Falling with Grace - Page 147

“I-I guess.” I shrugged.

“Not ‘I guess’. Just relax. Everything has been taken care of.”

The plane slowed to a crawl, then stopped.

Rosa woke up with a snort.

I held back a laugh as she opened her eyes, lifted her head, and looked around. “We’re here?”

“Yes, Mamá.”

The doors opened, and the men stepped off the plane first, followed by Elias, Rosa, and me, in that order.

Twenty or so guards stood with their backs towards us, their eyes searching for an obvious threat as they ushered us into a presidential-looking limo.

“Okay, now can I know?”

Elias sat across from Rosa and me as we drove off the tarmac and onto a road that ran along the turquoise and diamond waters.

I twisted my body and stared out the side window like a kid arriving at Disney World for the first time.

“Tulum.”

I snapped my fingers. “I was so close.”

He raised a brow, and I stared back out the window, picturing the waters surrounding my ankles, the sun beating down on my face, and the tension of the last few weeks blowing away into the salty breeze.

The closest step to peace I’d ever been in three years.

31

Grace

Aquamarine waters lapped at the white sandy beaches as palm trees swayed in the warm breeze and seagulls screeched overhead.

I squinted against the intense sun as we exited the vehicle parked on a cobbled driveway near a villa.

“Wow.”

The square two-story building stood tall against the blue skies. Its second balcony was lined with a bamboo banister, lending to the naturalness of the surrounding area.

Elias interlaced his mother’s arm through his, assisting her inside. “You haven’t even seen the backyard.”

“Do I need to? I feel like I’m on vacation just looking at the front.”

He chuckled as I followed him indoors. The guards spread out towards offset buildings that resembled three more homes on the property. It squared the main villa, creating a safe space inside the center that functioned as the driveway and main entrance.

“Where are they going?”

Elias looked back as we passed through the abnormally wide wooden door into the light oak kitchen. “To their rooms.”

“They have their own rooms too?”

“Yes. Mamá, Valaria, and Catalina will occupy this villa, and we will take the one to the right.”

“Okay.”

“Why don’t you go make yourself comfortable? It’s safe to move around. The door is just right over there.” He pointed towards the villa to the right, which was identicalin color.