Blurred Lines 1: CHASE
Chapter 120

-Sofia-

On the sideline, I watched Chase converse with Carlota over dinner; blackberry glazed chicken, pork, and sweet potato kebab.

Carlota narrates in detail how Eros got his hand on Samuel Cardoso inside the high prison cell in Rio. I knew Eros was some kind of mobster, but his reach in the government still surprised me.

Derek was done with his dinner and fixing a hammock on the trees behind his tent, far from the low noise of our chatter by the campfire. Cisco went back to the van to get updates on what was happening back in town. He'd been pretty helpful in the success of my plans. Derek hasn't told me much about what Cisco does.

'The less you know, the better, Derek reminded me. 'These guys had my back in a foreign land. I trust them with my life.'

"If it were me, I wouldn't be so lenient. He's better living in hell than on earth," Carlota murmured, chomping down on the pork on her kebab, channeling all her energy on the poor skewer.

Reaching out to Carlota had been the most crucial and challenging part of this plan. She was the key to connecting all the dots. I could not actually talk to Eros since the guy was unreachable, and I had to get a feel of the situation with Carlota. If we will be working together, I have to get over my jealousy and animosity towards her first.

Once we got past the awkward hello in the cafe where we met, everything went smoothly since. She wasn't so bad. She was funny and smart, and above all, she had already proven that she cared for Chase as a family, nothing more. And looking at them now, the jealousy I'd harbored towards her since Rio seemed almost a lifetime away. They were bickering and laughing like two old friends. That was Carlota's effect on people around her. She could coax emotion out of people, even the ones like Cisco. Though I think my brother was immune to her charms.

Rustling made the four of us stiffen in silence.

"It's me," Cisco murmured, emerging from the treeline. Relief washed all over our faces. Derek finished fixing the hammock and returned to the campfire.

"Is Elise okay?" I asked before Cisco could take a seat.

He nodded. "Chuck will watch over your baby like he promised."

"Who's Chuck?" Chase asked.

"A friend of mine," Derek answered him.

Chase nodded, satisfied with Derek's response. "Your people are still in the area," he said, pertaining to Joe's men, "but we doubled security when we learned who Nikos was." "Thanks, man," Chase murmured.

Derek gave him a curt nod, turning to Cisco. "How about the detective?"

Cisco grumbled. "Stupid fuckers. They went inside your friend's place." Chase cursed under his breath. "Don't worry about it. We'll handle them. They'll be under investigation once this shit is over. For now, having them tailing you is actually helping your cause." "I don't fucking see how," Chase murmured, took my empty plate, and set them on the table, returning with fresh beer bottles.

"They're witnesses," Carlota added. "In case Nikos tries to make a move on you."

Chase seemed to ponder on it, sipping his beer. "I still hate them."

I nudged his shoulder. "We don't have to like them, babe."

He tossed an arm over my shoulder, drawing me closer and kissing my temple. "We don't. I like this, though; we have a badass team. I never thought I'd see the day Carlota and Eros would work with the government."

Cisco rose, shoving his hands in his jacket pocket. "This was an exception. Once this truce is over, we'll be coming after your asses."

Carlota stood. She was a foot shorter than Cisco, but she glared at him as though he were a speck of dirt beneath her boots. "Are you threatening me?"

Thick brows tilting, Cisco's brown eyes shimmered with amusement, but he quickly masked it with a stone-cold glare. That's the kind of emotion Carlota coaxed from the guy. "Are you threatened?"

"Your kind doesn't scare me," she replied, huffing as she headed for the table and set her used plate on a basket.

For a tiny woman, she sure knows how to piss off a man twice her size. Cisco was a dead ringer for Jason Momoa, suntanned skin, deep chocolate eyes, a well-toned body, and long curls bound with a scrunchy in a low ponytail. "My kind?"

"Yeah. What do you guys call yourself?" she pivoted, a devious smile on her lips. "Big guys with no brains."

Cisco growled and removed the distance between them with two strides, crowding Carlota; his gaze could melt steel. Carlota was anything but scared. In fact, her eyes danced with amusement. She had made a habit of getting under his skin since they met. "What did you fucking say?"

"For fuck's sake," Derek grumbled and jerked on his feet, stomping back to his hammock. "Kids. I'm surrounded by children."

Carlota lifts her hand and draws a stripe on Cisco's chest with her forefinger. "For a spy, you sure have slow comprehension and defected ears."

Cisco's big hands shot up and gripped Carlota's neck, belching fire through his nose. I sighed. This wasn't the first time these two had been on each other's necks. Since the drive here, they've been at it. They even threw actual punches while pitching their tents. I rose to my feet, circled the firepit, and went to the table, ignoring Cisco and Carlota, and took the basket of used plates and utensils. "Where are you taking that?" Chase asked.

"To the cabin." His brows shot up.

"There's a cabin?" I nodded, and he took the basket from me, quickly grabbing his bag. "Then why are there tents pitched back there?"

We disappeared through the treeline, darkness swallowing us. I took my flashlight out, lighting our way.

"Uhm... Derek thought we needed some time alone," my gaze dropped to the ground, cheeks heating up. "You know, to talk...." "Hm..." Chase hummed.

The cabin wasn't far from the campsite. Only a five-minute walk, which we spent in utter silence. By the time we climbed the threshold, my inside was a jumbled mess. Some sentences are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on FindNovel.net. Visit FindNovel.net to read the complete chapters for free. I knew I messed up, and I feared how this would affect our relationship. Technically, I blindsided Chase. He'd done that several times to shield me from the truth. I never understood how hard it was until the situation had been reversed. Now I am the one who needed to apologize for protecting him.

Once inside the cabin, Chase understood why the rest had to camp out. The place was small, with one bed, a bathroom, and a kitchen with a table and a chair. It was a place of total isolation. Even the utensils here were for one individual only. A hunter owned this cabin and only stayed here for a night or two when he went for a hunt.

"I'll just wash these," I said, setting the basket on the counter. "Bathroom is there if you wanna freshen up."

Without a word, Chase got to work and disappeared into the bathroom. I took my time washing the dishes, mind conjuring how to apologize and make it up to him. Every night since Monday, the look on Chase's face when I told him I was leaving haunted me. His pain, his sadness, and how he volunteered to leave for the sake of our daughter, I had to swallow all the guilt down.

I don't deserve him. Despite what he was going through, finding out about Cyrus and dealing with Sammy, he still put my needs and our daughter first. He gave me time, for crying out loud. His words that night were the ones that broke me every time. 'I'm not leaving because I'm giving up. You need time, and I will give it to you... I love you.'

Warm hands slide down my arms, caging me against the kitchen counter. He took the rag and plate I was drying and set it aside, spinning me around. He cupped my face; his earnest eyes and gentle smile were my undoing. The tears I'd been holding broke free, leaving wet lines down my cheeks as they poured.

"I'm sorry..."

"Sh..." He cooed, nudging my nose with his. The gesture was so tender it made me weep harder. "You did what you had to do. Never apologize for protecting our family."

Eyes clouded with tears, I stood on the tip of my toes and kissed him. I put everything into the kiss, my love for him, the fear of losing him and the longing I felt since we parted. I had to let him know he meant the world to me. And I would do everything I can to protect him.