager, Tracy, was never there. Tracy was content to let me run it and only show up when the owner came by.”

  Damn, no degree. However, with eight years of experience, it more than made up for the lack of a degree. “Why was she so lax in her responsibilities?”

  “She had no idea what she was doing, how to run the reports or close the books for the month end. Tracy had never even worked as a leasing agent on a property before. She was the niece of someone who worked in the corporate office. When my old boss left to come to Dallas for her husband’s job Tracy was just supposed to fill in. Then when she asked for my help and I handled everything and the owner asked her to stay. So she kept the job without knowing what she was doing. She was thankful for what I did without ratting on her. Which wouldn’t have happened because they wouldn’t have done anything about it. Although, it did work out for me. She kept giving me raises I wouldn’t have gotten any other way. When I left, she promised she would give me a good reference when she got a call.”

  “What do you mean they wouldn’t have done anything about it?”

  “The corporate office was very much: they don’t care what happens on the properties as long as leases are being signed. I’d never had any issues I thought needed to be reported. But I worked with other leasing agents that tried complaining about on-site issues and they were patted on the head and ignored. If I had complained or let them know what was going on, they would have at best ignored it or at worse replaced me with someone who was willing to do her work without complaint.”

  She sighs. “A few times I’ve thought about maybe getting my real estate license. Only there’s no security with it and after finding out how quickly my savings went in Austin—I just can’t make the jump without a net.”

  “The company you were with in Austin doesn’t have any properties in Dallas?”

  “No, they’re mainly in Austin, a few in Corpus and several in Houston. I considered Houston except I’ve always hated the heat and humidity of Houston and didn’t want to go back.”

  As I pull into the driveway, anger rises in me again for a new reason. The neighborhood is as bad as I feared and the duplex is even worse. At one time it was white but is now a mottled gray and it’s sagging. From here I can spot issues with the roof. I have little doubt it’s too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. It is unacceptable for Carrie to live like this.

  Getting out of the car, I force a deep, calming breath. When Carrie rounds the car to me, my hand is once again at her back, needing to touch her all over again. It isn’t easy to hide my smile at the way a little gasp escapes her at my touch. “Let me handle them. I want to warn you now I’m not going to go easy on them and I need your support. They are going to hate the both of us for a little while, I need you to stand firm. In the end, I believe it is the best thing for them.”

  She nods.

  “Good girl.” The shy smile she gives me has my cock aching for her all over again.

  ***

  Carrie

  Rafael’s hand at my back is guiding me up the steps ahead of him. It isn’t a large landing, and it feels like he takes it all up. He hands me the keys and I unlock the door. Scanning the living room, Nelly, the next-door neighbor who was supposed to be watching the twins, is nowhere in sight. The twins are in front of the television playing games on the gaming console that was supposed to be locked in my room.

  “Where is Nelly? What the hell do you two think you’re doing? I locked those games up. You’re breaking into my room now?”

  Elliott, always the smartass, “They belong to us, we didn’t break in. We have a key. Nelly is laying down. She had a headache and Riley gave her the headache nighttime medicine by accident.”

  I take a deep breath as I fight not to lose it completely. There is no guilt on either of their faces. I have no doubt they gave Nelly the wrong pills on purpose. “You drugged Nelly? I cannot fucking believe you two. I’m done. I’m so done. I can’t do this anymore. Maybe you two do belong in juvenile detention.”

  Riley throws down his controller, until now he had barely looked at me. “Damn it, Carrie, you made me lose my game because you want to act like dramatic cow. Who gives a shit? We aren’t going to juvie, you fucking wish. If we did end up there it would be three months or whatever max. We’re only kids without adult supervision because you’re never fucking home. It wasn’t our fault we weren’t raised right by our bitch of a sister. We’re just kids who’ve had a hard life because our mom died when we were little. Even a bad lawyer will get us off.”

  Rafael squeezes my shoulder as he leads me to the couch, pressing me firmly down. “I wasn’t wrong in the least about you two. One, you are not kids. You are old enough to know the difference between right and wrong and understand there are repercussions for your actions. Two, your sister won’t be paying for a lawyer as she doesn’t have a cent to throw good money away at a lost cause like you two. Three, you think you’re smart. But you have to be the two stupidest teenagers in the state of Texas to piss me off.”

