If looks could’ve pushed her out the door, Rafe’s would’ve tossed her on her ass. “Se?or Fuentes and I have some business to discuss,” he said calmly. “Go. Get comfortable, and maybe you can take a soak in that Jacuzzi tub you were eyeing earlier.”
“Or perhaps you’d like to take a stroll around the grounds,” Diego surprised them both by suggesting. “I take much pride in my gardens. You will find plants and flowers that are unable to be viewed even in the most renowned horticultural centers. Even in the moonlight, their beauty is awe-inspiring. I often take midnight strolls myself.”
Penny’s gaze flickered to Rafe, hoping for some kind of sign as to what to do, but his face was a mask. “I wouldn’t want to get lost. My mother always said that I could get lost trying to get out of a paper bag.”
“You must stay on the path and within the perimeter of the compound, but if you were to get turned around, you’d only need to call out for assistance. My security team will always be nearby to assist you.”
Calling Diego’s group of thick-necked mercenaries security guards was like referring to the bubonic plague as a bad case of the sniffles. Penny opened her mouth to decline, but Diego stood, his arm outstretched in her direction.
“Come, Se?orita Hanlan,” Diego beckoned. “Carlotta will see you to your room so that you may change into something more suitable to enjoying an evening walk.”
The brunette waited by the doorway for Penny to follow orders. And they were orders. Diego Fuentes was obviously not a man who heard the word no often. She kissed Rafe good-bye, feeling his gaze on her until she left the room. It was one thing to be apart, but an entirely different feeling being separated at the suggestion of Fuentes.
“I wouldn’t suppose you’d like to go with me for a walk?” Penny asked Carlotta when they reached the bedroom door. After a five-second blank stare, the other woman turned on her high heels and click-clacked in the direction from which they came. “Guess not,” Penny muttered to herself as she entered the room.
Nothing looked amiss, but remembering what Rafe said about the likelihood of Fuentes reinstalling the mics, she made certain not to do anything that could be considered suspicious. She nearly forgot about the walk altogether, but then common sense and cabin fever took over.
While Rafe was busy making nice, the very least she could do was scope out their surroundings. She slipped into the bathroom and changed into a tank and shorts. Then after sliding into her sneakers and grabbing a mini flashlight, she headed out the room’s patio doors.
There was dark, and then there was black-abyss, fall-to-your-death dark. The surrounding jungle most definitely fell into the second category, but between the dim lanterns illuminating the stone path and the occasional streak of moonlight breaking through the trees, her chances of falling flat on her face were relatively low.
The cold slither of watching eyes followed her as she turned each corner. She ignored it, her forward movement fueled by the mental images of Rachel’s frightened face. She’d meant it when she told Rafe she’d do anything to get Rachel back.
Being only three years younger, Rachel had felt more like a sister than Penny’s late older sibling had. They were each other’s best friends, accomplices, and therapists. Everyone from the crotchety old bartender at Hot Shots to the doe-eyed children at the after-school program adored her.
The more Penny thought about Rachel, the tighter her hand reflexively gripped the flashlight. Before she realized it, she’d nearly circled the entire compound.
It wasn’t like she didn’t know she wasn’t alone. With every inch of her walk, she’d felt the eyes of Fuentes’s men. But the shadow standing by the pool was smaller and about a foot shorter than the six-foot he-men she’d seen earlier. Penny squinted into the darkness until Carlotta’s narrow frame came into view.
She was talking to herself, incoherent rambling that didn’t make sense. At least not until Penny heard the words prisoners and bunker muttered in the same unintelligible sentence.
In English…and with the hint of a Midwestern American accent.
Penny’s sneakers hit a patch of loose pebbles, making Carlotta jump. Eyes wide, she spun around.
“It’s okay.” Penny lifted her hands. “It’s just Nell. You remember me, right? From dinner? And the club?”
Carlotta’s gaze flickered back and forth between her and the jungle.
“I was just taking a walk,” Penny said in an attempt to sound casual. “It’s beautiful out here. So open and yet tucked away. I bet it must get a little lonely sometimes though. Do you get many visitors? Family who comes to visit you? Or any other people who come around?”
The mention of people set Carlotta off again. This time her words flowed too fast to catch more than a word or two for every twenty syllables. Carlotta paced frantically, edging to where the stone walk met rough jungle only to turn around and do it again and again. Her gaze kept slipping away from the mansion and into the thick foliage to the east.