employed a lot of our family members.” I felt my eyes narrow. “And some have disappeared.”
“One disappeared.”
“Oh, so you know about Esteban.”
“I’ve heard of him. Were you close?”
“Yes.” I jutted my chin away from him.
“Well, then, I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Are you though?” I looked at him again. “My grandmother told me that your father never even let my family past the gates to check for themselves.”
“My father could be a bit of a jerk in his day.”
“A bit? Have you ever lost someone and had no body to grieve over and bury?” I let my camera swing, the weight of the motion scratching the back of my neck. “It’s awful. An endless grieving process.”
“I know.” His voice was almost a whisper, but his words were clear.
Had it not been for the anguish that flashed in his eyes I’d have called his bluff. I swallowed the rest of my words instead. I hadn’t come here to blame him for matters he couldn’t help and had nothing to do with. Doing that would make me no better than any of my predecessors and I’d always said I was done with their games. I took a deep breath and exhaled, tilting my head up slightly to meet his gaze again.
“Let’s call a truce. For now at least.”
“For now?” His eyes danced. “Does that mean you still might use those combat boots you brought to kick me?”
“I forgot my boots.” I gasped, turning in my seat.
“Do you want to go back?” He raised an eyebrow.
“No way. I’ll just have Dee get them for me tonight.” We were almost at the gate now and I was half scared of what might happen if we turned back now.
“So, you do mean to kick me with them?”
“Only if you make me.”
“I might just have to.” When he smiled, it was everything I’d been warned against. Devilish, seductive, terrifyingly alluring. He knew it, too. He knew he had me. He didn’t make a show of it though, not the way all the boys my age would have. Instead, he parked the car in front of the iron gates and turned it off. “Shall we?”
“I have one more question.” I got out of the car, as did he. He unlocked the gate for me and I realized Gustavo was standing on the other side with a group of men, guarding the general area.
“Yes?” River tilted his head as he walked me out of the gates and back to Pan Island.
“How did you know I’d be at Carnival?”
“Just a hunch.”
“A hunch?” I frowned. “Did you look at the list of attendees?”
If he’d looked at the list he would have seen my name on it. We all had to sign in upon entering. Though I wasn’t sure why anyone would bother to look at the list of names, and a list of names didn’t include faces. Unless it did. I never saw the list.
“No.”
“So, how’d you know I was there?”
He stared at me for a long, quiet moment. I felt every hair stand up, every nerve ending zap, before he finally looked away. My heart pounded erratically. River was good-looking, yes, but this was something else. This was . . . inexplicable.
“A hunch.” He met my gaze again. “You should be ready by five-thirty. I’ll send your dress with Gustavo.”
“What? Send it where? I’m not even going to the party.”
“Gustavo,” River said loudly. “Let it be known that I’m choosing Penelope Guzman to accompany me tonight.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do you dare defy the rules, Miss Guzman?” His eyes were dancing when he looked at me again.
My jaw dropped. It took me a second to gather my wits before I could respond, “I don’t even know where I’ll be. I’m not going back home and—”
“Tell Miss Dolly that you’ll be needing the room upstairs. That should cover it.”
I blinked. “I don’t even . . . Dolly . . . I mean . . . ”
“Penelope.”
“What?”
“Go to Dolly’s. Your friends are waiting for you.” He brought a hand up and caressed my face. “I’ll see you later.”
With that he turned around and walked past the gate again. My mouth was still hanging open as I watched him get in the car and peel away. The only thing I could think was, What the hell just happened? And the only answer I could come up with was River Caliban. He happened.
Chapter Thirteen
When I pulled the door open to Dolly’s bar and walked inside, all heads turned to me. Dee and Martín were sitting at our