Summer Vows (Arabesque) Read Online Free PDF Page B

mother so
tightly both struggled to breathe. “Will you help me pack, Mama?”
    Serena nodded, unable to speak because of the constriction in
her throat. It had been years since her wild child had called her Mama. Reaching
into a pocket of her slacks, she took out a tissue and blotted her face. She
kissed Ana’s cheek. “We’re going to get through this. It’s not the first time
we’ve had a family crisis and it probably won’t be the last. Your father, uncles
and the other men in this family will make certain nothing will happen to you.
They always protect their own.”
    Ana held her mother as if she were her a lifeline. She didn’t
know why, but she felt as if she was going into exile without a hint of when she
would return. Diego had mentioned she should pack enough for a couple of weeks,
yet something told her it would be longer. She was leaving everything that was
familiar to live with a stranger who’d assured Diego that he would protect her.
She had to believe him or whoever wanted her dead would determine her
destiny.
    No permita que nadie le defina ni
determine su destino. It was as if Marguerite-Joséfina Isabel
Diaz-Cole was in the room whispering in her ear. Her grandmother had always
cautioned her not to let anyone define her or to determine her destiny. Ana’s
grandmother had been born during a time when women had little or no rights, and
even less when it came to selecting a husband. Cuban-born M.J. had defied her
father, married an American and left the country of her birth to become the
matriarch of a dynasty. Ana kissed her mother again.
    “I’m ready, Mom.” And she was ready to do whatever she needed
to do so she could live her life without having to look over her shoulder.

Chapter 2
    Los Angeles
    B asil Irvine pounded a fist into his open
palm when he really felt like punching the wall. Perhaps the pain would help him
forget the debacle that resulted in Tyler Cole being shot instead of Ana.
    Turning a menacing glare on his brother, he narrowed his eyes.
“That’s what I get for sending a boy to do a man’s job.”
    A feral grin spread over Webb Irvine’s scarred face. “Do you
want to hear I told you so?”
    Basil’s gray eyes glittered like chipped ice. “If it will make
you feel better, then say it.”
    Like quicksilver the smile faded and Webb peered down at the
toes of his spit-shined shoes. “I’m not going to say it because it’s not going
to change anything. I told you that I’d take care of the bitch, but you wanted
to do it your way.”
    “That’s because I didn’t want you involved. You just got out of
jail—”
    Webb waved a hand as if swatting away an annoying insect.
“Don’t worry about me going back to jail. That’s not going to happen.”
    “I still don’t want you involved in this.”
    Basil stared at his younger brother. They looked nothing alike,
but blood ran deep between them. He’d stomped a man to death for stealing from
him, and it was Webb who’d confessed to the crime. Webb, only fifteen at the
time, was tried as an adult, and pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter; he
spent three years in a juvenile facility before being transferred to
minimum-security prison for the next ten years. Webb earned a high school
diploma and, once paroled, he’d enrolled in college and had graduated with a
degree in computer science.
    “I won’t be involved,” Webb said softly. “I know someone who
would be perfect for this project.”
    Basil sat down on a leather love seat, knees spread apart. Webb
was the epitome of a successful businessman with his conservative haircut,
tailored suit, custom-made shirt, silk tie and imported footwear. He’d repaid
his brother ten-fold when he’d given him enough money to start up his own
security company that created and sold state-of-the art surveillance
equipment.
    “Let me think about it. My man said he’s going to wait a while
before he begins hunting again.”
    The dark brown eyes in an equally dark face flattened.