Chapter Fourteen: The Glowing Flame
"Have you seen my uncle?" A deep male voice disrupted the sleepy stillness of the sweltering afternoon.
"Huh?" With Don Jose away on business, Catherine had been enjoying an early afternoon siesta in a cool, shady corner of the garden. But her snooze ended with a gasp of surprise and shock. The long-legged fashion model's heart skipped a beat as she opened her eyes and drank in the sight of sexy young Antonio.
"Done Jose did not attend this morning's meeting of the board," Antonio informed her, in his crisp, no-nonsense manner. Without being invited to sit, the lithe and muscular young man arrogantly perched at the foot of Catherine's long, cushioned lounging chair. "Nobody in Puerto Tranquilo seems to know where he is."
"Yes, well . . . I haven't seen him since yesterday. I'm worried about him too!" Catherine didn't like the suspicious way the young man was looking at her. She shifted in the lounge, reaching for her Dior bag. Her bare foot accidentally brushed his firm thigh.
"You were out late last night?" Antonio's accusing tone was as unsettling as his obsidian gaze. His dark eyes followed her every move, lingering on her flushed, guilty features and shaky hands.
"Yes, I went out looking for your uncle!" Catherine fumbled for the cigarettes in her bag. She should never have started smoking again. But during her long stay at Don Jose's villa she'd slipped back into some bad habits. Nervously she flicked her gold-plated lighter, trying to ignore Antonio's glowering presence.
Flick! Flick! Flick!
"You're just getting over a car crash. My uncle is letting you recuperate as his guest. Must you suck poison into your lungs at every opportunity?" Antonio's voice was full of impatience as he watched the foolish beauty fumble with her lighter. Finally his large hands closed over hers, guiding the tiny yellow flame to the tip of her cigarette. Their eyes met briefly over the glowing flame.
"I'm . . . I'm . . . all better from my accident. And I'm quitting soon, actually," Catherine stammered. She wanted to appear sophisticated, indifferent to Antonio's sexual magnetism. It was exactly the opposite of how she felt.
"Yes, you're quitting soon. And my uncle is going on a diet." Antonio pulled out a smartphone. "Do you recognize this?"
"That's my phone!" Catherine couldn't hide her relief. The night before she'd had a wild time at one of the clubs on the beach, leaving the dance floor in the embrace of a sexy young Englishman with a crooked smile and magnetic blue eyes. His lips had been hot on hers and his hands were sure and knowing as he undressed her in the darkness of Don Jose's big black limousine. All Catherine could remember after that was falling asleep in her own bed, feeling as tired as a champion runner after a marathon.
"Apparently someone is very interested in what you and my uncle are up to," Antonio said, tapping the screen of her phone with a probing finger. "Every single file connected to the new dance club the two of you were planning to open has been wiped clean."
"How did you get hold of this?" Catherine's blue eyes were full of suspicion, but her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. Loads of people must have seen her leaving the club with the boy she'd picked up on the dance floor. Antonio was sure to think . . . well, what else could he think? Catherine crushed out her cigarette in the stone ashtray by her Dior bag, wishing she could crush out the memory of her foolish behavior the night before. Another cigarette would only make things worse. But Catherine reached for her leather bag as though she couldn't stop herself.
"Most of the club owners know me," Antonio replied, putting his hand over hers and blocking the bag. "One of them rang me up early this morning. He found your phone and knew you were staying here at my uncle's villa. Of course he tried to contact you, but when he rang the house Rosa told him you were still resting. That is why he called me. People in Puerto Tranquilo respect me, and my family. And that's the way I want things to stay."
"So what do you want from me?" Catherine's anger made her forget about lighting up again for a moment. She focused her blue eyes solely on Antonio. She felt strong and determined.
"Not what everybody else wants." Antonio returned her gaze. "Last night you left the club with a boy from your own country. I have no wish to ask about what you did together. That is entirely your affair. But I think he was using you to get information about your friend Anne, and the funds she has loaned you to invest here on our island. I think the business you and my uncle are starting has already drawn the attention of some very dangerous people."
"Is that why Don Jose has gone missing?" Catherine's eyes were worried as she remembered the day before. She'd gone into town hoping to find Antonio's bald and fat but very charming uncle.
"My contacts in town say that my uncle was last seen searching for a young woman, beautiful but very different from yourself. This was someone who was once employed by our family."
"You know her!" Catherine's memory came back with a jolt. "It's the girl who was begging you for help in the cafe, the day I had my accident. I remember her! Is your uncle in love with her?"
"They were lovers, Jose and Carmela. He was foolish in the way of so many older men. He gave her money, but it was not enough. She stole from him. And so I had her arrested and sent to prison." Antonio spoke calmly, as though such things happened every day. "Now I am afraid he has gone to her. And Carmela will use him and then destroy him, to get revenge for what was done to her."
"We have to find him!" Catherine's feelings were all mixed up. She hated the way Antonio treated her, bossing her about with scorn and contempt. But she was determined to help him find his uncle.