"Caitlin?" called out Miguel as he reached the main floor. When he had gotten out of the shower she hadn't been in the room or dressing room, so once he had dressed, he had headed downstairs.

Upon surveilling the ground floor, she was nowhere to be found.

"Caitlin?" he called out again as he reached the terrasse.

Seeing Alba coming up the stairs, he walked over to her. "Have you seen Caitlin?"

"No, Mr. Galindo, not since her return from town this afternoon.

He frowned and walked hastily down the steps and headed for the gazebo, only to find it empty. He ran over to her workshop, but she still wasn't there.

He took his phone out and called Matteo. "Have you seen Caitlin?"

"No, Sir. Last I saw her was…"

"Yes, I know," he answered hanging up the phone. He went back up to the house, through the rooms and opened the front door only to find the Mercedes no longer parked outside.

The driver winced upon seeing Miguel's name pop up on his phone screen.

"Yes, Mr. Galindo?" he said swallowing uneasily shooting a glance at Caitlin and EZ who were still talking.

"Where the fuck is my wife?!"

"She's at the carniceria in town waiting on her order and talking with EZ Reyes."

"Without protection? Get her home, now!" added Miguel not waiting for the driver's answer.

"Yes, Sir."

Felipe walked outside and handed Caitlin the bag of lamb chops.

"Oh, I would have come inside," she said.

"That'll be 19,50$" he replied.

She fished her wallet out of her purse and took out a twenty. "Here you go, Mr. Reyes, keep the change."

He took the twenty and nodded. "Have a nice day, Mrs. Galindo."

"He doesn't seem happy, about me being here," said Caitlin once he was back inside the shop.

"Don't worry about him. He's not thrilled about me joining the MC and working for your husband hasn't helped."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

She looked up as the driver stood by her side. Seeing how jittery he was, she knew he'd had Miguel on the phone.

"I need to go but thank you for keeping me company while I waited. It was a pleasure to meet you, EZ."

"Same and I'm glad you're OK."

She stood. "Be careful out there. You've only been in it for a year, I've been in it most of my life, its way more dangerous than you sometimes believe it to be."

He nodded but said nothing as she walked back to the car. He stood and watched as it drove away.

"Are you sure being in contact with Galindo's wife is the best option?" he heard his father say from the shop door that was ajar.

"I'm not doing anything wrong," replied EZ as he shot a glance at his watch. "I need to go back to the club. I'll see you around."

Miguel was pacing the terrasse when he saw Caitlin coming inside the house and head for the kitchen.

"Where the hell were you?" he asked marching in her direction infuriated.

"If you called the driver, then you know where I was," she answered as she placed the lamb chops on the counter.

"You went alone, without protection after I explicitly told you that it was out of the question from now on."

"I was in a bullet-proof, tinted car, then in town in a butcher shop…what could have possibly happened to me? Mr. Reyes was going to stab me with his knife or pound me with his cleaver?"

"You were merely walking to your van when you got kidnapped in Charming and this is not Charming, it's worse. I won't let you put our child in harm's way!"

"I needed space, Miguel! I am suffocating from worrying all the time that something is going to happen to me or our baby. It seems as if anywhere I go, I'm not safe unless I've got two bodyguards with me and keep my eyes down on the sidewalk."

"You were kidnapped and almost raped," he said furiously.

"You think I don't know that?!" she yelled out, her entire body shaking as she stared him down, remembering what she had been through and just barely escaped. "But it had nothing to do with you, they were targeting the Sons."

"And here it does. You know how many groups of rebels are out there ready to use you as an incentive? How about rival cartels? You have always known that with me you were a target. If that was going to be a problem for you, then why did you marry me?!"

"Because I love you!" she screamed out from the top of her lungs. "Because even if I can dissociate the man, I share my life and bed with, from the cartel leader, I knew I couldn't have one without the other. You've been on edge ever since the kidnapping, and I get it, I do, mi amor," she said more softly, "but it's filled you with a darkness that scares me. You killed the agave supplier…"

She lowered her head and placed her hands down on the kitchen countertop, "…because of me. If I hadn't found out he was overcharging me, he'd still be alive. I'm responsible for his death."

Miguel felt a virtual slap to the face upon hearing her words, and his anger suddenly dissipated as he walked near her.

He placed his hands on her hips, from behind, and turned her so that they were facing.

"You are not responsible for his death. It wasn't the only reason I killed him."

She looked into his eyes.

"He threatened to go to the authorities. I had no choice but to kill him."

"Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?"

"Because I didn't want you to worry. After everything you had been through, I was only trying to protect you."

"You always promised you'd never lie to me," she said narrowing her eyes.

"And I wasn't. I just didn't give you all the information."

"It's easier for me to accept you killing him knowing the real reason behind it. I know how obscure your world is and most of the time, I'm fine not knowing half of what is going on. But when I see how sometimes it drags you down into an abyss, that is when I want to know what is going on, so that I can be there for you."

He placed his hand on her cheek. "Angel, I don't want you to know the atrocities my position leads me to do. Your heart and soul are so pure, I won't stand to tarnish them."

"Miguel, I've lived and seen my share of atrocities. I know how dreadful the world in which we live can be. I appreciate you trying to protect me from that, but it's too late." She dug her eyes deep in his. "Mi amor, please, don't shut me out."

"Lo siento," he replied apologetically, placing his forehead against hers. "I will promise to come to you when I need solace and keep from you only what doesn't have an impact on me, you, our couple, and family. But you need to promise me in return that what you did today, leaving like that with just the driver, you won't do it again. I can't lose you…do you hear me?! I can't and refuse to lose you; not now, not ever."

"I promise," she replied as she wrapped her arms around him. "Now, unless you want to fast tonight, I need to start preparing dinner."

He nodded and looked past her to the kitchen counter. "What did you get?"

"Lamb chops. I'm going to make some baked potatoes and a salad on the side."

"Sounds delicious. No dessert?"

"If I can keep down the main course, then we can go pick out some pastry from the fridge in the workshop."

"Do you need help?"

"I'd like that, unless you need to tend to more important things."

"No, I'm all yours. Just tell me how I can help."

She told him what he could do to help her prepare dinner and after what had seemed to a bad start of the evening, it turned out better than she imagined. She wasn't naïve, she knew there would still be difficult times ahead; that it wouldn't all be smooth sailing, but just as he couldn't lose her, she couldn't either…not in a million years!