  The twins are studying him, finally paying attention. I have no doubt they’re sensing the raw power that radiates off Rafael, because I’m feeling it like a heater on blast.

  “You don’t know who I am, so I’ll tell you. I run the seventh largest construction company in the U.S. and the biggest in Texas. I employ over three thousand people in the state of Texas and more than twelve thousand in the United States. I am extremely wealthy. Being that wealthy, things have a way of going exactly the way I want them to. If I go to the judge and tell him that I want you two sentenced to the maximum of three years then you’ll both be there for three years. It won’t matter if you have the best lawyer in the state of Texas.”

  The twins look at each other, then back to Rafael.

  “Now that your sister is thinking the way I want her to, I’m pressing charges. I’ll ask the judge to give you the maximum. Your sister deserves a break from running herself ragged trying to keep a roof over your heads while giving you as good of a life as she can. Maybe now she can take some time to take care of herself instead of two ungrateful brats.”

  I can’t look at the twins right now, it hurts too much. It isn’t about wanting a life of my own. It’s that no matter how hard I work none of it is making a difference.

  “Carrie, what the fuck?! You’re going to let him throw us in juvie?” Elliott is shocked.

  Riley’s voice goes high with fear. “Carrie, hey, come on.”

  I’m shaking my head. Even with Rafael considering not pressing charges what happens the next time they get bored? When Rafael had mentioned the twins going after something or someone I had wanted to scoff at him. In the moment, I couldn’t believe the twins would ever hurt a person. But less than an hour later they had done exactly that. I didn’t know them at all. Maybe they should be somewhere where they couldn’t hurt anyone else.

  “Sis, don’t be like this. We’re sorry, okay? We’ll do the job thing you want us to do, right Riley.” Elliott pleads.

  “Yeah, Carrie, I’m sorry. Please, don’t do this. We’ll be good. We promise. You can’t let us go to juvie.”

  Letting loose a shaky breath, I fight tears. “I’m not letting anything happen. This is on you two. I’ve done all I can for you, it wasn’t enough. I tried to sit down and talk to you like the adults you keep telling me you are. Then you do these things. Three
hundred thousand dollars in damages was what you cost this man. I don’t care how wealthy he is, costs like that cut into his company’s bottom line.”

  I swipe the tears that well up and fall. “I’ve tried grounding you off video games, you break into my room and steal it. You drugged a nice, sweet woman. I’m tired. I’m so tired of trying. It’s not working. I’m done.” Damn it, the beginning of a migraine is forming at the back of my head. “Great, now I’m getting a migraine.”

  Standing, I sway. Immediately, Rafael’s hand is around my arm to steady me.

  “I think you need to rest. Go lie down.” It’s a gentle yet firm order.

  “Carrie!” Both twins cry out in unison. Shaking my head, I ignore them as I make my way into my room off the living room, closing the door. Despite the black-out curtains darkening the room so much I can barely see, I don’t turn on the lights. The light would cause my migraine to hurt worse if I did. Kicking off my shoes in the general direction of my walk-in closet I stumble toward my bed. Burying my face in the pillow, I hope the migraine doesn’t go full blown.

  ***

  Rafael

  Watching Carrie walk unsteadily into her room, crying I fight the urge to be violent. Glaring at the two young teens, they look worried but not nearly enough as far as I’m concerned.

  “You two, in your room now.” To give them credit, they don’t argue. Without a word, they nearly ran down the hallway to their room.

  Pulling out my phone, I call my little brother. Matteo picks up on the second ring. “Hey, Rafe what’s up?”

  “How do I stop a migraine?” I don’t bother with small talk. As a doctor, Matteo is used to being bothered with medical questions.

  “You’re having migraines, Rafe?”

  “No, not me. How do I stop it?”

  “Have the person drop meds immediately. Caffeine is the best thing they can take over the counter. Coffee or a Coke have them drink it down fast at least twelve ounces if they can take it. Aspirin is the best over the counter for it. Most migraines are from stress, a hot cloth on the back of the neck is a good way of relieving tension.”