A Love That Defies A Code

ne at Lucia Vargas' name. The very name caused him great discomfort. From all he had collected, she was no

illy and silky, like velvet laced with po

r around the phone. " Wh

a friendly caution. There was a stop and he could practically hear her grinning on the other e

decide. But hearing from her, so directly, everything seemed way too real. Leaning

e a caress. "You will avoid Sofia if you wish not to end your life in the g

everything. Her armor had flaws, though. Rafael had gotten flashes of something more deadl

his ideas a jumble of contradictory feelings. Though he had learnt to keep his distance and act professionally, the devel

om. He pushed his ear to the door, attempting to hea

el Richards. "We cannot rely on her any mo

w but tinged with a disconcerting enthusiasm. "There

tening to her voice now, full of such uncertainty, he started to doubt everything. He retreated from the en

foes as she stood before a big map. "We move to

r. But there was a gloom to it, something he found difficult to really identify. Every time she talked abo

im. Her voice quiet, but with an edge, she asked, "Are you

narchy all around her. Still, something inside him stopped. Fighting back, his moral compass echoed Lucia Var

could leave? Not sure?" Though her voice was subdued, it contained something threatening. "You consider this to b

the walls between them collapsed. She went beyond mere patience. She was the one able

the structure. Dust from the ceiling dropped through the rumbling wind

e him, her eyes wild with a mix of wrath and terror.

she had created, and she was stronger than anybody Rafael had ever known. S

the fog of uncertainty, "W

something he was unable to ignore in that moment. His relationship to Sofia was personal rather than

shoulder, he felt uncomfortable rising in his chest. Moving as though they had a mind of their own, sh

el could see the faint figure of a man watching them with a terrible stillness, but the shad

teady, she cautione

kly toward the door following her lead. They had not time to probe.

ofia ignored him. Her gaze locked fo

man observing them. Still, Sofia did not show any reaction. Calculating and emotionless, org

but under it he sensed the storm building. No one could argue against Sofia's natural force. Rafael

rled. The events in the mansion, the shadows, the murmurs, the people meant to be allies kept him from sleeping.

hts. Though Sofia was engrossed in her thoughts, her clinched jaw suggested s

bvious daily exactly how much she was hiding. Still, he had a part of him that couldn't overlook the draw toward her, toward the power, the passi

leep. Sofia tightened her hold on the wheel and nar

afael asked, his voice

e spoke, her voice almost above a whisper, without looking at him.

words choked him. He had decided upon already. A

n, the automobile shrieked to stop. Before them loome

She said, "Stay close," and then she got out o